Private Peaceful
Charlie ... Charlie ... Charlie ...I want to meet you, get to know you, look up and admire you. I wanted to sob my heart out when I finished reading Private Peaceful.I wish I hadn't read it. It was so painful, so filled with a sense of injustice, so cruel.I feel privileged to have read it. It was so moving, so human, so gentle and so filled with love. My heart reached out to Tommo - who could have lived in Charlie's shadow, but never did. Instead, he basked in Charlie's glow. Tommo, little Tommo, is so human. He tells his story without reserve, without embarrassment. He gets angry with someone he worships. He adores without restraint. He knows that Charlie is everyone's hero. He is, and always will be, the other Private Peaceful. And he basks in his elder brother Charlie Peaceful's glow It will take courage to read the book again. But I know I will. A powerful book like Private … [Read more...]
Indian Coffee House
smoke swirls coffee tastes peculiar i drink it anyway, along with something with mustard mainly for the mustard, rather than for the 'something' people stick political posters over the board that says 'SMOKING IS A PUNISHABLE OFFENCE' people ask for ash-trays and get them or they don't ask for ash-trays and they tip ash on the floor, looked on indulgently by waiters two old men watch the people around them, silent in the midst of the noise and we chatter on about our writing and our dreams … [Read more...]
Express Yourself!
Sigh. And that's the end of another fun workshop at the British Library! We played, we laughed, we shared ideas. For once, I honestly believe the children enjoyed the workshop more than I did. One child had to explain the word 'FREEZE'. The rules were - no acting, no translating, no using the words 'ice', 'cold', 'still', 'fear' and 'move'. He stood, thinking, for a long time. Then he began, "Once upon a time, there lived an Eskimo. One day, he decided to go to Antarctica. He went all the way there and he made an igloo. But then on top of a mountain there, it was so chilly that he ..." … [Read more...]
My next workshop is tomorrow!
A custom-made workshop for the Reading Challenge at the British Library! Yes, each of these cards is hand-made. Each card contains a word from the Creepy House Reading Challenge. I've lost count of how many cards I made. … [Read more...]
Trams in Kolkata
Yes, I've written about trams before, in a post with the same name as this. But how could I go to Kolkata again and not create some more tram memories? My grandmother often told me about how her father always gave her the fare for first class tram tickets to college and back. Like so many young people, she took a second class ride and used the money she saved to buy little things that young people want but cannot afford. Now, travelling by tram to work or college is absurd. It takes at least twice as long to commute by tram than by any of the other available options, so really, the tram is just something you experience, rather than something you use. My flat-mate in Kolkata and I had once spoken about how these anachronistic trams could be retained without much loss to the city. "They should make a moving cafe and sell it as an experience for tourists," my flat-mate suggested. I … [Read more...]
Varsha and the Kerosene Stove
"So, Mamma, there's no geyser in this place and they've given me a kerosene stove to heat water. What to do?" "Hmm. Okay. What kind of stove is it?" "Mm?" "Does it have a pump?" "No." "Good. Okay. There's one cylindrical thing that's loose. Pull it off. Okay? Now there should be another cylindrical thing with holes. Leave that. There should be a knob on the side that gets the wicks up. Turn it. Did the wicks come? No? Okay. Take off the next cylindrical thing with holes. Yes, yes, there is another cylindrical thing with holes inside. Now turn the knob. Did the wicks come up? Good. Now light all the wicks." "No, wait. Where do I put the kerosene?" "Slosh it around. Check that it has kerosene in it. It doesn't? Okay. So the base is like a dabba. Open it. The kerosene goes there. Then turn the knob. Light the wicks." Attempt #1 "Mamma! The wicks are just a millimetre high and refuse to … [Read more...]
Inspired by Taboo!
The next workshop I'm doing at the British Library promises to be fun! My father got a rubber stamp saying 'VARSHA SESHAN' long, long ago. I kept it safely. I visited a bookshop about six months ago and impulsively bought a stamp pad, but did not use it. I bought chart paper to make a lantern for Diwali (yes, five months ago) and never made the lantern. I put all of them together to make my own Taboo cards, using words that I found in books that are part of the Creepy House Reading Challenge. They look lovely; I'm waiting to use them! Suppose you have to get your team to say the word ‘breakfast’. You cannot act or translate. You can speak, making full sentences, but there’s another rule. You are given five words that you aren’t allowed to use! Without using the words ‘eat’, ‘morning’, ‘lunch’, ‘food’ and ‘dinner’, can you make your team say the word ‘breakfast’? Express yourself! Use … [Read more...]
The Butterfly Lion
This morning, I was reading Private Peaceful before I left for school. I glanced at my watch. Okay, one more paragraph. I read about Big Joe singing Oranges and Lemons in his attempt to pray for Molly. I glanced at my watch. Okay, one more paragraph. And one more. And one more. I just about did not get late for my bus. And so I decided to reread another favourite, The Butterfly Lion, which won my heart yet again. Michael Morpurgo, as always, combines innocence with wisdom to enchant both the child and the adult in me. Love, loyalty and determination - all these are age-old values that Morpurgo never turns into meaningless cliches. I know that as a writer, I shy away from stories which are pure and good. Yet, as a reader, I love these timeless tales. I love stories of goodness and nobility. When will I find the courage and maturity to write them? … [Read more...]
‘What happens next?’ at British Library
The afternoon's workshop at the British Library began with a presentation that helped the eight children understand the mood of terror. Sights and sounds, ghosts, enormous spiders, zombies, mummies and pirates found their way into ideas children expressed before they began to write. And then, I gave them their prompt - The crows cried out in the distance. Hundreds, thousands of crows perched on the roof of the old, empty house. Then, the door opened ... I was prepared for a creepy story. I got eight creepy stories. One wrote of the 'Door of No Return'. An old violinist opened the door ... A tremendous sound echoed. NEXT LEVEL! flashed the computer screen. Another wrote about three children being whisked away into a mirror in the haunted house. And then, the ghost of Mr Scribble Hopper wrote the names of the three children on a piece of paper listing the children he had killed. What … [Read more...]
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