I met a seven-year-old who could unscramble words faster than anyone I’ve seen. Apart from my parents of course. My parents have about thirty years of Scrabble practice, though. (That’s over four times the little boy’s age, for those of you who cannot do the math.) I met another seven-year-old, who was all too willing to […]
Day One: Vocabulary Workshop
The holidays have just begun, and you don’t want to sit in a library and develop your vocabulary. Yet, the ten children who came to JustBooks Magarpatta City had a crazy, noisy, active, fun morning. Word search puzzles, category games, drawing, acting and speaking – all found their way into two hours. Tomorrow promises to […]
Vocabulary Workshop Rescheduled
As Magarpatta City Public School has examinations until the 18th of October, the Vocabulary Workshop for Children has been postponed. Here are the new details: Dates: 20th and 21st October, 2014 Time: 10:30-12:30 Venue: JustBooks, Magarpatta City Age-group: 8-12 years Registration fee: Rs. 500 The last day for registrations is Sunday, 19th October. Please pass […]
Vocabulary Workshop, Magarpatta City
Registrations for my vocabulary workshop at Magarpatta City close on Friday, 17th October. Vocabulary Workshop for Children Dates: 18th and 19th October, 2014 Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Venue: JustBooks, Magarpatta City Age-group: 8-12 years Registration fee: Rs. 500
Memorabilia – II
My grandmother was a disciple of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan, and recalled, often, how Pandit Ravi Shankar called her a ‘child prodigy’ when she performed at the Allahabad Univeristy Music Conference. Here is what the press has to say about her: Last and not the least Kumari Ratnam Mahadeo’s Sitar recital should be commended […]
Memorabilia
Sorting out my grandparents’ things, we come across all kinds of things. Expenses incurred during my father’s wedding. Details of my father’s birth – time, place, date. Hundreds of bank things. Greeting cards. Invitation cards. Newspaper articles. Here’s one of many. Somehow, I don’t seem to have it preserved.
Vocabulary Workshop at Magarpatta City
Now moving to a new venue – JustBooks, Magarpatta City! Vocabulary Workshop for Children Dates: 18th and 19th October, 2014 Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Venue: JustBooks, Magarpatta City Age-group: 8-12 years Registration fee: Rs. 500
David
I rarely read something that is ‘Not Suitable for Younger Readers’ and, to be honest, I did not notice that David had this warning. Yet (or maybe because of that) David struck a chord with me. In Florence in 1501, it was essential to know what your political inclinations were. Either you supported the republic, […]
Frederica
I was standing at the bank reading Frederica because even though it is not true that I ‘cannot’ put the book down, it is true that I don’t want to put the book down. There is nothing like a book that is addictive. It makes you want to read: during that one minute when the […]
Day Two: Vocabulary Workshop for Children
Time flew by at the second day of my vocabulary workshop, so much so that I hardly even took any photographs! It was a day of frantic word-hunting in the dictionary, attempts to communicate an idea with a single word, and word-building. Here are a couple of pictures, taken before the frenzy began.
Day One: Vocabulary Workshop for Children
“Both my daughters keep saying Varsha didi – Varsha – Varsha … I had to come and see what magic you do with them.” Probably the loveliest comment I’ve had so far I can’t decide what I like better – children I’ve met before coming back to me for more, or new children with new […]
Workshop this Weekend!
Vocabulary Workshop for Children Dates: 27th and 28th September, 2014 Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Venue: JustBooks, Wanowarie Age-group: 8-12 years Registration fee: Rs. 500 Workshop Overview: JustBooks Wanowarie, in association with Varsha Seshan, brings to you a vocabulary workshop for children. The playground is the best school. In a spirit of healthy competition, […]
White Dolphin
Who does not like animal stories? As a child, I wanted to be an environmentalist and a vet. The problem was that I was afraid of biology and dissection, so I contented myself with animal stories, knowing no other option. Gill Lewis’s White Dolphin filled my heart. It was a story that jumped out of […]
Vocabulary Workshop at JustBooks, Wanawadi
My reading workshop at the British Library is over; it’s time for the next workshop! This one is on my side of town this time – at JustBooks Wanawadi. Vocabulary Workshop for Children by Varsha Seshan Dates: 27th and 28th September, 2014 Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Venue: JustBooks, Wanowarie Age-group: 8-12 years Registration […]
Read Something New! – Day Four
Children’s imaginations are simply wonderful. Today, I met – a porcupine who dreamed of being a pillow – a hen that had three wings and could not fly – a snail that ran marathons – a dinosaur with twenty legs – a mouse that went to school and many more. Two by two, these animals […]
The Memory Cage
A truly wonderful book. What can a boy do when his grandfather has Alzheimer’s and everyone else in his family wants him to go to a home? How can he convince his family that it’s cruel? The Memory Cage is a stark depiction of war and loneliness. War is not about bravery and courage. Dulce […]
Street of Tall People
I was intrigued by the title; who wouldn’t be? The World War has not yet begun, but anti-Jewish sentiments run high. I know nothing of this time. Street of Tall People is set in East London, about which, also, I know nothing. Yet, the story reached out to me. Awkwardness and friendship. Loyalty, trust and betrayal. Loneliness and […]
Ten Book Challenge
The ten book challenge has been doing the rounds for a bit, and I thought I’d write a bit more than the names of the books here. I think I owe the books that much. I’m taking the challenge literally and naming books, not series. 1) The Mystery of the Missing Necklace – Enid Blyton […]
Read Something New! – Day Three
The second-last session of Read Something New! just came to an end. We had limericks, nonsense verse, drama, mimes and group rhymes. Our author in focus this week was Michael Morpurgo; next week, we’re going to talk about Dick King-Smith. Read Something New! Venue: British Library, Pune
Read Something New!
Holiday over; I am back to work. Sometimes, I wonder which I enjoy more – the holiday or the work! Session 3 of my reading workshop Read Something New! at the British Library Pune is tomorrow. We are going to be talking about Michael Morpurgo, and I am excited. Read Something New! – Session 3 […]