Coping with a new language, staying with people I did not know and attending school with friends who were much better at French than I was was too trying an experience for me to have written about my experience every day. I wanted to write, but it was all good intentions and nothing more. On […]
Indians in France
(Part IV of The Crazy Travelogue) My sister, our French correspondent and I were sitting on a bench outside a bookshop, when two young men walked past. After a few moments, they turned around and walked back. Ignoring our French companion, they turned to the two of us brown-skinned people. “Excuse me,” asked one in […]
The Crazy Travelogue: All About Food
This is part three of the crazy travelogue about the French exchange programme. Much of our day, especially in the beginning, seems to have revolved around food, if my diary is anything to go by. On the 22nd of May, 2004, I’ve written about melon (not exactly a unique experience) and a tart (‘not sweet’) with […]
The Crazy Travelogue: French Exchange Programme – II
‘I don’t think anyone cried,‘ I’ve noted in my diary. What? I read it again. I don’t think anyone cried. I frown as I read it. It is a singularly strange thing to have noted down. We were going on the French exchange programme – a four-week programme. I have no idea why seventeen-year-old me wanted someone […]
The Crazy Travelogue: French Exchange Programme – I
When you are seventeen and off on Fergusson College’s famous French exchange programme, everything seems special. There is nothing that is not worth noting down. Now, I chuckle in delight. There is so much to remember. We begin with what I call the ‘cycling-shorts drama’ in my excited record of each detail. We had been […]
Imagine and Innovate: A Workshop on Books for Children
Workshop Outline: How do books come alive? What happens in the mind of the writer, and how does it finally reach the hands of the reader? “Imagine and Innovate” explores each step of the journey: from the idea to the making of the book. Children will come together to create a story, design and make a […]
Jatayu Moksham
The Kalakshetra troupe performed in Pune for the first time last evening. Finally. When I watch them dance, I understand. I understand why Kalakshetra is such a reputed name in the dance world. I am awed by the vision of Rukmini Devi, and her incredible imagination. I see dance as architecture, performance and storytelling. I am moved to laughter […]
Creative Writing Masterclass with Prof Bill Herbert
I did not know what a masterclass was. ‘Masterclass’. It was something my musician-friends spoke about, but I had never experienced myself. When the British Library organised a masterclass in creative writing with Prof Bill Herbert, I knew I had to enroll. Sometimes, there are many things about writing that you know. Rule #1: Show, […]
“For Boys”
When will we stop gender stereotyping children?
Lari Don
I was introduced to Lari Don thanks to the Mythical Maze Reading Challenge, and if for nothing else, I’m glad of the challenge for that! Of the First Aid for Fairies series, I read the last one first, and then I had to read the others. Once again, I realised why children like series. A single book is not […]
Leopard III
It was a cold, cold morning in new Nagzira. We had already won the appreciation of the guides there because we showed up diligently at 6 every morning, despite the fact that we saw ‘nothing’ (read: no tiger). New Nagzira, as many blogs and reviews would tell you, has barely any animals. A few bison, if […]
Leopard II
It was nearing the time to leave the forest, but we headed back towards the rest house in old Nagzira. The guide needed to use the washroom. There are lots of deer and monkeys near the rest house, so tourists invariably stand around taking photographs. On that day, there were people standing in their jeeps, looking fixedly […]
Mythical Maze – Workshop II
The Mythical Maze Reading Challenge is nearly over! After Reading and Role Play and Idioms Are My Cup of Tea, today has Myths from around the World and Myths and Fables. I showed the little ones a map of the world. These children are in the age-group 5-7. We were reading a ‘story from Arabia’, Where There is Will. “Do […]
Leopard
We did our research before we went to Nagzira. We knew there were barely any tigers, but we also knew that many, many tourists saw a leopard in Nagzira. Surely, in eleven safaris, we would see one too. The first, second, third, fourth (in Koka) and fifth safaris were over. We were restless. Much as we […]
Starry, Starry Night
“There’s nothing in new Nagzira.” “Why don’t you go to Koka?” “It’s about 35 km from here.” “Anyway, Nagzira is closed on Thursdays.” “You could go to Koka on Thursday.” “Maybe you’ll see a sloth bear.” “Or bison.” We didn’t agree that there was nothing in new Nagzira. There were fewer animals; we did not […]
Nagzira
Ten days away from the city. No internet. Phone connectivity for about an hour a day. Eleven safaris into the beautiful jungle. Three leopards. A leopard making a kill: whose side are you on? The leopard’s or the fawn’s? Wild dogs in the distance. A herd of bison. Flycatchers, thrushes, drongos, night-jars, parakeets, hoopoes. A […]
Idioms are my Cup of Tea!
That was the title of my last workshop at the British Library. We tried translating “It’s raining cats and dogs” to Hindi and Marathi to giggles, shouts of laughter. We compared the literal meaning of “He kicked the bucket” with its figurative meaning. We performed the Herculean task of linking mythology with idioms, and then the […]
Reading Workshop in Viman Nagar
Here’s what’s next! Reading Workshop for Children Age-group: 8-12 years Venue: JustBooks, Viman Nagar Dates: 29th and 30th December, 2014 (The last workshop of the year!) Time: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm Fee: Rs 500
Bus-Signs
I know that in situations like this, pictures speak more effectively than words, but I did not have the time to take a picture. At the back of a sleeper bus, I saw the sign: ‘Sleep in the Night, Morning in the Tight.’ What do you reckon it means?
Back from Baramati
My lovely workshop at Baramati has come to an end. One child made a card – out of a recycled wedding card. Another child naively told me, “This is Harsh’s gift from class V A.” Children shared what they had learnt. And one girl gave me a letter. Here’s just a little part of a […]