Last year, I attended the Asian Festival of Children's Content for the first time because I was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award. This year, I'll be attending it again--as a speaker!I'm speaking as part of a panel discussion titled "Writing about Us". Here's a little about where the whole thing came from.At workshops I conduct, I find that participants rarely write about Indian children, especially when they write fantasy. I meet Harry, Lucy (sometimes even pronounced Lucky because the name isn’t real to the children) and Mary, and a few made-up names too, but almost no Indian ones. When the children write Indian tales, I find, repeatedly, a traditional storytelling pattern with a clear moral.I originally believed that this came from what the children read. They talk about Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and Cassandra Clare, and when I ask what Indian … [Read more...]
Narratives, Routes and Intersections in Pre-Modern Asia
Narratives, Routes and Intersections in Pre-Modern Asia, edited by my mother Dr Radhika Seshan was launched on Thursday at the international seminar 'People, Places and Cultures in Asia and the World' at Savitribai Phule Pune University. … [Read more...]
Picture Books for Winter Nights
I just finished reading a handful of picture books; they're such a comfortable way to spend a winter evening! Chuckling, tucking your brain aside, reading and looking at pictures - what more could I possibly want?All Mine was my absolute favourite. Written by Zehra Hicks, it is a picture book that does have a moral, but I was surprised to find that I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway! I loved the simplicity of its illustrations and the fact that the word count was kept to the bare minimum.Title All MineAuthor Zehra HicksGenre Picture bookRating (out of 5) 5Age-group 2+I usually like picture books that rhyme, but Kangaroo's Cancan Cafe was a bit forced for me. That's not to say that I did not like it - I did. It was just a little overdone. Too much colour and texture, too many characters. But a lovely idea and a very sweet story, … [Read more...]
Hetty Feather
Many, many years ago, a friend gave me The Suitcase Kid for my birthday. I devoured it -- and did not understand it. I cannot explain that. I had never felt that way about a book before, and I have never felt that again. The chapters are arranged alphabetically, with each chapter starting with one letter. It was U that confused me, I remember. So I read the whole book again, and I still did not understand what exactly happened. I decided I would read it again, but somehow, haven't got around to it yet.When I found a book by Jacqueline Wilson in the library, I thought about it for a while. Would it leave me with that same confused feeling? I didn't know, but I decided to give it a shot.And I loved the book. Crazy, funny, poignant, dramatic - I loved Hetty Feather, the book and the character. I cringed a little at the stereotype of flame-red hair and a temper, but I loved the … [Read more...]
Mr Oliver’s Diary
I enjoyed reading this review of Mr Oliver's Diary written by Arwen Banerjee, one of the students of the Writers' Club at St. Mary's School. The theme of the month was school stories, and this review was a refreshing change from the ones on Malory Towers, St. Clare's and others! Mr Oliver's Diary: Review Arwen Banerjee Ruskin Bond has written a lot of enjoyable books but Mr Oliver’s Diary is my personal favourite.Mr Oliver, a PT, Maths and English teacher is the main character and this book is his diary. He has noted every incident that has occurred in his hostel. He also mentions Tata, Mirchi and Basu and other students and their mischievous acts in a lively manner.Some people think that a teacher’s life is just about books and studies, but Ruskin Bond has painted a totally different picture of Mr Oliver’s experience with his students. The language is simple and almost every … [Read more...]
Our Performance Last Week
Many things went wrong. Too many things went wrong.Mahatma Phule Sanskrutik Bhavan informed us on the 5th of December that the mayor required the hall on the 18th, so all performances scheduled for that day had been cancelled. And yes, our performance was scheduled for the 18th. 59 children were to perform. We had musicians coming in from Mumbai.And just like that, our world fell apart.Unlike at halls like Tilak Smarak Mandir, rehearsals are charged at the full rate too. We had a rehearsal booked for the 8th of December - and had paid Rs 17,250 for it already. And if we cancelled, we stood to lose 15%, at the very least."What dates are available?" we asked. "8 in the morning on the 17th." We found out - our vocalist was unavailable. "What else?" we asked. "8 in the morning on the 11th." And we agreed.Take a moment to think about this: a performance at 8 in … [Read more...]
How to Capture an Invisible Cat
Yes, I picked it up because of its name. No surprise there. Wouldn't you pick up a book that seemed like a guidebook to capturing an invisible cat? I'm sure you don't know how to do it, and who knows when you'll need to?How to Capture an Invisible Cat was a funny book, one that was funny enough for me not to read it in public so as not to appear crazy. More importantly, there were lots of parts that were my kind of humour. I'm not a big fan of slapstick comedy, or "disgusting-therefore-funny". I love word play, sarcasm and cleverness. And that's why I loved How to Capture an Invisible Cat.No one suspects that Nate is a genius. His classmates think he's one of those quiet nerds, definitely not the kind of person they want to mix with. When Nate's dog Bosper smells something special about Delphine, Nate puts on a fancy scientific dog-nose--and smells it … [Read more...]
Kothi Heritage, Jodhpur
You know how fancy, hoity-toity people tell you that when you go to Rajasthan, you absolutely must stay in a palace? "It's part of the experience," they say. And depending on the kind of person you are, you may nod politely and say mentally, 'Ya, right', or you may just shoot the suggestion down.We didn't stay in a palace, no, but we did stay at Kothi Heritage, which was used for two months in a year as a vacation home. And how was that possible? Because Make my Trip offers you a free night when you do a certain number of bookings!Kothi Heritage belonged to Shri Bachhraj Ji, Senapati to the Maharaja Jaswant Singh (IInd). Many, many years later, his great great grandsons Tapan and Trideep Singhvi decided to convert it into a heritage hotel. They handpicked the furniture and set it up -- and it's truly charming. We had breakfast outdoors on the lawn in perfect weather. (I … [Read more...]
People and Places, Jodhpur
I think local cuisine is a big part of the travelling experience. At Hotel Prateek in Jodhpur, the menu card had a little note telling me what to visit and what to eat! And I love meeting new people when I travel; it's all part of the experience!Walking down from Mehrangarh Fort, we met a couple standing outside their little blue house. It was a steep slope, and we really had no idea where we were headed. We wanted to know whether we would get a rickshaw at the foot of the hill."Bilkul! Kyun nahin? Lekin kahaan jaaoge aap?" "Bas, poochna tha ... Rickhsaw milega, to theek hai!" He clicked his tongue. "Paidal hi chale jao! Ghantaghar ke ek taraf se andar jaakar doosri taraf se nikalna. Vahaan se aap seedha jaakar nayi sadak dekh lo. Aur phir, Hotel Priya mein dinner kar lena. Sirf Priya mein khana, theek hai? Baki sab bekar hai, vegetable bahut ganda … [Read more...]
Ghantaghar, Jodhpur
A Ghantaghar, a huge clock tower, stands at the centre of the market at Jodhpur. In my mother's time, there were camels around the Ghantaghar too, but now, I can barely imagine there being enough room for a goat, let alone a camel!The clock cost three lakhs way back in 1911. One lakh was paid for the making of the clock in London, one lakh was paid to have it installed in Jodhpur, and one lakh was paid to ensure that a clock like that was never made again! From the Mehrangarh Fort, we saw it standing out of the Blue City. That's when I knew I wanted to visit it.As darkness began to fall, we saw it lit up in all its glory. It was magnificent!And, loveliest of all, we read a board there saying that one could climb to the top between about 10:30 and 5:30 on any day except Saturday! So we went back the next day at 4:15, and stayed there for over 45 minutes.Why … [Read more...]