Thoughts come to me in bits and pieces.The house charts are still displayed at the back of the hall. They've become bigger and grander, not restricted to single sheets of chart-paper. Also, the availability of print-outs means that girls with neat handwriting don't make all the charts.There are big boards on the wall, displaying the names of achievers, including prefects, toppers and those who achieved something in sports.There is a projector in our assembly hall!The grand piano is still there, except that it no longer has the sign that we used to find hilarious: 'DO NOT MOVE'.About sixty girls turned up for the writing programme I'm offering for classes VI and VII and St. Mary's. How will I choose 25 of them?The girls felt almost proud when (not knowing their names) I identified them by their houses.This is the beginning of a grand new adventure. … [Read more...]
Books for Rainy Days
It's been a while since I wrote, mainly because I've been reading. Here's a look at some of what I've read recently.As a child, I enjoyed reading and collecting the entire Animal Ark series. As I grew older, I learned that Lucy Daniels, the author of the series, did not exist. Just like Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon. While I never enjoyed Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, I loved Animal Ark. I loved the names of the books - Owl in the Office, Hamster in a Hamper, Roo on a Rock ... I wanted to have them all.I imagine the Silver Dolphins series somewhat like that. The stories, in themselves, may not be memorable, but Stolen Treasures is a sweet story that build loyalty in young readers for the series as a whole. Children are always animal-lovers. Some are more vicarious in this love than others, but most enjoy books that … [Read more...]
St. Mary’s … St. Mary’s …
When I read the title (and when I was writing it), I could not help singing it.I've been writing for ages now. I've had about 25 stories for children published. I have a book to my credit.Yet, I can't deny that I am happy to see an article in the St. Mary's School magazine! I have the usual writer's complaint, though - I wish it had not been edited. The editor in me is cringing a little bit. … [Read more...]
Paying a Tribute – Sakal Times
Thank you, Sakal Times, for the article about our Kalakshetra performance! … [Read more...]
What Went By
It's taken me a while to write about the last month. How full of emotions it has been!We performed in Kalakshetra for Pushpa Teacher and Jaya Teacher, my teacher's teachers. We peaked and fell, rising and falling with a tide of emotions. We felt we underperformed, and then we were overwhelmed by everyone's responses. The teachers praised the performance; nothing else is important. My heart is brimming with joy and gratitude.In Bangalore, I did a two-day reading workshop. I wrote about day one here on the blog, but kept postponing it, even though I've been waiting to talk about how wonderful it was to conduct a workshop there.Atta Galatta is a delightful place, with the perfect ambience for a reading workshop. What warmed my heart is that the store ordered ten copies of The Story-Catcher, some of which were bought by the children after the session. (If you're in Bangalore and … [Read more...]
Day One: Reading Workshop at Atta Galatta
It's wonderful to have a dear childhood friend attend a workshop of mine and diligently take pictures! I had a delightful morning at my reading workshop at Atta Galatta, Bangalore. … [Read more...]
Empty Quarter (Girl on the Run Book 2)
I sat at Coimbatore train station, book in hand."What happened?" asked my sister, looking at my face.I grinned. "I'm inside this book." I added, quickly, "Will you keep a lookout for the train? I may not notice when it pulls in."That's how Empty Quarter was.As with Cat's Cradle, I jumped straight into the series without reading the first book. It was simply wonderful. What impressed me most of all is how rounded each character is. Christopher Lock is the perfect combination of grandfather and career-obsessed, calculating official. I love Darcie Lock, her stupidities and her beauty.Empty Quarter is the perfect combination of humour, anticipation and excitement. Reading it, I realised how effortlessly the story moves from up to down to up to down, pulling the reader through all the twists and turns in the plot. The confused mixture of child and adult in … [Read more...]
Reading Workshop at Atta Galatta, Bengaluru
I'm conducting a two-day reading workshop at Bengaluru!Highlights: >Read aloud >Act out a story >Develop a love for reading >Imagine and create >Play a vocabulary game >Learn about book-publishing >Understand what copyright isAge-group: 8-12 years Dates: 4th and 5th July, 2015 Time: 11 am to 1 pm Total duration: 4 hours Fee: Rs 500 per child Venue: Atta Galatta Phone: 080-4160 0677 Contact Varsha at 09890798756 seshanvarsha@gmail.com … [Read more...]
Kalakshetra Performance – The New Indian Express
Yes, we really performed. Even though the picture does not show it, I was really there too. … [Read more...]
Performing at Kalakshetra!
To say that we are honoured, privileged and humbled all at the same time is to say nothing at all. We are going to perform at Kalakshetra, the place where our beloved guru became the dancer and person she is ... What words of mine can begin to touch upon all our thoughts and feelings?Like a little girl, I will say I am excited. I have butterflies in my stomach, but I am almost giddy with excitement. I am happy, nervous and determined to do my best.What warms my heart is that we have friends from Pune who are coming all the way there just to watch us. It fills me with joy, love and gratitude. Being a dancer is this - being filled with emotion - fleeting, transient emotion, as well as deep, lasting emotion.If you are in or around Chennai, please come. It will make us very happy. Do pass the word too. … [Read more...]