BLF2020 | Romancing the Black Panther – Rohini Nilekani with Usha KR

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The session began with a screening of a short film where Rohini Nilekani shared her experience looking for a Black Panther in the Kabini forest, Karnataka. She made us fall in love with this panther, which she lovingly calls Blacky, that has an irresistible pair of yellow eyes and evenly black skin. The film consisted of so many stunning photographs of this panther clicked by various people. She took us on this trip to the forest, describing its vastness and beauty. She explained to us why she describes this experience as romancing the black panther by defining what romance meant to her. She delved deep into her experiences in this forest space, given the numerous amount of times she has been there. We understood the way in which this experience has given her a sense of peace and also made her introspect. She connected her ideas with that of some interesting figures like Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy. This film then shifted its focus to environmental sustainability, conservation, and biodiversity. She described this journey of looking for Blacky as symbolic of engaging with the natural world.

Usha KR, the moderator, led the session with a narration of the poem ‘Ithaka’ by C.P. Cavafy and linked it to Nilekani’s experience. Nilekani spoke of her motivation to engage with the natural world and motivated the audience to introspect too. She also introduced us to a book called ‘Animal Intimacies: Interspecies Relatedness in India’s Central Himalayas’ by Radhika Govindrajan, which deals with how people create stories about animals, and their relationship with these animals.

Usha then steered the discussion towards the topic of climate change and its urgency. Nilekani examined this problem faced by the entire world and presented us with solutions and answers that could help turn this situation around. This led to a discussion on the economic model in India and how it should (and can) be restructured to help protect the planet from further damage. She spoke with great confidence in the youth population who she considers to be cautious about their carbon count.

On being asked to describe her approach to such important topics for children’s literature, Nilekani shared the problems faced by her as a writer for children. This included her difficulty in trying not to sound too didactic, or indulge in writing down to them. She then prompted the audience to engage in more literature because she believes it is the only way to develop critical thinking which leads to introspection. She also gave many book suggestions for children as well as adults to further engage with ecological aspects. The session ended with an interactive question-answer round.

About the Author: Immersed in the process of unlearning and relearning different values and ideas, Nanditha Murali chooses writing as her medium to approach the world. She is currently pursuing her English (Honours) degree at Christ University, Bangalore. She currently writes for TheSeer.

BLF2020 | Eleven Stops to the Present: Stories of Bangalore – Meera Iyer, Menaka Raman and Shweta Taneja with Karthik Venkatesh

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Bangalore! To a local, the city is one that carefully caresses the history it comes with, and throws the demanding, fast paced world of start-ups, and tech parks, and a growing population to the mix. Eleven Stops to the Present: Stories of Bangalore is a book curated with short stories that revolve around this beautiful city.

The panel consists of Meera Iyer, a writer who deals with history, heritage, science, food, and environment among other things, Menaka Raman, a children’s book author, columnist and a communications professional, and Shweta Taneja, an award-winning speculative fiction author. Bringing them altogether is Karthik Venkatesh, the moderator today who is also a writer who dabbles in history, language, literature, and education.

The book is a collection of 11 stories, that touch upon the history of the city through different periods of time. All stories come with a fun side to them and is aimed to bring in awe around the history of the city, Meera says. Often consumed with dates and wars, history today is viewed only within the pages of a textbook, seldom looking at what happened in the streets of the city. Growing up, Meera says, she has grown with books from the west that very clearly talk about the streets of London and has come across only a few of them that illustrate her own city which is why this book came about.

Through the multiple little stories, all set at different times and places in Bangalore, such as those of Whitefield or Shivajinagar or Begur, the book aims to drive home a bit of pride from each of these episodes. Even though Menaka is in Bangalore for just about a few years, she was able to capture the essence of the area she lives in. While newer areas today boast of glitzy malls, and busy tech-parks, each of them has their own history with the same, even some less popular stories of Winston Churchill’s romance!

Similarly, Shweta has been in the city for only about a decade now and brings in the perspective of migrant population moving into Bangalore for hundreds of years today. This culmination of cultures and bringing spaces alive is where Shweta’s story lies. Another story on Begur combines the history of the inscription where the city’s name is first used, and has been brought into a story, Meera says.

The book boasts of a myriad of writers, all charged with the same brief, bringing a host of stories that pan through timelines and situations, and even protagonists. They aim to bring history of the ordinary lives of citizens just as known as the others.

“How do we keep up with understanding history”, Karthik asks. The ladies in the panel offer a great perspective. From talking to children about grandparents and great-grandparents, to exploring the city, tapping the natural curiosity of children, and even trying to redefine the timelines around what history could be, could just be the key to bringing in the tiniest of details from the past relevant today.

About the Author: A believer in the subtlety of magic in everyday living, and Shobhana seeks the same from the books she reads, and the poetry she writes. Immerses herself in music, literature, art, and looking out the window with some coffee. She curates her poetry, and occasional verses in her blog Thinking; inking. She currently writes for TheSeer.

BLF2020 | Club You to Death- Anuja Chauhan with Niret Alva

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It was an animated conversation between Niret, an award-winning television journalist, producer; and Anuja, his wife and the author of five best-selling novels who moved from advertising into writing; they have 3 children plus a few dogs and cats. Niret opened with a question on how the lockdown has been, to which Anuja quipped that the lockdown made her want to murder people!

The Writing Process

Niret asked Anuja how she takes her writing from concept to completion. “It is lonely, I go into a cave”, said Anuja, and added that she does a lot of chatting with people to get inspiration. The “percolation process” is when it all comes together.

Inspiration for Her Characters

Niret asked if she gets worried that her family might unearth characters which are based on them. Her immediate response was, “No, people don’t recognize themselves”. She disguises her characters so that the resemblance gets blurred out. For instance, a cook she knows becomes the character of a megalomaniacal drug lord.

The Changing Genre

Anuja started writing romance and is now shifting to the whodunit genre. Niret’s poser to Anuja was on how this shift occurred. Anuja revealed that she got feedback that romance does not exist in real life. It made her think, “Is it with rose-tinted glasses that I’m writing?”. It led to her altering course a bit, in order to give romance along with something more realistic. 

Club you to Death

Niret read out a blurb from her book Club you to Death, to be out in the summer of 2021. Anuja revealed that it is set in a posh club and hence ‘club’ in the title.

Anuja then read out an excerpt from her book – a little was not enough and Niret urged her on to read more. This led to a very interesting segment of the session which built up the mystery and the anticipation of her book. The book is about privilege – class, caste, social hierarchies, hypocrisy.

Balance is important, it is the key to everything, said Anuja. By balance, she meant a mix of humor, depth, frivolousness. She expressed her satisfaction in having good critics in her house, who egg her on to do a lot of deleting and thus help refine her books.

Is ACP Bhavani Singh here to stay?

Quizzed on whether ACP Bhavani Singh would continue as a character in a series, Anuja said she loves ‘cozy crime’. Hence, ACP Bhavani is an old-school character; people love opening up to him, so she sees a lot of scope in continuing with his character.

Anuja went on to say that she is a huge fan of Agatha Christie; there is a dedicated bookshelf at her home for Agatha Christie’s books. The fact she loves about such old-school books is, “in two sentences they bring a person alive and they pull the killer out of a hat”. Anuja likes books that one can get engrossed in, sitting by the fire, sipping hot chocolate.

Lockdown Reactions

Anuja admitted being selfish in saying that lockdown has been a good time for her. It has been a blessing for her, a time when she could get into her escape hatch and be there.

Her Advice to Aspiring Writers

  1. Write every day, make it a discipline (Anuja writes about 1000 words a day).
  2. Avoid starting with an outline and two chapters, then getting your publishers approval before starting the next chapters. Let your writing flow.
  3. Don’t be too hard on yourself by keeping a critic’s hat on always. This hampers creativity.
  4. Read, read, read – across genres, different languages. It increases the breadth of your knowledge.

Writing Screenplay vs Books

Anuja spent 17 years in advertising, which is a world that demands quick creativity with boundaries. Whereas writing books is the other side that gives complete freedom of fiction writing. Screenplay is in between – you get more freedom than in advertising and is a ‘different crayon box’ of writing, music, visuals coming together.

How does Anuja get her cues for books?

For Battle for Bittora, it was a visual cue. Sometimes, ‘what if’ becomes a cue, for e.g. ‘What if a girl is lucky for cricket’ was the cue for The Zoya Factor. Anuja went on to add that she desists from getting down to the last level detail of anything which can stifle the reader’s imagination.

Inspiration for ACP Bhavani Singh – was it Miss Marple?

Not exactly, said Anuja. It was more of her ‘mama’ in the police; maybe a glimmer of Miss Marple could have come into the character. ACP Bhavani is from the ‘cozy’ genre, old-school.

Would Anuja write a book inspired by Remington Steele?

The mention of Remington Steele made Niret get nostalgic. He mentioned that he was a great fan of the series, loved it when Pierce Brosnan became James Bond and wishes the series would come alive on OTT again. Anuja added that she would love to write inspired by the series.

The clock had ticked by, it was now time to close; the session ended on a note that, this being the third time for Anuja and the first for Niret, they both had a great time!

About the Author: Usha Ramaswamy craves to get more creative in addition to being an avid reader, traveller, vlogger, marketer of events, mobile photographer. One day, she wants to write a book but for now, she pens her reflections at her blog, talks about her experiences in her YouTube channel Usha’s LENS and puts up photos on Instagram. She is also a software professional and a mother of two. She currently writes for TheSeer.

Video: BookSpeak Series by Jeevanayagi – Teresa’s Man and Other Stories from Goa (Konkani Literature)

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Sahitya Akademi-awardee Damodar Mauzo is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Konkani literature. We discuss his book Teresa’s Man and Other Stories from Goa in this episode of BookSpeak. For more such videos on Indian literature and books, subscribe to our YouTube channel and our website.

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Video: Five LGBTQ Books to Read by Indian Authors This Pride Month

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June is celebrated as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising Movement. We bring to a suggestion list of five books around and about LGBTQ lives to read by Indian authors. For more such videos, please subscribe to the YouTube channel.

To show your support, you can also take part in the #21DaysAllyChallenge being run by Pride Circle.

Music: Bleach
Musician: anatu
URL: https://icons8.com/music/

Young Reviewer Contest for Children Runner-Up Review-The Racketeer

The Racketeer by John Grisham – Winner for the Young Reviewer Contest for Children

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Published in October of 2012, The Racketeer was one of the best-selling books of that year. It was written by John Grisham who is best known for his popular legal thrillers.

The Racketeer is my first John Grisham novel and I choose to review this book because I have always been a fan of the genre crime fiction and one day plan to be a lawyer, John Grisham seemed like a good choice because he brought them both together. The Racketeer is said to be one of his best books.

The story is about a 43 year old small town lawyer Malcolm Bannister who is serving a ten-year sentence in prison. Everyone including his father and ex-wife believe he is guilty but he claims to have been set up by the FBI as the fall guy because he handled land deals for an anonymous client who was caught laundering money. Malcolm insists that he was an innocent bystander who got caught up in this scheme and was wrongfully implicated and imprisoned. He loses all hope of being released, up until the time a Judge named Raymond Fawcett is murdered.

The FBI is tasked with investigating the murder but find themselves confounded and have no leads. Due to pressure from the media and government to apprehend the murderer they decide to hear Malcolm out who claims to know who killed the Federal judge and why. He proceeds to use this as his ticket to freedom and to get back at the FBI for putting him in jail in the first place. The rest of the book is about how Malcolm embarks on a journey of revenge.

I enjoyed the book because of the various plot twists that get thrown your way. Towards the end, the book takes an unexpected turn and surprises you which makes the middle of the book much more bearable. Had you asked me if I liked the book halfway in, I would have said no, mainly because unlike other books of its kind, here the killer is revealed midway and it leaves you wondering what the rest of the book is about. However, as the story progresses you understand that murder is not the central theme of the book and there are many ulterior motives and hidden agendas.

Another reason I enjoyed the book was because the details you consider insignificant, actually play an important role in developing the story. Connections between characters that initially slip your mind come alive later in the book.

As far as characters go, Malcolm Bannister is the lead and the whole story is narrated from his point of view. Initially you feel sympathetic towards him for being wrongfully convicted and think of him as a simple, sincere man who ended up behind bars due to his bad luck. As the story advances you realise there is more to him than meets the eye. You realise he is clever, disingenuous and deceitful. But in spite of all this you end up rooting for him.

Other characters in the book are just incidental to the story and are mere contributors Malcolm’s role. I say this because supporting characters like Malcolm’s girlfriend and partner in crime, quite literally have no distinct personalities.

The book is a roller-coaster of various scenarios and thoughts. The first half of the book you read with interest. The second half with confusion as to where the story is going and how the current plot is relevant to the story and the final half with amazement as to how trivial facts at the beginning of the book leave you astonished. I think this is what makes John Grisham the celebrated author that he is.

About the Reviewer: Aanchal Megan is a bubbling 14 year old studying in Vyasa International School, Bangalore. An avid reader, Aanchal also loves baking and art. When she isn’t sketching or reading, she loves spending time with her lazy hamster Chase.

Young Reviewer Contest for Children Runner-Up Review-The Little Prince

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry – Runner-Up for the Young Reviewer Contest for Children

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My 12-year-old mind often wages a silent war against scores of questions that relentlessly keep knocking on my heart. All the more now, when India is in the throes of a migrant exigency, infamously hailed as one of the nation’s biggest humanitarian crises. The magnitude of the migrants’ plight has been such that sometimes I have felt my heart cave in. Why does social inequality exist, why are the migrants undertaking the arduous journey of getting back to their roots even at the cost of their lives? The adults around me had no real answers. I was left wondering if children and their inquiries are burdensome for adults or if they fail to recollect that similar capricious ideas had once confounded them?

I found the answers where I was least expecting them to be – French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s memoir, ‘The Little Prince’, penned way back in 1943 during World War 2. The times then must have been as uncertain and bleak as now. Perhaps that is what makes it a timeless tale.

Interestingly, the book also tells us that grown-ups can certainly be strange! Right at the onset, the author implies that grown-ups fail to see the true meaning; they look at the surface and forget to probe further.

It begins when a technical snag forces an aviator to be marooned on the barren Sahara sands. To his astonishment, he meets a wee little boy. No one ordinary but the prince of another planet! The narrative unfolds as the little prince shares several encounters he has had over the course of his interplanetary journey – meeting a king who yearns for discipline but has no subjects; a conceited individual who seeks nothing but flattery; a drunkard who drinks to forget how ashamed he is of drinking; a businessman obsessed with meaningless numbers et al.

Their newfangled conduct both amuses and perturbs the little prince but what depresses him most is a rose garden. It reminds him of the enchanting, coquettish flower on his planet who had endlessly tormented him with her “demanding vanity” while claiming to be unique. Simultaneously vain and naïve, she confesses her love for the prince too late to persuade him to abandon his travel plans. Throughout the story, she occupies the prince’s thoughts. He then meets a fox who teaches him that “one can only see clearly with the heart, what is essential is invisible to the eye.” He asks him to look at the rose garden again. For, this time he will witness something new. He tells, “an ordinary passerby would think that my rose looked just like you….But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered;…because it is she that I have listened to when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose.” It is immensely gratifying to view how the prince “learns to love” as he realizes what makes the rose unique is not her physical appearance but what they have together. Perhaps the book conveys that we may detest several things in life but we must learn to love them.

In my opinion, the sole purpose of the narrative is to represent the various stages of human life. It acts as an allegory. Each word signifies something, carries power and meaning. One must pause to probe what the author endeavored to convey indirectly. For instance, in one of the intriguing statements, he says, “What makes the desert beautiful is that it might contain a well.” The way I perceive it, the author attempted to show that happiness can never be bereft of pain.

The book is remarkably poetic, every page like a verse, captivating the reader to observe bits that they would have otherwise missed. The ending albeit is slightly abrupt. The prince, yearning to return home, is bitten by a snake. He falls and his body vanishes —whether in death or on his way home we will never know. The prince and the narrator return to their respective planets, muddled in ambivalent feelings – wondering, loving, reminiscing.

The book is indisputably a page-turner. What makes the book unique is the fact that it offers innumerable perspectives. Each reader may view it contrastingly and perhaps the same reader may have a completely different take-away on re-reading the book. The least it does is bring out the child in each one of us and teach us the art of believing.

About the Reviewer: Asmi Ghosh is 12, was born in the US, but feels more at home in Hyderabad . Thanks to her mother, she started reading and writing while still in her diapers – and considers Agatha Christie, Newberry and Satyajit Ray amongst her favorites. Outside of reading and trying her hand at occasional writing, she loves sports, music, and Netflix, though not necessarily in that order.

Video: TheSeer Interviews Anuradha Beniwal

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Anuradha Beniwal is a prolific traveller. She has been travelling in India and has also covered a lot of European countries. In 2016, she authored her first book about her solo travel experiences in Europe. The book Aazadi Mera Brand, published by Rajkamal Prakashan was well received. She has been a national Chess champion and currently works as a chess coach in London. Bhumika Soni from TheSeer, spoke with her about books, travels, and life at large.

You can read the review of her book Aazadi Mera Brand here: https://theseer.in/for-indian-women-t… You can buy her book here: https://amzn.to/3dG5MBn

Music: Early Hours Musician: @iksonmusic

சுரேஷ் பரதனின் ‘ஊர் நடுவே ஒரு வனதேவதை’ கவிதை தொகுப்பு – நூல் அறிமுகம்

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நெடுஞ்சாலை எங்கும் நிறைந்திருக்கும் புங்கை மரம் போல்,  இந்த கவிதை தொகுப்பெங்கும் நிறைந்திருப்பது காதலே! நீங்கள் ஒரு நதிக்கரையினில் (ஒரு ஆறோடும் ஊரில்) வளர்ந்திருந்தாலோ  அல்லது ஒரு காதல் செய்திருந்தாலோ இந்த புத்தகம் ஒரு காலபுறாவாக மாறி உங்கள்  கடந்த காலத்தைப் பறித்து வந்து  உங்கள் உள்ளங்கையில் போட்டுவிட்டுப் போகும்.

மரவெட்டி ஒருவனைக் காதல் மணம்புரிந்து ஊருக்குள் குடியேறும் வனதேவதை ஒருத்தியின் காடு குறித்த நினைவுகளையும், அவள் காதல்கணவ‌னால் வெட்டப்படும் மரங்கள் நினைத்து அவள் கொள்ளும் பெருந்துயரத்தையும் ஒருங்கே பேசும் ‘ஊர் ந‌டுவே ஒரு வனதேவதை‘ என்னும் கவிதை ந‌ம் சிந்தனைகளை அழப்படுத்தும். வாழ்வின் முரண்களுக்குள் சிக்குண்டு பரிதவிக்கும் உயிர்களின் மௌன கதறலை நம் செவி அடையச் செய்யும்.

பூவரச மரத்தோடு சேர்ந்தே வளரும் அவளுக்கும், அம்மரத்துக்கும் இடையிலான சிநேகம் பேசும் ‘அவளும் பூவரசும்‘ கவிதை, எனக்கு என் ஊஞ்சல் நாட்களை கண்முன் கொண்டு வந்தது.  ‘டெடி பியர்’ பொம்மை, ‘மைக்ரோ டிப்’ பென்சில் என எந்த பொருள் கேட்டு பிடிவாதம் பிடிப்பதானாலும் சரி ஊஞ்சலில் தான் படுத்துக்கொண்டு அழுவேன். ஊஞ்சல் மேல் ஏறி நின்று கொண்டு அதன் கம்பிகளை பிடித்தபடியே “தஞ்சாவூர்,  திருச்சி, மதுரை” என கூவியபடி, நான் நடத்துனராகும் போது அது பேருந்து ஆக உருமாறி எங்களோடு குதூகலிக்கும்.  துயில் நெருங்காத நீள் இரவுகளை நாங்கள் ஆடியே தீர்த்திருக்கிறோம். கம்பிகளிலிருந்து வரும் க்ரீச் ஒலியும், காற்றின் வேகமெழுப்பும்  ‘ஸ்’ ஒலியும் தான் எங்கள் பரிபாஷை. பலமுறை என் கண்ணீர் உலர்த்தி,  ஒரு தகப்பனை போல அயராது என்னை நெஞ்சில் சுமந்திருக்கிறது. திருமணத்திற்கு முந்திய ஒரு மழை நாளில் “சிநேகிதனே” பாடல் செவி நிரப்ப‌ அதி வேகமாக வெகு நேரம் ஆடிக்கொண்டிருந்தேன் அது தான் எங்கள் இருவருக்குமான கடைசி அன்பு பகிர்தல். அதன் பின் பல்வேறு காரணங்களுக்காகப் பரண் ஏற்றப்பட்ட ஊஞ்சல் இன்றுவரை  இறக்கப்படவில்லை.

ஒரே வெய்யில் தான், அது மனிதர்களுக்கு மனிதர், அவர்கள் செய்யும் பணிகளுக்கேற்ப, கையிருப்புக்கு தகுந்தாற் போல் எப்படி வண்ணமாகிறது என்பதை இயல் மனிதர்கள் மூலம் பேசும்  ‘வெய்யிலின் ருசி‘ என்னும் இக்கவிதை நடைமுறை தாகத்தைச் சொல்கிறது.

எனக்கு மிகப் பிடித்த கவிதைகளில் ஒன்று, ‘ஒரு பின் மதியத் தெரு‘. இந்த பின் மதியப்பொழுதுகள், வெயிலையும் நிசப்தங்களையும் கொண்டு தொடுக்கப்பட்டவை.  அதன் நிதானத்தை, சலனமற்ற மனங்களால் மின் விசிறியின் ஒலிக்கொண்டு அளக்க முடியும். அந்த மதிய பொழுதை யதார்த்தம் மாறாமல் கச்சிதமாய் கவிதைப்படுத்தியதோடு அதனுள்  சமூக சுரண்டலையும்  சேர்த்து முடித்தவிதம் அற்புதம்.

கிணறு இருந்திருந்த வீட்டில் வாழும் அல்லது வாழ்ந்த‌‌ மனிதர்களின் ஞாபகச்சாவி,  ‘தோட்டத்து கிணறு‘ என்னும் கவிதை. எங்கள் வீட்டின் பின்கட்டில் ஒரு கிணறு இருந்தது. ‘கிணற்றடி ஞாபகங்கள்’ என்று ஒரு கதையே எழுதும் அளவுக்கு அத்தனை நினைவுகள் உண்டு. சின்ன வயதில் கிணற்றுக்குள் எட்டிப் பார்த்து, தெரியும் முகங்களில் எது நம்முடையது என அசைந்து பார்த்து ஊர்ஜிதப்படுத்திக்கொள்வது எங்களுக்குப் பிடித்த விளையாட்டு. “நல்லா பாரு.. நீ அப்படியா இருக்க? அது உன் நிழல் இல்லை. பிசாசு. ராத்திரி தான் வெளிய வரும். ராத்திரி வெளியே வந்து கிணத்துமேட்டில் உட்கார்ந்துக்கும். இந்த பக்கம் யாராவது வந்தா பிடிச்சு தின்னுடும்”  என்று கதைகட்டிய லட்சுமி அக்காவின் குரல் இன்னும் காதுக்குள் ஒலிக்கிறது. அந்த கதையை நம்பி கிணற்றடியில் மறந்த‌, என் மரப்பாச்சியைத் திரும்ப எடுத்து வரப் பயந்துகொண்டு அப்படியே விட்டதோடு இல்லாமல் என் மரப்பாச்சியைப் பிசாசு தின்றுவிடும் என்று நினைத்து  இரவெல்லாம் அழுதிருக்கிறேன். நாம் இழந்த அற்புதமான விஷயங்களில் ஒன்று கிணறு. வீட்டில் மற்றுமொரு நபராய் இருந்த கிணற்றுக்கும் நமக்குமான நெருக்கத்தை, அதன் இழப்பை இதயம் கனக்கச் சொல்லிச் செல்கிறது இக்கவிதை.

என்றோ ஒரு நாள் நதிக்கரையில் தான் தொலைத்த‌ காதலை நினைத்து இன்றும் அந்நதியோடு மருகும்  மனதின் தேடல் சொல்லும் ‘நதிக் கரையில் தொலைத்த காதல்‘ என்னும் கவிதை காதலின் ஆழம் பேசும்.

ஓராயிரம் காலத்துத் தனிமை பெருந்துயரை, காதலின் சில நொடி மௌனம் உணர்த்திவிடும். அந்த மௌன பேரலையில் தத்தளிக்கும் மனப்படகின் கையறுநிலை சொல்கிறது ‘மௌனத்தின் இருண்மை‘ கவிதை.

காதல் தான் மையக்கரு என்றாலும் அதன் வெவ்வேறு வலிகளை, நெஞ்சில் நிரம்பி  வழியும் நினைவுகளை, நறுமணமாக மாற்றி நம் அறை நிரப்பும் அந்த யுக்தியில் உணரமுடியும் சுரேஷ் பரதனின் கவித்திறமையை.  யுகம்யுகமாய் சலனமற்று வீற்றிருக்கும் மலைகளைக் கூட ரசிக்கத் தூண்டும் வார்த்தை வல்லமை இவருடையது.

காதல் தாண்டி அரசியலை, பெண்களின் வலிகளை, சக மனிதர்களின் நிலையாமையைப் பேசும் யதார்த்த கவிதைகள், மகரந்தம் தேடும் வண்டு போல் நம் மனதோடு ரீங்காரமிடும். குறிப்பாக வாழ்வியல் நிதர்சனம் பேசும் ‘ப்ரைவசி‘ கவிதை நம் மனசாட்சியைப் பிரதிபலிக்கும். இந்த புத்தகத்தை நீங்கள் வாசிக்கும் போது இரண்டு விஷயம் நிச்சயம் நிகழும். ஒன்று, இந்த புத்தகத்தின், முதல் கவிதையின், இரண்டாவது வரியை வாசிக்கத் தொடங்கும் போதே, வாசிக்க உகந்த ஒரு இடம் தேடி உட்கார்ந்துகொள்வீர்கள். இரண்டு, இந்த புத்தகத்தை வாசித்து முடித்தவுடன் பெருமூச்சுடன் கூடிய ஓர் குறுநகை வந்து முகத்தோடு ஒட்டிக்கொள்ளும்.

நூல் மதிப்பீட்டாளர் பற்றிய குறிப்பு:

சத்யா, வார்த்தைகளினால் வலிகளை வழியனுப்பி வைக்கும் கூட்டுப் பறவை. எந்த உதடுகளாலும் மொழியப்படாத மனித உணர்வுகளை புத்தகங்களில் தேடுபவள். சங்கீத பிரியை. இயற்கையின் சங்கேத மொழி அறிய முயற்சிபவள்.

Swami Narasimhananda

“The journal does not focus on circulation. It is perseverant in maintaining high quality,” Editor, Prabuddha Bharata

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A monk of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Narasimhananda is currently the editor of Prabuddha Bharata, an English monthly journal of the social sciences and the humanities, started in 1896 by Swami Vivekananda. He is a visiting faculty in the Department of Sociology at the Jadavpur University, Kolkata. He regularly speaks at institutes of national importance like the IITs and interacts with the youth in various fora. He works in the fields of philosophy, religious studies, Vedanta, and Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Studies. He has edited a volume of Swami Vivekananda’s teachings titled Vivekananda Reader. He writes in Sanskrit, English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and Malayalam.

Prabuddha Bharata or Awakened India, was started in July, 1896 by Swami Vivekananda’s Chennai admirers. The journal has been serving as a meeting ground for science, spirituality, and philosophy since then. Read more about the journal here. As the journal enters its 125th year of publication, we had the pleasure of speaking with the editor.

 

We are stepping into the 125th year of Prabuddha Bharata in publication. How do you look at the journey so far and in what ways has the journal changed over the years?

Prabuddha Bharata has been mirroring the cultural, philosophical, and historical aspects of India keeping the spirit of the name Swami Vivekananda gave to the journal, Prabuddha Bharata or Awakened India. The most important thought currents of the country and their influence on the world have been analysed through the pages of this journal. The journal has kept pace with technology both in the final output and in how the editorial team works. The language has been always current and social issues have been commented upon. The core values of the journal remain the same as they were at the time of its inception.

Prabuddha Bharata March 1897 Front Cover
Prabuddha Bharata March 1897 Front Cover

Has there been any impact of the COVID-19 and lockdowns on the circulation or subscription for the journal? Since Advaita Ashrama already had the journal online, has it helped the publication avoid such hiccups?

The printing and the despatch of some numbers of the journal have been delayed. However, all issues have been uploaded to the Advaita Ashrama website on time. After the lockdown is over the pending issues will be printed and despatched.



The journal has had articles from some of the greatest thinkers of their time, including Swami Vivekananda himself, Sister Nivedita, Carl Jung, Romain Rolland, Sir Jadunath Sarkar, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan and others. Such names must have helped the journal create a benchmark for itself in the initial years. Do you see it that way?

Prabuddha Bharata has always carried great thinkers on its pages. This was not just in the initial years. We remember only the old thinkers because they are taught in history books! Even the current thinkers are published in the journal. The journal did not create a benchmark by publishing great thinkers in the initial years. The journal only publishes insights that are great. Many of the great thinkers became well known much after they were published in the journal.



The journal was in circulation for about 50-51 years of the British rule in India before we got our freedom. I have seen articles ranging from the spiritual development of individuals to economic development of Indian villages in the issues of those times. As such, one cannot help but wonder how the journal became a constant source of inspiration and strength for Indians. We have heard of Gandhiji being a regular subscriber and reader. 

Prabuddha Bharata has always been a platform for voicing innovative ideas and reflecting on ancient Indian heritage. This is done by engaging with the current global thought. Many ideas of social development were printed in the journal during the pre-1947 decades. The journal was never hesitant to question difficult issues of the country.

 

The journal starts with an invocation, a hymn from our scriptures with translation. That seems to have been a conscious design choice from the very beginning. Are there other elements in the journal that have been kept as they were envisaged by the founding editors and Swamiji himself? What parts have remained constant and what have changed?

Focusing on current issues of the country, engaging with various philosophical currents, critiquing various perspectives, presenting Vedantic ideas in a more accessible manner, presenting path-breaking scientific discoveries that intersect with spirituality are some of the themes that have remained constant. The layout of the journal and the language keep on changing with times.

Prabuddha Bharata March 1897 Back Cover
Prabuddha Bharata March 1897 Back Cover

 

Prabuddha Bharata has maintained the highest standards year after year. How do you balance the equation of circulation versus quality? Has the demand for such content diminished or has it only gone up?

The journal does not focus on circulation. It is perseverant in maintaining high quality. There are insightful readers and the online version has seen more and more readers.

 

How difficult it is to be the Editor of a journal that is revered as the gold standard in its domain around the world? What’s your work like? Please take us through a bit of your day as the Editor of Prabuddha Editor.

Unfortunately, the journal is not considered as the gold standard by some groups, who have an agenda to denigrate everything Indian. In spite of this, the journal has been considered an unavoidable read, even by such groups, right from its inception. My work as the editor of Prabuddha Bharata involves identifying writers and publications that are of high quality around the world. Rejecting substandard work by many highly-placed writers, many of whom plagiarise, is almost daily routine! Most of the articles are solicited. Asking publishers for books for review to be sent is another work. And much time goes in reading the latest in culture, philosophy, religion, history, and psychology.

 

What are you reading presently? Who are some of your favourite writers?

I am reading several books now. The life and teachings of Swami Shankarananda in Bengali, the work by Vedanta Desikan titled Paduka Sahasram in Sanskrit, Karman by Giorgio Agamben in English, Budhini by Sara Joseph in Malayalam, Kaval Kottam by S Venkatesan in Tamil, and the plays of Jaishankar Prasad in Hindi. My favourite writers are of course Swami Vivekananda, Sister Nivedita, Swami Ranganathananda, Swami Ashokananda, Fyodor Dostoevsky, James Joyce, Charles Dickens, Humayun Ahmed, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay, M T Vasudevan Nair, Anisuzzaman, Narendra Kohli, Kalki Krishnamurthy, and Kalidasa.

 

What advice would you give to writers who aspire to get published in Prabuddha Bharata?

Focus on an area of expertise and develop your knowledge and insights in that area, and write regularly. Post all your writings on the web and if you are really good, Prabuddha Bharata will reach you even before you send your writing to the journal!

 

You can subscribe to the journal here – Subscribe

Inside the Mughal Zenana With Ira Mukhoty

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In the art of storytelling, be it the bedtime stories for children or the written records of history, women have existed but behind the veils, as the shadows of their male counterparts. Often it’s the king who comes before the queen; there have been superheroes and not superheroines. In the Indian context, of both the Hindu and the Muslim rulers, it was not considered dignified and at times even rude, to write or talk about the royal women who kept a decorous distance from the outer world, thus leaving us with the obscure account of their identities.

 

However, the book ‘Daughters of the Sun’ by Ira Mukhoty takes an exceptional path to look beyond the fine Muslin pardahs of the great Mughal Empire and rediscover its women – ‘Haramam’ or ‘Zenana’. The book takes us through a 200 years long journey dating back to the times of Babur in 1500 till the reign of Aurangzeb, uniquely focusing on the lives of the mothers, wives and daughters of the dynasty and their influence.

 

We are more familiar with the valor, ferocity and prudence of the Mughal kings but the book introduces us to the immense respect they had for their women not just for the sake of it but they were indeed worthy enough to be treated at par. They were as empowered as the kings themselves.

 

All the emperors looked up to them and sought their advices in the matters of diplomacy and administration. Khanzada Begum, Babar’s elder sister readily sacrificed herself to marry their rival to pacify the wrath befallen on the kingdom. Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan’s daughter was designated as the Padshah Begum of Hindostan (the highest position for a woman at that time) at the age of 17 after the death of her mother. She dedicated her entire life to build the empire like never before. Not only did she assist her father in the administration but built a new capital known as Shahjahanabad, now part of the present day capital of India. Though the city bears the name of the king, but it was the princess or Sahiba as she was fondly called who took initiative to build the famous Red Fort, Chandni Chowk and many more monuments under her supervision.

 

When we think of monuments, many in the present day India can be credited to their diligent effort to leave the mark of their opulence, authority and love. Humayun’s first wife Bega Begum built a magnificent mausoleum in his remembrance, known as the Humayun’s Tomb to all of us. Noor Jahan regarded as the most wealthy woman in her times, built I’tim?d-ud-Daulah tomb in honour of her father who was a respectable courtier in Jahangir’s court. This piece of art turned out to be the inspiration for Shah Jahan to build the world renowned, Taj Mahal. The women were not just spending to build these extraordinary architecture but were also very active in trade. Most of them had ships in their names and the English and the Portuguese had to take permission from these powerful women to trade in India. Noor Jahan even had a seal of her name on the coins. Involvement of women in trade and decision portrays their ability to share power equally to run a huge kingdom.

 

The Mughal daughters since their childhood were well schooled and taught in different languages like Persian, Turki and later on Hindostani; thus producing erudite daughters like Gulbadan, Jahanara who grew up to write the memoirs of their empire. Not just the blood relations, but the milk mothers nurturing the royal kids were given special importance in the Zenana, sometimes even treated above the mothers themselves.

 

The Mughals since their inception have always been peripatetic. It was the women of the clan who always kept the Timurid culture alive in the foreign lands. They were home to these warriors. The women have also travelled alone without their husbands crossing oceans and taking the arduous journey to Mecca, hence creating an undeterred identity for themselves. They were beyond the boundaries separating men and women.

 

The book filled with such remarkable stories also elegantly takes care of the preceding circumstances, so the reader gets acquainted of the environment that the women were living and thus, is able to better understand their decision making. In other words, reading it would be no less than sitting in a Mughal tent full of timurid shahzadis and listening to the stories of their opulent and peripatetic lives – their role in shaping the Mughal era-of what they won, lost and brought to this land to make it the great Hindostan.

 

About the Author: Bhumika Soni is a literature enthusiast working in the field of data analytics, she has always found words more charming and powerful than numbers. Still searching for The Enchanted Tree created by Enid Blyton to travel to various magical worlds. She loves spy thrillers and Ruskin Bond stories.

 

 

Amar Gautam-Image interview with TheSeer

What, Why, and How CEOs Read – Amar Gautam

TheSeer Team1 Comment

Amar Gautam is the CEO of HyperLinq Inc. HyperLinq brings institutional-grade software with superior technology for cryptocurrencies traders. Their desktop app, HyperTrader, makes price discovery, technical analysis, trade, arbitrage, and portfolio management easy. Their mobile app, HyperFolio, is a simplified portfolio manager for cryptocurrencies and digital assets.

We spoke with Amar with questions on his reading lists, favourite books and more.

What’s the book you’re reading at present? Tell us what the book is all about.

I just finished reading Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss. Tim has done an excellent job of creating a collection of interviews of very successful people in their respective fields. These interviews are very insightful and give you an inside look into the lives of these leaders. The answers to straightforward questions Tim asks each of these personalities give you tons of life tips.

 
Physical books, Kindle or just your mobile device – where do you spend most of your reading time?

I like physical books, perhaps because that is how it was when I was a kid. Reading on Kindle or Mobile devices is very uncomfortable for me. But in the interest of saving trees, I am now inclined to start reading books on Kindle. I am currently reading a few books on my wife’s Kindle, and it looks like I might get used to.

 
How many books do you read in a year on an average?

It is hard to estimate as it depends on a lot of things. I used to read at least 2 books a month, but now my time is split between family and the company. it becomes increasingly difficult to grab a book and sit down. I still read but in parts. So given that, I read about 12-15 books a year or so.

 
Who are your favourite authors?

I have many. Not in any particular order – Ruskin Bond, J. K. Rowling, Tim Ferris, Malcolm Gladwell, Jhumpa Lahiri, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, Munshi Premchand, Emily Dickinson, R K Narayan, Rabindranath Tagore, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Amish Tripathi.

 
A book you wish you had written.

First of all, I am not much of a writer, so it is out of the question that I would ever write a book. But hypothetically considering I had written a book, I wish to have written Coincidence by David Ambrose. I read this book back in 2001. I say this because it is an intriguing book that has a twisted plot but an abysmal ending. I would have had a very different closing if I had written this book. Regardless, it is a good read.

 
How does reading help you?

Not many people realize that I am an introvert. It is hard for me to start a conversation, and so most of the time, I am just by myself. I had very few friends when I was a kid. When I started reading, my father gifted me with a book and wrote on the cover – “Books are your best friend”. Since then, I read books, and I feel like being part of a conversation and exchange of ideas which I do not have in the physical world. I feel like myself, and it gives me a lot of peace.

 
From all the literary characters you have read, whom do you relate to most and why?

It is hard to say, as I do not read too many fictions or biographies. But if I still have to answer this question anyway, it would be Harry Potter. I am very much like how he thinks and some aspects of his personality match mine.

 
Are you waiting for any book to be made into a movie? Any favourite film adaptation from the past?

I personally do not like books turned into movies because in most cases, it does not do any justice. But there are some books made into beautiful films such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and A Beautiful Mind.

I do not read much fiction or biography; there is nothing in my mind as of now, which I would like to see as a movie.

 
What’s your favourite time of the day for reading?

Very early morning, like 4 am. I am an early morning person. I like reading books when it is quiet and peaceful.

 
Suggest a book that every business leader should read.

Design a Better Business: New Tools, Skills, and Mindset for Strategy and Innovation by Patrick Van Der Pijl, Justin Lokitz, Lisa Kay Solomon, Erik van der Pluijm, Maarten van Lieshout.