JustBooks Connect - August 2011 newsletterAbout JustBooks:Rental at your doorstep ! We’ve made it easier for you to rent, read and return books with JustBooksclc. Website:http://www.justbooksclc.com/ Ph. No: +91 080 6001 5285Just Books clc is a new generation community library chain that provides a unique reading experience to book lovers with a wide range of books for every type of reader. Whether a toddler or teen, dabbler or bookworm, we offer a modern, vibrant ambiance for borrowing books leveraging technology. At Just Books, there is a book for everyone in the family...come and check it out!
Monideepa Sahu discovers that chil- dren’s books in India are re-inventing themselves to capture the imagina- tion of the new generation. I ndian children have never had it so good. The tremendous popularity of the Harry Potter books has opened a cornucopia of original and imaginative books for today's children. New heroes such as Artemis Fowl, Septimus Heap and Percy Jackson have ensconced themselves into the hearts and minds of children everywhere through their international bestselling adventures. Ashita Murgai, Executive Editor, Roli Books, sees "a bright future for children's books not just in India, but all over the world." Children today have more creative reading choices than ever. Apart from stories, novels and classic tales, there are picture books, poetry and songs. Activity related books offer an amazing range of options for the young. Books with kid-friendly recipes, how-to do projects, puzzles, games and knowledge banks are a sure-fire way to keep the young ones intelli- gently entertained. Anita Roy, Commissioning Editor, Young Zubaan Books, thinks that, "Indian children's books are breaking away from moral tales, traditional comics, textbooks and classic tales retold. Change is happening and the bar is being raised on quality." The most exciting development is the crop of imaginative, fresh, beautifully written and illustrated fiction in English by Indian authors for Indian children. Publishers and authors in India agree on one point. “Gone are the days of Enid Blyton, Indian children today want books set in contemporary India. They also want to read fun books not moralistic stories. Attention needs to be paid to the quali- ty of writing too, which sadly does not seem to be a priority.” adds author Dheera Kitchlu. Ramendra Kumar, an award winning writer of children’s books, says, “Many established as well as emerging voices have been making attempts to move away from the rut of retelling mythological tales, legends and folk tales and carving out a fresh genre of writing. This genre which I would like to name ‘Here and Now’ is the writing which is set in today, not in the once upon a time. Its focus is on the concerns of the present, not the footprints of the past nor the flights of the future.” Indian parents, eager to cram knowl- edge into their older children, tend to restrict their reading to school textbooks. For external reading, they offer children books on Maths, general knowledge, or books with some sort of valuable moral lesson. Children today have more cre- ative reading choices than ever. Well- intentioned parents often strait-jacket their children's imagination and intellec- tual growth by not allowing them to choose freely for themselves. CONNECT The changing face of children’s books in India Pg 10 Quiz Pg 14 Just Kids Pg 15 Author Profile Volume 2 Issue 6 www.justbooksclc.com blog.justbooksclc.com August 2011 For limited circulation A JustBooks Publication contd on pg 2... Monideepa Sahu
Transcript
Volume 2 Issue 6www.justbooksclc.comblog.justbooksclc.com
CONNECT August 2011 For limited circulation A JustBooks Publication
The changing face of Pg 10 childrens books in India Quiz their
international bestselling adventures.Monideepa Sahu discovers that
chil- Ashita Murgai, Executive Editor, Rolidrens books in India are
re-inventing Books, sees "a bright future for childrensthemselves
to capture the imagina- books not just in India, but all over
thetion of the new generation. world." Pg 14 Children today have
more creative reading choices than ever. Apart from stories, novels
and classic tales, there areMonideepa Sahu picture books, poetry
and songs. Activity Just related books offer an amazing range of
options for the young. Books with Kids kid-friendly recipes, how-to
do projects, puzzles, games and knowledge banks are a sure-fire way
to keep the young ones intelli- gently entertained. Anita Roy,
Commissioning Editor, Young Pg 15 Zubaan Books, thinks that,
"Indian childrens books are breaking away from moral tales,
traditional comics, textbooks and classic tales retold. Author
Change is happening and the bar is being raised on quality."
Profile The most exciting development is the crop of imaginative,
fresh, beautifully written and illustrated fiction in English by
Indian authors for Indian children. Publishers and set in today,
not in the once upon a time. Its authors in India agree on one
point. focus is on the concerns of the present, not the Gone are
the days of Enid Blyton, footprints of the past nor the flights of
the Indian children today want books set in future. contemporary
India. They also want to Indian parents, eager to cram knowl- read
fun books not moralistic stories. edge into their older children,
tend to Attention needs to be paid to the quali- restrict their
reading to school textbooks. ty of writing too, which sadly does
not For external reading, they offer childrenI seem to be a
priority. adds author Dheera books on Maths, general knowledge, or
ndian children have never had it so books with some sort of
valuable moral Kitchlu. good. The tremendous popularity of lesson.
Children today have more cre- Ramendra Kumar, an award winning the
Harry Potter books has opened a ative reading choices than ever.
Well- writer of childrens books, says, Manycornucopia of original
and imaginative intentioned parents often strait-jacket established
as well as emerging voices havebooks for todays children. their
childrens imagination and intellec- been making attempts to move
away from the New heroes such as Artemis Fowl, tual growth by not
allowing them to rut of retelling mythological tales,
legendsSeptimus Heap and Percy Jackson have choose freely for
themselves. and folk tales and carving out a fresh genre
ofensconced themselves into the hearts and writing. This genre
which I would like tominds of children everywhere through name Here
and Now is the writing which is contd on pg 2...
2 JustBooks Connect - August 2011 contd from pg 1... dinosaurs
is a cool mix of fact and fiction, showing how dinosaurs once
roamed From the Editors Desk T he stress should be on the enjoying
and the fun aspect rather than pres- surizing children to become
precocious free in our very own land. Join Sankar and Sandhya on
their adventure as they find out about geniuses. Indosuchus
matleyi, Indosuchus rapto- A Far from being a waste of time, story
rius, Rajasaurus narmadiensis and much s we celebrate the 65th year
of books offer the most enriching reading much more. There is also
a map of Dino our nations Independence, experience of all,
transporting children to finds in India and a timeline of Indian
almost like what has become a other times and places. Dinos. habit
we look back upon the achieve- Children who enjoy reading become
History has never been so much fun. ments and the failures of these
65 independent learners and thinkers, who Dont miss Tales of
Historic Delhi by years. rarely stray towards undesirable compa-
Premola Ghose (Young Zubaan). While not delving into the bigger ny
out of loneliness and Join the animals of scheme of things, one
small blessing boredom. Janwar Dosti and all their that we can talk
about here is the However, authors like jungle friends on a magi-
growth of the Indian young readers Dheera Kitchlu believe cal
history tour through genre. that Indian children still Delhi. Gone
are those colonial hangovers dont have enough mate- Teenaged
fantasy fic- and the western influences, now we rial to read and
attention tion buffs will love Satin: have our own Indian
publishing hous- needs to be paid to the A Stitch In Time by es and
writers, who are looking quality of writing too, Payal Dhar (Harper
inwards and going native in their sto- which sadly does not ries.
seem to be a priority. In this edition, we look into what the Here
are some fantas- Indian publishers are predicting about tic new
titles by Indian the new trends in young readers writers: genre.
And some interesting titles that Growing Up In are entertaining as
well as education- Pandupur by Adithi al. and Chatura Rao (Young
For parents we have two highly Zubaan) is a lovely bou- debatable
books that have come into quet of short stories. the market
recently and what we can Welcome to Pandupur, a learn and take from
them. small but diverse com- Overall it looks like happy days are
munity built around a here for the young readers. We at hydel
project in JustBooks are doing our part in Karnataka. expanding our
young readers title Join Pandupurs chil- collection and would love
if our dren from all walks of young members will write to us regu-
life as they share their larly about what they would like to
laughter and tears, inse- read and contribute to JustBooks
curities, small unkind- Connect. nesses and surprising Lastly, ever
wondered what friendships. inspired your favourite author to pen
Sports enthusiasts will those bestsellers? Want to find out be
thrilled with Howzzat what and whos new in the world of
Butterfingers!, by books and publishing? Need some Khyrunnisa A.
(Puffin). suggestions for your vacation reading This fun adventure
novel list? Its not so difficult to find answers is about
Butterfingers, to these questions on the internet. around whom
nothing But wouldnt it be nice if you found and no one is safe! Can
answers to all these questions and Butter lead the school more in
one place? A new literary team to victory and save magazine from
JustBooks is going to the day? do just that. His white trousers are
Stories from the publishing and the at the cleaners on the day
literary world, extensive book of a crucial match; his Collins)
This first of an reviews, author profiles, literary fea-
wicketkeeper has the exciting new series is set tures, games,
contests, kids section attention span of a but- in Kuzerazi, a
mysterious and a whole lot more to satisfy the terfly; and arch
rivals land where magic is for- toughest bookworm. Blossoms School
do the bidden and where the Watch out this space for more news
unthinkablethey include girls in their lines between magic and
technology are on our upcoming magazine. team. often hard to see.
Do tell us what you think of this edi- Check out Stone Eggs by
Helen With such delectable delights in the off- tion and send us
your feedback to edi- Rundgren with vibrant illustrations by ing,
what excuse can parents have for [email protected]. Soumya Menon
from Tulika Books. holding their kids back from having fun This
special book about Indian and learning too?
JustBooks Connect - August 2011 3Las Orchestra Saves the World
A Beautiful LieAlexander McCall Smith Irfan MasterHachette
BloomsburyReshmi Chakraborty Geetanjali Singh Chanda A T tale of
wartime loyalties and toils, Las his debut novel was short listed
for the Orchestra is unlike any other Alexander Waterstones
Childrens Book Prize and McCall Smith books. Lavender Ferguson is
set in an India on the verge of inde- (La for short) falls in love
with a handsome and pendence in 1947. charming man and marries him,
only to face Bilals father is dying of cancer and fears heartbreak
and widowhood soon into her mar- that if his father hears of the
communal ten- riage. She shows rare courage and moves to a cot-
sions that are corroding their small town it tage in Suffolk to
lead a quiet life, much unlike will not only break his heart but it
will also her previous one in London. hasten his end. Bilal choses
to protect his As the Second World War breaks, La decides to bring
people father from the news of the unrest andtogether to form an
orchestra of amateur musicians. In the impending partition of the
country. When his father begs for aprocess, she falls in love with
Feliks, a Polish airman who does- newspaper he and his loyal group
of intrepid school friendsnt seem to reciprocate her feelings but
who may be hiding a invent good news and write and publish a whole
newspaper.secret that forces La to take a difficult decision. This
is the "beautiful lie" of the title. Five Plays Dreams for the
DyingMahasweta Devi C. K. MeenaTranslated by Samik Bandyopadhyay
Dronequill PublishersSeagull BooksPushpa Achanta Aradhana Janga S T
oul stirring, invigorating, touching - there he vendor on railway
platform came to is no end to the number of adjectives one know
that the lady, who read Hrudayam can use to admire the writings,
speeches magazine, took the train to Coimbatore and activities of
Mahasweta Devi, a living leg- almost every Sunday afternoon. And
then, end of Indian literature and champion of abruptly, by end of
April, she vanished, and impoverished, exploited and subjugated
peo- reappeared only as an image under a screaming ple. headline
that announced her gruesome murder. In this short collection of
five of her plays, For those who grew up with Agatha Christiesshe
exposes the readers to a range of traditional beliefs and Hercule
Poirot or with Perry Masons court scenes, where timepractices that
have existed in Bengal through the ages. In fact, was forgotten
because you just had to know "Who did it?" thissome of the
seemingly regressive customs and notions pertinent book will prove
just as riveting. You will be in the middle of allto caste, gender
and occupation that Devi has portrayed in her the action within the
first dozen pages and the south-Indian stagestories are alive in
many parts of India, particularly in the rural does add its bit to
this engrossing suspense. Time to take that dayareas. She has even
won international appreciation and awards off from your usual
routine, pick this book and try one of your oldincluding the Ramon
Magsaysay. marathon reading sessions! The Persuasive Manager:
Communication Learn to Earn - A Beginners Guide to the
BasicsStrategies for 21st century Manager of Investing and
BusinessM.M. Monippolly Peter Lynch & John RothchildRandom
House Simon & SchusterManjula Sundharam Aradhana Janga A O s a
manager, how do you persuade ne look at the title Learn to Earn and
peers to adopt what you propose? How you tell yourself "yet another
book that do you influence policies at higher lev- promises to make
you rich" and you els? How do you convince potential customers
couldnt be more wrong. It is a must read for that you can meet
their expectations better than anyone who is curious about how the
finan- competitors? cial market or rather how capitalism started.
With illustrations and anecdotes from The best thing going for this
book is that it Aristotle to contemporary Indian companies, doesnt
sound like a finance book in the first author M.M Monippolly shows
how. place. Absence of the usual dos and donts makes it refreshing.
He persuades managers to build credibility and mutual good Read it
because it is one of those rare non-fictions that will keepwill to
get things done through others. Written in an easy to fol- you
captivated. And if you do want to invest, well, youvelow simple
language, the book is an inspiring read for managers, made the
right choice by picking this book first. So, get readysalesmen and
entrepreneurs. to repeat the "Go forth and multiply" mantra to your
savings! For detailed reviews check out justbooksclc.com
4 JustBooks Connect - August 2011Lost and found Gone with the
wind must collide terrifyingly with his need to Botox, drugs,
pregnant teens and fakeMoonlight Mile protect the present.
identities. While Amandas mother turns out to be For three years,
Patrick has been tryingDennis Lehane as flaky as ever, all reports
about Amanda to "hustle up work". At one point, he tells herself
centre around self-possession, us that Angie and he are getting
"numb toWilliam Morrow determination, the strange almost uncan- it,
the fear, the weight of worry" and he ny way she has made herself
into some- doesnt mean violence. He means being one despite her
upbringing. broke.Anindita Sengupta Even without meeting Amanda, we
This is a world in which money is begin to feel something of her
power, a important and there isnt enough of it. maturity that
belies her years, a sense thatWhich makes it more interesting that
he would take on a case forP free, and that his wife ublished in
2010, Moonlight Mile would egg him to do so. harks back to Dennis
Lehanes This is the kind of earlier novel Gone Baby Gone,
quirkiness that makeswhich was part of a series featuring pri-
Lehanes characters sur-vate investigators Patrick Kenzie and
prising and unpre-Angie Gennaro. dictable. Were never The film
version directed by Ben sure what were dealingAffleck became hugely
popular like with because motivessome other Lehane books made into
can be murky and moral-films, (Mystic River, Shutter Island). ity
confusing.Gone Baby Gone was a kidnapping For example,story with a
twist. Amandas adoring friend When four-year-old Amanda Sophie who
is a pivotalMcCready disappears from a Boston character is taken
awayneighbourhood, Patrick and Angie set from her mother by aout to
find her. They do, only to realise remote father because hethat
things are rather grey. Amandas disapproves of thebeen taken by her
uncle and given to a mothers lifestyle.loving foster home. (Her own
mother is We later learn that shea negligent boozard.) was lesbian
and this is an Gennaro wants to let the child stay act of utter
cruelty mas-where she is and have a chance at nor- querading as
moralmal childhood but Kenzie returns her righteousness. Worse,
hebecause legally, thats the right thing to gives his daughter
ando. It is a decision that has haunted him ultimatum that if
shefor twelve years and now, at sixteen, doesnt go on a diet
andAmanda has disappeared again. shape up physically, When her aunt
Beatrice contacts shell be thrown out ofPatrick, he is working for
a big firm, home.bored but too broke to rebel. The last Hes a
father so deter-thing he needs is more trouble. Even without
meeting Amanda, we begin mined to lead the whole- But the tug of
conscience is threaten-ing to become a shriek. "I had done the to
feel something of her power, a maturity some life that he
causesright thing," Kenzie says to us, his face- that belies her
years, a sense that here is his daughter to disappear. "I dont like
sordid. There isless judges. "I knew it. I had no doubt." someone
who can do whatever it takes to no place for it in a respectableAnd
his mulish tone is the give-away. Of course, he has doubts. Patrick
does get past her surroundings. life," he says. It is a dark
statement on upper classnot take the case so much as slip into it,
here is someone who can do whatever it American values and the sort
of thingalmost as if he is being guided by circum- takes to get
past her surroundings. Lehane weaves in effortlessly.stances
outside his control, by the subcon- Amanda too is fighting for
redemption. But dont get me wrong. The tone isscious pull of guilt
and memory. Lehane traces this struggle of will in both never
preachy. There is a lot of humour Once in, it becomes obsession and
a characters with great skill and nuance. and some of Patrick and
Angies reparteechance at redemption. He is bolstered by Even their
most ambiguous actions are is truly witty.Angie, now his wife, a
tough gal who has defined by this compulsion. And yes, like
Unfortunately, it comes off as tootemporarily stopped detecting to
finish a other noir detectives, Patrick is suitably stylised and
inspired by television indegree in sociology. ambiguous. some
places. I found this faintly unnerv- Ironically, they are the
parents of a four- Lehanes writing captures the gloom of ing but
for the most part, its an enjoyableyear-old. As they get in deeper,
Patricks modern, post-recession America with its read. urge to
correct the mistakes of the past
JustBooks Connect - August 2011 5Epic taleA Princesss Journey
to find her destiny She is in fact more of aBy the Tungabhadra
romantic young girl, protected from realitySaradindu Bandopadhyay
and nurtured in theTranslated by Arunava Sinha mythic tradition
ofHarper Perennial Ramas unswerving devotion to his only love,
Sita, and it is forDr. Rajeshwari Ghose that kind of undivided
attention that she is will- ing to die for.I t is the child in all
of us, who has The hero, the object of grown out of the stage of
believing in the princess love is an ghosts and goblins and yet
when the adolescent, struggling toold storyteller begins his tale,
all disbelief keep himself alive. Tois held in suspension; ghosts
shriek and him the princess love isgoblins begin to dance around
the flicker- fraught with danger anding flames of the dying embers.
he has never allowed Such is Saradindu Bandopadhyays himself to
live in a worldcraft that he holds his audience in his of pure
fantasy; it is athrall. The story is written in a free flow- luxury
that is beyond hising oral tradition, lines are repeated, the reach
and given his classfriendly ghosts issue timely warnings and
position, he cannotand the good Hindu is there to save his let
himself just dream.Sovereign and his Faith against the infi- So he
emerges as somedel Muslim invader from the North. kind of a
half-hatched The novel opens with the Orissan character towed on
byprincess setting sail to Vijayanagara, the princess dreams.where
she will be married to the reigning The only reality for himmonarch
Devaraya II. It is a fairy tale and is feudal loyalty and hetold in
the manner of fairy tales. understands and feels it Although
Bandopadhyay is a man, he with his blood and writer, it is true,
presents a unilineal pic-writes a lyrically romantic tale about a
bones for the king, who employs him in ture of the good Hindu
versus the brutalyoung princess, who decides that her true his
armed forces. But the other emotion Muslim.love cannot be a much
married and hence of romantic love is too strange and sits While
readings in history may make thejaded monarch. uncomfortably with
him. power play a lot more complex, for we do So in her mind she
rejects the king, towhose court she is being sent by her T he hero
is cast much in the mode of a helpless Indian youth, caught between
his newly found and improbable know that Devaraya II employed two
thousand Muslims in his Turkish Archery division and their arch
enemies,father. She sees the arrangement as noth-ing more than a
part of a political game. romance on the one hand and his middle
the Bahamani Sultans, also employed aShe, like Juliet, is waiting
to fall in love class upbringing, his caste aspirations number of
Hindus in their forces.and soon she finds herself in love with a
and his religious zeal, which makes him Apart from this, Devaraya
kept a copyman she can have just for herself. It is not adopt
Vijayanagara, the last bastion of of the Quran by which to swear
onesan emotionally surcharged story. Hindu rule, as his motherland.
allegiance and also built a mosque and a It is a quiet tale told
with great So the hero is unlike the heroes of usual Muslim quarter
in the city.restraint, to resemble the unfolding of anIndian
miniature painting, where emo- fairy tales. He does not feel noble,
in fact he feels small at having let down his lieges trust. H
owever, Vijayanagara claimed to be the great bastion of the Hindu
faith and was seen as such by the people of thetions are just
hinted at. Is the princess afeminist? That would be reading too As
for historical authenticity, one could times. Not that there were
no Hindu vil-much into the tale. nit-pick on whether the princess
would lainsthe kings own step brother was ever have been allowed to
go out on her one and so the image of the kingdom was own, leave
alone go on a tryst, whether painted simply as the ultimate refuge
for So the hero is unlike the there were too many coincidences in
the Hindus running away from Muslim per-heroes of usual fairy
tales. He story, whether the scene of attempted secution.
assassination sounded phony and The author states that he was moved
bydoes not feel noble, in fact he whether the descriptions of the
sites on Sewells A Forgotten Empire and he hasfeels small at having
let down the banks of Tungabhadra were probably captured for us in
fiction what the histo-his lieges trust. not accurate. rian did in
his retelling the tale of the van- As for being ideologically
irksome, the ished glories of an ancient empire.
6 JustBooks Connect - August 2011Musings Reading Fiction vs.
Reading Non-FictionRam Mohan SusarlaS hould one read fiction or
non-fic- tion? This is an existential dilemma that is faced by all
book lovers asthey go about acquiring books (buying orborrowing).
In this column I share myexperiences in this regard and I do
hopethat my thoughts on this topic would helpclear some cobwebs of
doubt in the mindsof book lovers. For starters, reading any book
ought tobe a pleasurable experience. It should notmatter if one
reads fiction or non-fictionas long as the basic intention behind
read-ing a book, which is to partake of themunificent pleasures
that accompanyreading books, is realized. Having said that, it
needs to be men-tioned that people who read either ofthese genres
and prefer one over the otherdo so as a matter of individual
choicebased on taste and preference as well asthe need to read
these genres that ani- In fact, this is the joy of reading fiction.
fiction, it needs to be remembered thatmates the purpose. The books
cannot be put down once start- books are essentially works of art
and For instance, many students of liberal ed and the thrill of
following the protago- hence deserve the same respect and
treat-arts programs have to read literary fiction nist through his
or her escapades is some- ment irrespective of the genre.and
non-fiction because their courses pre- thing that is indescribable.
The "Eureka" moment is something thatscribe these books. As I grew
up, I read literary fiction by both fiction and non-fiction deliver
to the On the other hand, there are those who the likes of Vikram
Seth, Salman Rushdie readers and life seems complete whenread pulp
fiction because they are looking and V.S. Naipaul. Though I enjoyed
these that brilliant flash of inspiration strikesfor "fillers" when
they are travelling, hol- authors immensely, I should confess that
when reading a book which more thanidaying or waiting for their
turn in hospi- classics by Shakespeare and the writers of
compensates for the time and moneytals etc. Hence the need dictates
the act of his time were a bit too much for me. spent on
reading.reading in these cases. However, I did compensate by
getting In fact, I would go as far as to say that Further, reading
literary fiction can be a hooked up on the "Victorian Era" writers
reading books is to be pursued for thesematter of preference like
it is with the act and the early 20th century writers like moments
of quiet beauty when we areof reading non-fiction for keeping
abreast James Joyce and John Steinbeck. subsumed by the awe
inspiring feeling ofof the trends in politics, business andsociety.
There is nothing to say that read- I have always believed that
reading peri- od fiction is an excellent way to get introduced to
the authors of the particular oneness and the insights that strike
when reading books that make us a better per- son.ing either genre
is preferable over theother and my personal take on this topic era
that we want to explore. Reading is a creative process and asis
that as long as one enjoys the book, My personal recommendation for
any- with all creative pursuits, both the "aha"nothing should stop
people from reading one starting to read books would be to moments
and the depth of thought thateither genre. start slow and climb
steadily. complement and supplement each other To be honest, I did
start with fiction and Pick up a fiction book, or take a non-fic-
need to be savoured.graduated to non-fiction with the passageof
time. My earliest memories of reading tion piece that is a
biography or a narra- tive of history and then work ones way
through these before taking on weighty T o take an analogy from
cricket, read- ing fiction is like watching T20 or One Day matches
whereas reading literary fic-consist of picking up the latest
bestsellerby Fredrick Forsyth or Sidney Sheldon and serious tomes
by philosophers and tion and non-fiction is like watching testand
"gulping" them down continously. sociologists. cricket. In fact, if
you are pursuing a liberal arts So the purists would like us to
watchTo take an analogy from program, chances are that you would be
test cricket for its sonorous elegance initiated into these topics
as part of your whereas the marketers like to highlightcricket,
reading fiction is like curriculum. However, given the fact that
the shorter versions for the thrills andwatching T20 or One Day the
"in-thing" these days is to study engi- spills. Ultimately, it is
up to us to decidematches whereas reading lit- neering or science,
reading as a way of life what we want to read and whether we is
something that needs to be pursued on choose fiction over
non-fiction or viceerary fiction and non-fiction an individual
basis. versa, the bottom line is that we benefitis like watching
test cricket. Whether one is reading fiction or non- from the very
act of reading.
JustBooks Connect - August 2011 7Talking books "Never judge a
book by its movie" English while the movie was in Hindi). thanks to
translations, subtitles, etc.Pushpa Achanta Of course, a novels
fame does not guar- Even though the Asterix and Batman antee that
it can be converted into a good comics were a rage worldwide, it is
no exaggeration to state that their film versions (animated and
fea-W riter J W Eagans quote ture) added to their universal "Never
judge a book by its appeal. movie" has stuck with me This is true
of childrens clas-ever since I first read it on a bookmark. sics
like The Jungle Book byIn fact, I picked up the reading aid as
Rudyard Kipling and Lewissoon as I spotted these thought provok-
Carrolls Alice in Wonderlanding words. and modern titles such as
the One may choose to agree or disagree comical romance Bridget
Joneswith the viewpoint conveyed by the Diary by Helen
Fielding,saying depending upon whether one is Upamanyu Chatterjees
Englisha book lover or a movie fan. However, August and Sylvia
Nasarsan avid reader who also enjoys films acclaimed work A
Beautifulmay perhaps be prudent and unbiased Mind (biography of
Nobel Prizein his or her opinion. (The wisest winning economist
John Nashwould probably not participate in a who struggled with
schizophre-discussion on this subject but that is a nia).different
story altogether!). On the other hand, the Of some of the well
known books renowned Laurel and Hardythat have inspired successful
movies and The Flintstones movie andare The Namesake by Jhumpa
Lahiri, animation series saw the charac-Alistair Macleans wartime
adventure ters and their adventures beingThe Guns of Navarone,
Murder on portrayed in comic books whichthe Orient Express, Death
on the Nile were also sought after.and other works of detective
fiction by Apart from a possible alter-Agatha Christie,
Bibhutibhushan and ation to the narrative, a filmBhopadhyays
autobiographical novel maker typically needs to com-Pather Panchali
and its sequel press the original story simplyAparajito, many of
Tagores novels and because it is impossible toShakespeares plays.
include and transform every lit- And, there are titles with fantasy
tle detail onto the screen.characters and themes and fictional
Therefore, even the bestheroes that have caught the fancy of movie
with minimal changespeople of all age groups around the spun out of
a book may not doworld. justice to the latter. These include the
series of Harry This is evident from the filmsPotter, The
Chronicles of Narnia, the that were adapted fromLord of the Rings
and Sherlock Parineeta by Sarat ChandraHolmes. The last continues
to interest Chattopadhyay, Jane Austensreaders and film producers
although it movie. Also, one must remember that Pride and Prejudice
and Illango Adigalswas initially written about a century ago. mere
high sales of a book or multiple and Silapathikaram (considered one
of the It is noteworthy that films have been long runs of a film do
not represent their five greatest ancient Tamil epics).made from
non-fiction works too, such as greatness although they may have
cap- One can safely assume that things mayJoel Bakans The
Corporation although tured the fascination of many book lovers not
have been very different even if thesethis particular one is a
documentary. or film viewers. legendary writers directly
contributed to The main factors responsible for a book Film makers
often employ their artistic the production of films influenced byof
any genre being considered for a licence to drift from the original
story line their novels and stories.movie are the popularity of the
title and of a novel even if it is based on real life. A close
member of my family thinksor the author and the uniqueness or For
this, they usually seek the permis- that, "The book is much better"
on manystrength of the story. sion of the author, publisher and
other occasions when I have appreciated the These would have been
the reasons for relevant stakeholders. celluloid interpretation.
Honestly, he is achoosing Chetan Bhagats One Night @ Actually, the
approval of the novelist is voracious reader and not much of athe
Call Centre for mainstream cinema. required even to create the
film. Quite movie fan while I enjoy books and someBut, despite the
book becoming a best often, the author of the book is involved
films. Nevertheless, I cannot help agree-seller, the corresponding
movie Hello in writing the screenplay for its movie. ing with him
especially in the case ofwas not a hit. The portrayal on screen
sometimes play masterpieces such as The Count of This might be due
to the difference in a major role in increasing the popularity
Monte Cristo where the movie departslanguages (the tome was penned
in and reach of writers and their books from the original story
line a lot.
8 JustBooks Connect - August 2011 Readers Readers contribution
She stands tall among the crowd Voice Anirudha Padagi She charms
herself, With a violin in her hand Every penny dropped by me, It
may stop her hungerS ince my arrival to BSK 3rd stage, I But its
just not enough to was on the lookout for a library. To fill her
empty heart But to my disappointment I foundnone in our locality
and my thirst for The broken bow, in her handbooks remained
unquenched. After three long years, my desire has Are like her
broken dreamsbeen fulfilled, when I found out about The tunes are
in harmonyJustBooks through leaflets. They are the songs of her
memory Having spent two months of my holi- But I know it aint
herdays waiting for weekends (my father Violin Songused to buy me
books on those days), Icould not have wished for more: As I hear
closelyJustBooks at a walk-able distance from With its high notes
and lowmy home and a wonderful collection of Spaced between each
notebooks. My joy knew no bounds. From the day Are the sounds of
love and painI obtained the membership card, I am a But I know it
aint herregular visitor to the library. Violin song Thank you,
JustBooks for opening abranch in our locality. I observe closely
Tear drops filling her eye R. Shruthi, 19 years Make for the loss
in my voice Banashankari, Bangalore The mist surrounding her eyes
Makes the violin sound nice I pass by her, among the passers by
Cheat myself of not seeing her Not able to take away her pain Like
a helpless child All I do, is drop a penny, But I know, Every penny
dropped by me, It may stop her hunger Its just not enough to To
fill her empty heart. Anirudha is a working professional, writer
and freelancer. Inspired by life, he is currently chasing his
deepest desire to be a full time author. He is a member of
JustBooks, Whitefield.
JustBooks Connect - August 2011 9Readerss Contribution The
skill is in the weaveSine Curves Kamlu, till the very end. for the
publishers demands or financial Their travails, the deep
understanding considerations, the book could have easi-K.A. Chinoy
between two dissimilarly similar indi- ly boasted of a thousand
plus page offer-Harper Perennial Modern Classics viduals and the
disarming relationship, ing. are what this book is all about. Mr.
Chinoy has smoothly skirted the The book presents tradition,
values, question, on the autobiographical nature culture,
spirituality, all laced with subtle of the book. humour, making it
"engrossing". He prefers to say instead that it isSuresh Warrier
Language has been used appropriately about lifes experiences. He
goes spiritu- and powerfully too. The authors mas- al and drifts
into the unknown towards tery over words and the apt usage makes
the end, but then, good books should reading the book enjoyable.
have nice endings, nah?S ome times the avid reader will You would
rarely come across a more come across a good book, hidden
reader-friendly book as Sine Curves. away in a dark corner of a
book- The different regional vernacular vocab-shop. Written purely,
for the joy of writ- ulary has been put to good use to bringing,
these are usually first-time authors out the right flavour. About
the Authorwriting from their experience and want- To make matters
easy for the reader, aing to share it with others. Their eyes are
neither seton film rights, nor a sequel. Mr. K.A. Chinoy, is
anThese serendipitous gems active septuagenarian,rarely get
acclaimed, pro-moted or talked about in born in Bangalore. Hisany
kind of forum. They work took him all overbloom only by word of
India and he has featuredmouth. Sine Curves, isone such gem. many
of those locations in As the author puts it, the his book.skill (of
writing & present- He resides ining) is in the weave (of
thestory) and what a superb Rajarajeshwari Nagar,weave it is. The
story Bangalore surrounded bymeanders through tens of his children
& grandchil-years, smoothly unravel-ling the thread of the tale
dren.that he wants to share with He is an active blogger andthe
readers. his new, sometimes satiri- Life for many is verysimilar to
the archetypical cal, sometimes direct andfilm or serial, the
events many times opinionatedprobably more accented in piece, is
usually availablethe soaps. Who can saythat life has been and will
weekly oncontinue to be smooth-sail- chinoyka.blogspot.coming: only
nice things hap-pening always? In life itself, there islearning,
romance, tragedy and if you thoughtful glossary of such words is
From an avid Archer-Brown-throw in the mother-in-law factor, you
there at the end of each chapter. Higgins-Ludlum type reader,
Sureshhave the story. As you get used to the writing style, Sine
Curves takes you through a simi- your curiosity to see the further
twists in Warrier has recently migrated tolar journey, albeit
somewhat autobio- the story gets tickled. exploring the plethora of
Indiangraphical in its presentation and portray- But, the chapters
or pages jump gener- Writers and their offerings.al. ations. You
wonder why those middle His previous literary experience is It
starts slowly, and builds momentum years have not been given the
detailed limited to writing business propos-as the pages turn.
treatment that the previous pages had als, employment offers and
emails. As you proceed, you start getting painted so fondly. He
also happens to be the franchiseincreasingly eager to know what
hap- One wishes that, the author could owner of JustBooks
Banashankaripens next to the protagonists, Seeni & have just
gone on. If it werent perhaps and Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
JustBooks Connect - August 2011 10 1. Name the author of The
Keys 4. Recently Rafiki, the theatre group performed a play based
to the Kingdom series: on this book : Philip Pullman Adventures of
Aditi and Friends Garth Nix Taranauts Rick Riordan The Blue
Umbrella 5. Akimbo owes his adventures to: Cornelia Funke Roald
Dahl 2. John Grisham created this character Alexander McCall Smith
for Young Readers: Theodore Boone Percy Jackson Captain Underpants
3. The Feluda Mysteries first appeared in: Tinkle Amar Chitra Katha
Sandesh Garth Nix, Theodore Boone, Sandesh, Adventures of Aditi and
Friends, Alexander McCall Smith JUSTBOOKS What were upto! TOP 5 T
his seems to be a season of firsts. N EW A RRIVALS Weve been fea-
1. Last Man In Tower by tured, for the first Aravind Adiga time on
Forbes, 2. River Of Smoke by then Outlook Amitav Ghosh Money, then
3. The Lotus Queen by Deccan Herald, Rikin Khamar and now we have
4. Geek Nation by Angela opened our first Saini branch in proper 5.
On China by Henry Kissinger Mumbai (see previous post!) and so on
and so forth. I tell ya, theres no stopping us! R ECOMMENDED In a
first again, we shot some questions last Friday to a wide-eyed, 1.
The Yacoubian Building enthusiastic, eager bunch of children of
ZeeSchool, Kudlu Gate, by Alaa Al Aswany Bommanahalli, Bangalore.
And boy, did they answer well? Here are 2. The Bad Girl by Mario
all the winners: Vargas Llosa 3. Major Pettigrews Last Stand by
Helen Simonson 4. Empires Of The Indus by Alice Albinia 5. The
Indian Clerk by Leavitt David R ENTALS 1. Only Time Will Tell by
Jeffery Archer 2. 2 States: The Story Of My Marriage by Chetan
Bhagat 3. And Thereby Hangs A Tale by Jeffery Archer 4. Diary of a
Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney 5. The Throne of Fire (The Kane
Chronicles) by Rick Riordan From JustBooks blog -
http://blog.justbooksclc.com
JustBooks Connect - August 2011 11Quest for truth On the edge
of discoveryThe Edge of Reason: Dispatches gravity have not yet
been explained by a ing! Access to massive resources and unified
theory. human ingenuity to overcome resourcefrom the Frontiers of
Though these forces were presumably constraints both contribute to
carryingCosmology unified for a brief epoch called the Planck out
these experiments. epoch after the Big Bang, there are sever- We
learn how the Russians are usingAnil Ananthaswamy al alternative
theories on how they parted Lake Baikal when it is frozen during
the ways, each with their predictions and Siberian winter to save
on need for ships prognosis for our universe. and submersibles; how
an Indian scien- Though each chapter has a black and tist has
designed and built a series of Dr. Rajagopalan white photograph as
the visual backdrop, radio telescopes at a fraction of the cost of
alternative designs; or how rich countries are spending enor-A s
per the current under- mous amounts to build under- standing among
physi- ground tunnels and experimen- cists, what we call nor- tal
stations in the Antarctic.mal matter accounts for only Why should
India spendabout 4% of our known universe. resources on Antarctic
expedi- The rest consists of what we tions, and join multilateral
con-dont know: dark energy (73%) sortia for projects like CERN
orand dark matter (23%). Why the Square Kilometer Arraycant these
physicists throw (SKA) instead of more pressingsome light on such
dark energy problems? Part of it is of courseand matter? for
staking a claim for resources This book tells you how and yet to be
assessed and accessed.why they go to all kinds of But a part of it
also has to do withextreme places and do extraordi- our common
quest to understandnary experiments, risking life our universe.and
limb, to get a glimpse of a People have often wonderedzoo of
elusive particles, includ- why physicists often turning the
so-called God particle. philosophers. The author adds a The cat and
mouse games possible practical reason for thisbetween theorists,
who create link: both needs an environmentparticles out of thin air
to pre- of silence free of pollution of theserve their equations,
and mankind.experimenters, who attempt to Monks need it to probe
theirtrap such elusive particles, is as inner selves. Physicists
need it toexciting as a murder thriller. probe for messages from
our cos- It beats any James Bond movie mos.hands down for exotic
loca- One is left wondering whethertionsSouth Pole, Himalayas, the
current difficulties in devel-Baikal Lake, Atacama Desert, oping a
unified theory of all foursatellites, and a 27-km-long tun-
fundamental forces have an echonel spanning the Swiss-French in our
difficulties in understand-border. ing ourselves and our role in
the After all these, still the jury is out, mak- they hardly do
justice to the exotic sites of cosmos. After all, the book starts
with theing us all feel humble and wonder at our these experiments.
following quote from the Rig Veda:marvelous universeor, is it
really a I would recommend that the readermultiverse? starts with
this lecture by the author at But, after all, who knows, and who
First of all, I would like to emphasize
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/a can saythat this book can be
enjoyed by every- nil_ananthaswamy.html. This includes a whence it
all came, and how creationone, including those who may not have
video of a launch of an enormous balloon happened?heard of modern
physics. in Antarctica, a sight to behold. The gods themselves are
later than cre- Start with the two appendices of two The locations
are indeed exotic, but ation,pages each: The Standard Model of why?
It is to ensure an environment of so who knows truly whence it
hasParticle Physics and The Standard silencefree from air and light
pollu- arisen?Model of Cosmology. These lay down tion; dry weather
and clear skies to suit Whence all creation had its origin,the
background to the mysteries motivat- some enormous telescopes;
rocks, clean he, whether he fashioned it or whethering the
extraordinary experiments ice or water, more than a kilometer deep,
he did not,described in this book. to trap elusive neutrinos
without being he, who surveys it all from highest The four known
fundamental forces of swamped by cosmic ray particles.
heaven,nature, namely, electromagnetism, the The author charmingly
calls one of he knows- or maybe even he does notweak and the strong
nuclear forces and these An experiment that detects noth-
know.
12 JustBooks Connect - August 2011Parent Trap Battle hymn of
the sleepless fatherAnindita Sengupta Im no expert on parenting.
The only people entranced at parties and on panel experience I have
is with a very barky, discussions. The Battle Hymn of the very
furry dog and he has never Tiger Mother by Amy Chua espouses asked
for bedtime stories. I can the Chinese mothers rules of parenting
only try to imagine what it is to as a surefire way to churn out
achievers. be a sleep-deprived parent and I An extract in the Wall
Street Journal go with Jill Filipovic at outlines how Chua did not
allow her Feministe.com who points out, children several liberties
including "sometimes, frustration at a child is sleepovers, play
dates, school plays, not actually being misdirected from
complaints, computer games, and any all other aspects of your
miserable grade less than A. They had to play the life. Sometimes,
children are just piano and violin. They were not allowed
frustrating." This is where I think to play anything other than the
piano or Go the F*** to Sleepfor all its violin. As hymns go, this
one has me simplistic content and childish shivering inside my
armour and grateful rhymingscores. It has forced I wasnt born
anywhere near Chua. people to talk about parenting But whether I
agree with her brand of parenting or not, Chuas book does offer a
shiny sliver of discussion. More and more, were given to agreeing
blindly with homogenous ideals of parenting promoted by theA few
weeks ago, there was engag- media. Modern ing banter between two
friends ideals. Often, west- who have babies. They were ern
ideals.talking about a book. "If youre not too Whether these
areprudish," one said, "Ill send you the e- the correct,
univer-version." "How would I survive parenting sal or best ideals
iswithout a sense of humour?" said the something thatother. should
be ques- The book in question was Go the F*** tioned.to Sleep, a
"childrens book for adults" While Im fairlywritten by Adam Mansbach
and illus- more honestly. clear on corporal punishment
(against),trated by Ricardo Corts. I dont remember my grandmother
or Im less certain about extracurricular The slim, 32-page book
which relies on mother pretending that bringing chil- activities.
Are children always the wisestrhymed prose and pictures was picked
dren up was a bagful of laughs untaint- judges of how they should
spend theirup by an indie press and it quickly ed by frustration.
Terror stories of tod- free time? Do they have the requisiteplonked
onto the New York Times best- dler antics were recounted until they
will power and patience to last out theseller list. became the
stuff of legend. My mother initial toughness of singing, or
learning Actor Samuel L Jackson did a reading did not sail euphoric
through my early a musical instrument? Chua seems toof it, which is
now available on years, jiggling me with one hand while think not.
From what I remember of myyoutube.com. The howling, hilarious
serving up dads fave mutton curry with childhood, I tend to
agree.rant bemoans the tedium that parenting the other. Kerosene
ovens, tears, snot; On the other hand, she also seems tocan
sometimes be. It is a fathers long baby hands in food, detergent,
dog suggest that abuse is okay. She tells ofand tortured plea to
his daughter to go mouth; constipation, fevers, disappear- how she
did not let her daughter go toto sleep. Cynical, at times rageful
and ing maids; broke-ness and some more the bathroom until she got
a piece right.full of expletives. brokeness is more like it. Okay,
so my This I find wildly sadistic. Predictably, it has raised some
eye- family clearly didnt take any tips from Either way, theres
lots of matter forbrows. The argument against it is that Mary
Poppins. But Im guessing a lot of debate here. For those who read
Dr.children are, well, children. other families are similarly
chaotic. Spock, mommy blogs and the Times ofManipulative perhaps.
Demanding. Sleepless nights are the clean and inno- India, it can
start to seem like there isFrustrating. But is it fair to write a
book cent tip of the iceberg. Wheres the only one way of doing
things, one uni-in complaint? Some have asked. Modern harmor
shamein talking about versal truth. In reality, many
differentparenting is at fault with its demands of them? stories
add up to the truth. More power24/7 perfection, flawless nurturing
and This reminds me of another book to Mansbach and Chua for
telling two ofperpetual sunshiny smiles. which incited gasps and
gabbing, had them.
JustBooks Connect - August 2011 13On Second ThoughtAn
entrepreneurship dream come true Smitha and Suresh WarrierS mitha,
my wife nearly fell off the chair when I asked her, How would you
like to own a library? Anotherone of her dreams coming true? You
see,at home, we call Smitha "the prophecyqueen", a sobriquet that
sits very well onher shoulders. She has this uncannyknack of
wishing for something and ithappens. Take the ICC World Cup for
example.Passing by the TV at a crucial moment,she says, "A wicket
is going to fall", and itdoes. Our son Parikshith and I
believeSmitha single-handedly won the WorldCup for us. But then,
that is another story. We are fairly avid readers, gobble upbooks
in one night, renounce food andsleep to devour an interesting
book,Reliance Time Out & Crossword are our branches. When
thosefavourite hangouts in any mall, you get it seemed a bit far
off, duedont you? We had run through most to the demographics
ofbooks that are available with the "hole in the immediate area,
wethe wall" type dingy libraries, and thats actively started
thinkingwhen Kirana, a mutual acquaintance of adding another
full-mentioned JustBooks. How appropriate fledged store. It waswas
that? but logical to start We applied to be considered as a
thinking vicinity.JustBooks franchisee for a lark as thenearest
JustBooks library was quite far.The rest is history with a lot of
geography F inancials were duly considered, but a JustBooks
franchisee isthrown in. A lot of soul searching, check- fully aware
that costing up on available finances and not to recovery happens
even-forget, the immediate response from tually and a small
profitJustBooks later, we felt we could make it can follow, if the
opera-happen. tions are managed And so, our life partnership
extended properly. understanding the IT systems than weeasily into
a business partnership and Big Google Maps were pored over for con-
are.Fish was born. An anxiety-ridden and nectivity, satellite maps
were explored in Needless to say, the team at both
loca-exhilarating roller-coaster ride later, we great detail for
population, newspaper tions has wonderfully capable peopleopened
our first library in Rajarajeshwari agents were talked to for
English paper and have shouldered a tremendousNagar, Bangalore.
circulation numbers and innumerable amount of responsibility. We
are very selfish as far as books areconcerned, and we mentioned
this to two-wheeler rides were taken into pro- posed areas, to
identify suitable locations. E ntrepreneurship is always a big risk
and for us who are neo-business peo- ple, we decided to embrace it
with thequite a few of our early members - "The We did eventually
open the second one atlibrary is essentially for us to read, but
you Banashankari. knowledge that a sensible team, fair poli-are
welcome too". Now, we truly appreciate the art of jug- cies,
equitable revenue sharing, and solid Slowly the thrill of business
became an glery. Smitha is most times hands on (at support are the
premise on which theexhilarating cause. The joy of seeing a all
other times phones on) with both foundation of JustBooks
rests!small child dragging their parents along locations, thriving
in instructing the staff, If two is company, will three make usfor
membership; the senior citizen who putting policies and procedures,
task lists proud?found her calling in life in reading books; and
systems in to place. She is at both Smitha & Suresh Warrier,
reside inneo and nouveau bibliophiles; changed locations everyday
and is at best when Rajarajeshwari Nagar and in athe cause and
perception of a library as a purposefully engaging both new and
existing members. short span of less than three monthsbusiness.
Entrepreneurship was disguis-ing itself with a social cause.
Parikshith chips in quite regularly as of opening their first
JustBooks With this overriding thought, it was but and when the
need arises, and as store, took the decision to startnatural to
think of pockets or satellite teenagers a