Pensha

Thursday...Friday, Saturday and Sunday! Three days more! Sharada was thrilled as she ticked marked the days on the calendar. She had labeled Sunday as Sunday's Surprise, because the much-awaited holiday was spent differently every week. Sharada and her parents went to malls, parks, ice-cream parlour or sights around the city. The best part was their day was foot-loose! So, this Sunday when her Dad asked Sharada what she would like to do, she chirped, 'Let's go on a drive.' In the afternoon, they set off in their car, humming songs along with the FM radio. Sharada's Dad drove to the outskirts, where there was less of mad honking, and the air was cooler. Seated in the back, Sharada saw houses painted in bright oranges and yellows, sparrows queuing up on the electric wires and green meadows, pass by in a blur. She wondered if Dad would stop the car and they would settle under a tree and eat a picnic snack. But, he kept on driving. Soon, the drive turned bumpy, beca...

Reviewed this book for the Sunday pages. Funny, wise fable! Name: Junglezen Sheru By: Samarpan Published by: Pan Macmillan India Price: Rs 150 In a jungle, its king, the lion, is no more and so the animals look towards his cub to lead them. But, Sheru the cub, doesn't know that he is meant to rule. Instead he takes pride in being the royal carrier of Kapi, the monkey, who takes over the reins of the forest. Sheru, after the death of his parents, is adopted by Muktak, the wise old elephant . But like any restless child, he hates Muktak's sermons and constant goading to 'behave like a lion!' Sheru ignores the wise creatures and their teachings and falls in line with the scheming and the coward, who don't want the cub to rise to his core strength or individuality. It's a funny, wise animal fable, by Samarpan a monk, but scratch the surface and you will find the similarities in the human world, our leaders, the social and political hierarchy and the '...

Why do people marry? Do you need to fall in love to get married? Or is it the society’s pressure to ‘settle down in life’ that makes people take the plunge? How many marry for the right reasons? And, what are those? If these are some of the questions troubling you, then you might find some answers at a symposium on ‘Love and Marriage,’ to be held today (April 27) at 11.30 am at Pagdandi-Books, Chai, Cafe, in association with Butterfly & The Bee. Writers Manjiri Prabhu and Sujata Parashar will interact with each other and unravel various threads involved in the subject. Manjiri is the Pune-based author of astro-detective novel The Cosmic Clues, in which the protagonist, Sonia Samarth launches a brand new business of private investigation using Hindu astrology as a crime-solving tool. Amongst her clients are a terrified bride-to-be and a missing husband with suicidal tendencies. We ask Manjiri if matching stars takes the mystery and magic out of marriage. Manjiri disagrees, saying...

Sharada was at the dining table wolfing down her cereal, and listening to Aji 's telephonic conversation with Ram. It was a ritual that Sharada never had enough of, because Aji rolled out tongue-twisters (like pyarijaat . Actually, parijaat !) with ease. Plus, she was always bullying Ram with never-ending stream of instructions – Did you water the plants? Did you clear the weeds? How many ananta flowers bloomed? Sharada had flown in from the US to Pune during her vacations. Her mother was already there with Aji , who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The treatment left Aji wan and weak, but her eyes twinkled after her conversation with Ram. Pune was not Aji 's home; she lived in a sprawling house was in Konkan and loved telling stories about the house and garden to her granddaughter. Sharada who had never visited Aji in Konkan was full of questions, but soon realised that she didn't have answers to them. For instance, what was the English name for Jassuwandi ? (...

A brownie, deliciously warm, gooey and topped with nuts! Or something spicy like chaat. Even a thick milkshake of banana would perk him up! When exams near and especially, when they are just round the corner, the mind and the brain ticks for something else. Sighing, Neel let the Chemistry textbook rest on the table and turned around. Anu, his best friend, was sprawled over her Geometry and Anuj her twin, was yawning. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. "This group study isn't helpful. I am unable to concentrate. I feel like sleeping," said Anuj. "Well, my mind has drawn a blank. I simply can't comprehend Geometry," Anu added. "And, I have been thinking of FOOD," sighed Neel. "Food...like chips or sev puri. Mmm... munchies would help me concentrate," Anuj mused. "Let's see what's there in the kitchen," said Anu jumping up from the bed. "What if Mum discovers that we had been prowling around in th...

Pizza!' screamed Sharada. 'No pizza! Only sheera,' countered Aniruddha or Ani. 'Ma! You promised to make pizza on the first day of the vacation,' said Sharada, sticking out her tongue at Ani, her older brother by six years. 'Ma! Why don't you order pizza for the baby? And, make sheera for me, huh?,' winked Aniruddha. Fed up with the constant silly banter, Gayatri had her own tricks to deal with the children. She pulled out the vegetable tray and called out to Sharada. 'Chop them for the topping. And get the pizza base from the bakery,' she said calmly. With murderous look, Sharada set to chop the vegetables. But, she knew that she won't be 'punished' alone. Soon, Ani was summoned to measure semolina and roast it to perfection. In the kitchen, Ani whistled and hooted and drove his little sister up the wall. Later Gayatri surprised Sharada by asking her if she had cleaned her room. At her quizzical expression, Gayatri said, ...

A short story for kids. --- Karishma's secret Heard the latest goss?' Annie squealed as soon as she saw me. When I shook my head in negative, Annie proceeded to spill the beans. But, the bell rang for the first period and we entered the classroom. Whatever Annie had to say, was important, because unmindful of Ms Aarti's watchful eyes she turned back to whisper. 'No whispering Annie. Or you and Shweta will have to leave the class and continue talking in the corridor,' said Ms Aarti sternly. Annie settled down, but I could tell she was bursting to share the news. At break, Annie, Ira and Divya spoke all at the same time. It sounded something like this, 'Karishma...nnsuisususcomingtoschool'. I could only catch the name, Karishma. 'What about Karishma?' I asked. 'Karishma is coming back. Don't look so blank!' Annie exclaimed. Karishma, the school scholar, who had relocated to Hyderabad last year, would be joining again. I had joined...

Name: Talking Cinema By: Bhawana Somaaya Published by: HarperCollins Publishers India Price: Rs 299 Pages: 222 Every Friday, a new God or Goddess appear on the screen and soon enough their faithful multiply. We love, eat, drink and perhaps even pray in Bollywood ishtyle. Going beyond these cliches is Bhawana Somaaya's, Talking Cinema that captures the 'thinking aloud' moments of actors and film-makers, whose work has become the barometer of Indian cinema's history. Most of the interviews were done in early 2000, when Indian cinema was in a flux. And, it's that changing mindset of film-makers and actors, Somaaya hopes to capture in this book. Talking Cinema succeeds in its objective, besides getting the timing right too – we are celebrating the centenary of Indian cinema. The Q & A format of the book might at the outset seem pedantic and prosaic. But, it's not. Most of the questions posed to the actors and film-makers are simple and uniform, but have ...

Gyaan Adab, the newest literary space in the city. A report --- Does Pune, a thriving place when it comes to literary meets, dance and music performances, really need another centre which is going to bring all the arts under one roof? Well, Gyaan Adab, the newest addition to the literature spaces, promises the usual perks, but also tweaks some norms. Entrepreneur, innovator Farook Merchant and his wife Nasima, whose brain child the centre is, say that Gyaan Adab will be accessible to both classes and masses. The centre, which is in process of registering itself as a charitable trust, is at present offering all its services free. The pet project of Gyaan Adab is the 'mohalla libraries'. Merchant explains, “Our team will fan out in the city and get at least one contact person, preferably a lady in different parts, including the settlement, who will be the monitor of that area. We are going to provide the monitor and other residents she ropes in with a stack of books. Every t...

Hdg: As different as cheese and chalk God! what a clatter! Slow down, you tornado', said Shama. Only no one heard her speak. It wasn't because the clattering feet of Divya, who rushed up the stairs to their flat, drowned out her words. It was because Shama hadn't said the words aloud. Shama, older to Divya by two years, had always been quiet and soft-spoken. Divya was boisterous and too loud for Shama. Soon Divya overshadowed Shama, deciding for two of them and readily agreed to by their parents. Shama, however, didn't meekly acquiesced to Divya. Shama continued doing things she wanted to do, quietly. No one, not even Divya noticed, because Shama was largely ignored. Left to herself, Shama was happy, if trifle sad. Realising that her opinion don't matter and hardly anyone took note of what she said, Shama kept up a constant dialogue with herself. And, when she thought her brain would burst with conversation spilling out, Shama took to writing. She wrote whenev...

Hdg: Smile away your fears Her large eyes dilated with fear when Shruti Miss announced a class picnic to loud whoops and clapping from other students. Like every year, the picnic was to be held at an amusement park on the outskirts of the city; Sneha remembering last year's troubled times at the picnic immediately put in her pleas to God, requesting that He give her a tummy upset or a headache... Anything that would make her home-bound. A year ago, Sneha joined her new school in a new city. But, she didn't fit in. In the first few days her classmates turned away from her, thinking on these lines - 'Sneha is too smart!', 'What an over-enthu girl! New students must be seen and not heard, 'Sneha who? You mean the 'pizza face'. What about her?' At the annual picnic, all the negative vibes combined to make it the worst day of her life. Sneha heard herself being addressed as 'pizza face'. When she confronted the addresser, Sneha found herself...

Hdg: Act, don't preach! “Look at them...what noise they make,” Siya scowled staring into the room whose walls resounded with peals of laughter. Peering over her shoulders were Siya's cousins – Chiu (Chitra), Mak (Makarand), Rutu, Neetu, Sachu (Sachin), Sanju (Sanjana) – flummoxed that the adults in the room, their parents and aunts and uncles could create cacophony. Chiu, who was the youngest of the lot, pushed the others away and retreated into another corner. To think, to puzzle over. Her otherwise prim and proper mother, Geeta, couldn't control her laughter. And, nor could Golu mama (Niranjan) who was said to be the brains of the family. Golu mama's example was trotted out every time one of the kids didn't fare well during the exams. Siya, who was meeting her cousins and uncles and aunts after a long gap, too was confused at what she had seen. Instead of pondering over it, she shrugged, went to her room, pulled out her earphones and listened to music. Her c...

This is one of the first few short stories that I have written for a children's weekly. Feedback, please! Game for it! Sharada dragged herself unwillingly from the classroom. She wasn't ready to face anyone; least of all, herself. 'I'm a failure'...the words drummed up in her ears, soon reaching a crescendo. Sharada's face had gone red and her eyes shone with tears, slowly trickling down her face. When she reached home, she quickly dashed to her room. The small sprint had her huffing and puffing and reminded her of the dismal performance on the school ground. Sharada was not good at sports, but she wasn't mocked on the field either. But, that day she was BAD. She had finished last in the 400 mt sprint and her long jump...well, let's not even talk about it. Sharada knew the reason, but wasn't willing to accept that her weight had played the spoil sport. Somehow, from the beginning of this academic year, Sharada grew big. Put it down to her su...

Nell Phoenix, who performed a story and also conducted a workshop in the art for the Pune audience,shares her theories on the art of story-telling * The English countryside with its castle, church and cave came alive because of your performance today. Why is performance so important for a story? I am a performer first and so I simply cannot read aloud a story from a book. I first began performing a story for kids when the teacher of my son's pre-school asked me to do something for the class. I asked her 'what' and she said 'tell a story.' So I came prepared with a white sheet to create an impression of winter. I told them the story of Oscar Wilde's A Selfish Giant. They got very involved and the teacher was suitably impressed to refer me to other pre-schools and then primary schools. Children are entranced by images and that's the cure for short attention span. * You have been hopping from Ahmedabad to Delhi and now to Pune, to share your stories with t...

This is an interview with Shazaf Fatima Haider. --- Debutant novelist, Shazaf Fatima Haider's book, How it Happened is a refreshing take on arranged vs love marriage in Pakistani society. a) A lot has been written about wedding and its sub-plots. Did you fear that your work might be lost in all the clutter? I was writing for myself at the time, so the ‘clutter’ was not a problem. When I decided to get it published, I looked around for books that wrote about the process of getting married, and whatever I came across was morose and morbid. The ‘raped into matrimony’ or ‘she was a child-bride’, themes abounded. Many people around me talked about the shortcomings of arbitrarily arranging a match based on a few standard externalities, but no one seemed to be writing about it. The focus of my book is different from other books I came across. b) Was choosing a humorous tone for the book deliberate considering weddings whip up frenzy of emotions? The humor came naturally. I was goi...

This book review appeared in print last Sunday. --- Name: Talking Cinema By: Bhawana Somaaya Published by: HarperCollins Publishers India Price: Rs 299 Pages: 222 Every Friday, a new God or Goddess appear on the screen and soon enough their faithful multiply. We love, eat, drink and perhaps even pray in Bollywood ishtyle. Going beyond these cliches is Bhawana Somaaya's, Talking Cinema that captures the 'thinking aloud' moments of actors and film-makers, whose work has become the barometer of Indian cinema's history. Most of the interviews were done in early 2000, when Indian cinema was in a flux. And, it's that changing mindset of film-makers and actors, Somaaya hopes to capture in this book. Talking Cinema succeeds in its objective, besides getting the timing right too – we are celebrating the centenary of Indian cinema. The Q & A format of the book might at the outset seem pedantic and prosaic. But, it's not. Most of the questions posed to the acto...