Pensha

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...