JustBooks Connect - April 2011 newsletter

JustBooksclc is a brand name of StrataRetail Technology Services PrivateLimited.

The concept behind Justbooksis to provide a platform that connectsbooks with readers, on a communitywide basis.

Infact, the 'clc' in the brand name standsfor 'Community Library Chain'. The goalof JustBooksclc to connect readers isencapsulated in our mission statementwhich states "Enabling every reader to findhis or her book and every book to find a read-er."

JustBooks was started in 2009 inBangalore by professionals with a back-ground in software technology and retailexperience. The concept found favourwith the N.S Raghavan Center forEnterpreneurship Learning (NSRCEL)based out of IIM-Bangalore and StrataRetail was chosen as an incubatee. Theassociation with NSRCEL allowed thebrand to migrate from a start-up to asmall business, diversify its reach andimprove its membership and service levelofferings.

Over the past two years, JustBooks hasgrown into a library network using thefranchisee model of expansion.Currently, we cover four citiesBangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad & Pune.In all there are 30 libraries servicingJustBooks' growing membership.

The USP of JustBooks is that it hasleveraged RFID (Radio FrequencyIdentification Device) technology to issueand return books from a kiosk by mem-bers without assistance from front officestaff. Once signed up, readers automati-cally become members of other branchesand can transact anywhere. Currently,

the book inventory of JustBooks is reach-ing the 300,000 mark.

In this article, we are pleased to intro-duce Lavanya to you, dear reader, whoruns our Kalyan Nagar franchise inBangalore.

Kalyan Nagar has just completed oneyear of its operations and services thereading requirements of more than thou-sand members. Lavanya is a B.Com grad,having worked with Motorola in theirHR dept. for two yrs. She's also lived inGermany for 10 years and on movingback to India in April 2008, decided toventure out on her own. JustBooks wasright up her street! Apart from books &reading, Lavanya loves to travel theworld, conjure up some sizzling dishesand watch movies. In fact, she nurtures afond hope to direct one herself!

We decided to shoot her some ques-tions on how, when and why on runninga JustBooks Franchise.

When and how did you come across theconcept of JustBooks?

In the Franchise Fair in Bangalore in the year 2009.

What made you take the plunge with aJustBooks franchise?

Seemed like a good, clean investmentopportunity. Besides, we always wantedto build a library.

Describe the initial feeling of startingyour own business.

We were quite positive about it. Luckily

CONNECTOur Story, Our People Pg 7

Quiz

Pg 11JustKids

Pg 12AuthorProfile

Volume 2 Issue 2www.justbooksclc.comblog.justbooksclc.com

April 2011 For limited circulation

A JustBooks Publication

contd on pg 2...

Ravi Kumar

2 JustBooks Connect - April 2011

From the Editor’sDesk

To franchise or not, was the philo-sophical question we struggledwith in the early days of

JustBooks. We liked the fact that in ourinterpretation of JustBooks as a plat-form that connects books and readers,there was a lot of scope for shared own-ership. We reasoned that, a platformthat is not owned in its entirety by anyone entity but is owned in parts by mul-tiple participants tends to get strongerand more stable with time. Today itgives us great satisfaction that, inBangalore, all our branches are ownedand operated by our entrepreneurialfranchise owners.

So, what does it take for someone tobecome a business owner or morespecifically a JustBooks franchiseowner? Love for books? Business acu-men? Entrepreneurial background?Money? Well, a little bit of all the abovedoes not hurt! But, more than anythingelse, it often turns out to be a very per-sonal connection with the concept forreasons that cannot be or need not beexplained to anyone. Many of our cur-rent franchise owners have beenJustBooks members and having likedthe experience chose to setup somethingon their own. If you want to know moreabout what it means to become a fran-chise owner, write to us [email protected].

As the vacation season sets in, thereare many holiday service providersbeginning to get in touch with us want-ing to distribute their packages throughour outlets. Holidays, with the associat-ed planning, booking and executionseems an experience that most familiesnow attach a lot of importance to. Weare evaluating options around partner-ing with the holiday service providersto offer community validated exclusivepackages to our members. Watch thisspace for more news in the future.

As we scale, we realize that we havelot of work yet to be done on revampingour website to make it more friendlyand complete and also work more onour classification and shelvingapproaches. The good news is that weare as committed to growing the read-ing experience through our libraries, aswe were at the start of this venture andwith continued support from you-thereaders-we are confident of makingJustBooks the default means to accessbooks.

As always happy reading!

we found a suitable place to rent with-out looking too hard. It was also goodto have an architect, Ujwal, who haddone other branches, so we did nothave to make too many decisions.

How has been the customer responseto JustBooks as a concept & yourlibrary, in particular?

For people who read, this is a veryattractive option to keep reading newbooks. Most book lovers have compli-mented us saying, "this is what wasmissing in our neighbourhood". For peo-ple who read books only occasionally,regular subscription is perhaps notsuch a good option.

Have their expectations been metthrough our offerings?

Mostly. But since we have set greatexpectations (e.g. any book you requestwill be given) sometimes it is difficultto meet those. May be we should setlower expectations and exceed them.

What do you think will be a greataddition in terms of value to yourexisting members?

Don't know about new additions. Weshould keep our current promises bet-ter.

What's your take on Justbooks as aconcept from the conventionallibrary?

Well, in a sense it is a conventionallibrary. But what sets it apart is the col-lection of recent books, the ability toprovide latest books to readers and theambience in the branches. Many alsolike the RFID technology which allowseven small children to check-in andcheck-out books.

How much time doyou spend at theJustBooks outlet per-sonally? How reward-ing is the experienceof interacting withyour members?

Initially, we were therealmost every day.Now we try to be thereregularly, but perhapsnot every day. It isgood to be personallypresent because it addsa new dimension tointeractions with the

customers.

What kind of books do you read per-sonally? Who are your favouriteauthors?

Self-help books, Novels, Economics,Current Affairs. Malcolm Gladwell,Amitabh Ghosh, Bill Bryson, JohnGrisham and many more.

We then talked to a couple ofJustBooks' members from KalyanNagar and this is what they have tosay:

"I have been a member of the KalyanNagar centre since its inception andhave been extremely happy with theexperience. The range of books is exten-sive and the library has been main-tained very well. We have been partic-ularly happy with the response torequests made for books that wereunavailable. It has always beenprompt. Kudos to you all! Keep it up!"

---Sujaya

'Justbooks, Kalyan nagar is one ofthe better libraries to belong to in thecity. It's a well-lit, well maintainedlibrary & all sections & shelves areneatly marked & stacked. My daugh-ters, who are 10 & 8 years old, arealways excited about their trip to thelibrary and happy to borrow from awide selection of books. They are trulyspoilt for choice.

The staff is helpful and Lavanyaalways ensures that any book that isnot available with her is brought in assoon as possible. The library's locationis great, being on the way from the chil-dren's school. It would be great to seethis Kalyan Nagar branch becomingthe most sought after library in thearea. I wish Lavanya and her team allthe best for the second year."

---- Minal Rajan

contd from pg 1...

This collection of short stories takes its titlefrom the final story by Shinie Anthony. Atfirst glance, though, the unifying theme of

the collection is not clear. The foreword byShashi Deshpande also does not shed any lighton the stories themselves but is a wonderfulexpose on the short story genre. She raises sever-al issues about why the short story is thuslabeled - is the shortness of the tale a mere dis-

missive diminutive implying its low importance? Is this formparticularly appealing to women writers and if so why? Theone common feature in all the stories though is their style. Eachone is a gem of beautiful writing and an unusual plot - particu-larly the twist at the end.

Why We Don't TalkShinie AnthonyRupa

Geetanjali Singh Chanda

MahabalipuramR. NagaswamyOxford India

The Oxford India Paperbacks is publish-ing a monograph on each of the twentythree UNESCO World Heritage cultural

sites in India. Well known scholars in the field of Indology

have been invited to write short, easy to readmonographs outlining the important facets ofhistory, archaeology and Art that have partic-

ular relevance to the site under study. Published under thename Monumental Legacy series, it has already published tenbooklets. This booklet has a few good photographs, whichhints at the supreme elegance of the Pallava structures and thedelicate and restrained aesthetics of its bas reliefs. Despite itssize it is a dense work and is a "must read" for a serious studentof history.

Dr. Rajeshwari Ghose

Strengths Finder 2.0Tom RathGallup press

We are made to believe that with hardwork we can be anything we want tobe. Can we actually be anything we

want to be, just by trying hard enough?Strengths Finder 2.0 talks about discoveringinherent strengths and using those strengths toexcel.

With the backing of Gallop's research data,author Tom Rath challenges this common belief and says "youcannot be anything you want to be-but you can be a lot more of whoyou already are". The book would get readers to pay attention totheir strengths as well as the strengths of people they live andwork with. It is a refreshing read for those working on teambuilding.

Manjula Sundharam

What I Talk About When I Talk AboutRunningHaruki Murakami Translated by Philip GabrielVintage

One of the two works of non-fiction bywell known Japanese short storywriter, novelist and translator, Haruki

Murakami, What I Talk About When I TalkAbout Running is a recollection of his experi-ences while preparing for and participating inmarathons and triathlons. Created in his char-acteristic straightforward and enjoyable style,

the memoir reveals a side of the writer that many might not beaware of. You may plan to try the critically acclaimed andaward winning writings of Haruki Murakami or running, bicy-cling or swimming. Or maybe all of them! Either way, this bookis worth a read, certainly.

Pushpa Achanta

One DayDavid NichollsHodder, UK

One Day by David Nicholls is essentiallya love story, told over a time span oftwenty years. What makes this romance

different is that the protagonists actually don'tget together, despite being the best of friendsand meeting each other on and off for twentylong years.

Cool and confidant Dexter Mayhew and artygirl Emma Morley meet for the first time on 15th

July 1988, the night of their graduation before going their ways. The rest of the book is the story of their lives on this same day

for the next twenty years. The book is a wonderfully funny andmoving read.

Reshmi Chakraborty

Women & The Weight Loss TamashaRujuta DiwekarWestland

Acrash diet can only do so much andthen actually not much. A diet issomething that you should be able to

stay with for your life, not a month or two,insists Diwekar. And women, especiallyIndian women with everything and more thatgoes on in their daily lives need to get a betterhandle on their diets and lifestyles, from teensto marriage to menopause and after. Overallthe book turns out to be a much needed guide

for the Indian woman to start feeling a little bit better about herown self. So read the book, understand what your body is allabout, stop feeling guilty about enjoying some pleasures. Butmostly use your common sense.

Aradhana Janga

JustBooks Connect - April 2011 3

For detailed reviews check out justbooksclc.com


The Many Faces of HomeBook Review

Two quotations introduce JunotDiaz's Pulitzer Prize-winningnovel. One is a line from the

Fantastic Four: "Of what import are brief,nameless lives…to Galactus?". The other isa poem by Derek Walcott which endswith "and either I'm nobody or I'm anation." Brief, nameless nobodies and thenation-at this point of intersectionbetween the grand and the little lies TheBrief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.Spanning four decades and three genera-tions of a Dominican family, the book hasthe sweep of the epic and the intimacy ofthe personal story. At its heart is the fat,nerdy, sci-fi obsessed Oscar, a Dominicanwho is not Dominican enough, a boy whoain't macho enough, a die-hard romanticwho can't find anyone to love. His tale isbeing told by Yunior who in many waysis the antithesis--tough-talking, many-masked and proficient at finding girls tolove, then not knowing what to do withthem. Yunior is Oscar's roommate in col-lege and sort of in love with his elder sis-ter, the uberfiery Lola. The story startswith a fuku, "the Curse or the Doom of theNew World", a Dominican belief that wasborn with Columbus's coming to theislands. Dominicans believe that the fukuplagues certain families forever. Oscar'sfamily is one of those. Why this is so issomething that will be revealed over thenext 300 pages or so. Wait for it.

Oscar represents average teenage angst,and then some, because his outsidernessexists at such multiple levels. There is thefact that he is Dominican in New York.There is also the fact that he is notDominican enough. He belongsnowhere. The white kids exclude himfor his afro and dark skin. "The kids ofcolor, upon hearing him speak and seeinghim move his body, shook their heads.You're not Dominican." The last time hemanaged to be a "normal" Dominicanboy was back when he was seven.

After that, it was all down-hill. He became dorky andshy, used big words anddeveloped a love for Genresor genre fiction. He becamea ghetto nerd. School wastortuous, college not muchbetter. The most importantthing is that Oscar yearns tolove; no girl will let him getnear them. And the occa-sional muchacha who does,eventually defeats him withthe friendship line.

The book spirals back-ward in time.

Interspersed with Oscar'sstory is his sister Lola's, andbefore that, their motherBeli's tragic years in SantaDomingo during the infa-mous dictator RafaelTrujillo's reign over theDominican Republic. We'redrawn into the perils ofthose times. An orphanedchildhood, a teenage spenttrying to fit and a dangerous, doomedlove affair with a thug called "TheGangster"-Beli's life in Santa Domingowas uncheery extremes. The fact that theGangster is married (and I won't say towhom) is disaster itself. As Beli's storyunravels, the nature of fuku becomesclearer, terrifyingly so. Her encounterwith Trujillo's minions is one of the mostharrowing passages I've read in recenttimes. By now, Oscar's nerdery and gen-eral unwantedness looks like the goodlife. But wait, in the next section, there isBeli's father and with earnest, scholarlyAbelard, Diaz takes it to a whole otherlevel of fuku-ness. This deliberate hikingof intensity is something he does soexpertly that you can't escape it, you don'twant to escape it. The heat of the narra-tive is engulfing and addictive.

This novel is all those big things: thediasporic novel, the political novel etc.Like Beli's headlong descent into a lovethat is maddening and disastrous but is as

much about finding a place to belong as itis about sex. For Beli whose childhood ismarked by orphanhood, by being shunt-ed out of places, and by abuse, is alsolooking for a place to roost, a safe har-bour. This search for a safe harbour at thepersonal level also leads to the hunt for itat a larger level when Beli has to fleeSanta Domingo for the bright, whitelights of Nueva York.

But Diaz writes the big issues in a freshway. The book is grounded in history

from the word go. The language is whim-sical and puckish at times, outright funnyat others. (The title is a play on OscarWilde and Hemingway's short story TheShort Happy Life of Francis Macomber.)This is one of the things that keeps thebook from flattening under the weight ofits lofty concerns. The other is its plot,which is deceptively simple. I say thatbecause what starts off being a ghettonerd's coming of age has so much else toit, so many stories in there, that the book'space is speedy and gripping. This is not a

slow explication of moments. This is acareening through entire lives andzooming into the most interesting, themost important, the most gut-wrench-ing bits in those lives. The things thatmatter.

This is one of those rare books that canbe read in one go, and read multipletimes. Applause is due.

Anindita Sengupta

The Brief Wondrous Life ofOscar Wao

Junot DiazFaber & Faber

“This is a careening throughentire lives and zooming into themost interesting, the most impor-tant, the most gut-wrenching bitsin those lives. The things thatmatter”


Book Review

The books opens with a sad, buthilarious first chapter, much likeChatterjee's debut English,

August. The police station is describedwith a sense of futility and dejection thatare perhaps part of Jamun's dispositionby now.

It is from within this chapter itself thatone is able to tell that Chatterjee's gift is inhis "leisurely prose" as described bymany critics, and his ability to care fordetail even at the cost of an unashamedslowness. Chatterjee, in this chapter, alsomanages a humour that is aware of itslocation in a tragedy; it allows the readerto tread that liminal zone so rare in fic-tion.

In the conversation that Jamun has withthe police officer, there is a revelation ofboth the absolute hopelessness of a sys-tem, and the hilarity associated with thishopelessness.

Referred to as "Missing Person" in theopening chapter, Shyamanand's life isprobed thoroughly by a police officer.The brilliance of this interaction lies alsoin the fact that it understands itself as atranslated conversation, but doesn't inanyway sound compromised for its rich-ness.

"Any financial stringency in the house-hold? Did Missing Person thrash you or youhim because of violent disagreements and ten-sions over your or his vices or addictions?Was the atmosphere of the house vitiated as aconsequence? "Vitiated" was in English -

ghar ka vatavaran vitiated ho gaya tha kya?"One is easily taken by the tough balance

that Chatterjee strikes: one between easeand deliberation.

His prose has the quality of effortless-ness, but every sentence is a result ofcareful consideration and choice ofwords. But what Way to Go achieves isfar more than just elegant prose.

As Anjum Hasan describes in her essay"The Outsider" (The Caravan, June 2010)

Way To Go is less of "less a sequel ... than alooking back".

It is in the continuing obsession with the"middle-class moment" that Way To

Go dwells upon, but it is mostly for thebrilliance of the character Jamun, forwhich we must read the book. Here he is,he has returned to his parents' home tolook after his paralysed father; their ten-

ant Dr. Mukherjee has committed suicideand nothing seems bleaker to Jamun thanliving in the house which Lobesh Monga,the builder, wants to buy out. Chatterjeeinsulates Jamun with a sort of unforgiv-ing alienation that doesn't let up in WayTo Go. Its also this bleakness and loneli-ness with which Jamun is treated that fas-cinates and saddens the reader -- both atonce.

Jamun is riddled with anxiety; he wantsShyamanand back at home,out of a sense of responsibilityand habit.

Despite the uneasy relation-ship with his father, Jamun'sstrange bond with him overdeath-that "thing' in the bookthat is everywhere-and hisloneliness, long for familiarity.How can someone who cannotwalk without his walking stickdisappear?

In a sense, Shayamanandgrants himself and his two

sons a sort of freedom. Thisdeep tragedy is never bereft ofa certain lightness and scato-logical obsessions, that makesWay To Go an interestingread, but perhaps alsoexhausting for those who havebeen reading Chatterjee'swork and come to expectsomething spectacular fromWay To Go.

Critics have for long appre-ciated the fact that Chatterjee,doesn't desperately try to

chronicle events or a time he thinksimportant; he doesn't tend to make pro-found sociological observations nor is heinterested in a literary masterpiece thatwill allow itself into the grand folds ofhistory. It is perhaps for this reason that anovel like Way To Go works for somereaders and against itself for many oth-ers.

Deepika Arwind

Way To Go

Upamanyu ChatterjeeHamish Hamilton, Penguin

A Looking Back

Indian writing in English has indeedcome a long way. Thirty years ago,with few authors and fewer channels

available for publishing, promoting thebooks, the scenario was much different.

But today the number of writers hasswelled to a great extent. It is gratifyingto note that JustBooks has a plethora ofbooks by Indian authors. The remark-able ease with which some of the writ-ers have carved a niche for themselveseven in their maiden attempts needs tobe commended. The advent of Internetand mobile telephony has increased theopportunities manifold for the buddingwriters and marketing the books usingthe Internet has become an easier affair.

Well designed promotions contributeto the success in marketing a book.Some promotions do depend on cheappublicity to generate greater inter-est in the book.

But, frankly, I feel content iswhat matters a lot to ensure sus-tainability of the book in the mar-ket in the long run. Making thereader part of the narrative is askill.

Sometimes I do wonder if thesurfeit of writing talenthas somewhat diluted thestandards of Indian writ-ing in English. Today'sgeneration is discoveringR K Narayan, Raja Rao,Manohar Mulgaonkarand other celebratedauthors of the past muchafter their demise.However, one has toadmit that some of theworks by the newcomersis definitely brilliant. Arundhati Roybrought Indian writing in English therequired visibility by winning theBooker Prize for The God of SmallThings. Aravind Adiga and Kiran Desaifollowed.

I found that presently, biographiesand auto-biographies have been theflavour of the season. From law makers(Fali S. Nariman's Before MemoryFades: An Autobiography) to businessmen (Captain Gopinath's Simply Fly) tomovie stars (Leela Naidu's Leela: APatchwork Life ).

Some of the veteran movie stars like

Dev Anand, Vyjayanthimala have lever-aged on the splendid opportunityoffered by publishers to pen down theirmemoirs. Of course, the moolah is diffi-cult to resist. Shahrukh and Amitabhhave already published theirs.

I am still searching for Gulzar's biog-raphy by his daughter. Leela Naidu'sbiography was simply superb and hilar-ious most of the time when she narratesthe experiences of working in a movie(Trikal, 1985) with Shyam Benegal.However, Kishwar Desai's biography ofNargis Duttwas disap-pointing.

Pinky Virani'sreal life account

of a Konkani NurseAruna Shanbhag inher book Aruna'sStory left a deep

impact long after I had fin-ished the book. Pinky had puther heart and soul into thetragic story and it showed inthe results.

The way Aruna spoke, herrelationship with her cousins,the Mumbai in the period from

1966 to 1973, the gory assault on her bya maniacal ward boy etc. Credit goes toPinky for bringing Aruna alive in frontof us. Hope to see more of such biogra-phies and autobiographies.


Reader’s Contribution

For the past few years now I've beenabsolutely in love with books,book worm I'm called at home.

Very soon I had chewed my waythrough all the books available at homeand started looking for libraries to bor-row books from.

I think that from all the libraries I'vebeen to JustBooks has been the best.None of the others ever bothered givingyou bookmarks! The books there are inreally good condition too.

In some of the other libraries, I'vebeen to the books have been dusty, yel-low and so old you're scared to turn thepages for fear of damaging the book. Ihave never found something as puttingoff as trying to read a book with reallysmall cramped print and missing pages.

For the past one year now I've been anavid reader member in the JP Nagarbranch and have absolutely exploitedtheir awesome services, right from thehome delivery system to the no fixedreturn date ( this one being extremelyconvenient when you want to mull overa book). But the thing I like the bestabout JustBooks is how you can requestfor a transfer of a book from anotherbranch, which is one of the most innova-tive ideas for a library.

I have always found the books that Iwanted there. They have everythingfrom Agatha Christie to Calvin andHobbes to books on various hobbies.Thanks a lot JustBooks for doing whatyou're doing.

Janani Eshwar, Student, JP Nagar

Reader’sVoice

G Venkatesh

G Venkatesh lives in HAL stage IIIand works for a private firm in IndiraNagar. He is a voracious reader andan amateur writer. Essentially aMumbaikar, he has shifted toBangalore a year ago. Music,Gardening and Reading are his hob-bies.

Book FairEverybody loves aBook Fair. So do we.It is an opportunityfor us to give ourmembers, readers anopportunity to pickup your favoritebooks from variousgenres at attractivediscounts.So hurry, you canpick up bestsellers &other books at walletfriendly prices on:Dates: Apr 21, 22 and23Venue: HSR Club,HSR Layout,BangaloreContact for details: 1-800-102-2665 or [email protected]

Quiz CompetitionAn exciting news for our Young Readers. Your summer holidays justgot better!JustBooksclc in collabortion with Quiz Works is conducting a quizcompetition for 8-13 years old. Parents and friends are welcome tojoin in as audience. And wait, there's more - great gifts to be won byboth participants and audience.Interested people can register by sending an email to [email protected]: Apr 28Venue: VIBGYOR High School, HSR Layout, BangaloreContact for details: [email protected]


1. JustBooksclc was started by:JustBooks Private Ltd.Strata Retail and TechnologyIIMB

2. JustBooksclc has how many mainbranches in Bangalore?15810

3. You will find JustBooksclc in this citytoo:MangaloreChennaiHyderabad

4. JustBooks has how many books across different genres?300,000150,000100,000

5. What other services doesJustBooksclc offer?Order book(s) and get itdelivered home.Pay per book and notevery month.All of the above.

JUSTBOOKSJUSTBOOKSTOP 5TOP 5

NNEWEW AARRIVALSRRIVALS1. Full Dark, No Stars byStephen King2. Chinaman by ShehanKarunatilaka3. The Emperor Of AllMaladies by SiddharthaMukherjee4. Matters Of Discretion by I.K.Gujral5. Leading Ladies:WomenWho Inspire India by SudhaMenon

RRECOMMENDEDECOMMENDED1. Sunlight On A BrokenColumn by Attia Hosain2. Burnt Shadows by KamilaShamsie 3. Reading Lolita In Tehran by AzarNafisi4. Churchill's Secret War byMadhushree Mukherjee5. Open Source Leader: The Future OfOrganizations by Sangeeth Varghese

RRENTALSENTALS1. Only Time Will Tell by JefferyArcher2. And Thereby Hangs A Tale byJeffery Archer 3. 2 States: The Story Of MyMarriage by Chetan Bhagat. 4. Theodore Boone: Young Laywer by John Grisham 5. The Confession: A Novel by John Grisham

1. Strata Retail and Technology 2. 15 3. Hyderabad 4. 300,000 5. All of the above

JJuussttBBooookkss EEvveennttss

No matter how many self-helpbooks we read, how many semi-nars we attend or how much we

discuss or whine or complain about it.Every new problem will bringforth new challenges, set in anovel situation, with a differentset of stakeholders. We willalways struggle to read a newsituation or make the right deci-sion. So, it's natural that all of us,being human, err once in awhile.

We no longer have a sense ofsecurity in this modern ever-changing world. We are not sureabout our jobs, our relation-ships, our likes, even our identi-ty! Whatever security existedearlier in being a sheep in a herd,no longer exists.

Indeed, trying to stay in ourcomfort zone will only put us ina highly unsafe and dangerousplace. The world calls upon us tobecome individuals-recognizable, distin-guishable, self-sustaining and talentedindividuals.

Achieving our potential is not a pathpaved in concrete either. Each one of ushas our own unique way of getting to ourgoal. We can concentrate on our goals,but we cannot control the path we take toachieve them. We will constantly be hitby self-doubt, setbacks and obstacles. Butmostly, we ourselves are the primary hin-drance to achieving success.

Often, obstacles or setbacks that weencounter are temporary. It is what ourmind understands of these setbacks thatis troublesome. Setbacks tend to manifestthemselves as fears of the future withinus. And this fear of future failure gainsstrength and importance, and starts hin-dering progress.

The fear of failure is the single mostimportant thing that restricts us from get-ting back up and changing the situation.It coaxes us to lie low and procrastinate,not do anything radical and get awayfrom the way of anything important.

Conquering this fear of failure is tanta-mount to realizing our own potential. Wehave to actively move forward, evenwhen everything around us screams ofdanger. Becoming stagnant is the ulti-mate death trap for our ambitions. Whenwe stop struggling, it's usually an indica-

tion of beginning of the end. Here are some points, I believe, can help

us conquer our fear of failure:

Embrace failure: Understand that fail-ures are good. They convey what is

working and what is not. Sometimes,things have to fall apart before they arerebuilt again. Old foundations and tradi-

tional structures have to collapse, andmake way for the new better ones.Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs.

Keep getting up: Failure is a state ofmind; it is not an event. We

encounter setbacks on our path, but neverfailures. We let failures happen to us, bynot getting back up on our feet quickly.As the Japanese say, "Fall seven times, butget up eight times". It's all about getting upagain and again, as quickly as possible,no matter how many times we fall.

Recognize weaknesses: Failures helpus spot our deficiencies. Almost any-

body can appear like a superstar on aneasy turf. Change the circumstances a lit-

tle, and play around with variables likepressure, environment, stress etc. andweaknesses will start showing up. Duringintense times, we discover what ourweaknesses are and become more awareof our own constraints and how to workaround them.

Compete with the best: Thefear we move through

when we go to the edge of ourlimits actually causes our lim-its to expand. As Neitzschesaid, "What doesn't kill youmakes you stronger". When weconsistently move towardswhat we are resisting, we willend up becoming more confi-dent and powerful in how weapproach a problem. To testour limits, we need to consis-tently compete and look uptopeople who are better than us.And aim to become the best atwhat we do.

Adapt and innovate con-tinuously: Nothing lasts

forever. Not people, notprocesses, not achievements, nothing.Whenever variables or terrains change-and it sure will-we have to adapt. Thetechniques that worked earlier may notbe relevant or applicable anymore.Change is a way to survive. Why notmake it a habit?

Invest in hardwork: According to aHarvard Business Review article, for a

person to become an expert at anythingworthwhile, he or she has to spend aboutten thousand hours of intense effort on it.That's radically different from the worldof instant gratification we have createdaround us. Remember that patience andperseverance are the two cornerstones ofall great achievements.


Fear of failure Subhash Bhushan

Musings

What is the minimum number ofguards required to guard agiven art gallery? Can I com-

pute the area of an orchard by countingthe trees in it? How do I draw a straight-line on a computer monitor? This bookuses such simple questions as gatewaysto take us on mathematical adventures.It builds a genuine interest in discovery.Multiple approaches for solving a statedpuzzle goads us into complex thinking -revealing hidden connections and resultswhich hold more generally.

What is the maximum number ofpieces I can make from a pizza with 3straight cuts? N-cuts? This triggers ajourney. Among the multiple methods,there is one proof without words! If youcan do that on a pizza, we can easilygeneralize it to 3-dimensional cake or afruit.

There is a charming 'Pizza EnvyTheorem' which says that more the cuts,more will be the difference in the sizes ofvarious pieces. In the process, we willlearn the recurrence method, table of dif-ferences and visual proofs. Like Alice,we are transported to a Wonderland of4-dimensional fruits!

Georg Alexander Pick is the guy whogot Einstein his first job and died in aNazi camp. He found a simple methodof computing the area by countingpoints. Isn't it crazy? Area is a 'contin-uous' quantity whereas the number ofpoints is an integer. The formula stillworks.

This problem is related to the prob-lem of 'How many ways are there forchanging a rupee in terms of 25 paise,10 paise and 5 paise coins?'

You want to design an art gallery?Unlike in a house, we want to maxi-mize wall space rather than floorspace! Therefore galleries come in veryodd shapes- sunflowers, waves,crowns, sunrise, and galleries with

'holes'. How many guards are requiredto guarantee that all walls are in the lineof sight of at least one guard? What if Iwant each guard to be in the line of sightof another guard to take care of mug-ging? What if the guards are substitutedwith security cameras? Without evenrealizing it, we learn what it takes towrite an algorithm and what computa-tional complexity is.

In a dramatic insight, the problem ofguarding a gallery against attacks from

inside is shown to be the mirror image ofguarding a fortress from outside attacks.A prison has to guard against attacksfrom both within and outside.

Then we learn that the problem ofdrawing a line on a computer screen andthe problem faced by our ancestors indeciding on how to place leap years inour calendar are one and the same!

We discover the beauty of pairs of 'co-

prime numbers' and how they helpus in solving both these problemsusing a simple 'staircase' in a table.

The chapter 'Measuring Waterwith a Vengeance' describes how afamous Hollywood movie "Diehard: With a Vengeance' is basedon a version of what is known asthe 'Water Measuring Problem'.One of the methods uses a funnybilliard table 'Skew Billiard Table'for a visual proof.

Then there are puzzles withstamps and Sylver coins (yes,'Sylver'). Arguments of symmetryand spin are brought into service tofind elegant solutions.

The only chapter I found a bitdry is the last one on primes,squares and quadratic residues. Butthe trouble is worth it. For, welearn the logic and usefulness ofthe otherwise mysterious 'modular

arithmetic'.

Quadratic residues are at the heart ofdesigning communication protocols

in a spy network or space probes oronline bank transactions.

Why don't we give these wonderfulopportunities in our formal educationalsystems? Is it the rat race to perform orperish? Is it the 'centralized' and topdown syllabus which stifles local initia-tives? Is it lack of capable teachers? Or, isit the fault of mere lip-service by parentswho think throwing money at a problemwill solve it?

I see a lot of ferment on how to teachmathematics in a lively way and in arealistic context. For example, is theremathematics of symmetry? What are thesimple patterns in well-known marvelsin architecture and painting? Is a beehivean example of superior coordination orsimply a result of fighting for maximum

space for one self while having to hangtogether? Why does the so-called 'gold-en ratio' deserve that name?

How did the African tribes buildcommunities following 'fractal geome-try', formally discovered only in the1980s? Why is the 'Mobius strip' such acurio? Still, how did it lead to betterindustrial conveyor and baggage han-dling belts?

Imagine what all kids can do, if tick-led by such questions and mentoredtowards discovering their own solu-tions! Why not start with our own chil-dren? We will also learn, with them.


How to Guard an Art Galleryand Other DiscreteMathematical Adventures

T.S. Michael Johns Hopkins University Press

On a mathematical adventure

Dr. Rajagopalan

Is a beehive an example of supe-rior coordination or simply aresult of fighting for maximumspace for one self while having tohang together? Why does the so-called 'golden ratio' deserve thatname? How did the African tribesbuild communities following'fractal geometry', formally dis-covered only in the 1980s?


The Tinkle ArtistAbhijeet Kini is a celebrated, pro-

fessional artist who works onthe ongoing series of

Butterfingers, Sea Diaries, andDefective Detectives in the Tinkle mag-azine.

JustBooks' young member Ms. NityaGundu ( 13 years) of Nerul library methim at a comic workshop held in NRIComplex, Nerul, Navi Mumbai andtook his interview.

Since when did your interest in art anddrawing begin and how did you devel-op it?I remember drawing cartoons ever sinceI can remember, early childhood days, Iguess. I used to scribble on any papersurface possible.

In school, they teach us to drawhumans robotically, but your illustra-tions are so funny, where did you getthe idea?I owe my inspiration to comics. I havealways been a comics fan, right from mynursery days. So I guess that worked forme. It is always fun to look at things inan exaggerated way.

Which was your first illustration andwhere did it get published?My first printed work was for a bookwritten by an ex-bank manager, aboutthe various types of bank managers thatexist. This was in 1998 or so. It was my10th grade vacation time.

When did you join Tinkle as a free-lancer?Dec 2004.

How is it like illustrating for a comicwith comparison to drawing for anewspaper or a general interest maga-zine? Comics give you a lot of freedom toexperiment and narrate the story inmany panels. You can go crazy doingthat. But in magazines, the entire storyshould be shown through a single illus-tration. And each magazine has style-rules. It's a lot more complex.

Did you meet Uncle Pai often? Whatwas he like?I had met Uncle Pai when I was in the10th grade. I had shown him my work,and he said that I was too young to beon board. When I started illustrating for

Tinkle in 2004, I interacted with him alot more. He was a nice person.

Where do you get inspiration to keepdrawing for the same Butterfingerscomic? Don't you get bored? The stories drive the adventures to alevel. If the story isn't as interesting, theillustrations need to have that extrapush, to make the read interesting. Thisis not the case just with Butterfingers,

but with any comic character. Also, sincethese characters have a lot of supportingcharacters in the stories, and eachepisode deals with something new, itavoids any monotony from setting in.So, it doesn't get boring illustrating. Youneed to imagine yourself in that situa-tion as an illustrator, to get the expres-sions right, and that itself is the best partof it all.

Did you draw anything for Tinklebefore Butterfingers? If yes, whichcharacters did you illustrate? Yes, lots of stories. The firstButterfingers story I drew was pub-lished in 2006 or so. I have been illustrat-ing with Tinkle since late 2004. Therewere a lot of animal stories, folk talesand jokes that I worked on. Butterfingers was my first ongoingseries for Tinkle. It is written by

Khyrunnisa, who is based in Kerala.After Butterfingers, I illustrated twoother ongoing series DefectiveDetectives and Sea Diaries.

Is it difficult, converting a story into acomic strip? Depends. In Tinkle, a story is convertedto script first, by the editors and sub edi-tors. The script is then converted to art-work by artists. But for comics that I

make, outside Tinkle, itdoesn't get difficult tomake comics out of storiesand ideas. An illustratorwould always see anythingin life as a visual. That'show our minds work!

Are you planning on cre-ating a separate standalone comic on the linesof Superman andSpiderman?I already am working on

some comic ideas inde-pendently. A series that Ihad made (written andillustrated and ideated),called Julius and Bork, ranfor two episodes in Tinklesome years ago.I also have some adult

themed comics, which arefor a mature audience,which are very grim andsometimes violent. Thestyle is very different thanwhat I do for Butterfingers

or any of these.

You are an illustrator, animator, writer,photographer and a rock guitarist.Which profession, hobby did you likethe most? Well, I am happy I could convert one

hobby of mine into a career, which isillustrating. Besides that I love music, so I rate play-ing guitar as my most favourite hobby,and photography comes a close third.

Since I want to publish this in myschool magazine, do you have anyadvice for students who love drawingand doodling?Everything around you is a visual story,so keep a pencil and a piece of paperhandy. As you see something interest-ing, sketch it out! Read comics. Andthink comics.

Earth, as we know it has beenaffected by an apocalyptic disas-ter, and has changed forever.

A massive country, Panem, based inwhat was once the North America hasemerged. In the center of this countrylies the capitol, surrounded with 12 dis-tricts - there used to be 13, but one wasexterminated in a brutal war. The capi-tol is terribly brutal, leaving no stoneunturned to ensure its rule stays strong.Not many of the normal luxuries thatwe are used to these days like phones,TV shows are available. What's more,the districts are made to operate aswater-tight containers with people fromeach district having no knowledge of theothers.

As a result of all this, the peoplerebelled, lost and paid the price in a hor-rible way - the capitol made each of the12 remaining districts send a girl and aboy between the ages of 12 - 18 everyyear to take part in a televised competi-tion, known as The Hunger games.Every participant is drafted into a dead-ly death match, which takes place invarious arenas, each having differentterrains, which can be anything - a bru-

tal desert, an island out at sea, a densemarsh, a forest filled with dangers or onthe hostile landscape of a mountain.Only one "tribute" can come out aliveeach time.

This arena is where most of the storyunfolds - it all starts when 17 year oldKatniss Everdeen steps in to take her sis-ter's place when she is picked for thegames. Katniss hails from District 12, themost backward and poorest district andwhose every 'tribute' has died.

So, Katniss leaves for the capitol, surethat she won't return. But, Katniss hassurvived against all odds before. Toeveryone's surprise, she and her fellowtribute, Peeta Mellrak make a majormark in the opening ceremonies andgrabs everyone's attention. When thegames begin, without intending it,Katniss becomes a major contender.

However, there are other "major con-

tenders" in the games as well - the mostnoteworthy are the "Career tributes",who have trained for the games theirwhole lives. Also, there are still a fewother 'tributes' from the other districts,who aren't ready to give up without afight .

The Hunger Games was written andpublished in October 2008. It is succeed-ed by Catching Fire and Mocking Jay.The author, Suzanne Collins has alsowritten other book series, TheUnderland Chronicles is the most note-worthy one, besides The Hunger Gamestrilogy.

By far, The Hunger Games is one ofthe best examples of how true fiction issupposed to be written. The first one isthe arena-the very fabric of the storyrotates about this feature. The sheer cru-elness of it all is overwhelming-of chil-dren being sent to fight to their deathevery year in harsh and brutal fashion.Also, there is a good technologicalinvolvement, but not too much to makeit some sort of futuristic tale, whereeverything is utterly advanced. Here,most of the things are explained in atimely fashion, so there are no "dead" orconfusing points present in the story.The heroine gives out interesting factsand keeps the reader interested. As thegames process, its various odd andinteresting features are revealed keepingthe readers constantly interested in howthe games were held.

The author puts into force all thesefeatures with outmost care to not overdoanything, and planned everything withcare - the result is a true masterpiece,one of the very few books to earn a 5-star rating. The young reader's worldneeds more such innovative books

Just KidsJustBooks Connect - April 2011 11

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

Age group: 12-17 yrsPages: 374Scholastic

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Sweet And Salty by Sandhya Rao

Eyes On The Peacock's Tail by VayuNaidu

Living Next Door to Alise by AnitaNair

The Riddle Of The Lustr Sapphiresby Roopa Pai

The Golden Compass: NorthernLights by Philip Pullman

Jayanthi Harsha

Attipat KrishnaswamiRamanujan wore adizzying array of hats.

He wrote in bothEnglish andKannada, and was apoet, translator, play-wright, folklorist anda scholar of five lan-guages: Tamil,Kannada, Telugu,Sanskrit, and English. According to BruceKing, Ramanujanwas also along withtwo other transcul-tural poets, one ofthe "Indo-Anglian har-bingers of literary mod-ernism" .

Ramanujan wrotein the spare, specificstyle of modernismand his poetryencompassed a mul-titude of concernswithout being heavy-handed.

A master of the short,lyrical form, he honedin on the specificmoment, place or per-son in his poems withgreat skill like an insect buzzingin on its prey and used that toillumine universal truths. Thecommonplace incident or personis as much part of his poetry asmystic presence or myth.

"I have known that measly-look-ing man, not very likeable, going tothe bank" he says in 'WhichReminds Me' and indeed, hehas.

There is a throw-away qualityto some of his poems, as if theyare by-the-way conversationsthat one might start with a rick-shaw-driver. But they containkernels of insight that tend tohaunt one.

In other poems, the common-place becomes the mythic as in'Smalltown, South India' wherethe poet returns from "wide, open

spaces" to a place of templeemployees and sacred cows. Hesinks to the "seabed in a barrel",in escape, in forgetfulness, inlonging for elsewhere. This abili-

ty to step back and forthbetween multiple worlds, multi-ple influences and multiple cul-tures lends his poems a rich andinteresting texture.

As a translator, he workedintensively with Kannadavachanas of the four medievalSaiva poets and the work of theTamil Cankam (Sangam) poets.Both traditions affected himdeeply and he carried some ofthis into his poems which healways wrote in English.

Ramanujan spent all his life inthe US and naturally thisinformed his work.

In a poem like 'Chicago Zen',he tackled the diasporic experi-ence long before the word hadachieved common currency sta-tus.

i Now tidy your house,

dust especially your livingroom

and do not forget to name all your children.

ii Watch your step.

Sight may strike you blind in unexpected

places.

The immediacy andintimacy of the poemare enhanced with anobjective, almost wry,tone.

This is a poet whoknows the pitfallsof blinding sightbut not a poet whowill gnash his teethabout them.Instead, the housemust be tidied, thechildren must benamed.

The ordinaryduties of livingmust be fulfilled.

Elsewhere, in poems like 'ARiver', he looked at other typesof suffering and the passing oftime.

The new poets still quotedthe old poets, but no one spoke

in verseof the pregnant woman

drowned, with perhaps twins inher,

kicking at blank wallseven before birth.

The poor and disenfranchisedoften found space inRamanujan's poetry. The flood-affected, lepers, migrants.Despite his diasporic existence,the physical and spiritual loca-tion of many poems remainedIndia. In turns witty and dark,playful and grave, his poemsdisplay a dazzling range ofmoods and emotions. They alsomanage to be elegant and earthyat the same time. No reader ofpoetry can afford to miss out onthe wealth contained in them.


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JustBooks Connect - April 2011 newsletter

Education

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