JustBooks Connect - July 2011 newsletter

It is Rabindranath Tagore's 150thbirth centenary and AninditaSengupta discovers why many of hisworks are still relevant and affect-ing.

Rabindranath Tagore's epic novelGora (1910) tackled what weresome of the most burning issues of

the early 20th century-the perils ofOrthodox Hinduism, theviability of a liberal alter-native like the BrahmoSamaj, colonialism and theonslaught of westernisa-tion. It has now beenadapted into a Kannadaplay which recently playedin the city, a reminder ofTagore's lasting appealand relevance. It wastimed to celebrate Tagore's150th birth centenary. Theyear is likely to be dottedwith many suchreminders.

Born in 1861 in Calcutta,Tagore went on to beknown as many things-poet, translator, writer,singer, painter, recipient ofthe Nobel Prize, refuser ofknighthood, opposer ofnationalism, founder ofSantiniketan and the manwho inspired countlessartists, writers and film-makers.

Partly, this is because Tagore's concernsseem timeless, or at least, endlessly opento interpretation and appropriation inpresent-day contexts. Gora is a case inpoint. Overtly, the story of inter-commu-nity love, it probes the nature of spiritual

and cultural identification and thelengths people go to for its sake. What liesat the heart of Gora is as relevant today asit was a century back. Rising fundamen-talisms, liberal angst and the generalimpossibility of choices plague us, muchthe same as they did our ancestors.

A similar timelessness is evident inTagore's 1916 novel Ghare-Baire (trans-lated as The Home and The World),which was also made into an acclaimedfilm by Satyajit Ray. The quiet stand-offbetween the rational, westernised Nikhiland the patriotic revolutionary Sandeepresonates even in modern times despite

the fact that the overwhelming back-ground of the book-imperialist rule-is notthere. Also relevant is Tagore's attitudestowards and depiction of women. InGhare-Baire, Nikhil's wife Bimala is thecentral figure around which the two cir-

cle and play out their disagreements.Nikhil encourages Bimala to venture out of the inner chambers and take an activeinterest in the world. Such a move cannotbe without its repercussions and theseform the narrative and thematic pivot ofthe book. Bimala's awakening, her tenta-tive forays into matters she does notunderstand and her struggles to copewith the heady rush of new things havespecial relevance in a time when the BPOboom, call centre culture and inter-citymigration are changing the way womenaccess the world. The argument betweenrational objectivity and passionatenationalism are also going strong giventhe context of Irom Sharmila, Maoists and

CONNECTTagore: The Timeless Song Pg 10

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Anindita Sengupta

2 JustBooks Connect - July 2011

From the Editor’sDesk

He was a famous poet, writer,playwright, musician, painterand a spiritual guru. He did

not go to a conventional school nordid he get a college degree but hewent on to win the Nobel Prize inLiterature. He spent most of his lifetowards establishing and growingVishwa-Bharati, an institution wherehis aim was to find the truth andblend the learning methods of Eastand the West.

And that was just one Tagore,Rabindranath Tagore, from JorasankoThakur Bari. Other Tagores fromJorasanko were similarly multi-talent-ed.

From grandfather Dwarkanath,father Debendranath to RabindranathTagore; they all contributed immense-ly to Bengal renaissance. One brotherwas a well known scholar, musicianand playwright; another brother wasthe first Indian to join the ICS whileanother was a poet, translator and aphilosopher.

The women of this family were notfar behind either. One of the sisters,Swarnakumari was the first Bengaliwoman novelist; her daughter SaralaDevi Chaudhurani was a prominentfreedom fighter, who started the firstNGO for women.

Extended family members like,Abanindranath and GaganendranathTagore, who grew up in Jorasankowere principal artist who establishedBengal school of art.

A supportive and encouraging eco-system where individuals have free-dom and ample opportunities is thesort of place where talent grows andfrom where successful people comefrom. This family is a case in point.

We at JustBooks believe that provid-ing the eco-system of our libraries willencourage the literary minds-youngor old-of our country.

In this edition we pay tribute toRabindranath Tagore on his 150thbirth centenary. We have tried to findout what makes him and his work stillrelevant in this 21st century.

We also look into the Tagore familytree to know about all the successfulpeople and learn from them and theireco-system.

Do tell us what you think of this edi-tion and send us your feedback to [email protected]

the Kashmir issue. Tagore's Chokher Bali,

which garnered muchpraised when it was madeinto a movie by RituparnoGhosh in 2003, is perhapsless easy to relate to mod-ern contexts. Dealing withwidowhood in the late 19thcentury, it traces the storyof young widow Binodiniwhose life of self-denialand dissatisfaction hasdestructive effects on herlife and on those aroundher. While in urban house-holds, that vision of wid-owhood may seem like afar cry, the book's theme ofmoral strictures stranglinghumane urges is still signif-icant.

In the glowing forewordto Tagore's most celebratedwork, Gitanjali, WB Yeatssays: "I have carried the man-uscript of these translationsabout with me for days, read-ing it in railway trains, or on the top ofomnibuses and in restaurants, and I haveoften had to close it lest some stranger wouldsee how much it moved me. These lyrics---which are in the original, my Indians tell me,full of subtlety of rhythm, of untranslatabledelicacies of colour, of metrical invention---display in their thought a world I havedreamed of all my live long. The work of asupreme culture, they yet appear as much thegrowth of the common soil as the grass andthe rushes. A tradition, where poetry and reli-gion are the same thing, has passed throughthe centuries, gathering from learned andunlearned metaphor and emotion, and carriedback again to the multitude the thought of thescholar and of the noble."

At the risk of being blasphemous, I say

that the poems in Gitanjali affect me lessthan his novels. I don't believe that thetranslations convey the musicality of theoriginals at all substantially. I also findthe continual preoccupation with God abit tiresome. Saying this reminds me ofanother Tagore 150th birth anniversarycelebration held earlier in the year. Theoccasion was the inauguration of thenewly established Tagore Centre inBangalore.

Professor U.R. Ananthamurthy, whoheads the centre, had organised for poetsin numerous languages to read or per-form their work on stage. Afterwards,there were speeches by scholars and writ-ers. Ashish Nandy pointed out —and Iam summarising roughly—that whatTagore's legacy needed was less deifica-

tion, more astute andhonest exploration.

I can only echo this.We are used to worship-ping our greats, to rais-ing them to the status ofgods. In literature, thissort of one-dimensionalapplause yields nothingvery useful.

Doing honour toTagore's memorydemands that we contin-ue to look at his workwith fresh eyes, continueto praise but also cri-tique, continue to reapnew meanings of hissongs.

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Aman hit by mid-life crisis sleeps around alot and manages to infuriate his wife andkids.

Meanwhile his professional rival takes potshotsat him and his kids stray in various ways.Howard Belsey, the man in question, is British-white and his wife Kiki is African-American. Hismain affair Carol is also American, but white.What ensues are complications that have as much

to do with race as with simple man-woman binaries. Add a gen-erous mix of America academia to this. Where Smith reallyexcels is in her ability to tell a story well, even the little story.

The book is made up of moments piling up on each other, con-sistently vibrant, alive, and delightful.

On BeautyZadie SmithPenguin

Anindita Sengupta

The Discovery of Ancient IndiaEarly Archaeologists and the Beginnings of ArchaeologyUpinder SinghPermanent Black

This book is a history of IndianArchaeology, which ends with the dawnof the 20th century. But for the work of

the early 19th century archaeologists, and theirsupporting team of epigraphists, numismatistsand others, much of India's past would stillremain buried in the graveyard of history.Hence, the author calls her book The

Discovery of Ancient India.The decipherment of the Brahmi script and the identification

of the Piyadasi of the Asokan inscriptions opened up a dramat-ic vista into India's past. The excavations undertaken inBharhut, Sanchi, Amaravati and other places enlightened us onearly Buddhist art and practice. The author sets out to capturethis drama of recovery.

Dr. Rajeshwari Ghose

Wild SwansJung ChangTouchstone

We are all in awe of today's China.However, China was in continuousturmoil for about five decades, till the

late 1970s. The communist dictatorship of Maoisolated it. The few external accounts of thisperiod border on either extreme admiration ortotal skepticism.

Wild Swans is a uniquely credible story ofthree generations of Chinese women. Jung

Chang represents the third generation, both the fodder andproduct of the tyranny of the 'Cultural Revolution'. She leftChina in 1978 on a scholarship to U.K. This book reflects on herexperiences of growing up in a turbulent China and her mother'sunburdening on the earlier two generations. The real wonderseems to be not what China is today- but what it could havebeen- for the better or worse- for mankind.

Dr. Rajagopalan

The Soul of LeadershipDeepak Chopra Random House

Author Deepak Chopra shows how todiscover the skills we need in order torealize our potential, create new

opportunities and lead people throughenlightenment. He defines what leading fromthe soul means and gives examples of leaderswho succeeded by evolving.

With an easy to remember formula to lead,the author guides us to evolve as leaders. The

book is a great inspiration for not just leaders but for anyonewho wants to evolve spiritually and lead a fulfilling life. Byshowing us how to apply the secrets of leadership in everydaylife, The Soul of Leadership guides us to thrive in the midst ofchaos.

Manjula Sundharam

Women and MoneySuze OrmanSpiegel & Grau

Ahard hitting in-your-face analysis ofwhy women shirk from dealing withmoney and why they should manage

their own finances. Complete with a "save yourself plan" and a

step-by-step monthly guide to help you get onyour feet and plan your finances for your fami-ly and your retiremenent.

In Women and Money, Orman helps with herknock-on-the-head kind of attitude when it comes to womenand their reluctance to deal ('save and grow' and not 'earn andspend') with money. The book does serve to provide a skeletaldetail that can be followed by all.

Aradhana Janga

The Story That Must Not be ToldKavery NambisanPenguin

This book is about realities that must beseen. And people who should be heard.While it is a work of fiction, a consider-

able part of The Story That Must Not be Toldseems to be based on facts.

And though it's set in Madras (now knownas Chennai), many facets of the underlyingstory are true of other cities in India. As onereads this absorbing book, one may need toremind oneself that the many tales and char-

acters in it are actually fictitious. For, a lot of what is written isabout daily occurrences in most 'slums' in India. It is not sur-prising that this novel was shortlisted for the Man AsianLiterature Prize in 2008.

Pushpa Achanta

JustBooks Connect - July 2011 3

For detailed reviews check out justbooksclc.com


When she became an exile at home...Belonging

The image of peeling away layers ofonion skin most aptly describes thewonder of reading Deborah Baker's

The Convert. As one peels away layerafter layer the straightforward tale givesway to a philosophic and religious explo-ration, and from there it reads like adetective story and then with a shock ofrealization we are plunged into the worldof psychological disorders, schizophreniaand Freudian analysis.

But at the core of the onion is just moreonion. The discovery of the living andbreathing Jameelah when the authormeets her face to face feels hollow. Thefeisty, disturbed, articulate, gutsy, andmaybe mad, young woman who cleanedout her bank balance and set forth for anunknown land in 1961 is now a faded,arthritic old woman in a post 9/11 world.Although the world has changed someissues persist - especially of an instinctivehostility to Islam.

Maryam's world though has shrunk tothe four walls of her room. At this pointshe seems so unreal and ephemeral that itis hard to feel much sympathy or sense ofconnection with her.

The structure of the book with its bril-liantly interwoven narratives of Jameelahand Baker makes the narrative layeredand deep. The reader gets to hear bothvoices distinctly. Baker's quest to enterthe soul of her subject is beautifully artic-ulated: "Anonymity is my vocation. …Haunting archives, reading letters com-posed in agony and journals thick withunspeakable thoughts, I sound the inner-most chambers of unquiet souls, unearthdramas no one would ever think to makeup." Deborah Baker's two previousbiographies - In Extremis: the Life ofLaura Riding which was a finalist for aPulitzer Prize for Biography and morerecently A Blue Hand: The Beats InIndia demonstrate the same keen sym-pathy for her subject.

The subtitle of the book A Tale of Exile

and Extremism though raises interestingquestions. Maryam's "exile" at one level isfairly literal and straightforward. But isPakistan the real exile or was she an exilein her birthplace, America? She oftendescribes herself as a misfit, and is mar-ginalized in and by the society. And asfor "extremism" there are extremists aplen-ty, foremost among whom is Maryamherself. The word "tale" and the writingstyle might confuse some readers intowondering if this is a piece of fiction. It isnot. Indian born Mawdudi is an iconicfigure of Islamic revivalism in the subcon-tinent. A journalist, theologian and politi-cal ideologue he was the leader of theconservative Islamic political party theJama'at-I-Islami in Pakistan.

Having corresponded with Margaretand been impressed by her learning heinvited her to Pakistan to join his house-hold. After her arrival and conversionthough there was a falling out betweenthe two. Jameelah was first sent off to theMawlana's friends in the tiny provincialtown of Pattoki and then ended up in apsychiatric ward.

When she was released from there she

married an older Pashtun, whomMawdudi had assigned as her guardian.Despite her trials she wrote over 30 bookscritiquing the liberal, secular and licen-tious West.

The real Margaret or Maryam remains acomplex mysterious figure. Some onewho had written and illustrated her firstnovel at the age of 12. Margaret was a col-lege dropout and had done time in aseries of mental health facilities. Was shea disturbed and mentally unstable person—diagnosed as a schizophrenic —whosefuture in the United States of the early six-ties would have been a life-time of con-finement in some asylum?Misunderstood and unable to adjust to"normal" life in America, consigned tosanitariums by parents who had given upon her, her future looked bleak.Margaret's conversion and move toPakistan enabled a life within the strictcode of conduct of Islam that seemed toprovide an anchor.

The discipline and strict rules wereprobably a necessary structure withinwhich normal life became possible forher. It was a safe haven that allowed

escape to a cerebral space from whereshe could write with feeling aboutissues of purdah, gender segregationand the like. The routine of domesticitywhere her co-wife even took care of herchildren probably also created a senseof normalcy and belonging.

At the end the reader is not clearerabout what could have been the moti-vations for this exile and conversion butit certainly raises some interestingissues and is a pleasure to read both forits artistry and its subtle content.

Geetanjali Singh Chanda

The Convert: A Tale of Exileand Extremism

Deborah BakerPenguin

“Misunderstood and unable toadjust to "normal" life in America,consigned to sanitariums by par-ents who had given up on her, herfuture looked bleak. Margaret'sconversion and move to Pakistanenabled a life within the strictcode of conduct of Islam thatseemed to provide an anchor.”


Mapping it!

When cornered by the investigat-ing officers in her school, AliceGoodwin in an unguarded,

volatile moment says, “I hurt every-body". As it often happens in sensa-tional cases, that one utterance pinsher down and gets her markedguilty in the eyes of the townspeo-ple.

Alice: mother of two, schoolnurse and a dairy farmer's wife andhelper is accused of the dirtiestcrime possible-abusing a studentsexually. It doesn't help that she isguilt ridden and suffering her ownsilent torture.

Her best friend Theresa'syoungest daughter has died whileunder Alice's care —drowning inthe family pond —and Alice thinksit was her fault.

This forms the premise of thetrouble —emotional, physical andsocial— that befalls the Goodwinfamily. Alice is a volatile character,a loner with a tendency to get lostin her own vivid imagination andsomeone who speaks her mind. Shelost her mother at a very early ageand was left with a father busy inhis own world. Alice would designher own maps to find her place inthe world, as a child, hence the title.Now she has to navigate her way througha complicated case, complex emotionsand relationships and a mind full of guilt.

The story is narrated through the voic-es of the protagonists, beginning withAlice, then her husband Howard, thenback to Alice again. The method worksfor the story as it reveals the complexities,insecurities and doubts of the differentcharacters in the book, from Alice andHoward to Theresa and even her largelyabsent husband Dan.

No character is perfect in this book,with each one having fallible traits andtheir own incompetency. Howard strikes

the reader as the long sufferingsilent type and also a not veryhonest or competent husband oreven a practical father.

He frequently doubts Alice'sparenting skills, while Alice her-self comes across as a character,who is quick to judge and inHoward's own words, always seesthe worst in people.

She also has a rather unsteadyand volatile temperament and is abit unbelievably lost in her ownhead.

It does come across as a surprise that ina school where she is the nurse, no onecomes forward to support her.

Theresa, with her homemade sand-wiches and her willingness to see the

goodness in everyone even in the face oftremendous personal loss does comeacross as a little too perfect though shetoo is hiding her own feet of clay.

Hamilton's writing is powerful enoughto make the reader empathize with thecharacters who are very human and try-ing very hard to keep their heads abovethe water.

A Map of the World is not a sad read

despite the tragic events that occurthere. In fact, there are parts thatwill make you laugh, parts whereyou will identify with Alice'sparental dilemma as she strugglesto make her stubborn older daugh-ter eat her breakfast. The story maytake time to hook you but once itdoes, A Map of the World turnsout to be quite a page turner.

You find yourself rooting for theGoodwin family who are vic-

tims of terrible circumstances andfar from harming anybody. It isalso a very honest account ofhuman nature and the inner battlemany of them go through.

There are cracks in Alice andHoward's marriage that they aretrying very hard to stretch andcover. Theresa and her husbandDan deal with the loss of theirdaughter Lizzy in their own sepa-rate ways, he going into a shell atwork and she still trying to dogood and stay positive.

The book is also a critique of thelegal system and an insensitivemedia which sometimes declares aperson guilty even before the trial

has begun. Overall, A Map of the World is a bitter

sweet tale of several lives, each of themetched deeply and accurately byHamilton. She lends the novel a comfort-able pace so that it moves from the sceneof everyday domesticity to a courtroomdrama with considerable ease.

The book was later made into a moviestarring Sigourney Weaver and JulianeMoore and you can see that the plot lendsitself easily to dramatization.

Perhaps reading the book will piqueyour interest in watching the film, like itdid for me.

Reshmi Chakraborty

A Map of the World

Jane HamiltonAnchor Books

Cartographing her own map“Alice would design her own

maps to find her place in theworld, as a child, hence thetitle. Now she has to navigateher way through a complicat-ed case, complex emotions andrelationships and a mind fullof guilt.”

As any book lover would tell you,getting your hands on a book byyour favourite author is well

worth the effort involved. There are many ways in which one can

get the books that one wants. We caneither buy the book or borrow it from ouracquaintances and friends.

Of course, with the proliferation oflibraries like JustBooks, the process ofreading books that we want has beenmade a lot simpler. When I was growingup, there were not that many avenues forbuying or even borrowing books.

One of the ways by which I used to readthe books that I wanted was to enrolmyself in the British Council or the USIS(United States Information Service)library.

But, things have changed now. Eversince India opened up its economy andliberalised the country, it is easier to buyand borrow books.

Gone are the days when one had to waitpatiently for the book to arrive in theaforementioned places. All one has to donow is to enrol in any of the lendinglibraries and enjoy a wholesome readingexperience.

Further, with many paperbacks beingavailable at throwaway prices, even own-ership of books is not that much of a dragon one's pocket.

One might very well ask, is it better tobuy a book or borrow one? The answer tothis question depends on whether onewants to reread the book and read partsof it at different times or whether one iscontent with reading the book and return-ing it to the library.

When we want to build a book collec-tion, it makes sense to buy books from thepopular bookstores, order them fromonline bookstores or pick up the usedbooks from any of the various bargainbookstores.

However, when the intention is to read

the book once, it makes sense to borrowthe books instead of buying them.

While many would think twice beforebuying books given the escalating costs ofthe hardcover versions, borrowing booksdoes not need much thought as the lend-ing costs are far lower than what onemight spend when buying a book even ata bargain store.

There are some like me who buy andborrow books as well. This is becausebuying books for reference and collectionpurposes can go hand in hand with bor-rowing books of the popular fiction cate-gories that can be read and returned.

Though I have detailed the variousways in which one can get the books thatone wants, it needs to be rememberedthat it is the actual reading experiencethat counts more than anything else.

It does not matter how one acquires thebooks. What matters is the pleasure or theenjoyment that one derives from readingthese books.

The process of acquiring books must beseen as a means to an end and not an

end in itself. Hence, buying, borrowing and circulat-

ing books among friends are all stepstowards making the actual reading expe-rience enjoyable and worthwhile.

While buying and borrowing may beseen as two different activities, theprocess involved in both is essentially thesame as they entail getting to know aboutthe book and then getting one's hands onthe book after evaluating the book byreading reviews and the blurbs.

No matter whether we borrow the bookor buy the book, the process of acquisitionand the reading experience are common.

For those who are pressed for time, theconvenience of online ordering meansthat they can get the books that they wantwithout having to go through the hassleof visiting the bookstore or the library.

In this age when the internet hasopened up new vistas for just about any-thing that we do, the reading experiencehas similarly been transformed as well.Without getting into the debate of the e-books versus the printed ones, it wouldsuffice to say that with so much of acces-sibility at the click of a mouse, things have

become easier and simpler. The irony isthat one can use what is essentially a vir-tual medium to enhance the experience ofa physical process. This convergence issomething that was not available when Istarted reading books and I truly believethat the youth who are coming of agenow are indeed lucky to have so manyavenues for reading.

Of course, it is never too late and hencereading books in these times is easier

for those who are older as well. Finally, we have to remember that

though we might do whatever it takes toget the books that we want, it is alsoimportant not to let the book gather dust.So buy or borrow but do read and enjoythe book.


Buy, Borrow and Enjoy:the book-lovers strategiesto a wholesome readingexperience

Ram Mohan Susarla

Musings


Tagore’s world

He was a poet, painter, playwright,novelist and musician whosework in the arts and society has

had a lasting impact on India before andafter its political inde-pendence. But what werethe family members ofRabindranath Tagore(anglicized version ofThakur) like? Who orwhat were their earlyinfluences? Did the writ-ing of Rabindranath affectothers in his household orwas it the other wayaround or both?

Jorasanko Thakur bari(Bengali for "JorasankoThakur household") wasthe ancestral home ofGurudev and his clan.

Located in Jorasanko, aneighbourhood in northKolkata, it is now a muse-um on the RabindraBharati University cam-pus. While his ancestorswere probably well known even earlierfor their wealth and business acumen, theTagore family became prominent fromthe time of Rabindranath's paternalgrandfather Dwarakanath Thakur (1794-1846).

An ambitious and educated man wholoved good life, Dwarakanath descendedfrom the Jorasanko branch of a zamindarifamily with its roots in Bangladesh'sJessore district. Dwarakanath was active-ly involved in social reform along withhis friend Raja Ram Mohan Roy and oth-ers. He also sowed the seeds for later gen-erations of his family to pursue literatureand fine arts and society.

Tagore and his Siblings

Dwarakanath's sons Debendranath(1817-1905) and Girindranath were

associated with the Brahmo Samaj.Debendranath, father of RabindranathTagore, launched Tattwabodhini

Patrika, The journal of the Samaj.Debendranath's oldest sonDwijendranath (1840-1926) was a greatscholar, poet and music composer. Hewrote extensively in the newspapers andmagazines of the day, on literature, phi-losophy and religion. He was the editorof Bharati (a periodical of the Samaj) andTattwabodhini Patrika. He was also apioneer in Bengali shorthand.

Satyendranath (1842-1923),Debendranath's next son, was the firstIndian to join the Indian Civil Service in1864. A prolific writer, poet and songcomposer, he too edited theTattwabodhini Patrika.

Debendranath's third sonHemendranath (1844-1884) was a strictdisciplinarian responsible for lookingafter the education of his younger broth-ers as well as administrating the largefamily estates. He composed a lot of"Brahmo Sangeet" and also wrote articleson physical science.

Jyotirindranath (1848-1925) ,Debendranath's fifth son, was a scholar,artist, music composer and theatre per-sonality. Proficient in Bengali, Sanskrit,English, Bengali, Marathi and Persian, herendered Bal Gangadhar Tilak's GitaRahasya into Bengali in 1924. He alsotranslated other books and wrote, direct-ed and acted in plays and was a song-writer.

Among Debendranath's daughters,Swarnakumari Devi (1855-1932) was agifted writer, editor, lyricist and socialworker. She also edited Bharati and achildren's magazine; an exception in an

age when very few girls went to school.She developed the Balak Sakhi Samiti forthe upliftment of women and was theauthor of several books.

The Next Generation

The youngsters of this illustriousThakur dynasty also contributed sub-

stantially to society, the arts and litera-ture. Dwijendranath's second sonSudhindranath (1869-1929) was arenowned author. Satyendranath'sdaughter Indira Devi (1873-1960) distin-guished herself in literature, music andthe women's movement. She marriedPramatha Chowdhury, a renowned

scholar, essayist and poet whosework influenced Bengali litera-ture considerably.

Obviously, most descendantsof the Jorasanko Thakur familywere very talented. Further,they were raised in an environ-ment filled with literary debatesand discussions, musical com-positions, painting and theatri-cal performances.

Initially, the women weretutored at home. Discoveringthat a governess used a rotelearning method, Debendranathintroduced a better teacher,Ajodhyanath Pakrashi, a maleoutsider in the women's quar-ters. Such incidents strength-ened the prevalent progressiveoutlook in the people of thehousehold.

Even Rabindranath had stud-ied very little, formally. Apparently, hiswife Mrinalini Debi and sister-in-lawKadambari deeply impacted his writings.Pratima-daughter of Rabindranath'sgrand niece Binayini Devi and who latermarried Tagore's oldest sonRatindranath, the first vice chancellor ofVisva Bharati University, was a painterand writer who assisted Rabindranath inproducing some of his dance dramas andplays. Swarnakumari Debi's daughterSarala Debi Chaudurani was a renownedwriter, musician and freedom fighter.Other descendants like Pragya wrotecookery books, which are popular evennow. Sushama Tagore chose to empowerwomen instead of being engaged in art orwriting.

The Jorasanko Thakur bari contributedto the Bengal Renaissance and otherspheres of life and culture, immensely.Therefore, summarizing their achieve-ments is challenging, yet illuminating.

Pushpa Achanta

The Tagore HouseholdPuspa Achanta discoversthat achivement runs deepwithin Tagore family andit’s roots

The first book of the 39 Clues serieshas started off with a bang, as itwas meant to be. Rick Riordan (of

the Percy Jackson series; which won theRed House Children's Book Award) hasput his vivid imagination and his profi-ciency at writing into good use.

The story begins with Dan and AmyCahill proceeding to attend their grand-mother's funeral.They areorphans andtheir grandmoth-er was their onlybeloved closerelative.

At the funeralthey find outthat she, insteadof leaving themher mansion,had given themand the otherCahills twooptions. To either take one million dol-lars each or put their lives at risk andsearch for the 39 clues scattered acrossthe world that would make them themost powerful people on the planet.Amy and Dan decide to take the chal-lenge but they are only one of the many.They have to battle other power greedyCahills to beat them to the clues.

Like in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson,many of the well-known names in histo-ry are said to be part of the Cahill fami-ly. To name a few, Benjamin Franklin,Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and

Toyotomi Hideyoshi aresome of the powerfulCahills who have madepositive contributions dur-ing their lifetime.

The Cahill family treecomprises of four mainbranches. They are: thepower-hungry Luciansfounded by Luke Cahill,the strong and sportyTomas founded byThomas Cahill, the inven-tive Ekaterinas foundedby Katherine Cahill, andthe creative Janus foundedby Jane Cahill.

The major theme of thenovel is talent and power.

The historical members of the Cahillfamily are all talented. Each branch hasspecific talents in a certain area; forexample the branch Janus has artisticabilities.

Though the members of each team inthe family have special talents, Amy andDan are viewed as the main threats;because of their proximity to theirgrandmother. Therefore they continu-ously have to be on the run whilesearching for the clues.

What happens to Dan and Amy? Doesany of the other Cahills manage to slowthem down? Do they safely get to thefirst clue? Go on and flip through thebook. You will find that it will prove tobe an exciting read!


The 39 clues challenge

Nerul is described as the "Queencity of Navi Mumbai", it has thedistinction of being a purely res-

idential and educational township. Butthe book lovers of this place werealways waiting for a library. So it was agreat feeling when JustBooks, Nerulopened last May.

What differentiates JustBooks fromany other library is its unique style offunctioning, kiosk and the wonderfulcollection of books.

I have opted for the Avid Readermembership, where I get to take fourbooks and two magazines at one time.With different types of book lovers athome, this plan suits us perfectly. Tamilbooks for my father-in-law, fiction nov-els for my daughters, magazines for me,all at the same time in one go. And beingon Avid Reader plan I get the privilegeof door delivery!

Yes, JustBooks caters to the needs ofall ages, likes and more importantly hasa collection of regional language books.The members' suggestions or requestsare noted down and implemented to agreat extent.

All this is possible because ofMrs.Bhanumathi Ganesh, who not onlyowns the library, but is present theremost of the time and is activelyinvolved. A special mention to the help-ful staff who are enthusiastic in assistingthe members, including the securityguard who guides the new members inoperating the kiosk.

Girija RamasubuNerul, Navi Mumbai

Reader’sVoice

Soumya Satyajit

Soumya is a 9th grade student ofSishu Griha, New Tippasandra. Anavid reader of books, she loves read-ing mystery and fantasy. While herfavorite author is Agatha Christie.She also likes to play chess and bas-ketball.

Reader’s contribution

Nordstrom has been legendary incustomer service, so much sothat it almost seems mythical.

Any program on customer service can-not go without a mention of Nordstrom'scustomer service. When I chanced uponthe book The Nordstrom Way toCustomer Service Excellence, at myJustBooks branch, I was quite excited tofind out more and see if the stories aboutNordstrom's customer service weremyths or a reality?

A word of caution though, after read-ing this book you may just expect similarservice from stores that you visit, sokeep your expectations at bay.

The book is divided into sections, eachexplaining the Nordstrom way ofhow the spirit of customer service isingrained into the culture of the organi-zation.

Some interesting take-aways for mefrom the book are:

1) Hire right: Pay attention at the hir-ing stage, hire people who have the atti-

tude toward cus-tomer service, thosewho are willing togo the extra mile,willing to take ini-tiative and to workhard.

It's also interest-ing that most cus-tomer orientedorganizations suchas SouthwestAirlines also placeemphasis duringhiring.

It would be inter-esting to hear fromreaders about theIndian organiza-tions that theyknow of are out-standing in their customer service. Sadly,in my experience, barring a few organi-zations in the hospitality sector, cus-tomer service in the Indian industryseems to be very dismal.

2) Empowering the frontline: to servethe customer a great deal of emphasis isplaced on "doing what it takes" to servethe customer. Employees go out of theway to meet the customers' needs suchas getting them an item from anotherstore, home delivery, dropping a pur-chase to the airport and so on.

This takes away precious work hourswhich could cost them a commission,but in the long term this wins

Nordstrom a loyal customer and fur-ther purchases.

3) Mistakes are fine: as long asyou learn from the mistakes.

4) Recognition of efforts seems tobe the key in motivating and retain-ing employees: Recognition in formof appreciation letters or publicannouncements inspires the employ-ees to focus their efforts on the cus-tomer. I believe that each of us couldapply this in recognizing and prais-ing our family & showing our appre-ciation to them.

5) Incentives also play a huge rolein driving employees towards cus-tomer service and sales: The com-mission structure is very interesting,being linked to the value of sales aswell as the hourly pay of theemployee.

I had an impression that organiza-tions that excel in customer service

are possibly "fun" places to work in. A key insight from the book for me

was that either employees fit into theNordstrom culture or when they don't,they leave.

While there is respect for employeesand time for fun, the focus on hardwork is the central, integral part of theNordstrom culture.

The belief of the founders in providingunparalleled customer service is empha-sized throughout the book. The passionand commitment of the top leaders, con-sistency in practicing the values, continu-ous communication and a congruentreward and recognition system are thecornerstones for building a culture ofcustomer service.

Last but not the least, the leader's rolein defining the purpose of the organiza-tion and communicating it to theemployees is very critical in developingthe culture of the organization , be it thatof customer service, quality or opera-tional excellence.

Having read this book, my expecta-tions as a customer are now viewedthrough "Nordstrom" glasses. When mybilling took over 45 minutes at a restau-rant, I began to hear little voices in myhead,"Maybe they going to make it up to me: maybe a discount on my meal, maybe acomplimentary dessert " and I was so dis-appointed as all I got was a huge bill.


“Doing what it takes”

Deepa Bhat

Readers’s Contribution

The Nordstrom Way toCustomer Service Excellence

Robert SpectorWiley

Deepa is a member of JustBooks,Indiranagar. She juggles the hats ofbeing a mom and a HR consultant,and is interested in reading a variedrange of books.

1. Rabindranath Tagore wasborn in:ShantiniketanDhakaKolkata

2. This sister of Tagore was a renowned novelist:Swarnakumari SoudaminiSaratkumari

3. Name the famous family magazine of Tagore household:Ghare-BaireBharatiTattwabodhini Patrika

4. Tagore returned his knighthood:In protest of massacre at JallianwalaBaghIn support of Swadeshi movementAll the above.

5. In his later years, Tagore workedtowards:Growing Visva-Bharati UniversityTranslating GitanjaliStudying for law

ForbesMagazinerecently fea-

tured JustBooksand its founderR.Sunda Rajan, inan article titled'Reading madeEasy - WhyJustBooksLibraries Work' .

The article cap-tured a sense ofwhat JustBookslibraries offermembers in thisone comment froma member of ours:

‘"The clichédimage of a library -dusty, booksuntouched, no oneknows what is where- is done awaywith," saysRamesh Prabhu, abook lover and amember of Just Books.’

It also describes what could await JustBooks in the future. Here isan excerpt from the article “He also sees an opportunity to converthis libraries into community centres and grow other businessesthrough that, such as holiday planning and developing a musichub.”

Check out the article at this URL: http://business.in.com/article/work-in-progress/reading-made-easy-why-just-books-libraries-work/25832/2


JUSTBOOKSJUSTBOOKSTOP 5TOP 5

NNEWEW AARRIVALSRRIVALS1. Those In Peril by WilburSmith 2. Pure Sequence by Paro Anand3. Idea Man by Paul Allen4. Adapt by Tim Harford5. Siachen Glacier by HarishKapadia

RRECOMMENDEDECOMMENDED1. Beijing Coma by Jian Ma2. The Everest Hotel by AllanSealy3. Apradhini by Shivani Trans. byIra Pande4. The Prophet by KhalilGibran5. Into Thin Air by JonKrakauer

RRENTALSENTALS1. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffery Archer2. 2 States: The Story Of MyMarriage by Chetan Bhagat 3. And Thereby Hangs A Tale byJeffery Archer4. The 39 Clues:Vespers Risingby Rick Riordan5. The Lost Symbol by DanBrown

Kolkata, Swarnakumari, Bharati, In protest of massacre at Jallianwala Bagh, Growing Visva-Bharati University

JJuussttBBooookkss rreeccooggnniizzeedd

From JustBooks blog - http://blog.justbooksclc.com

Image Courtesy: Girish GV, Forbes India

Tagore might be a well-knownname, but not much is knownabout the women of the Tagore

household. This lengthy treatise byChitra Deb covers generations of womenof the Tagore household, some verywell-known, some relatively known andmost unknown.

The role of women in Indian society isa highly-discussed topic even in the 21stcentury. Then what it might have beenback in the 19th century? Couldn't havebeen much, given the customs of childmarriage, Sati, denial of education andliteracy, restrictions on going outdoors,singing, riding in a coach or talking tomen outside the family.

Women's liberation then was morerelated to women's education, women'srights and emancipation. Some womenmanaged to fight it out on their own,while others were supported by theirfamilies to forge ahead.

In 1851, Saudamini, Rabindranath's sis-ter was admitted to school by her father

in a hope that this would pave wayfor other Bengali girls.Jnanadanandini, Rabindranath'ssister-in-law was ably supported byher husband and was the first oneto step into the wider world over-coming all opposition and restric-tions.

She made a trip to England to bewith her husband, and later on toBombay; both a first since womenseldom went outside the houseunaccompanied.

She brought back simple yetdelightful ideas from her tripslike celebrating birthdays, get-ting a photographer to take pic-tures of the entire householdand modernizing the tradition-al way of dressing.

In 1876, Swarnakumari,Rabindranath's sister authoredDeep Nirban, which amazedreaders with its erudite lan-guage and command over theplot without any feminine inhibi-tions.

Incidentally, she also empathizedwith the status of widows in thesociety and attempted to make themfinancially independent by educat-ing them.

Chitra Deb covers several genera-tions of the Tagore family spanningmore than a century. Few know thatVande Mataram was first set tomusic by one of Rabindranath'snieces, Sarala, whose interest in

music was exemplary in addition to herliterary pursuits.

Her contribution to India's freedommovement notably included opening astore to advertise and popularize the useof Swadeshi goods, exhorting Indianyouth to enlist in the army in large num-bers, and publishing nationalistic articlesin her magazine.

Devika Rani, a well-known actress,married into the Tagore family and hada successful stint under her productioncompany. Sharmila Tagore is anothername well known in the Indian filmindustry. The list of women of theTagore household that Chitra Deb coversseems endless.

For someone who isn't familiar withthe Tagore family, the family tree at theend of the book that takes up just over ahundred pages would prove monumen-tal. Of course, a scholar on the otherhand would salivate over the same forhis thesis on the subject. The book is like

one voluminous research paper withabsolutely no chapter breaks.

Unfortunately, Chitra Deb's style ofwriting leaves much to be desired as sheleaps from one incident or one person totalking about multiple people, most ofthe time without any proper reference.The reader is left groping in the darkand the only way out seems to be tobookmark the family tree and refer to itmultiple times for every couple of pages;not really the best way to read a book.

No doubt that Chitra Deb's researchwas probably painstaking in order to gether facts right, but having gone to suchlengths (the book spans 500 pages), thebook could have been arranged better.Important groundbreaking milestoneslike Swarnakumari's concern for the wid-ows, and Chandramukhi and Kadambinibeing India's first two female graduates,is lost in the milieu of other lesseraccomplishments.

One ends up feeling that Chitra Debfound it necessary to comment on everywoman in the Tagore household irre-spective of their achievements and con-tribution, resulting in a confusing con-coction that does not make this a pleas-urable read. The translation from Bengalito English by Smita Chowdhry and SonaRoy is however faultless.

This is a book that no doubt couldhave been more interesting had it keptits expectations a bit more clear, but readit if you are curious about the Tagoresurname or the women of the Tagorehousehold.


Meet the other Tagores

Aradhana Janga

Women of the TagoreHousehold

Chitra DebTranslated from Bengali by SmitaChowdhry and Sona Roy

Penguin


Against all odds

What would you do if you have-been whisked from a success-ful life in the middle of the

night to a torture camp and your entirefamily has been tortured and wiped out?Everything that you have known as civi-lized and human has been blown awayto pieces.

Most would lose hope, fritter awaywhatever is left of their lifeand contemplate suicide. Notso with our subject of thisarticle, Victor Frankl.

The Austrian born psychia-trist developed a brand newThird Viennese school ofPsychotherapy, to be able tobattle his own demons, andto spread this knowledgeamongst all who struggled tolive another day of no hope.

On September 25, 1942 he,along with his wife, and hisparents were deported to theTheresienstadt concentrationcamp. There Frankl workedas a doctor in a clinic untilhis skill in psychiatry wasnoticed.

He was then asked to estab-lish a unit to help newcomersto the camp overcome shock and grief.He later set up a suicide watch unit,where all intimations of suicide werereported to him.

To maintain his own sanity and selfworth in the dismal conditions, hewould frequently go outside and givelecture to an imaginary audience about"Psychotherapeutic Experiences in aConcentration Camp". He believed that byfully experiencing the suffering objec-tively, he would thereby end it.

In later part of 1944, he was transport-ed to Auschwitz and then to Turkheim.Whereas, his wife and mother weremurdered in other concentration campsand he father died in Theresienstadt. OnApril 27, 1945, Frankl was liberated bythe Americans. The only other survivorin his family was his sister, who hadescaped by emigrating to Australia.

It was due to his and others' sufferingin these camps that he came to his hall-mark conclusion that even in the mostabsurd, painful and dehumanized situa-tion, life has potential meaning and thattherefore even suffering is meaningful.

This conclusion served as a strongbasis for Frankl's logotherapy.

Logotherapy, from Greek word logos'meaning', is a type of existentialistanalysis that focuses on a will to mean-ing. Rather than power or pleasure,logotherapy is founded upon the beliefthat it is the striving to find a meaningin one's life that is the primary, mostpowerful motivating and driving forcein humans.

Frankl's concept is based on the prem-ise that the primary motivational

force of an individual is to find a mean-ing in life. The basic principles oflogotherapy are: First, Life has meaningunder all circumstances, even the mostmiserable ones.

Second, our main motivation for livingis our will to find meaning in life.

And third, that we have freedom tofind meaning in what we do, and whatwe experience, or at least in the standwe take when faced with a situation ofunchangeable suffering.

Frankl also concludes that there areonly two races of men, decent men andindecent. No society is free of either ofthem. He concluded that the meaning oflife is found in every moment of living;life never ceases to have meaning, evenin suffering and death. In a group thera-py session during a mass fast inflictedon the camp's inmates trying to protectan anonymous fellow inmate from fatalretribution by authorities, Frankl offeredthe thought that for everyone in a direcondition there is someone looking

down, a friend, familymember, or even God,who would expect not tobe disappointed. Franklconcluded from his expe-rience that a prisoner'spsychological reactionsare not solely the resultof the conditions of hislife, but also from thefreedom of choice healways has even insevere suffering. Theinner hold a prisoner hason his spiritual self relieson having a faith in the

future, and that once a prisoner losesthat faith, he is doomed.

Viktor Frankl's 1946 book Man'sSearch for Meaning chronicles his expe-riences as a concentration camp inmateand describes his psychotherapeuticmethod of finding a reason to live.According to Frankl, the book intends toanswer the question "How was everydaylife in a concentration camp reflected in themind of the average prisoner?" Part Oneconstitutes Frankl's analysis of his expe-riences in the concentration camps,while Part Two introduces his ideas ofmeaning and his theory of logotherapy.

His story and this book have inspiredmany, including Steven Covey, of

Seven Habits fame.In the post-war years, Frankl pub-

lished more than 32 books, lectured andtaught seminars all over the world andreceived 29 honorary doctorate degrees.He died on September 2, 1997, of heartfailure. He is survived by his secondwife, children and grand-children.

Source Credits: Wikipedia.

Survival instinct

Subhash Bhushan


In Focus

This month we met and talked to Mr.D. Ravi Kumar and his wife Chitra,the franchise owner of JustBooks,Frazer Town. Ravi is well-known inthe JustBooks' community as heblogs for JustBooks and now heheads the Franchise Development atStrata Retail. So if you are interest-ed in becoming a franchise owner of aJustBooks branch in your area, he isthe person you should be talking to.

Tell us a little bit about yourself andyour family.You could say I am a typical 'namma ben-galuru huduga'- born, brought up andcontinuing to be 'educated' in Bangalore.Our roots are in Trichy, I'm told, though Ihaven't traced them yet!. Chitra, my wife& co-owner of our Frazer Town library, isalso from Bangalore but has plenty of rel-atives in Tamil Nadu. We have threeschool going kids who love to lend ahand running the library. Two of themare pretty avid readers running throughthe children's section in like, 30 seconds,which is an exaggeration, of course. Butthen, three kids are an exaggeration,thanks to soft population control meas-ures in India!

What were you doing before joiningJustBooks as an employee? Ah ah! I was, in the given order, a mem-ber of JustBooks, Indiranagar, then blog-ger for JustBooks (eager beaver at best,inconsistent at worst!), a franchise ownernext and now I head the FranchiseDevelopment at Strata Retail -brand own-ers of JustBooks. It can't get better thanthis. Overriding all this, of course, is thefact that we are huge fans of JustBooks asa concept, its founders, our library &staff, my fellow franchisees, my team &colleagues with whom I enjoy working.

How has been your experience on work-ing full time and taking care of theFranchise?Before I joined JustBooks as a franchisee,it appeared that I had plenty of time. I'dfantasize about actually wanting to leavemy job and run the library full time. Thenon becoming an employee here, reality

bit hard and I realised that while runninga JustBooks franchise can provide thebutter-jam, one still has to earn the bread.

Why and how did this franchise optionhappen?I am very familiar with Frazer Town andits surroundings. I enquired about thepossibility of a franchise in this area andwhen given the go ahead, we spared notefforts. Still there were hurdles which,through a combination of zeal, pig head-edness, limited resources, amazing sup-port from a well wisher (you know whoyou are!) and perhaps destiny; JustBooks,Frazer Town was born.

How has been the customer response toJustBooks as a concept & your library, inparticular?People have been amazed that we pro-vide an excellent ambience, pocketfriendly membership schemes, attentivecustomer service, wide variety of bookswith new titles every week, magazinesoption, home delivery etc at a reasonablereading fee.

What do you think will be a great addi-tion in terms of value to your existingmembers?A combination of events, promotions andactivities within the library will be goodvalue, I think. We are working towards

this and we will roll them out shortly.

How much of time do you spend at theJustBooks outlet personally? Howrewarding is the experience of interactingwith your members?Whatever time we spend at the library,we feel it's inadequate. We wish for moretime there but we have to balance work,family, kids and library. That said, we geta lot of pleasure interacting with ourmembers and every suggestion, feedbackand complaint is taken seriously.

What kind of books do you read person-ally? Who are your favourite authors?I love India and am drawn to books aboutits diversity, its history and its mytholo-gy. My favourite authors are GurcharanDas, Shashi Tharoor, Devdatt Pattnaik,Ashok Banker and gosh, this list could goon and on.

What is your advice to book lovers whowould like to turn entrepreneurs throughJustBooks?If you like books, reading and meetingpeople, this is one business that youshould consider seriously. However, likeall businesses, you will still have to takeinitiative, think on your feet and devisestrategies to get members. It is fun andrewarding once you get past the criticalmass of memberships.

Sapana Rawat

Friends and allies of JustBooks

Dilly is a young duckling, who isclearly different from his sib-lings. Not only does he have a

wholly different appearance, but alsohas a different perception of the worldround him. Every creature he comesacross appears to be a dangerous wildanimal to him.

One fine day Dilly goes on a tour ofthe farmhouse with his family and theyend up meeting quite a number of ordi-nary farm animals, this sets silly Dillyrunning for his life, as he believes that abunch of dangerous creatures were outto get him.

But every time his mother informs himthat he is over-reacting and reveals thecreature to be relatively harmless.Things go along these lines throughoutthe story, until Dilly finally meets a crea-ture which his mother is unable to labelas harmless.

Read on to find out the creatures sillyDilly meets on his tour of the farm andthe identity of the final creature.

This book was written and publishedin 2009 by Scholastic.

The author, Kuntie RamdatBalkaran is an experiencedwriter of children's books.She has written several otherbooks, similar to Silly Dillyfor children, such as LittleMonkey Gets Lost: WhereAnimals Live, A Cat CalledTrouble Maker and MouseSees the World!.

The illustrator, AnithaBalachandran has worked inthe field of designing booksand animations for youngchildren for quite a while,now. Her other projectsincludes Song Of TheBookworm, and morenotably, Mister JeejeebhoyAnd The Birds, which shehas written and illustratedherself.

Most of the book's meaningis conveyed through the pic-tures, which according to themain theme of the story islargely, of animals.

First, the animals are portrayed insuch a way that the reader sees them asDilly sees them and finally as how sillyDilly's mother sees them.

All along the way, facts are given, forboth wild and farm animals. This willhelp children get information about ani-mals, what's special about them, theirfeatures and habitats etc.

The repetition of some sentences like"Run for your lives", or "Oh silly Dilly,How can that be?" will amuse and stay inthe memories for toddlers and parentsalike. The story is a very effective wayfor parents to introduce young childrento animals and their habitats without

much difficulty. There is even morescope for them to expand on the storyand add more facts about the animalsalong the way.

After reading the story, the youngreader will feel a certain sense of satis-faction of a story well-told with a fittingend. The facts about the animals intro-duced in the story will arouse interestand curiosity in young children andmight encourage them to learn moreabout animals, not just through thestory, but through other sources in gen-eral.

Young children will certainty findpleasure in revisiting this story againfrom time to time!

Just Kids14 JustBooks Connect - July 2011

Silly Dilly

Kuntie Ramdat BalkaranIllustrator: Anitha BalachandranAge group: 2-8 yrsPages: 28Scholastic

JustBooks Picks for Young ReadersGoodnight Moon by Margaret Brown

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

A Blessing from Above by PattiHenderson

Moin And The Monster by AnushkaRavishankar

The Karate Mouse by Geronimo Stilton

Aditi And Her Friends In Search ofShemeek by Suniti Namjoshi

The Children Of Hurin by JRRTolkien

Terror On The Titanic by Samit Basu

Taranauts 5:The Mystery Of TheSilver Syntillas by Roopa Pai

Jayanthi Harsha

When I first read Eunice DeSouza's poems, I was a nine-teen-year-old with heroes like

Sylvia Plath and Alanis Morisette. DeSouza's gritty, ironic voice in 'Advice toWomen'

"Keep cats if you want to learn to cope with the oth-

erness of lovers"

appealed to me. The poem belongs toher second collection Women in DutchPainting (1988) but it spurred me to readher first book Fix (1979) as well. Almosttwenty years later, De Souza's collectedpoems Necklace of Skulls was recentlypublished by Penguin. And I realisedthat I've outgrown much of Alanis.While Plath clings to my consciousnessnot because of her narcissism butbecause of her virtuosity with words.What about De Souza?

Perhaps the reason so many of DeSouza's early poems attracted theteenage self is because adolescence, espe-cially repressed, curious and confusedIndian girlhood was their subject. One ofher more quoted poems 'Sweet Sixteen'goes:

“Mama never mentioned menses.A nun screamed: you vulgar girl

don't say brassieressay bracelets.”

It conjures up all the frantic attitudes ofmiddle class morality that so thrived inthe pre-globalisation, pre-MTV world.But De Souza's concern was also morespecific than that. She was not just talk-ing life through any teenage girl's lenses.She was talking life through the lens ofGoan Catholic teenage girls, specificallyin the then-acceptable, now-incredibly-cool suburb of Bandra. 'BandraChristian Party' talks about how

"gathered Goans giggle. Dirty jokes:

hot stuff and sex While Fred who is the life of the party is

asked for a song. “As language goes, the style in this and

many other poems is simple, banal even.There are no flourishes, no pyrotechnics,not much magic flair. Those who liketheir poetry fancier may find it plainfare.

But what it does do is capture an entirecosmos in about twenty short lines, acosmos very different from its moremainstream parallel (how many middle

class Hindus had partiesin their sixties, much lesstalked about sex atthem?).

But De Souza was notmerely cataloguing a time.She was not an observerpeering in through doors.At least not yet. She wasthe girl living in this rau-cous, celebratory, con-fused place. In 'One Man'sPoetry', she says

"As I grew upI longed only

to laugh easily." But the poet's limbs

begin to scatter, her facedissolves. This question ofpersonal identity as locat-ed in the larger universe—how does one affect theother?—is something thatcropped up in De Souza’swork again and again.

In Women in DutchPainting, the poetic voicehad matured. It waswiser, less harassed, more resigned.

"Don't flailDon't let the hurt show

Not even this afternoon can last forever"

she says in 'Songs of Survival'. And:“Survive to know you can.

There is little to be saidfor suffering."

She had also discovered love and thisgave these poems a sweeter edge, mel-lowing the characteristic irony, the "cut-ting edge". De Souza's earlier collectionhad contained portraits of people shefound interesting, snatches of life becom-ing a window into something larger.This was visible here too. Here they are,she seemed to say, while presenting thenitty-gritty details of living. And whatelse is there to learn from?

There was a long gap between her firsttwo books, nearly ten years. In contrast,Ways of Belonging (1990) came soonafter her second book, an indication thatshe may have been working on them atthe same time. As the title suggests,place, home and travel featured moreobviously. In many of these poems, thepoet was more absent —or invisible—than she had been before. Nature hadtaken over. The landscape had takenover. The self, in comparison, seemedsmall, either an extra or a silent observer.

This tendency toward silence is mani-fest in De Souza's later, more recent

work too. What was manifest in earlypoems is now a philosophy of minimal-ism. "Even this poem has forty-eight wordstoo many", she says in 'It's Time to Find aPlace', voicing her reluctance to "prattleon". Her readers, however, hope she con-tinues.


Eunice De Souza Anindita Sengupta

IN A NUTSHELLBorn in: Pune in 1940

Raised in: Pune in a Goan Catholic family.

Studied: English Literature (PhD fromUniv of Mumbai).

Day jobs: Taught English Literature at StXavier's College, Mumbai. Was Head ofDepartment until she retired.

First book: Fix (1979).

Major Works: Fix (1979), Women inDutch Painting (1988), Ways ofBelonging (1990), Selected and NewPoems (1994).

Also writes: Novels, essays, children's fic-tion and newspaper columns. Has editedvarious anthologies. Writes a weekly col-umn for Mumbai Mirror.

Lives in: Mumbai.

Other Interests: Theatre.

In order to explore thewriting talent along withdeveloping reading habit,

we at Nerul branch ofJustBooks, organised a storywriting workshop.

This workshop was con-ducted by ShyamalaShanmugasundaram, anauthor for Young Readersand a freelance writer. Herwritten works have been

published by AlkaPublications, CBT, Rupa &Co, Pratham books alongwith DNA and The Hindunewspaper.

11 children aged betweeneight to twelve years attend-ed the workshop.

To our surprise, all the par-ticipants were girls. Theworkshop involved the tech-nicalities of writing a storysuch as: What is a setting?How to create characters?What is a Plot? How does oneend the story? What are thedifferent types of characters?

And other details one needsto know to write a story.

After explaining the detailsthat get into the writing of astory, these budding youngauthors wrote storiesenhanced with illustrations.

The children were highlyimaginative in their stories.The workshop helped themto bring out their imaginationin thinking of a story andthen the creativity in writingthe story. The embeddedcharacters were brought outwith the help of appropriatelanguage.

Interestingly, fantasy wasthe theme of all the youngauthors. Will these childrenbe future Rowlings?


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The future J.K RowlingsJustBooks Events

Bhanumathi Ganesh ownsthe Nerul branch ofJustBooks clc. She hasalso had a 6-year corpo-rate life with EssarGroup.She likes reading a varietyof books as she viewbooks as windows toknowledge. For her, JustBooks clc isan avenue through whichshe wants to spread theknowledge .

Bhanumathi Ganesh

JustBooks Connect - July 2011 newsletter

Education

Transcript of JustBooks Connect - July 2011 newsletter