Showing posts with label Book critic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book critic. Show all posts

Saturday, May 25, 2013

10 interesting books to get hold of this month(May 2013)

Buy Think Like Zuck: The Five Business Secrets of Facebook's Improbably Brilliant CEO 1st  Edition: Book
Think Like Zuck: The Five Business Secrets of Facebook's Improbably Brilliant CEO 1st Edition
Price: Rs.350 offer price rs 280
Make Your Mark in the World with the Five Success Principles of the World-Changing Social Media Site

If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest in the world.
Facebook accounts for one of every seven minutes spent online.
More than one billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook.

Facebook is the company that rocked our world. Run by a "digital native," Mark Zuckeberg, it changed the way we connect, build relationships, and engage with each other. It forever altered the way we consume and produce content and it disrupted the way we market. As we look at companies like Facebook, we cannot help but wonder: what did Zuck do right? What can we learn from him and others that were brazen enough to change the way we see our digital world?

Think Like Zuck explores the critical elements that drive the success of Facebook and the businesses like it. You will learn the 5 Ps of "Zuck-like" companies: passion, purpose, people, platform, and partnerships. Passion: having passion to change the world. Purpose: having a vision and a higher purpose to execute on your passion. People: building the team that will take your ideas and success to new heights. Platform: creating a framework that will help you stay true to your higher purpose and to your customers; develop the product that appeals to your users; and allow you to be agile. Partnerships: choosing the right partners for the right purpose. Read the book and become Zuck for a day or lifetime Your choice
Buy The Now Effect: Book
The Now Effect - Elisha Goldstein  Price: Rs.350 offer price rs 280
Drawing on cutting edge psychology, neuroscience and mindfulness practices, The Now Effect turns the wheel one step further. Elisha Goldstein offers you fresh, simple, practical exercises to go beyond simple theory and cultivate the ability to become more aware of the space in between stimulus and response and to use those spaces in your life to break free from habitual beliefs and thoughts that don’t serve you. These techniques will enable youto build a stronger and healthier brain, connect with the good in life, approach difficulties with more grace, and get connected with what really matters. In essence Goldstein teaches you how to avoid being ruled by an old story and to enjoy life on a higher level.

Buy And the Mountains Echoed: Book
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Price: Rs.599 offer price rs 480
From the no. 1 bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, the book that readers everywhere have been waiting for: his first novel in six years.

So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one... 

Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pad live with their father and step-mother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Adbullah, Pad, as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named, is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their skulls touching, their limbs tangled. 

One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pad and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand.

Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, with profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways that we help our loved ones in need, how the choices we make resonate through history, and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.
-- Buy The Bodybuilding.com: Guide to Your Best Body: Book
The Bodybuilding.com: Guide to Your Best Body Price: Rs.499 offer price rs 400
From the worlds leading online fitness site Bodybuilding.com comes a revolutionary 12-week diet and exercise programsupported by Hrithik Roshan, two million members and thousands of real-life success stories.
Buy Beyond the MBA Hype: A Guide to Understanding and Surviving B-Schools: BookBeyond the MBA Hype: A Guide to Understanding and Surviving B-Schools Sameer Kamat Price: Rs.299 offer price rs 240
An updated and revised edition of the bestselling book

This is a revised and updated edition of this bestselling book with useful new material to guide the MBA aspirant – the working executive as well as the fresh college  graduate – on doing MBA from abroad. Most Indian MBA applicants are completely at sea when it comes to approaching international education opportunities. This is primarily because the MBA selection process and the parameters considered by the top business schools abroad for admitting candidates into their fold are very different from what we are used to. Beyond the MBA Hype talks about the typical issues, challenges and dilemmas that Indian applicants grapple with when it comes to international MBA programmes.
Buy Dance O' Peacock
Dance of Peacock -  Aruna Jethwani Rs 175
The novel o[ens up uncomfortable questions about the biological and social,  lack and love and reform and rebellion to which there are no easy answers. it is a engaging account of a woman;s search for love, meaning and calling a search for herself
Aruna Jethwani is the former Principal of ST. Mira;s college for girls, Pune. She has written several books.
Buy Half a Rupee Stories: Book

Half a Rupee Stories  Price: Rs.299  offer price rs 250
A suicide bomber in a small town plans out her last day, getting herself photographed before she goes and blows up the prime minister. A drunkard in a Mumbai slum tries to compete with the torrential rain, even as it washes his dwelling away. An army man at the border has become so accustomed to speaking over the wireless that he ends every sentence with ‘Over!’ And in the title story, a cop drags a dead cow from Vinayak Rao Patwardhan Road to the adjoining Bapu Road, since the latter is so much easier to spell.

From real-life stories about Javed Akhtar, Sahir Ludhianvi and Kuldip Nayyar to tales set in Kashmir, in the hinterland, in the modern megapolis and on the LoC, from anecdotes of love and betrayal to fables of courage and conviction, this is an enthralling collection available in English for the very first time.

Buy Change is Everybody's Business: Claim Your Change Power!: Book
Change is Everybody's Business: Claim Your Change Power! 
Price: Rs.250 offer price rs 200

Change is Everybody's Business challenges readers to realize the power they have to make things happen-to support, stymie, or redirect change. Pat McLagan draws on her thirty years of experience consulting on change projects worldwide to outline the beliefs, character traits, and actions that will enable anyone to welcome change and take advantage of it rather than fear and resist it. 

Taking a conversational approach to a serious subject, she uses stories, examples, and illustrations to drive home the message that everybody in an organization has the power to make changes for the better. And she includes questionnaires throughout the book that enable readers to evaluate how ready they are to make the most of change. 

Change is happening all around us, both planned and unplanned. How we react to change determines personal success and self-esteem, and ultimately the success of the entire organization. Change Is Everybody's Business will show readers precisely what they need to know to become more conscious participants in determining their own destiny at work-and in life.

Buy Why
Why "A" Students Work for "C" Students and Why "B" Students Work for the Government: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Education for Parents  Price: Rs.635 offer price rs    510
For years, the author has been a passionate advocate for financial education and frustrated by the lack of financial education in schools. In his this book, the bestselling author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" encourages parents to look beyond the system and refuse to allow their children to be labelled or limited.

Buy The Secret of Leadership : Stories to Awaken, Inspire and Unleash the Leader Within: Book


The Secret of Leadership : Stories to Awaken, Inspire and Unleash the Leader Within 
 Price: Rs.299 offer price rs 250
Leaders are like teabags. Only when you put them in hot water do you know how strong they really are.

Bestselling author Prakash Iyer uses simple but powerful anecdotes and parables from all over the world to demonstrate what makes for effective personal and professional leadership. Iyer draws lessons from sources as diverse as his driver, a mother giraffe, Abraham Lincoln and footballers in the United Kingdom. He shows how an instinct to lead can be acquired while flipping burgers at a fast food chain. All of these stories come together in an explosive cocktail to unleash your inner leader.

Buy Avoiding Armageddon : America, India, and Pakistan to the Brink and Back: Book
Avoiding Armageddon : America, India, and Pakistan to the Brink and Back 
 Price: Rs.499 offer price rs  400
The India—Pakistan—America relationship has never been a settled one. In Avoiding Armageddon, Bruce Riedel explains the challenge and the importance of successfully managing America's affairs with these two emerging powers and their toxic relationship. The fact that India and Pakistan will be among the most important countries in the twenty-first century makes this a pressing concern.

Born from the British Raj, the two nations share a conmion heritage, but they are different in many important ways. India is already the world's largest democracy and will soon become the planet's most populous nation. Pakistan, soon to be the fifth most populous country, has a troubled history of military coups, dictators, and harboring terrorists such as Osama bin Laden.

The long-time rivals are nuclear powers, with tested weapons. They have fought four wars with each other and have gone to the brink of war several times. Meanwhile, U.S. presidents since Franklin Roosevelt have been increasingly involved in the region's affairs In the past two decades alone, the White House has intenened several times to prevent nuclear confrontation in the subcontinent. South Asia clearly is critical to American national security, and the volatile relationship between India and Pakistan is the crucial factor determining whether the region can ever be safe and stable.

Full of riveting details of what went on behind the scenes, and based on extensive research and Riedel's role in advising four U.S. presidents on the region, Avoiding Ai mageddon reviews the history of American diplomacy in South Asia, the . . . continued from the front flap crises that have flared in recent years, and the prospects for future crisis. Riedel provides an in-depth look at the Mumbai terrorist attack in 2008, the worst terrorist outrage since 9/11, and he concludes with authoritative analysis on what the future is likely to hold for America and the South Asia puzzle as well as recommendations on how Washington should proceed.
Buy Introducing Leadership: A Practical Guide: Book
Introducing Leadership: A Practical Guide Price: Rs.225 offer price rs 180
From the authors of Psychology of Success: A Practical Guide - one of the series' best titles so far Perfect for all aspiring Richard Bransons or Barack Obamas .

Builds the Introducing Practical Guides series' profile in the business market.
A brilliant Practical Guide for any aspiring Richard 
Branson, Steve Jobs or even David Cameron... 

Leadership: A Practical Guide is packed with examples of famous leaders who achieved brilliant things against all odds. 

Youll discover their ideas, strategies and tried and tested winning solutions, which can be applied to the opportunities and challenges that you face. 

So whether youre starting from scratch as a new leader, needing to raise your game, or aiming to do what great leaders do and aim even higher, this practical yet inspirational guide will help you to perform at your very best.
The Captainship - First Gen Entrepreneurs – Rs. 299 offer price rs 250
Sanjeev  Aggarwal, Subroto Bagchi, Girish Batra, Sanjeev  Bikchandani, Ashish Dhavan, Ashish Gupta, Zia Mody, Satya Narayan, Vijay Shekhar Sharma


Description 

Dear Reader,

While aboard the HMS Beagle, young Charles Darwin wrote, ‘The race is for the strong. I shall probably do little more but be content to admire the strides others made in Science.’ Years later he noted, ‘I am turned into a sort of machine for observing facts and grinding out conclusions.’ If as a youth Darwin feared the possibility of his own insignificance and then went on to become one of the most influential thinkers of modern times,there is reason for optimism that our age will also produce great thinkers and doers.

It is this transition from self-doubt to optimism that inspires The Captainship. The Captainship is a collection of first-person narratives of nine first-generation Indian entrepreneurs, among India’s most respected for their value-based approach to organization building. The purpose of this collection is to share the journeys of the entrepreneurs as ordinary youths, with all the normal joys and insecurities of childhood and adolescence. The title The Captainship is inspired by the famous line from William Ernest Henley’s poem ‘Invictus’: ‘I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.’

Each interview began with a question about the entrepreneur’s first memory. One man’s first memory is of fal ling into a septic tank ina village in the days when he and his family lived in a house without an indoor loo. His family would run out of money around thetwentieth of each month. Another speaks of violence and dowries. Accompanying these early memories of want are also many happymemories. One man and his friends used to race on their bikes to ogle girls in the local bazaar. Another remembers the glory days ofBatman and Amar Chitra Kathas. We’ve got a skating champ, a horse-riding champ, a cricket champ, and even a carrom champ in our
midst.

And over the years, these kids from middle-class homes became the founders of India’s new economy.  These are stories of victory in their own words.  

           
About the Captains
S A N J E E V  A G G A R W A L is co-founder and senior managing director of an India-focused venture fund, Helion Ventur Partners. Prior to Helion, Sanjeev was the co-founder and CEO of Daksh, a pioneer in the Indian BPO sector, having been with the company since its inception in 2000 until its acquisition by IBM in 2004.   

S U B R O T O  B A G C H I  is co-founder and chairman of the Board of Mindtree, an international information technology consulting and implementation company. In 2007, he was part of the apex team that led Mindtree’s  growth from an idea to an IPO. 

G I R I S H  B A T R A  is the founder, chairman, and managing director of NetAmbit, India’s leading financial  products  and services distribution company. 

S A N J E E V  B I K H C H A N D A N I  is the founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge (naukri.com). Sanjeev  won the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2008 for Business Transformation and also the Dataquest Pathbreaker Award.  
                          
A S H I S H  D H A W A N  co-founded ChrysCapital, a private equity firm that manages US$2.5 billion across six funds  focused on India. He is also the founder and CEO of Central Square Foundation, a strictly philanthropic venture fund focused on K-12 education-focused NGOs.

D R  A S H I S H  G U P T A  is co-founder of an India-focused venture fund, Helion Venture Partners. He has also co-founded two successful companies—Tavant Technologies andJunglee (which was bought by Amazon.com).

Z I A  M O D Y  is a founder and senior partner in the Indian law firm AZB & Partners. She is considered an authority on corporate mergers and acquisitions law, securities law, and private equity. 

S A T Y A  N A R A Y A N A N  founded Career Launcher in 1995 and has led its dramatic growth from a one- man start-up to one of Asia’s foremost education-focused corporations.

V I J A Y  S H E K H A R  S H A R M A  is the founder and CEO of One97 Communications,one of India’s fastest growing mobile Internet companies. Vijay also invests in early-stage mobile Internet start ups from One97’s Mobility Fund.

About the Book

The Captainship is a collection of first-person narratives from nine first-generation Indian entrepreneurs, among India’s most respected for their value-based approach to organization building. The purpose of this collection is to share the journeys of these entrepreneurs as ordinary youth, with all the normal joys and insecurities of childhood. The title The Captainshipis inspired by the great line from William Ernest Henley’s poem ‘Invictus’: I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Janki Krishnan's Breaking Barriers

Janaki Krishan’s book – BREAKING BARRIERS

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Media will be addressed by:
Author Janaki Krishnan, Shanti Ekambaram- President, Corporate & Investment Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd & Shaheen Mistri- Indian social activist and educator
 
Details:
                                                             Date: Friday, 2nd November, 2012
                     Time:6:30 pm
                                 Venue: Crossword Bookstore, Kemps Corner, Mumbai

About the Book: 
BREAKING BARRIERS is a book chronicling the lives of some prominent Indian women entrepreneurs, who have followed their dreams and fulfilled their ambitions. They refused to succumb to the pressures and established norms that society insists on imposing on women. This book has been written to encourage girls and women (and indeed anyone who aspires to do anything out of the ordinary) to know that they are the sole arbiters of their lives. They have the Power.

About the Author
Janaki Krishnan
 is a financial journalist who has worked across cities and across media, covering developments in the Indian economy and in the corporate sector right since liberalisation. She is no stranger to boardroom battles, takeover attempts and regulatory probes, which is what keeps her adrenaline pumping. When not writing, she loves to travel, trek, swim, climb mountains and learn languages. Her idea of bliss is to be atop a mountain, feeling the wind in her face, a few dogs frolicking nearby, and with a book in her hand, to contemplate the mysteries of nature.


Abhisar Sharma’s ‘THE EDGE OF MACHETE’

Westland Limited and Crossword launch Abhisar Sharma’s
‘THE EDGE OF MACHETE’

Mumbai, 9th November, 2012: Leading publishing house, Westland Limited and Crossword – India’s leading lifestyle bookstore, launched Abhisar Sharma’s book ‘THE EDGE OF MACHETE’. Also present at the launch was actor Manoj Bajpai, actress and social activist Gul Panag, noted Bollywood Film Maker & novelist Piyush Jha and revered author Hussain Zaidi.

An exciting thriller, ‘The Edge of Machete’ studies the Afghanistan-Pakistan geopolitical situation, and uncovers the forces operating within the region (such as the Taliban). It is a riveting blend of genres, with suspense, romance, mystery and reportage. The book revolves around Aamir Sherzai, a new whiz-kid in the Pakistan-wing of the Taliban, a CIA operative Ed Gomez, on a mission to get even with Aamir Sherzai, responsible for the execution of his best buddy and fellow agent, Jason. The storyline follows ‘The Beast’, somewhere in the Khyber, Pakistan, and to eliminate Jason’s killer, Gomez has to infiltrate a conglomeration of the most ferocious terror outfits in The Beast as Sarfaraz Khan. But as the boundaries between Gomez and Sarfaraz blur, the CIA agent must not only plunge headlong into the battle in the Khyber, but also wage a war within. Simultaneously, Indian journalist Rahul Sharma is kidnapped and held hostage within The Beast, must find a way back to the woman he loves. And British white Muslim, Shaun Marsh aka Shahid Khan, sucked into the gathering at the Khyber, must learn to exorcise the ghosts of the past. Most of all, all three must try to escape the edge of Aamir Sherzai’s machete. Will they get away unscathed? Or meet a fate similar to Jason’s?

Following the book launch, Abhisar Sharma, Gul Panag, Piyush Jha, Hussian Zaidi led a discussion about plotting terror and how do the grim realities of politics interact with fiction.

Anushree Banerjee, Marketing and Publicity Head, Westland Ltd said, “We at Westland Ltd are glad to be associated with Abhisar Sharma. He is one of the finest authors we have on board and wish him all the success for his book The Edge Of The Machete.”


Mr. Kinjal Shah, COO, Crossword Bookstores said, “Political thrillers make for an exciting read and are a rage right now. It is wonderful to see Indian authors exploring this genre. We are happy to launch Abhisar Sharma’s book at Crossword. And wish him all the best.”


                 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Author: With seventeen years of broadcast journalism behind him, Abhisar Sherzai considers himself a passionate observer of the AfPak region. As a journalist, Abhisar has covered several historical events, from the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination and the Jasmine revolution in Egypt to the Gujarat riots. His story ‘Laal Masjid Ka Safed Sach’ (The True Story of the Red Mosque) won him India’s highest journalism award, the Ramnath Goenka Indian Express Award, in 2008-2009, though he has never been able to travel to Pakistan since. An avid traveller, a voracious writer and a foodie, Abhisar stays in Delhi with his wife and two children.

About Westland: Westland Limited is a subsidiary of Trent Limited, the retail arm of the Tata group, the largest diversified industrial group in India. The group includes EastWest Books and Tranquebar Press. They publish literary as well as commercial fiction and non-fiction, and are engaged in both the publishing and distribution of books. After more than 50 years of experience in import and distribution of major academic and English language trade publications from all over the world, Westland’s focus has shifted to publishing in the last few years. Today, Westland is the fifth-largest English-language trade publisher in India and has published a host of bestsellers.

About Crossword: Crossword is India’s leading bookstore chain, which has pioneered the lifestyle bookstore concept in India. It was ranked the 6th most admired retailer in India by Business World for the year 2006 and was the only book retailer in the top 10. Crossword won the Reid & Taylor Award for Best Retailer of the year – Leisure & Specialty at the India Retail Summit 2005, 2007 & 2009. It won the Retailer of the Year Award - Leisure (Books, Music and Gifts Category) at the Images Retail Awards 2005 & 2007. Crossword received the Federation of Indian Publishers Award for excellence in Publishing for the year 2004 on 18th June 2005 at the hands of Shri Arjun Singh, Minister of Human Resource Development.

Launched in 1992, Crossword currently has 81 stores across 23 cities in the country in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Durgapur, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kota, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nashik, Nagpur, Pune, Siliguri, Udaipur, Vadodara Vapi and Vijayawada.
 
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Gulzar and Mahesh Bhatt release Zia Us Salam’s book “Housefull”


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Zia Us Salam’s book “Housefull” was released recently in presence of many eminent personalities of bollywood. To name a few, famous lyricist Gulzar, actress Tisca Chopra, renowned director Mahesh Bhatt and documentary filmmaker Umesh Aggarwal were present on the occasion.
Zia Us Salam is a renowned journalist/critic and feature editor of The Hindu. This talented writer and editor has written more than 1000 articles.
Zia Us Salam’s book Housefull is about the “Golden Era of Bollywood”




Thursday, November 8, 2012

Fashion Designer Wendell Rodricks’ book ‘The Green Room’.

Wendell Rodricks’ book ‘The Green Room’.




 The book is a witty and candid memoir of one of India’s most talented and best-known fashion designers. Also present with Wendell at the launch was Actor Arshad Warsi & VJ-Model–Actress Maria Goretti, at Crossword’s Juhu outlet.

Peppered with wry observations and startling insights, ‘The Green Room’ is more than just the story about one man. It is also about the evolution of the Indian fashion industry over twenty- five years. It is both a deep personal journey and a window into the enchanting yet fickle world of the rich and the famous, the beautiful and the neurotic, the gossips and the bores. Candid, irreverent and unfailingly entertaining, the book is a memoir of the man who gave India minimalism, resort wear and eco-friendly clothing long before these words became fashionable. It tells us the gripping tale of a fascinating life lived with unusual courage and flair.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. Kinjal Shah, COO, Crossword Bookstores said, “We are delighted to launch Wendell Rodricks’ book on the Crossword platform. Being one of India’s pioneering fashion designers, there is so much to learn and discover from a book like ‘The Green Room.’ I look forward to reading it and I wish him all the very best.”
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About The Author:
Wendell Rodricks’spent his childhood in Mumbai and started his working life in Muscat. He then moved to Los Angeles and Paris to study fashion design and couture. He returned to India in 1988 and quickly gained repute as a designer, working with renowned brands such as Garden Vareli, Lakme and De Beers. He established his own label in 1990 and moved base in 1993 to Colvale, Goa. A pioneer in the world of Indian fashion, Wendell is considered one of the most influential designers in the country and has received international acclaim for his work. Wendell also writes about fashion and lectures on world costume history. His book on the history of Goan costume, Moda Goa, was published in 2012. He is passionate about art, music, literature, food, travel and Goa’s environment
 

'A Handbook of Ecological and Environmental Reporting in India

 A book of FACTS on Ecology and Biodiversity in India. 'A Handbook of Ecological and Environmental Reporting in India -  for the Media, NGOs & People' aims to empower constituents of the Indian media, NGOs and the general public; through building awareness about stark realities of critical Nature and Environment issues in India. 

  • Covers a wide ranges of topics - Sustainability, Biodiversity, Land, Water, Forest, Tiger and Wildlife, Law, Policies, Governmental Issues, Climate Change.
  • First of its kind in India and South Asia in English and Marathi language editions. Authentic and researched content, supported by striking photos and carefully worked infographics, illustrations and maps.
  • Offers the right perspective of Environmental issues to all.
  • It aims to inculcate an Environmental approach in media persons of all streams, rather than labeling a few as environmental journalists. Also includes a political manifesto of the Environmental movement – for the first time in India.
  • Content also includes three companion topics - Women and Environment, EIA and Environmental movements and mainstream politics in India.
  • It includes a much needed glossary of 161 ecological terms and phrases required in daily working (meanings in Marathi for Marathi edition).
  • It is a pioneering capacity building tool. For mainstream journalists and reporters it will be as handy reference volume. An inalienable part of their work table.
  • Many NGOs with their own publications, activists and people who enjoy a presence in alternative media will also find it useful.
  • Fresh students of all media and communication streams all across the country is yet another segment this handbook aims to reach. It will introduce them to the fundamentals of Environmental Journalism with emphasis on the Indian context - from code of ethics for environmental journalists to investigative methods. It will also offer them the right perspective and information about topics like reporting on Biodiversity, Wild life Journalism and True Sustainability.
  • Students of courses of social work - M.S.W. or alike, from where the NGOs get their working cadre, may also find it as a useful reference. 
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Children's stories from north-east India to be translated to delight


Children's stories from north-east India to be translated to delight
Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:33 am (PDT)
6 times 6 translates into 180, all children's stories.....Samudra Gupta Kashyap ,br/> Six books in every one of six languages are being translated into every other of those languages, a massive project that will create 180 new editions of stories that have delighted children of the Northeast for generations, though so far only in the original languages. A group of writers and translators from four Northeastern states are working on the project, supported by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, and possibly the first ever initiative of this kind. The books are in Assamese and five tribal languages - Bodo (spoken in Assam), Khasi (Meghlaya), Garo (mainly Meghalaya), Manipuri and Mizo. "This has not only brought to focus the rich treasure-house of folktales for children across the region, but also brought people from the six communities closer through their stories," said project coordinator Paresh Malakar, president of Anwesha, a Guwahati-based publishing NGO. ,br/> For the INGCA, too, it is a project to showcase. "It is a massive initiative to promote inter-cultural and literary exchanges among the six languages. An effort of such a magnitude has never taken place in the country," said Prof A C Bhagabati, a former vice-chancellor of Arunachal University who is currently regional head of the IGNCA. The stories in each language were first translated into English, following which they were translated into the other five languages by a team comprising scholars in each language. "It was an experience I will never forget. And, believe me, though we live so close to the Assamese people, we hardly had the opportunity to read the beautiful Assamese folktales until I got involved in this project," said Daphinda War, a Khasi writer who teaches English at St Edmund's College in Shillong. Meghalaya and Mizoram, incidentally, were districts of Assam till 1972, with Shillong also having been Assam's capital for 98 years. One of Assam's books is Burhi Aair Sadhu, legendary in the state. The first collection of Assamese folktales by Lakshminath Bezbaroa completed 100 years last November. "It is just a coincidence that the centenary of Burhi Aair Sadhu came by. But then this project can be also called an accidental tribute to the pioneering collection," said Bhagabati. It was also an occasion for writers from these communities to meet and work together. "I did not know that there were so many wonderful folktales in the Bodo language spoken by our Bodo brethren within Assam itself until I became part of this project," said octogenerian author Tultul Barua. "There are very few collections of stories in Manipuri especially intended for children," said Tyanjam Bijoykumar Singh of Imphal. Singh is looking forward to what children will get access to once the books are translated. "It will open up a new world for them... most of us do not understand each other's languages in the Northeast," said Singh. A specialist member in the initiative is Arup Kumar Dutta, one of India's most prolific children's writers, and who was once described as "India's own Enid Blyton" by Khuswant Singh after his series of adventure stories beginning with Kaziranga Trail had earned global acclaim in the early 1980s. "The whole process, right from selecting stories from the six languages to translating them, was like a rediscovery of the colourful multi-ethnic heritage of the Northeastern region. And once these books are brought out in English (which is not included in the current project), the rest of the world will also get an interesting insight into the world of children literature in the region," he said. ,br/> URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/6-times-6-translates-into-180-all-childrens-stories/940525/0

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

The writer self-image

BY SHANNON MCKELDEN We all have a self-image. This isn’t necessarily an accurate portrayal of what is true, but how we perceive ourselves, which is made up of all kinds of things from our past to our parents, our experiences and our interpretations. One of the most detrimental things to us being Happy Writers can be a negative writing self-image. Whatever your self-image is, your behavior will remain true to it almost all the time. Which means, if you think of yourself as a bad writer, that self-image dictates how you behave and your behavior reinforces your self-image. We also tend to remain in the “comfort zone” of our self-image, even if it’s negative. A writer with a poor writing self-image, who then achieves a fast rise to the top of the bestseller lists, can come crashing down even more quickly, as they are uncomfortable with the contrast of the stardom to the self-image they have. Their behavior pulls them back to “where they belong.” Their self-image comfort zone. Self-image = Who we are AFRAID we are. Think about that. Your self-image may be that you are a terrible writer. If you care about how well you write, then you put a lot of emotion behind the FEAR that that self-image may be true. (If you weren’t an aspiring writer, you wouldn’t be afraid of being a terrible writer, because it wouldn’t mean much to you.) But we do care. So, the idea that we really might be a terrible writer — our self-image — terrifies us. We don’t take into consideration that we have written some wonderful things. The good sentences tend to not affect our self-image as much as the bad sentences, right? Published authors may get dozens of great reviews, but that one bad review will have them desperately considering applying to flip burgers at Mickey D’s. Because it points to our terror that we are actually living up to our self-image. How you think of yourself is transmitted to others, too, who will reinforce your self-image. You give off visual, verbal and emotional clues to — not WHO you are — but to your self-image. Who you BELIEVE you are. How others subsequently treat you then “confirms” for you that this must be the way you are. “You are constantly letting other people know how to treat you by the way you treat yourself.”- – Paul McKenna, Ph.D., I attended a writing workshop a few years ago, and the instructor had us doing some exercises and then sharing them with the class. There was one writer there who spent much of the day making self-deprecating remarks about her writing abilities. “Oh, you won’t want to read this. Sounds like a 5-year-old wrote it.” “Better not call on me for this exercise…unless you want to show what NOT to do.” This went on much of the day, and she got quite a few laughs along the way, though I know it made some of us uncomfortable because we didn’t know what to say. Two weeks after the class, she finaled in the top three of a pretty prestigious writing contest. So why, if she was a good enough writer to final in a contest known for being a quality contest, was she constantly putting her writing down? My guess is that it was because of her self-image that she was a bad writer. She was terrified that it might be true, and she covered it up with humor. She might suck at writing, but she could get a good laugh. Unfortunately, her portrayal of herself as a bad writer, if done in the wrong company — like to an editor or agent — would likely lead to a rejection. After all, if a writer doesn’t have confidence in their own writing, why should anyone else? And each rejection earned on the basis of that lack of self-confidence just reinforces that self-image of being a lousy writer. So how do you change your writer self-image? Here’s a few steps you can take to help boost your self-image:

1) Notice where your self-image is negative. If you find yourself thinking (or saying out loud) that you suck at writing or that you’ll never be published…start by just taking notice of this. No judgment. Just notice.
2) Ask yourself where you may have developed this belief. Has someone told you in the past that you suck, at writing or anything else? Or have you placed a self-imposed time frame on yourself to become published that you haven’t met?
3) Notice how your own actions, words, etc., may encourage others to reinforce your negative self-image. Do you put yourself down to others? Even asking for critiques on something that’s not your best work can end up back-firing when iews,the critique points out where you need work.
4) Challenge your negative feelings. If, for example, you’ve pinpointed some of the cause of your negative self-image to the lack of support of family members, who point out that you’ll “never make it,” realize that they are not the utmost authority. We can do anything we put our minds to, as long as we don’t give up. Dispute — even just to yourself — any negative opinions others have about you. List the reasons THEY might be wrong about you.
5) Stop yourself. Call a halt to the behaviours you have that encourage others to agree with your poor self-image. Don’t belittle your writing efforts out loud EVER. If you can’t say anything nice about yourself, don’t say anything at all.
6) Notice the good stuff. You can turn your negative self-image into a positive one by noticing the good you do, the improvements you make, or even the areas outside of writing in which you excel. If you have learned to be a great parent, you can just as easily learn to be a great writer. (Pretty sure any parent would agree that raising kids is MUCH more difficult than writing a book!)
7) Practice being the writer you want to be. Defy your negative beliefs by being the opposite. If your self-image tells you you’re a lousy writer, then practice being a great writer. Sit down with the intention of being an awesome writer just for today. That doesn’t mean writing to perfection first try, because that’s not what being a great writer is about (it’s all in the editing…ask any writer!). It means that, just for this moment, you put your negative self-image in time-out and you play only with the positive writer inside you. It’s much more fun, believe me!
Hopefully, some of those tips will get you start improving your writing self-image.