K.M. Munshi, the author of The Lord and Master of Gujarat, was a freedom fighter, politician, lawyer and the founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. He wrote numerous novels, dramas and non-fiction works in Gujarati and several works in English.
He joined the Swaraj party briefly but returned to Indian National Congress at the time of the launch of Salt Satyagraha at Gandhi’s behest.
Here are seven more things you didn’t know about him.
The adventures of Arjun Arora by Ankush Saikia
For all of us who are fans of Ankush Saikia’s work are familiar with the famed private detective, Arjun Arora. Arjun Arora, appearing again in Saika’s new book More Bodies Will Fall has had an interesting journey to where he is today. The author and creator of Arjun Arora gives us a glimpse into his own life and the inspiration that gave birth and character to our very own; Arjun Arora. Let’s take a look!
———————————
I lived in Delhi for 14 years, from 1997 till 2011. I first reached Delhi by train—a two-day journey in sleeper class on the North East Express—and 14 years later departed by plane—by then air travel had been affordable for many years. 1997 was the year the first PVR cinema opened in Delhi (in Saket), and I still remember travelling by Blue line buses and waiting at the AIIMS crossing (long since replaced by a cloverleaf flyover, with strange steel installations at the bottom). Some of these details I was to later give Arjun Arora in his reminiscences.
I went from student to working professional in that time, from living with roommates to living on my own, and published a slim novel about a decade after landing in the capital. As I got to know the city better, roaming around it on my motorcycle (a second-hand Yamaha RX100 at first), I had this idea of writing something dark set in the city, something that captured the violence inherent in the city, that looked at its various layers of inhabitants: the businessmen, the fixers, the politicians, the bureaucrats, the call-centre employees, the migrant workers, the middle-class colonies. It was just recently, while reading Capital by Rana Dasgupta, that I saw the non-fictional equivalent, so to speak, of what I was trying to do.
But I couldn’t do anything while in Delhi. My desk job which tired me out, my lack of experience in writing my own books—I was blocked. I do remember an idea for a detective I had, an ex-army officer who loses a foot (or was it a hand?) in a grenade explosion in Kashmir, and who turns to investigating as a career after quitting the army. But that was all it remained as, an idea. It was only after returning to the North East, to Shillong, and having written a noir thriller set in this hill town (The Girl From Nongrim Hills, Penguin India 2013) that I felt ready to write that Delhi book.
I would have liked to do a book with a policeman in it. I had a little experience of police stations and policemen during my 14 years in the city, but not so much that I could start writing a book on them. I would have had to do research, but I was stuck in Shillong, where my wife had just had a baby boy. So, I made the protagonist a detective, with only the knowledge that there were detectives in Delhi, people who operated in their own ways, as there was no legislation covering them. The detective might have initially been Bunty Chawla, Arora’s college friend, and someone totally opposite to the brooding detective. But I soon realised I needed someone with a haunted past to make the darkness of Delhi work in the book.
As for that bit of Arora’s past as a mercenary in Iraq where he narrowly escapes being beheaded—I had before leaving Delhi written a somewhat fantastical thriller involving an American mercenary and two beautiful Indian–Pakistani twin sisters, a sort of a cross between James Hadley Chase and An Evening in Paris. The book was never published, but I took the American’s experiences in the opening chapter in Iraq and reworked them a bit for Arora. He also had, typically, a divorced wife, besides a teenage daughter, and a flat in Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park—where I had myself lived in a barsati room for about 5 years. The plotting didn’t come easily at first, but I soon got the hang of it.
As for the topics, in Dead Meat I made use of the real-life tandoor murder case, a corruption case involving a railways minister, and match-fixing in T20 cricket, along with the character of a psychopathic butcher. In the next, Remember Death, I visited the Mumbai film industry of the 1960s, especially the interesting back-stories of some of the actresses of that era, and threw a psychopathic god man into the mix. Arjun Arora narrowly escapes with his life in both books, and in the third book, More Bodies Will Fall, follows the trail of a girl’s murder to North East India.
I knew from the beginning that I wanted Arora to get back to the North East—where he had grown up, and later served in the army—to solve a crime: the murder of a girl from the North East in Delhi was in my mind right from the start. It took time to do the research. I visited Delhi twice after I had left the city, and the first time I was there I looked up a couple of girls from the North East working in the clothing stores in Hauz Khas Village (besides meeting a couple of actual detectives), and the second time talked to a SHO and an inspector in a Delhi police station. But there was more to be done—several trips to Nagaland and Manipur, where I did a couple of feature stories to help with my research.
And it was on a trip to the Mizoram–Myanmar border in Champhai district that the last remaining link of the story, the burgeoning drug trade across the open border, fell into place. More Bodies Will Fall took a while to write, and then edit with my publishers, but it’s been well received so far by readers and critics, and for me is hugely satisfying in that all the research paid off in the end. Where does Arora go from here? We’ll have to see.
I personally feel I need to take a break from the character. There were elements of me in the character of the detective, and as I wrote the three books over a period of 5 years, I sometimes felt that other elements from the character were being absorbed into me, altering my personality almost, somewhat like an actor living with a role for too long. So we’ll let Arora be for now: tomorrow is another day.
Ha Ha Hu Hu: Reasons to Make This Your Next Read
Viswanadha Satyanarayana (1895–1976) is regarded as one of the most important writers and poets of the Telugu canon. He was the first Telugu writer to win the Jnanpith Award in 1971 and was also awarded the Padma Bhushan.
Ha Ha Hu Hu; A Horse-Headed God in Trafalgar Square contains two novellas by him, Ha Ha Hu Hu: A Horse-Headed God in Trafalgar Square and Vishnu Sharma Learns English and is translated by Velcheru Narayana Rao.
Ha Ha Hu Hu tells the delightful tale of an extraordinary creature that mysteriously appears in London one fine morning, causing considerable excitement and consternation among the city’s denizens.
In the hilarious satire Vishnu Sharma Learns English, a Telugu lecturer is visited in a dream by the medieval poet Tikanna and the ancient scholar Vishnu Sharma with an unusual request: they want him to teach them English!
Here are a few reasons to make this your next read.
Discover India: Four Things your Little Ones Should Know about Uttarakhand
Mishki and Pushka have to come to visit Earth from their home planet Zoomba. They meet a sweet old man whom they call Daadu Dolma who shows them all the wonderful places in India.
They’re super excited because they are on their way to visit a state with magnificent mountains – Uttarakhand. They can’t wait to ski, build snowmen and have an amazing time.
While there, they learn these four things about Uttarakhand.
5 Thomas Hardy Books to Read Today
Thomas Hardy, born on 2 June 1840 is best known for his novels and poetry most of which are set in the semi made-up county of Wessex. His long career saw him go through many upheavals including World War I.“In Tenebris II”, he described himself as a poet “who holds that if way to the Better there be, it exacts a full look at the Worst.”
His novels and poetry are well known world over. As a writer he was sensitive to the future while alive to the past. His mother has often been described as the real guiding star of his early life. His father, a stonemason and fiddler, influenced him with his musicality.
Here are 5 of his books that you must read.
Woman Much Missed
After the death of his wife Emma, a grief-stricken Hardy wrote some of the best verse of his career. Moving and evocative, it ranks among the greatest elegiac poetry in the language.
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D’Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her ‘cousin’ Alec proves to be her downfall. With its sensitive depiction of the wronged Tess and powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, subtitled “A Pure Woman,” is one of the most moving and poetic of Hardy’s novels.
Under the Greenwood Tree
“Under the Greenwood Tree” is the story of the romantic entanglement between church musician, Dick Dewey, and the attractive new school mistress, Fancy Day. A pleasant romantic tale set in the Victorian era, “Under the Greenwood Tree” is one of Thomas Hardy’s most gentle and pastoral novels.
The Mayor of Casterbridge
In a fit of drunken anger, Michael Henchard sells his wife and baby daughter for five guineas at a country fair. Over the course of the following years, he manages to establish himself as a respected and prosperous pillar of the community of Casterbridge, but behind his success there always lurk the shameful secret of his past and a personality prone to self-destructive pride and temper. Subtitled “A Story of a Man of Character,” Hardy’s powerful and sympathetic study of the heroic but deeply flawed Henchard is also an intensely dramatic work, tragically played out against the vivid backdrop of a close-knit Dorsetshire town.
Two on a Tower
In this tale of star-crossed love, Hardy sets the emotional lives of his two lovers against the background of the stellar universe. This is Hardy’s most complete treatment of the theme of love across the class and age divide and the fullest expression of his fascination with science and astronomy.
The Puffin Summer Reading Challenge is a real treat for your child!
Happy summer vacation! Days filled with travelling, yummy treats and a lot of free time are officially here. To continue your child’s learning and build their interests further, we came up with a fun reading challenge your child will absolutely love.This can be a springboard for helping your kids choose books on topics that arouse their curiosity from fun and easy puzzles , exploring the wild life to solving mysteries.
So challenge your child to read all of these top-recommended books that guarantee a great learning and fun experience!
The Ammuchi Puchi by Sharanya Manivannan
Aditya and Anjali love listening to their grandmother’s stories, particularly the scary one about the ghost in the tree. But the night their grandmother passes away, all her stories seem to lose their meaning. Then something happens that is more mysterious and magical than any story. Could their grandmother still be with them after all? Stunningly illustrated and told in gorgeous, poetic prose, this is a poignant and moving story about bereavement and healing.
My First Word Search by Eden Greenberg
Solving simple puzzles can feel like a game to a child. But while they’re enjoying themselves, they can also build their word-recognition and reading skills. As they go through the this book, young readers will happily find the very first words that they need to know—ones that relate to their everyday life and surroundings: different foods, holidays, common household items and, of course, those special things they love, like the circus.
Chocolate Cake by Michael Rosen
Fantastically funny and full of silly noises, this is Michael Rosen’s love letter to every child’s favourite treat, chocolate cake. Brought to life as a picture book for the first time with brilliant and characterful illustrations by Kevin Waldron.
Mummy Fairy and Me by Sophie Kinsella
Ella’s family have a big secret . . . her mummy is a fairy! She can do amazing spells with her computawand to make delicious cupcakes, create the perfect birthday party and cause chaos at the supermarket. But sometimes the spells go a bit wrong and that’s when Ella comes to the rescue! Magic and mayhem in this sweet and funny new series for 5-7 year olds from global bestselling author Sophie Kinsella.
The Wild Pack by Andre Marx and Boris Pfeiffer
Hamlet, a spirited young wolf, escapes the zoo to search for the Wild Pack—a band of animals living in abandoned rail tunnels and caves under the city. They have only one goal: to be free once again. But instead of the bold animals that he was expecting to encounter, Hamlet finds a scraggy, ragtag bunch. Will he be able to motivate the animals to help him rescue his friend, the gorilla, from the zoo?
The Paradise Flycatcher by Deepak Dalal
The Rose Garden’s beloved squirrel, Shikar-Snowdrop to young Mitalee-has vanished without a trace. No one can find him! Last seen in the company of a paradise flycatcher-a stunning bird with a long white tail-he has left no other trail. So, to save their friend, the loyal bird gang must fly to distant forests to track down the glamorous creature, who might just be able to help.
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
New York City girl Claudia, a mere month shy of being a twelve-year-old, has resolved to run away from home with her younger brother, Jamie. She knows that she could never pull off the classic spur-of-the-moment departure without a destination; so she plans everything to perfection, including their destination: the grand Metropolitan Museum of Art. However, no sooner have Claudia and Jamie settled into their new home, they are caught up in the mystery of an angel statue bought by the museum for the bargain price of $225. Is it in fact an as yet undiscovered work by Michelangelo, worth millions? Claudia is determined to find out.
The Adventures of the Wishing-Chair by Enid Blyton
When Mollie and Peter go to buy their mother a birthday present, they discover the most extraordinary thing: a chair that can fly and grant wishes! The Wishing-Chair takes them on some marvellous adventures – to a castle where they narrowly escape from a giant and rescue Binky the pixie, to the Land of Dreams, and to a disappearing island!
The Mystery of the Munroe Island by Satyajit Ray
Join Professor Trilokeshwar Shonku, eccentric genius and scientist, on an incredible world tour as he confronts a daring doppelganger,undertakes an experiment to create pure gold, unravels the mystery of a scientist’s loss of memory and visits an unknown island to look for an amazing fruit, amongst other escapades.
The Curious Case of the Sweet and Spicy Sweetshop by Nandini Nayar
Making and selling sweets day after day is the life of Vishnudas Mithaiwala, the owner of The Sweet and Spicy Sweetshop. However, when Laddoo appears at his doorstep one night, claiming to be his estranged sister Revati’s son, Vishnu’s life is thrown into confusion. More craziness ensues when Anu turns up, also insisting that she’s Revati’s child! And Laddoo, worried about his parents, who have suddenly disappeared, is thrown another curveball-he senses a ghostly presence in the house!
The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz
1242. On a dark night, travelers from across France cross paths at an inn and begin to tell stories of three children: William, an oblate on a mission from his monastery; Jacob, a Jewish boy who has fled his burning village; and Jeanne, a peasant girl who hides her prophetic visions. They are accompanied by Jeanne’s loyal greyhound, Gwenforte . . . recently brought back from the dead. As the narrator collects their tales, the story of these three unlikely allies begins to come together.
The Polar Bear Explorer’s Club by Alex Bell
Join Stella Starflake Pearl and her three fellow explorers as they trek across the snowy Icelands and come face-to-face with frost fairies, snow queens, outlaw hideouts, unicorns, pygmy dinosaurs and carnivorous cabbages . . . When Stella and three other junior explorers get separated from their expedition can they cross the frozen wilderness and live to tell the tale?
7 Things you Didn’t know about Prestige’s Pressure Cooker
Did you know that India makes 15 million pressure cookers each year, and TTK Prestige accounts for a staggering 5 million of them? But achieving this feat for the TTK group wasn’t easy. The success of prestige pressure cooker follows an extraordinary journey where Prestige fought off bankruptcy and rose to become a highly profitable entity. The book Disrupt and Conquer: How TTK Prestige Became A Billion Dollar Company reveals how TTK Prestige set about turning its fortunes around in stunning comebacks, time and again.
Here are 7 things that you should know about the all-time staple of the Indian kitchen – The Prestige Cooker.
5 Things you didn't know about the Laughter Yoga Club movement
It was 4 a.m. on 13 March 1995 when the idea of laughter yoga came to Dr. Madan Kataria. He was excited and, three hours later, hurried to the public park where he went for a morning walk everyday. He tried to convince a few regular walkers about the importance of laughter and the idea to start a laughter club. Four out of four hundred people agreed.
Laughter yoga is a revolutionary idea: simple and profound. A practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter, it is based on scientific studies that have concluded that such laughter offers the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter.
Here are 5 things you didn’t know about the Laughter Yoga Club Movement.
A Walk through Hasan’s World in A Day in the Life
Anjum Hasan is the author of three novels-The Cosmopolitans (shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award), Neti Neti (shortlisted for the Hindu Best Fiction Award) and Lunatic in My Head (shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award)-as well as a book of short stories. Her latest, A Day in the Life, has quixotic nonconformists in small towns and young newly-weds trying to keep up with the times; a forlorn retiree helpless in the face of contemporary anger and a middle-class woman’s bond with her maid. With fourteen well-crafted stories, Hasan gives us a sense of the daily life of a wide cast of characters.
Let’s walk through some of her stories.
Still Me by Jojo Moyes – An Excerpt
Jojo Moyes, the author of bestsellers Me Before You and After You brings the third Lou Clark novel, Still Me. The third book sees Lou arrive in New York to start a new life. What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to meet someone who’s going to turn her whole life upside down. Because Josh will remind her so much of a man she used to know that it’ll hurt. Lou won’t know what to do next, but she knows that whatever she chooses is going to change everything.
Let’s read an excerpt from the book, Still Me.
———–
‘Reasons for travel, ma’am?’ The moustache twitched with irritation. He added, slowly: ‘What are you doing here in the United States?’
‘I have a new job.’
‘Which is?’
‘I’m going to work for a family in New York. Central Park.’
Just briefly, the man’s eyebrows might have raised a millimetre. He checked the address on my form, confirming it.
‘What kind of job?’
‘It’s a bit complicated. But I’m sort of a paid companion.’
‘A paid companion.’
‘It’s like this. I used to work for this man. I was his companion, but I would also give him his meds and take him out and feed him. That’s not as weird as it sounds, by the way – he had no use of his hands. It wasn’t like something pervy. Actually in my last job it ended up as more than that, because it’s hard not to get close to people you look after and Will – the man – was amazing and we . . . Well, we fell in love.’ Too late, I felt the familiar welling of tears. I wiped my eyes briskly. ‘So I think it’ll be sort of like that. Except for the love bit. And the feeding.’
The immigration officer was staring at me. I tried to smile. ‘Actually, I don’t normally cry talking about jobs. I’m not like an actual lunatic, despite my name. Hah! But I loved him. And he loved me. And then he . . . Well, he chose to end his life. So this is sort of my attempt to start over.’ The tears were now leaking relentlessly, embarrassingly, from the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t seem to stop them. I couldn’t seem to stop anything. ‘Sorry. Must be the jetlag. It’s something like two o’clock in the morning in normal time, right? Plus I don’t really talk about him anymore. I mean, I have a new boyfriend. And he’s great! He’s a paramedic! And hot! That’s like winning the boyfriend lottery, right? A hot paramedic?’
I scrabbled around in my handbag for a tissue. When I looked up the man was holding out a box. I took one. ‘Thank you. So, anyway, my friend Nathan – he’s from New Zealand – works here and he helped me get this job and I don’t really know what it involves yet, apart from looking after this rich man’s wife who gets depressed. But I’ve decided this time I’m going to live up to what Will wanted for me, because I didn’t get it right, before. I just ended up working in an airport.’
I froze. ‘Not – uh – that there’s anything wrong with working at an airport! I’m sure immigration is a very important job. Really important. But I have a plan. I’m going to do something new every week that I’m here and I’m going to say yes.’
‘Say yes?’
‘To new things. Will always said I shut myself off from new experiences. So this is my plan.’
The officer studied my paperwork. ‘You didn’t fill the address section out properly. I need a zip code.’
He pushed the form towards me. I checked the number on the sheet that I had printed out and filled it in with trembling fingers. I glanced to my left, where the queue at my section was growing restive. At the front of the next queue a Chinese family was being questioned by two officials. As the woman protested, they were led into a side room. I felt suddenly very alone.
The immigration officer peered at the people waiting. And then, abruptly, he stamped my passport. ‘Good luck, Louisa Clark,’ he said.
I stared at him. ‘That’s it?’
‘That’s it.’
I smiled. ‘Oh, thank you! That’s really kind. I mean, it’s quite weird being on the other side of the world by yourself for the first time, and now I feel a bit like I just met my first nice new person and –’
‘You need to move along now, ma’am.’
‘Of course. Sorry.’
I gathered up my belongings and pushed a sweaty frond of hair from my face.
‘And, ma’am . . .’
‘Yes?’ I wondered what I had got wrong now.
He didn’t look up from his screen. ‘Be careful what you say yes to.’
————-
