Author: Neelima

This author has written 198 articles

Light and Letters @ BYOB Party in April 2017 (Part 7)

Shruti continued with the Jerry Pinto theme, having spoken about  Em and the Big Hoom at one of the previous BYOB Parties. She then found another book on mental health issues compiled by Pinto called A Book of Light: When a Loved One Has a Different Mind. He wrote the foreword for the book as well. What he found difficult about the process was getting the stories right. It’s one thing to tell a story and quite another to put these painful real-life incidents into print. So he kept checking the facts, making sure that the people whose stories were published did not have to compromise with their emotions. So there was a very human side to the making of this book.  Even arriving at the title was extremely difficult. Shruti outlined many painful incidents in the book. Reading the stories of those whose family members faced mental health crises, she was inspired to appreciate her every day as for some people the every day is filled with impossible battles that can not be won, just endured. It is difficult to read this book in a stretch, she says, and also a tad disturbing.

Arup got a book called Letters to a Young Poet by the renown poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. The book comprises ten letters Rilke wrote to Franz Xaver Kappus, a 19-year-old officer cadet at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt. The duo corresponded about all matters poetry and it Kappus who eventually compiled and published the letters three years after Rilke died of leukemia.

Here is the content of one letter:

You ask whether your verses are any good. You ask me. You have asked others before this. You send them to magazines. You compare them with other poems, and you are upset when certain editors reject your work. Now (since you have said you want my advice) I beg you to stop doing that sort of thing. You are looking outside, and that is what you should most avoid right now. No one can advise or help you – no one. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself.

More letters here and more books in Part 8.

World Order and Reader’s Digest @ BYOB Party in April 2017 (Part 6)

Pratyush talked about controversial politician cum articulate author Henry Kissinger’s World Order. The book charts out in chapters dedicated to different parts of the world how the concept of world order actually evolved by trial and error. While once city states were in perpetual conflict, a time came in the history of each region when order became a necessary evil. Even now there are conflicting ideas of what world order means and maintaining peace among differing ideologies is a balancing act hard to attain. In China, the emperor tied the threads of disparate parts of the nation. In  Rome, the idea of civilization being the factor that controlled what was called barbarism took hold, giving the Senate a higher moral ground and justifying their conquest. Again in the US, the perception is that democracy and free speech have guided its policies.

An interesting discussion ensued about how controlling the port of Antwerp led to the creation of Belgium. Abhaya saw a parallel to this in the dispute between Maharashtra and Gujarat over the cosmopolitan Mumbai. The conversation also went on to how in ancient India, states followed a policy of collaborations based on concentric circles. Who was the closest to the circumference of your state was watched with suspicion and those further away were considered as allies. Kissinger’s interpretation of world order was a fresh breath of air for Pratyush and he recommends the book.

Sunny brought along a light read yet again, this time a collection of stories by Reader’s Digest or what is called the Reader’s Digest Select Edition.  The Reader’s Digest magazine evokes many memories, especially for those who read the editions all through the 70’s and the 80’s. Those who have read it have enjoyed Humor in Unform, All in a Day’s Work, etc. Book excerpts were usually published in the last section. I dug up an interesting history of this once fascinating digest. If you wish to ‘recall the glory days of the Reader’s Digest’, check this link.

This particular edition, an Australian one, of abridged books comprised The King of Torts by John Grisham, A Week in Winter by Marcia Willett, The Last Detective by Robert Crais and Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray.

John Grisham tells the story of a young, ambitious lawyer, Clay Carter, who succumbs to the lure of money and becomes a tort lawyer, highly successful in suing large companies. But his success doesn’t last. Marcia Willet deals with a family tragedy and how the character Maudie Todhunter handles it. Robert Crais tells the story of his protagonist Elvis Cole, featuring his personal and professional relationships in his cinematic fast-paced style. Jeanne Ray talks about the changing dynamics of familial power and how baking turns a failed business into a successful enterprise.

Sunny added a self-help takeaway from this edition. Since the books dealt with professionals like disgruntled lawyers, troubled detectives and failed businessmen, he mentioned how important human interaction and validation of your peers is at the workplace. After all, we are more than professionals and not the algorithms that the readers had discussed. He also talked about karma at the workplace, how you can be the King of Torts but how it will come back to you again as karma is real.

More books in Part 7.

Norse Gods and Assamese Short Stories @ BYOB Party in April 2017 (Part 5)

Akshay got a book called Norse Mythology by the celebrated writer, Neil Gaiman. While in Indian mythology, a great deal of writing and interpretation has been made of mythical characters, not many are familiar with the Norse gods. Whatever we know of Norse mythology is circumscribed by Marvel’s depiction of Loki and Thor. Gaiman goes on an odyssey in the Norse world showing readers how the nine worlds were formed, how Odin got his knowledge and the story of valhalla.  “It’s the kind of book that leaves you wanting more,” Akshay said. It seems to be by far the ‘lightest’ book he has got to the BYOB Party.

Amrita spoke about a book translated from Assamese. A Game of Chess is a collection of short stories compiled by Dhirendra Nath. Amrita enjoyed the substance of the stories and felt that they would be appealing to anyone curious about Northeast India. However, she observed that unlike many translations she had read of writers from other languages, this attempt was closer to a transliteration than a translation.

“It’s strange how foreign writers always have better translators,” she said. A famous translator was mentioned to dispel her disappointment- Arunava Sinha is probably the best translator there is right now in the subcontinent, said another reader.

“But the themes stand out- lonely women, anxious fathers and changing times. As far as translations go, even a writer like Tagore’s work is never justified by a worthy translation. Pick up the book if you are looking for a nice easy read.”

More books coming up.

Poetry, Migration and Andaman @ BYOB Party in April 2017 (Part 4)

Sreeraj also mentioned two poetry books by contemporary British poets. Answering Back: Living poets reply to the poetry of the past by Carol Ann Duffy is a compilation of poet responses to poems of the past. Poets of the now speak to poets of then and the ensuing conversation is a beautiful one.

Another poetry book Sreeraj mentioned was The Mara Crossing by Ruth Padel, great granddaughter of Charles Darwin. The book contains ninety richly textured poems on the broad theme of migration.  ‘We’re all from somewhere else,’ she begins, tracing the journeys of cells, trees, birds and beasts. “This is why I think that the idea of nationalism is weak,” Sreeraj said, “We emerge from somewhere and go elsewhere. Life is all about journeys, all about migration.”

I remember reading this wondrous book a while ago- you can go through the review here.

Apurba read The Last Wave, an Island Novel by Pankaj Sekhsaria, a journalist who has reported extensively on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The story is about how the protagonist Harish who has taken up a research job in Port Blair meets Seema, a native of the islands who studied in JNU and has returned home. The novel deals with many themes including the conflict that globalization poses in the islands, illegal immigration from Bangladesh and the Jarawa tribal community.

“The reason this book spoke to me was the setting,” Apurba said. “Most Indian English literature today is about the cities- Mumbai, Delhi, South Delhi…very few books are set in remote places and now particularly because we don’t read as much vernacular literature anymore, these kind of books are very refreshing. Take the books by Mahasweta Devi, for instance,” Apurba said.

Jaya also seconded Apurba about the thirst that the present generation has for books replete with remote geography. “If you want to know about Sikkim, Chetan Raj Shrestha’s is a fantastic author to consider.” The discussion went on to the importance of reading serialized versions of translated vernacular literature in Malayalam and the states in India where the literary scene is particularly vibrant.

If you want to get a flavor of Pankaj Sekhsaria’s prose, read this.

Cyber Psyche and Bureaucratic Algorithms @ BYOB Party in April 2017 (Part 3)

In today’s screen age, the book that Sreeraj talked about is pertinent. The Cyber Effect: A Pioneering Cyberpsychologist Explains How Human Behavior Changes Online by Mary Aiken, the world’s leading expert in forensic cyberpsychology, talks about how the cyber world is intruding on our way of life, the minds of our children and the way people interact or not with each other. From the madness of trolling to excessive sexting, Aiken navigates the corridors of cyber crime and addictive behavior. The book is not academic in flavor but goes on a case by case basis, providing stats and trends that may want us to shut down our laptops for a while and rethink appeasing our children with digital tablets.

Ralph mentioned a companion book to this called Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O’Neil. The book talks about how algorithms that are making life simpler by helping make decisions about whom to give a loan or a scholarship to are as biased as people. On one hand, there’s the view that engineers need to be empathetic as their biases rub off in the algorithms they create. But the problem is not so clear cut. Data-driven decisions are based on what the mathematical models are learning continuously. While biases are inevitable, algorithms end up being the new bureaucracy.

“Be afraid,” Jaya said.

More books in Part 4.

Seeds of Disaster and Lords of Finance @ BYOB Party in April 2017 (Part 2)

Ralph found yet another academic book called Seeds of Disaster, Roots of Response: How Private Action Can Reduce Public Vulnerability edited by Philip E. Auerswald. The book is the first systematic attempt to make sense of how private leadership can provide critical services during bad times. The book stresses the importance of both the public and private sectors joining hands as a prerequisite to accountability in society. The book presents multiple perspectives and draws on experts from various disciplines. Ralph drew on his observations of crises in India and the fallacy of resilience as a tool to mitigate disaster.

One book Mandar was particularly inspired by was Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed, a writer of Pakistani origin. The book was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize in 2009. The book delves into the economic recession of the 1930s that led to WWII. He speaks of the four central bankers of the premier banks of the world who mismanaged the crises since the 1920s which ultimately led to the Great Depression. He also mentions how John Maynard Keynes’ economic predictions were conveniently ignored for the sake of short-term interests. Mandar mused about how there are many lessons in this book for dealing with the current economic crises, though as is usually the case, history tends to repeat itself. Mandar read out an interesting passage from the book about remonetization:

“The task of keeping Germany adequately supplied with currency notes became a major logistical operation involving ‘133 printing works with 1783 machines . . . and more than 30 paper mills.’  By 1923, the inflation had acquired a momentum of its own, creating an ever-accelerating appetite for currency that the Reichsbank, even after conscripting private printers, could not meet. In a country already flooded with paper, there were even complaints of a shortage of money in municipalities, so towns and private companies began to print their own notes. Over the next few months, Germany ex-perienced the single greatest destruction of monetary value in human history. By August 1923, a dollar was worth 620,000 marks and by early November 1923, 630 billion.

Basic necessities were now priced in the billions—a kilo of butter cost 250 billion; a kilo of bacon 180 billion; a simple ride on a Berlin street car, which had cost 1 mark before the war, was now set at 15 billion. Even though currency notes were available in denominations of up to 100 billion marks, it took whole sheaves to pay for anything. The country was awash with currency notes, carried around in bags, in wheelbarrows, in laundry baskets and hampers, even in baby carriages.”

Ralph mentioned another financial story called Fault Line: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy by Raghuram Rajan (Governor of the Reserve Bank of India between September 2013 and September 2016) who warned about the impending financial crises before it occurred. Raghuram exposed not just the central bankers but the chinks in the economy and spending habits that could lead to such crises. This is the first time that we have had such an extensive discussion of financial books at the BYOB Party and it opened up the need to understand the economy better. A sick economy once nurtured Nazism and could only be cured by the ensuing destruction of a World War and now the financial crises that plague the world reflect directly in a realpolitik and the rise of populism world over. Food for thought.

More books in Part 3.

Hindi Poetry and Dialogs with God @ BYOB Party in April 2017 (Part 1)

The session kicked off with a Hindi poetry book, Kuchh Ishq Kiya Kuchh Kaam Kiya, by Piyush Mishra, an Indian film and theater actor, music director, lyricist, singer, scriptwriter. Being a part of Bollywood, his writing is popular, Jay observed. It is very difficult otherwise for an unknown writer of poetry to be read and enjoyed. Since Mishra is one who has seen life in all its facets, his writing is informed by experience and the contemporary life. His style is to the point and devoid of unnecessary frills. Ari read out a couple of poems and the BYOB party took on an air of lyricism.

Archana spoke about a series that she was impressed by for its therapeutic and cathartic value- Conversations with God, a sequence of books, running up to three-thousand pages, written by Neale Donald Walsch where Walsch asks questions and God answers. Walsch wrote the book during a low period in his life when he was looking for answers.The first book published in 1995 became a publishing phenomenon, staying on the New York Times Best-Sellers List for 135 weeks.

Here is an interview with the author in case you want to listen to some words of wisdom from a spiritual messenger, where he talks about fundamental spiritual questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwH8LOkugzE.

Abhaya mentioned that Muhammad Iqbal, a celebrated Urdu poet, has written two controversial books in a similar vein (this is much earlier, some time before the 1920s) called Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa. While the first part of the book addresses questions to God and attracted much ire from Muslim scholars, the second part was welcomed and praised.

More books in Part 2.

Bring Your Own Book (BYOB) Party on June 11, 2017 (Sunday)

RSVP on Meetup OR RSVP on Explara

RSVP on Meetup OR RSVP on Explara

 

This time the BYOB Party is on a Sunday. We also have a new venue in Uttarahalli, Bangalore, thanks to our co-host Meera.

Have you read a book and are craving to chitchat about it with someone? Have a favorite book that you think everyone would love, if only they knew about it? Want to see what others are reading and have interesting conversations beyond weather, traffic, and real estate?

Then come to the BYOB party and talk away! Try to avoid a bestseller and if you have a copy, bring it along and read us a passage. All languages are welcome.

There will be refreshments and swags courtesy Worth A Read.

Venue:

Meera Iyer’s Residence
D-804 Chartered Beverly Hills
Gubbalala
Uttarahalli
Bangalore 560 061

FAQs

So, what really happens at a BYOB Party?

Everyone brings a book and talks about it. Conversations follow and they are good. So are the refreshments!

You can take a look at what happened in some of our earlier parties here:

Do I have to be there for the entire duration of four hours?

We aren’t closing doors or locking you in. But the party is best enjoyed if you are there for the entire duration and listen to people talk about a variety of books. Trust us, you won’t know how time flew.

Do I have to bring anything?

Nothing really. But if you have a copy of the book you want to talk about, you might want to bring it in. Other attendees might want to have a look, or you might want to read a paragraph from it.

I am an author. Can I bring a book written by me?

A good writer should be a voracious reader. It would be preferable if you brought a book you really like written by someone else.

Who are the organizers?

Worth a Read

I have more questions. Who do I contact?

Shoot an e-mail to jayajha@instascribe.com.

Okay! I am ready to come. What do I do?

Join our meetup group, RSVP, and come over!

If you are not on meetup, you can also RSVP on Explara.

Bring Your Own Book (BYOB) Party on April 22, 2017 (Saturday)

RSVP on Meetup OR RSVP on Explara

BYOBApril2017(800x800)

RSVP on Meetup OR RSVP on Explara

Have you read a book and are craving to chitchat about it with someone? Have a favorite book that you think everyone would love, if only they knew about it? Want to see what others are reading and have interesting conversations beyond weather, traffic, and real estate?

Then come to the BYOB party and talk away! Try to avoid a bestseller and if you have a copy, bring it along and read us a passage. All languages are welcome.

There will be refreshments and swags courtesy Worth A Read.

Venue: Pothi.com, #634 (Ground Floor), 5th Main, Indiranagar 2nd Stage, Bangalore – 560038

FAQs

So, what really happens at a BYOB Party?

Everyone brings a book and talks about it. Conversations follow and they are good. So are the refreshments!

You can take a look at what happened in some of our earlier parties here:

Do I have to be there for the entire duration of four hours?

We aren’t closing doors or locking you in. But the party is best enjoyed if you are there for the entire duration and listen to people talk about a variety of books. Trust us, you won’t know how time flew.

Do I have to bring anything?

Nothing really. But if you have a copy of the book you want to talk about, you might want to bring it in. Other attendees might want to have a look, or you might want to read a paragraph from it.

I am an author. Can I bring a book written by me?

A good writer should be a voracious reader. It would be preferable if you brought a book you really like written by someone else.

Who are the organizers?

Worth a Read

I have more questions. Who do I contact?

Shoot an e-mail to jayajha@instascribe.com.

Okay! I am ready to come. What do I do?

Join our meetup group, RSVP, and come over!

If you are not on meetup, you can also RSVP on Explara.

Gift a Book Day

Today is Gift a Book Day! Don’t forget to gift a book to someone special! Send us your photos and experience at giftabookday@gmail.com.

giftabook-01

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