Jan-Feb 2014
short fiction
Idyllic Bagan
g karunakar
The Hatchery In Hell
ashwin shankar
Texas Shrine: The Alamo
sarah rand
Interview: Dr Prabhu
sunanda karnad
Stories / Poetry gary ives • m v swaroop • malcolm carvalho malini seshadri • michael sforza mohan kumar • nita bajoria • padma prasad shobhana kumar • vinay pandey
Vol 4 Issue 1
essays
64 Pages
verse
`50/-
reviews
Jan-Feb 2014 Vol 4 Issue 1 64 pages
short fiction essays verse reviews
Published, owned, and printed by Vaishali Khandekar, and printed at National Printing Press, 580, KR Garden, Koramangala, Bangalore-560095 Published at 177-B Classic Orchards, Bannerghatta Rd, Bangalore-560076 Editor: Vaishali Khandekar Editing Support: Arun Kumar, Manjushree Hegde Subscriptions, business enquiries, feedback: readinghour@differsense.com Ph: +91 80 26595745 Subscription Details: Print (within India only) or Electronic (PDF): Annual subscription Rs. 300/- (6 issues) 2 years subscription Rs. 600/- (12 issues) Payment via cheque / DD in favour of ‘Differsense Ventures LLP’ payable at Bangalore. Subscription form elsewhere in this issue. Online subscription: readinghour.in Submissions: editors@differsense.com Advertisers: Contact Arun Kumar at arunkumar@differsense.com / +91 98450 22991 Cover Idea: Satish Kumar Story Illustrations: Raghupathi Sringeri Disclaimer: Matter published in Reading Hour magazine is the work of individual writers who guarantee it to be entirely their own, and original work. Contributions to Reading Hour are largely creative, while certain articles are the writer’s own experiences or observations. The publishers accept no liability for them. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily represent the policies or positions of the publisher. The publishers intend no factual miscommunication, disrespect to, or incitement of any individual, community or enterprise through this publication. Copyright ©2013-2014 Differsense Ventures LLP. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this issue in any manner without prior written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Jan-Feb 2014 Vol 4 Issue 1
Editorial …Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime, The regrets of remembrance to cozen, And having obtained a New Trial of Time, Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen.” - Thomas Hood Hope the last dozen have been good for you, dear reader. Putting up a new calendar on one’s wall, is only that and nothing more, if we do not take the time to think: how have I grown this past year, what have I learned, what have I changed? While you ponder the question, we invite you to take a journey with the characters within these pages as they take stock of themselves in the face of what life hurls at them… Take the case of teacher Arthur Teak, in Some Teachers Have Happy Endings. Arthur, while motivating a student to chart a meaningful life’s course ends up questioning his own motivations in so doing, while the student ends up where she was perhaps always meant to. The protagonist of The Thirteenth Day, whose freewheeling life is shaken by a series of momentuous events comes to terms with them in his own way. Sometimes, life offers us the proverbial chance to stand in another’s shoes, but it isn’t everybody who pays heed and grabs it… does Mrs. Ramchandran? There’s young Purnima, chasing Rasgullas And Chowringhee Lane, whose tentative step into the adult world leaves her, as she thinks, shattered beyond repair… and those like Nestor, in The Hill That Had No Trees, who cannot account for their life’s experiences, and must weave elaborate cause-and-effect scenarios to hold onto what they have left. Part II of the Burma travelogue describes a visit to Idyllic Bagan. In stark contrast to the lush surroundings of Burma is The Hatchery In Hell, the second most inhospitable water body on earth, located in Africa’s Rift Valley; and yet, home to the greatest concentration of wildlife anywhere on the planet. Dr. Sunanda Karnad interviews Dr. Prabhu, who struggled to find a publisher for his first book, which then went on to sell 80,000 copies in its first edition. Here’s wishing our readers a year of discovery, enjoyment and growth. Happy reading, too! ~Editors facebook.com/readinghour readinghour.in 1
Contents essays
13
The Hatchery In Hell ashwin shankar
43
Idyllic Bagan
interview
27
Chatting With Dr Vithal Prabhu sunanda karnad
reviews 40
fiction 3
Some Teachers Have Happy Endings
9
Chilly Chicken
19
The Thirteenth Day
30
Mrs. Ramchandran
48
Rasgullas And Chowringhee Lane
54
The Hill That Had No Trees
2
36
g karunakar
gary ives
vinay pandey m v swaroop nita bajoria
Are you reading this?
Texas Shrine: The Alamo sarah rand
25
light stuff
60
last page
poetry 8
Submarine
24
Hall Of Mirrors
35
Missing In Action
53
The Poet
malcolm carvalho mohan kumar
shobhana kumar malini seshadri
padma prasad
michael sforza
Inside cover photo of Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in East Africa, courtesy Ashwin Shankar
Reading Hour
FICTION Some Teachers Have Happy Endings gary ives Gary lives in the Ozark Mountains where he grows apples and writes. He has published several short stories. In 2012 he was a nominee for the Push Cart Prize for his story “Can You Come Here For Christmas�.
FICTION Chilly Chicken vinay pandey Vinay is a software professional who likes writing fiction. He is an unapologetic day dreamer who aspires to swim in all oceans across the globe at least once.
POETRY
Submarine malcolm carvalho
Hall Of Mirrors mohan kumar
Missing In Action shobhana kumar
The Poet malini seshadri
Malcolm is a writer and software engineer in no particular order. He writes poetry and fiction, and is working on his second book while awaiting a publisher for his first. Mohan’s poems have appeared in leading literary journals in India. He has seven volumes of English poetry to his credit. He retired as Chief Secretary to the Government of Kerala. Shobhana’s first volume of poetry, ‘The Voices Never Stop’, was published by Writers Workshop, Kolkata in 2012. Her work has appeared in anthologies and national and international journals. Malini is a freelance writer-editor and former columnist based in Chennai. She has authored a children’s story book and coauthored value education textbooks.
Essay The Hatchery In Hell ashwin shankar Ashwin spent 9 years in Africa, doing software projects across several countries and visiting all the nature parks. He is presently based in Bangalore.
Fiction The Thirteenth Day m v swaroop Swaroop is a lawyer by day and Carnatic flautist in the early morning. He has written for several dailies, the Sruti magazine and other publications.
Interview Chatting With Dr Prabhu dr sunanda karnad Dr. Sunanda Karnad, Ph.D. Sociology, taught the subject for almost 40 years at the prestigious Elphinstone College, Mumbai. She has to her credit more than 20 text books in the subject. She has written for various publications on different issues. At 70, she got an M.A. in English Literature from Karnataka University, and is back to teaching. She enjoys travelling and meeting old friends, and belongs to the rapidly depleting minority that still prefers writing letters to email!
Fiction Mrs Ramchandran nita bajoria Nita lives in Kolkata. After 10 years of manufacturing kitchens, she switched to writing to fulfil a long-held passion.
Essay Texas Shrine: The Alamo sarah rand Sarah lives in Houston, USA. A psychiatrist by profession, she indulges her love for people and nature though travel and writing.
Essay Idyllic Bagan g karunakar Karunakar is an advocate and avid traveller based in Bangalore. He has travelled to over a 100 countries and enjoys documenting his experiences.
Fiction Rasgullas And Chowringhee Lane padma prasad Padma is a writer and painter. She lives in Northern Virginia and is working on a collection of short stories.
Fiction The Hill That Had No Trees michael Sforza Michael is a fiction author who lives in the USA. He is shortly to have two of his works published in the UK.
books
Pick up your copy of Reading Hour today! Bahraich (U.P.)
Gupta Book Stall
Bangalore
Axis (Indiranagar), Variety (Off MG Rd), Magazines (Church St, Koramangala), BookSTOP! (Koramangala), Sapna (Jayanagar, Koramangala, Residency Road), Gangarams (Church St) Vermilion House, JustBooks (across outlets)
Chennai
New Book Lands (T. Nagar), American Book House (Mount Road), Books Corner (Anna Nagar)
Dehradun
English Book Depot (Rajpur Road)
Delhi
Midland (Aurobindo Marg), CMYK (Lodhi Road), Famous Bookstore (Janpath), People Tree (Connaught Place)
Dharwad
Bharat Book Depot
Gangtok
Rachna Books
Goa
Broadway - St Inez Circle Panjim, Varsha Bookstall
Indore
Readers Paradise - Race Course Road
Mumbai
Kitab Khana (Fort), Granth (Santa Cruz West), CMYK
Mussoorie Pune
Trivandrum
Cambridge Bookstore
CMYK (Koregaon Park), Deccan Gymkhana (opp. Goodluck Cafe), Erandawane (opp. Kamla Nehru Park)
BookPort
To subscribe, visit readinghour.in All digital versions are available on Magzter.com Email readinghour@differsense.com to order your copy