The
BEST of what they said—2012
One of Spark’s core defining factors has been the columns and interviews we have published in all our issues over the last three years. This exercise has been an immensely rewarding and a spectacular learning experience for us in many ways, including but definitely not limited to gaining a deeper understanding of how people approach their areas of expertise, realising that it is their passion, intelligence, persistence and a certain humility that has taken them to where they are today, and of course, receiving our biggest reward—that of Wisdom— that’s something we have received in copious amounts during our interactions. Our featured personalities—ranging from authors to performing artistes to filmmakers to journalists to publishers to social activists—have all been great sources of some brilliant thinking and insightful experiences. At the most basic level, they have led us to think deeply about life’s most important and relevant truths and reexamine some of our beliefs and ways. We earnestly hope, month after month, over the last three years, we have been successful in our endeavor to take this very wisdom to our readers by publishing these interviews and columns. On this special occasion of celebrating three years of word, world, wisdom at Spark and keeping in line with ‘The best of what they said’ that we published during our second anniversary, we felt nothing would be a more befitting tribute to all the wonderful people who agreed to share their thoughts with us than bringing out a compilation of the best of our conversations. The Spark editorial team, keeping this momentous occasion in mind, has put together the best of what our featured personalities have said in 2012 through different columns and interviews. Lastly, we have to mention that we sure are enjoying the sense of pride that fills us as we get ready to publish these gems of thoughts—it sets out to show the amazing variety that we have been able to present in terms of themes in our issues. We feel glad, absolutely glad. We sincerely wish this collection will brighten up your day whenever you choose to read it. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting joyfully —the best of what they said - 2012.
Anupama Krishnakumar
Vani Viswanathan 05-January-2013
A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS
“I believe that every system will have its gaps and citizens have to step in to fill those. This is not to undermine the role of the government but every citizen has a great responsibility in improving the state of our nation. The kind of inequity that we are seeing is unhealthy and very dangerous for all the privileged citizens. It is in our best interests to make sure that growth is equitable and all sections have an opportunity to realise their social, cultural and financial aspirations. In achieving this utopian state, individual citizens have a huge role to play, more so, the urban elite.” – Keerti Kiran, Co-Founder, Grassroutes, in response to a question on the role of NGOs and the Government in improving the state of India, in his interview in Spark’s February 2012 issue themed, ‘Happy Beginnings, Happy Endings’
“Gradually, womanhood is becoming a collection of images that we must all aspire to (and spend large amounts of money on attaining). I understand that the word ‘feminine’ is loaded, but I would like it to refer to a set of qualities such as empathy, compassion, tenderness, insight, generosity and kindness that were traditionally seen as the preserve of women. These qualities are now prized by a growing number of men too. I do not want the feminine to become an exclusive club for those with age-defying skin, voluminous hair and manicured nails. I am woman. I do not want to have to qualify.” – Aparna V Singh, Editor, Women’s Web, in her special column on womanhood in the March 2012 issue of Spark themed ‘Woman : Facets and Forms’
The best quotes from Spark’s featured interviews and columns of 2012
“There’s more to Sita – there has to be, she endures so much in the epic. She has to be strong, she’s put through so many trials – I’ve tried to suggest that strength in the narrative. Here, we have given her a voice – with her point of view, that hopefully makes a reader empathize, and engage more deeply with her circumstances – her captivity, her hopes, her fears, the tragedies that consistently happen to her (exile, capture, war, distrust, the agony pariksha, also she’s abandoned when pregnant.) Hopefully that makes her a stronger character….. In my opinion – when Sita rejects Ram’s offer to return to Ayodhya, if she proves her virtue again – it’s a powerful moment, and powerful statement. She doesn’t need to prove her virtue over and over again, she’s already proved it once and be doubted – so what’s the point? She rejects being a queen, of a people who rejected her, to a husband who abandoned her in a forest even though she was pregnant with his children. Through the ages, many have been uncomfortable with that ending – is it a tragedy? Why, when Ram comes back to her, does she choose not to return? How do you understand that point in the story? Over the years, this is the understanding I’ve come to – I don’t think that moment – moving though it is – need to be seen as a tragedy, it affirms Sita. I’ve tried to communicate that in the book.” – Samhita Arni, Author of ‘Sita’s Ramayana’ in response to what intrigues her about Sita, in her interview in Spark’s March 2012 issue themed ‘Woman : Facets and Forms’
“You feel a certain bond with your bike that only long distance bikers can understand. It is the unadulterated version of road travel: in your face, close to the land, the wind in your hair. It has to be done to be understood. The ride from Drass to Srinagar is one I love – it is scary and stunning and inspiring all at the same time.” - Rishad Saam Mehta, Author of ‘Hot Tea Across India’ in response to what it is to explore roads on a bike, in his interview in Spark’s April 2012 issue themed, ‘On the Road’
The best quotes from Spark’s featured interviews and columns of 2012
“In every place we travel to what makes the memories special are the amazing people we encounter, befriend, share meals and adventures with and who we always leave with a deep appreciation of India. Every time we leave home we represent our country and we always share our love and stories of India.” – Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma, anchors of the TV show and the book ‘Highway on my Plate’, in response to what they explore and enjoy about places, apart from food, in their interview in Spark’s April 2012 issue themed ‘On the Road’
“There’s this constant worry that today, the English-oriented academic environment is taking the focus away from reading and understanding vernacular literature. From the response we’ve seen so far, we believe that the notion that English oriented academics is destroying regional language literature is not as pronounced as people make it out to be. Most people who visit the store converse in English with us, and with each other, but are picking up a Tamil or Kannada book to read.” – Subodh Sankar, Founder, Atta Galatta Bookstore, Bangalore, sharing his view for the special feature ‘A Melange of Inspiring Measures’ that discussed encouraging measures working on bringing the spotlight back on regional culture, in Spark’s May 2012 issue themed ‘Melange’
“We stand out because we are whacky and we have the humour…If the Tamil is sugar-coated, people will pick. We have realised this slowly. Today, if you mix English and Tamil, people like it. They want to flaunt Tamil in a cool way.” Nandhini and Nathan, Founders, Dude Tamizha, Chennai, sharing their view for the special feature ‘A Melange of Inspiring Measures’ that discussed encouraging measures working on bringing the spotlight back on regional culture, in Spark’s May 2012 issue themed ‘Melange’
The best quotes from Spark’s featured interviews and columns of 2012
“We stay away from clichéd themes such as family, relationships etc. that are already doing the rounds. Our themes are contemporary and we focus on those that appeal to an entirely new generation of theatre audience. This, we feel, is essential in getting people to come and watch Tamil plays.” – Karthik Bhatt, Chennai Drama House, a Chennai-based theatre group, sharing his view for the special feature ‘A Melange of Inspiring Measures’ that discussed encouraging measures working on bringing the spotlight back on regional culture, in Spark’s May 2012 issue themed ‘Melange’
“What I strive to achieve through music is simple – stay happy. Music is more than a hobby or a passion for me. It is a part of me that is hard to define or express in words. If I am not playing music, I doubt if I’d be able to maintain my sanity. Playing music is a way of life for me and I will keep doing it till the end” - Harish Sivaramakrishnan, Lead Vocalist, Agam, a Bangalore-based music band, in response to what music means to him, in his interview in Spark’s July 2012 issue themed ‘Musical Musings’
“I think it was a combination of two things that changed my outlook towards music – the first was the incredible love and patience of my teacher, Dhondutai; the second was the music itself which is so powerful and takes over, enters our being, without us even knowing it…Music has become a parallel track for me, as imperative as breathing. I sing almost every day. It has saved me, restored me, sustained me. I am so grateful to have it in my life.” – Namita Devidayal, Journalist and Author of ‘The Music Room’ and ‘Aftertaste’, sharing her thoughts on music, in her interview Spark’s July 2012 issue themed ‘Musical Musings’
The best quotes from Spark’s featured interviews and columns of 2012
“RJ-ing is like a big release every morning. I like pulling pranks, flirting, singing my own version of the songs, bringing in fun, wit, humour and sarcasm into the show. I also like the fact that all of what I do on my show is immediately measured through the responses from my listeners.” – RJ Prithvi, Radio Jockey, RadioOne 94.3 FM, Bangalore, in response to what he likes about his job as an RJ, in his interview in Spark’s July 2012 issue themed ‘Musical Musings’
“Both Illayaraja and A.R. Rahman have transformed the scope of Indian film music in their own ways and have made immense contributions. I am so glad I not only worked with both of them but also developed a friendship with each of them. Illayaraja is specific about what he wants from a performer since he has got ‘everything’ about the music figured out in his head. Rahman is specific too in a different way but keeps himself open to ideas from the performers in a more obvious way and then puts together things by taking the best of his and the performer’s inputs.” – Prasanna, world-renowned guitarist, music composer, Founder President, Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, sharing his views on working with music composers Illayaraja and AR Rahman, in his interview in Spark’s July 2012 issue themed ‘Musical Musings’
“The scope for e-books is tremendous in India. E-books are scheduled to take off in a big way. There are already many people/publishers exploring this option. The readers are there. The point to ask is does India have the requisite infrastructure? Do we have sufficient smartphone or iPad penetration in this country to facilitate the boom for e-books? More importantly, at what costs are these services being offered? Will the apps, the books, etc., for the immersion in digital publishing be cost-effective?” – Jaya Bhattacharji Rose, Literary consultant and columnist, in response to a question on the scope for e-books in India, in her interview in Spark’s August 2012 issue themed ‘India Decoded’
The best quotes from Spark’s featured interviews and columns of 2012
“Writing definitely helps any woman because language is a very strong tool for the fight against this oppressive society. It can help her discover, explore and construct her own body with all its strengths. Our body is an expanse with abundant power, which women are not allowed to enjoy and experience on any level. This oppression has been driven in subliminally. With language, which can help us find the strength lodged in our own bodies, we can root this oppression out entirely. I maintain that language is the one tool that can liberate women’s bodies.” – Kutti Revathi, Tamil poet, in response to how as a woman, she sees her writing as a means to negotiate the oppressive structures of the society, in her interview in Spark’s August 2012 issue themed ‘India Decoded’ “There are many ways in which we know love, other than the passion aspect – love could be about giving, sacrificing and many more but here what I got is that love is also about understanding – when you truly understand the person you love, you will not judge that person. I think when you truly understand where the other person is coming from – it is very freeing in any relationship – whether it is a man-woman relationship or friendship or the relationship between a mother and a child.” – Raksha Bharadia, co-author of the Indian Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, author of the books ‘Me : A Handbook for Life’, ‘Roots and Wings’ and ‘All and Nothing’, in response to a few memorable lessons she learnt from the Chicken Soup series, in her interview in Spark’s October 2012 issue themed ‘Inspiration’
“I would just say one thing for life – take the leap and then think, don’t think before you leap. Sometimes you end up not doing a lot of things because you think too much.” – Varun Agarwal, Entrepreneur, Cofounder of ‘Alma Mater’, ‘Reticular’ and ‘Last Minute Films’ and author of ‘How I Braved Anu Aunty and Co-founded a Million Dollar Company’, in response to what he wants to tell aspiring entrepreneurs, in his interview in Spark’s October 2012 issue themed ‘Inspiration’
The best quotes from Spark’s featured interviews and columns of 2012
“When I had to repeat a year, there was a sense of humiliation which over time transformed into determination to prove myself all over again. When I dropped out of college, I just felt a certain sense of lightness. I have always distinguished education from learning. So to that extent, I knew that I would never stop learning. And I haven’t!” – Swapan Seth, Ad-guru, CEO of Equus Red Cell, author of the book, ‘This is All I have to Say’, in response to how he felt when he had to repeat a year in school and when he decided to drop out of college to chase his dreams, in his interview in Spark’s October 2012 issue themed ‘Inspiration’
“Chase your dreams – never give up on them. Laugh a lot. Tell the people who are closest to you how much they mean to you. Cherish the time you spend with them. Life is so uncertain and so short. Stand by your words. Keep up your promises and do not let people down. Be true to yourself and to others. LIVE, don’t just exist!” - Preeti Shenoy, author of ‘The Secret Wishlist’, ‘Tea for Two and a Piece of Cake’, ‘Life is What you Make it’ and ’34 Bubblegums & Candies’, when asked to share a few words of inspiration, in her interview in Spark’s October 2012 issue themed ‘Inspiration’
“Look at your blog and ask yourself, do I want to see this in print? If your answer is yes, follow your heart!” – Sagarika Chakraborty, author of ‘A Calendar Too Crowded’, in response to a question on what she wants to tell aspiring bloggers, in a special feature on blogging authors, in November’s 2012 issue themed ‘Life Online’
The best quotes from Spark’s featured interviews and columns of 2012
“It wasn’t just about getting a book published, blogging opened a whole new door for me – something I didn’t know existed…. I believe if you keep looking till you find the thing you love to do, you will at some point, stumble upon it. I don’t strategize. Serendipity is so much more fun.” – Judy Balan, aurthor of ‘Two States : The Story of My Divorce’, in response to how she reflects on her journey so far as a writer, in a special feature on blogging authors, in November’s 2012 issue themed ‘Life Online’
“Write a lot, get really good at it and if someone still doesn’t find you, then proactively send out your writing. That’s the only way I know.” – Parul Sharma, author of ‘Bringing Up Vasu – That First Year’ and ‘By the Water Cooler’, in response to a question on what she wants to tell aspiring bloggers, in a special feature on blogging authors, in November’s 2012 issue themed ‘Life Online’
The best quotes from Spark’s featured interviews and columns of 2012