JustBooks Connect May-June 2013 by Strata Retail And Technology Services Pvt Ltd

May-June 2013 For limited circulation A JustBooks Publication

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Volume 4 Issue 3 www.justbooksclc.com blog.justbooksclc.com

Japan’s Short Verses Travel Worldwide Page 5 Book Review

Page 6 Author Profile

Page 11 Just Kids Pushpa Achanta

oets are the unacknowledged judges of the world”, said someone with a deep insight of not just life but also of the significance of poetry. Not everyone can understand and appreciate poetry and penning verse is considered tougher still. But for some (like me) who revel in the power and beauty of words, writing poetry is a way of expressing one’s innermost thoughts and feelings. To others, it is a way of expressing love or admiration. Apart from this, there are those who use verse to reminisce. Poems are characterised by their rhyme, metre (which defines its overall structure based on the syllables) and length in terms of the number of lines. To the layperson, the first and last attributes are perhaps the most obvious. A poem that contains 14 lines is known as a sonnet while couplets and quatrains have two and four lines respectively. Another simple form of poetry is the Haiku. The Haiku Typically three lines long, the Haiku is

regarded as a type of verse that the Japanese created. However, there is a belief that the Japanese poets ‘exported’ it from India in the late 18th or early 19th century. At a Haiku evening held in March 2013 at the Alliance Française de Bangalore, polyglot, writer and retired diplomat Chiranjeev Singh shared, “The Japanese, being what they are, adopted and refined the Haiku to the extent that it is now considered to be a Japanese form of poetry or assumed to have had its origins in that land. Additionally, Ikebana (a Japanese form of flower arrangement), calligraphy and Haiku are complementary to each other”. As per the regulations associated with the Haiku, it must have a total of 17 on or morae (phonetic sounds in Japanese) across three lines or phrases with five in the first line, seven for the second and five in the third. In English, this implies that a Haiku has five syllables in the first line, seven for the second and five in the third. Of course, some Haiku writers and particularly the modern ones have brought out variations in this form of poetry especially in its length and syllables per line. Fur-

ther, English syllables and Japanese on are not necessarily the same, although they match sometimes. Nature and imagery Most haikus revolve round the subject of flowers, trees, birds and the sky, et al. Unsurprisingly, this form of verse is full of imagery. Of course, the modern haiku does not necessarily talk about nature or even living beings. Another tradition that even the modern haiku (sometimes known as gendaihaiku) follows is the placement of two images or ideas with a kireji or “cutting word”, separating them. Apart from this, there is a common, although relatively recent, perception that the images must be directly observed everyday objects or occurrences.

Continued on Page 2

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From the Editor’s Desk

orld Book and Copyright Day, the yearly event organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright, was celebrated on 23rd April. The day was chosen as many well-known historical literary figures’ birth and death anniversary falls on this day. JustBooks carries the spirit of World Book Day throughout the year. This summer break, we have organised various events across our branches like the ones for young readers where Duckbill Publishers are holding a series of book launches of their latest books. Look out for these new titles Jobless Clueless Reckless by Revathi Suresh, Trouble with Magic by Asha Nehemiah, Facebook Phantom by Suzanne Sanghi and Oops The Mighty Gurgle by Ram G Vallath. Poetry isn’t as popular as most other forms of writing. Though no one can deny the magical feeling one gets while reading Keats, Wordsworth, Shelley, or Indian poets like Tagore, Iqbal, Dinkar, Kuvempu, Bharati or Bendre. In Indian regional literature, from Vedic times to the post-Independence era, poets have been more famous than their contemporary novelists. It’s in recent times we find poetry, as a genre, taking a backseat in the publishing industry. Publishers find fewer people reading poetry, which means lesser support for upcoming poets. Efforts are being made worldwide to change this. UNESCO has declared 21st March to be the World Poetry Day. Many readers say that it’s hard to understand and, hence, appreciate poetry. In this edition we look at a short form of Japanese poetry, called Haiku, its history and how it could provide an impetus to poetry in general. Hope this motivates you to try your hand at poetry. Young readers can always send in their poems or haiku to be published in the newsletter. The April-May edition of Books & More magazine is available in all the JustBooks branches. Don’t forget to pick up your copy. Please send your contributions and suggestions on the newsletter to editor@justbooksclc.com. Happy reading.

May-June 2013 Continued from page 1 Evolution of the Haiku Masaoka Shiki, one among many famous poets in Japan, is credited with having given the Haiku its name during the late 19th century and making it popular. A few centuries prior to that, there was the Hokku which was initially a reference to the opening stanza of an orthodox poem called the renga and later the renku. However, from the mid 1600s, the hokku had begun to acquire the identity of an individual poem. And Shiki (1867–1902) renamed it as Haiku albeit that happened 300 years later. An important point is that all independent hokku, irrespective of the time of their creation, are called haiku now. Like any work of literature, the rendition of a haiku in another language has its challenges. Perhaps, one of the great difficulties would be for the translated version to be a haiku in itself in addition to retaining the essence and rhythm of the original. Rabindranath Tagore has written haikus in Bengali and also translated similar forms of verse by others from and to Bengali. In a similar fashion, there are haiku writers in other countries. Haiku exponents Other than Japan, India and perhaps a few other Asian countries, the Haiku form of verse has also been penned by poets from Europe, England and America. Hendrik Doeff (1764–1837) who was the Dutch commissioner in the Dejima trading post in Nagasaki is supposed to be the first known person from the Western hemisphere to have written a haiku. One of his works in Japanese with its translation is presented below. inazuma no: lend me your arms kaina wo karan: fast as thunderbolts kusamakura

for a pillow on my journey Mohammed Fakhruddin, a resident of Bangalore, is a poet who is recognised as one of the acclaimed haiku exponents in the world. He is considered the father of Haiku in the subcontinent and is also the President of Haiku Society of India. Having authored 21 books on poetry and a recipient of many national and international awards, Fakhruddin teaches the art of creating haikus. Fakhruddin also organised an international haiku festival in Bangalore in 2008 when global poets and Haiku composers gathered. Further, Fakhruddin has authored a few books specifically about the Hai-

ku of which the latest is The Art of Creating Haiku. Sample this from Fakhruddin: Write Haiku a day Refresh your mind, get inspired Keep misdeeds away. The novelist Richard Wright, an African-American, composed around 4,000 Haikus towards the end of his life. About 817 of these are available in the anthology Haiku: This Other World. Here is a creation of his: Whitecaps on the bay: A broken signboard banging In the April wind.

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May-June 2013

Narcopolis Jeet Thayil Penguin Anjana Balakrishnan

found Bombay and opium, the drug and the city, the city of opium and the drug Bombay”, declares the Prologue to Narcopolis and there couldn’t be a more fitting synopsis of the novel. Narcopolis, Jeet Thayil’s debut novel, is a journey through the days and times of Mumbai from the ’70s through the ’90s to the noughties floating in the opium high, and later, heroin, in the company of prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers and a melange of druggies. What is of particular import here is the author’s drug habit of two decades that he has outlived. Don’t let the length of the opening sentence get to you. Persevere and the reward will be a new kind of writing.

Patriots & Partisans Ramachandra Guha Allen Lane Dr Rajagopalan

atriots & Partisans is a book of essays updated or expanded to form chapters of the recently published anthology. Yet, writer and historian Guha manages to achieve cohesive support for his overall thesis that Indian politics suffers acutely from the joint effect of competitive politics amongst three degraded formations: the Congress led by a family dynasty, the Hindutva right wing guided by the RSS and the hide-bound “theoretical” Left. On the way, Guha also pays his nostalgic tribute to two of his resources for intellectual fodder, namely, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Delhi, and the once-iconic Premier bookshop in Bangalore.

Run

The Collector’s Wife

Ann Patchett

Mitra Phukan

HarperCollins

Zubaan/Penguin

Gita Subramanian

un is an intricately nuanced narrative, made eminently readable through simple, beautiful, often vividly descriptive writing. Set in present-day New England, mainly in the snow-covered winter landscape of Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, it recounts the story of the Doyles, a family of three sons and their father. The eldest is Sullivan, the only natural child of Bernadette and Bernard Doyle. The other two, Tip and Teddy are black. Looking at them, no one would guess that this was a family. But Patchett is able to put a set of widely disparate characters together and bring out the essence of the chemistry between them.

Pushpa Achanta

et in Parbatpuri, a small town of Assam, during the heights of the Movement for an Exclusive Homeland (MOFEH), The Collector’s Wife is a work of historical fiction. The story revolves around 34-year old Rukmini, a part-time English lecturer at a local college who, as the wife of a dutiful District Commissioner (or Collector) Siddharth Bezboruah, is unable to make a career for herself or form friendships because he is deputed to different places every three years. The author’s descriptions of the humid weather, the might of the hills, the river and the picturesque beauty of nature around the house of the collector are vivid. But at times, these seem to be out of context.

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May-June 2013

A dash of spice

Double Mystery if she hears more about the case, before adding that her husband, Prakash Agarwal was a basPan Macmillan India tard who deserved to die. Reshmi Chakraborty Reema also runs into the smooth, rom chasing unfaithful husbands tall and handsome to interviewing owners of gourmet Shayak, who manrestaurants and baking up mouthages to bump into watering delicacies, Reema Ray seems to her in the unlikeliest have her hands full. There is however a of places. If matters lot of discontent hanging in the air. With weren’t complicated her parents divorced and constantly at enough, there’s her loggerheads, with her non-existent love ex-boyfriend Amit life and fast dwindling funds due to lack who is seeking her of clients, Reema isn’t exactly on top of help (and shelter) things. Bhattacharyya does a good job of in finding out who developing Reema’s background, her inkidnapped his wife terest in detective work, betrayal by boyAloka, a crime for friend Amit, her job (which falls into her which he is the lap with amazing effortlessness), and her prime suspect. It is here that the plot love of food. Since Reema Ray is supposed starts to digress (at least it started to for to be the private eye in the author’s forthme) as Reema gets involved with finding coming books, the background details are out more about the Agarwal death and important, though I wish these hadn’t Aloka kidnapping. A slew of characters slowed down the narrative. So when we are introduced and, with the exception finally get to the murder of Prakash Agarof Mallika Mitra, the owner of a gourmet wal, the food supplier disliked by half the Chinese restaurant and a lady with some city but whose services were used by alconnection to the dead food importer, most all, there is no jolt or sudden impact. none really make a mark. Bhattacharyya Instead, I had almost forgotten that this is adept at handling food-related scenarwas meant to be a murder mystery. Reeios, especially the parts where Reema is ma’s curiosity is piqued by the circuminterviewing various people from the food stances surrounding the death and the industry either to piece together the events leading up to Agarwal’s death or for her magazine. Bhattacharyya may have And while both mysteries do get faltered a bit on the crime solved in good time, it’s interscene but she has been esting to note that Reema finds help in almost every angle she able to build up a fairly approaches. First, the victim’s strong character sketch of a wife confirms her suspicion by protagonist... pointing out what a monster the victim was. Second, Reema is part of a group of investigators called the Calcutta Crime rushed cremation. It reaches fever pitch Fighters’ Club, where, despite initial rewhen on a visit to his widow to pay her sistance, she gets help with technical softcondolences, Reema is taken aside by the ware, something that comes extremely “polished, yet somewhat cold” Mrs Agarhandy in solving one of the mysteries. wal, who implores her to let her know

Masala Murder By Madhumita Bhattacharyya

F 4

Third, there’s a very high ranking police officer who happens to be her family friend and is ready to offer any assistance possible with just one phone call. Then of course, there’s the mysterious, yet alluring Shayak who is readily available (and resourceful enough) to pull Reema out of tricky situations, even if she doesn’t quite see it that way at first. While all these factors did distract me and to my mind kept the book from becoming the fast paced murder mystery that it could have been, you can still give it a try as an enjoyable one-time read. I wouldn’t call it unputdownable but it is certainly readable and best if done in one go. Bhattacharyya may have faltered a bit on the crime scene but she has been able to build up a fairly strong character sketch of a protagonist who finds sanctuary in food and baking and has been strong enough to emerge through her squabbling parents’ divorce. That she comes across as vulnerable and distracted only make her seem more human and adds to her charm. Overall, a good base to build on if you are planning a series with the same girl. I guess readers won’t mind seeing more of Reema Ray. We only wish she ups the thriller quotient a bit more.

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May-June 2013 Exploring technology

When you are too big to succeed? The Innovator’s Dilemma By Clayton M Christensen Collins Business Essentials Dr. Rajagopalan

hy do some well-known companies fail all of a sudden? Managerial hubris, incompetence, fraud, regulatory changes, changes in demand etc., are the oft cited reasons. Christensen made the business world sit up and take notice when he claimed that the main culprit is in fact ‘good management’- characterized by hard work, smart work, listening to customers and so on! Christensen uses the case research methodology of the Harvard Business School. He borrows heavily from the ‘focused factory’ concept and the ‘Resources-Processes-Values’ (RPV) perspective on Business Strategy. He gives a detailed account of the numerous successes and failures of firms in the disk drive industry, characterized by rapid-fire innovations. He distinguishes between ‘sustaining innovations’ and ‘disruptive innovations’.

Sustaining innovations are those focused on improving performance along a dimension (say, capacity) deemed important by current big customers. These could involve either incremental or radical improvements. Disruptive innovations in fact are inferior on this important dimension, but an improvement on another dimension (say, convenience), attractive to a smaller market. Christensen then explores the logical consequences of a common phenomenon in the fast-paced computer hardware industry: technological developments improve performance at a much faster rate than the demand for such improvement. In such a context, a disruptive innovation, which does not meet the performance needs of current mainstream customers, will be able to do so in the near future. That is when they will kill the current biggies as their products are better on other dimensions and price. Customers are no longer willing to pay a premium for performance which they do not need. The resulting margin squeeze forces the mainstream companies to migrate upwards to narrower and narrower markets for their products with ever improving performance on dimensions no longer important, till they close shop. This is also a trigger for movement into the next stage of the product life cycle. The question that still remains is why did the mainstream companies not pursue the disruptive innovations typically wrought in by small start ups? Christensen skillfully uses the RPV framework to explain this innovator’s dilemma. Such firms are capable of deploying whatever resources are needed for such disruptive innovations. However, their internal decision processes are tuned to serving current customers and maintaining growth and profitability to meet investors’ expectations. These processes are part of organizational capabilities, as opposed to individual capabilities and are very difficult to change. So are the organizational values, which determine organizational priorities. These processes and values are very good in decisions on sustaining innova-

tions but disastrous for disruptive innovations. The current markets for disruptive innovations are too small to be of interest to big incumbents. Having tasted blood in the disk drive industry, Christensen then forays into other industries for case studies which support his thesis. He finds them in odd places! Why did the big companies in the cable actuated mechanical excavator industry perish when confronted with the disruptive hydraulics technology? Why did Eli Lilly, the pioneer in the insulin market, chase irrelevant levels of purity even as Swedish Novo gave it the knockout punch by innovating on the insulin delivery mechanism instead? Again, why did the integrated steel producers get wiped out by mini-mill technology? Why did established retail chains like Sears fail by the onslaught of discount retailers? In all these, Christensen claims to see illustrations of the Innovator’s dilemma: good management practices which are ingrained and essential capabilities for survival, growth and profitability in current markets are also disabilities when it comes to shepherding disruptive innovations. The current customers bias the firm in favour of sustaining innovations. The firm’s values persuade them to avoid the often small, uncertain markets for disruptive innovations in favour of more certain, big and profitable investments in sustaining innovations. But in the long run it only increases competitive risk from disruptive innovators. Christensen opines that the ‘Value Network’- the set of suppliers, immediate customers, markets and ultimate users in which a firm is currently embeddedconstrains the firm from ‘downward mobility’, that is, taking up disruptive innovations. Organizations must find a way of breaking out of such constraints for nurturing such disruptive innovations. Independent organizations or divisions with access to resources seem be the only options. For disruptive innovations, the appropriate strategic posture is not one of single minded execution of a big idea. Rather it should be one of repeated experimentation and learning from small failures prior to committing substantial resources. Forecasting is impossible. Experts are unreliable. Top management must ensure that the failure of an idea is not viewed as the failure of the manager concerned and is not so big as to result in the failure of the firm itself.

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May-June 2013

Author Profile

Toni Morrison

Anindita Sengupta

oni Morrison, the first AfricanAmerican writer to win the Nobel Prize, is both celebrated and loved. Her identity as an African-American woman has a large role to play in their concerns of diversity, womanhood and autonomy. The fact that her books manage to be entertaining as well is a testament to her astounding skills. Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford in 1931 in Ohio, the second of four children in a black working class family. In later interviews, she admitted that she changed her name when she published her first novel because she felt it would be easier and more accessible but regretted doing so. Raised on a steady diet of Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy and folktales, she revealed her love for literature at an early age. After graduating in English from Howard University, she went on to get a Master of Arts in English from Cornell University in 1955. She started teaching at Texas Southern University, Houston, and later taught in the English department at her alma mater. Her first book, The Bluest Eye (1970), explored the racial stereotypes through its protagonist Pecola Breedlove who prays for blue eyes, in the misguided belief that this will transform her life. Sula (1973) depicted two black woman friends — one a free spirit and the other a conformist — and the delicate balance in their relationship. The books also explored tropes

of femininity and sexuality set against the backdrop of a small-town black community. The novel won the National Book Critics Award. But it was with Song of Solomon (1977) that Morrison gained international attention. Her next novel, Beloved (1987), which was inspired by the true story of a black American slave woman, Margaret Garner, was dedicated to the 60 million black people who died because of slavery. When Beloved failed to win the National Book Award, a group of 48 African-American critics and writers including Maya Angelou and Alice Walker wrote to the New York Times praising Morrison and the book won the Pulitzer Prize soon after. In 1993, Morrison won the Nobel Prize, becoming the first African-American writer to do so. Her later novels, Jazz (1992), Paradise (1998) and Love (2003) continued to plumb the depths of what it means to be an African-American woman, marginalized by the twin daggers of race and gender. A Mercy (2008), was nominated for the prestigious Orange prize in England, where as her latest novel Home (2012) got mixed reviews. In her long career, Morrison has taught at Howard University, Yale and, since 1989, has had a chair at Princeton University. She has also worked as an editor for Random House, written numerous critical articles and essays and been a public speaker. She has contributed significantly to the task of bringing African-American literature into public consciousness. In 2012, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

orrison’s novels give us deep insights into American history — especially the parts of it that many would like to forget — in a way that probes the psychologies of the people involved. In her books, slavery is not the subject of distant discourse but something real and pulsing in the lives of vivid and memorable characters. Questions about race and sexuality are posed in a non-theoretical manner. Through it all there is Morrison

somewhere, painstakingly searching, for answers to these questions and forcing us to do the same. But these are not the only questions she asks. Morrison has dealt with themes of loss, illness and death, horrible physical and emotional brutalities that people are subjected to and tried to look at these honestly. Even though her novels tackle heavy, often difficult tropes like class, race and gender, what makes them easy to read is Morrison’s down-to-earth tone. Her writing is serious but there is an element of bluntness, of straight talk, that engages the reader on a personal level. She may be writing about death, illness, poverty and loss but her frank style leads it away from the territory of polemic and into sweeter, richer stuff. Her plot twists are startling. There is high drama and tragedy. But the stories are full of domestic details, folklore, slang and street talk. Although her identity is closely intertwined with what she writes, Morrison does not write autobiographical books. Her narrators are usually unidentifiable, anonymous and unlikely to make moral statements or provide authorial viewpoints. Shifting or overlapping points of view inform many of her books, deepening their texture and providing a more layered understanding of the situations she describes. And yet, identity is one of her primary concerns — many of her characters are consumed with questions about it and, indeed, entire novels such as Sula are based around the quest, the exploration and the expression of identity.

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May-June 2013 Advertorial

Complete/Convenient

etan Bhagat, whose debut novel titled Complete/Convenient releases this month, is a humorous, witty person. His light-hearted answers to everything in life mark a smart mind. We had an e-mail interview with him to find out more about him and his book. Most of us know you‘re Chetan Bhagat’s younger brother, tell us more about yourself? I am a regular 35 year-old beginning to accept the withering away of hormones and hallucinations about life. Except for waist line, double chin and stress everything is going down from hair to pay packages to promotions. In this chaotic, corrupt and crammed dust bin called India, I am a commoner trying to somehow balance between my biwi, boss and baby. What made you write a book? Did you take creative writing classes or it just came to you? I have always had a creative bent of mind. I have done dramas in schools, anchoring and script writing for television channels during college days and humorous presentations at my office events. But I never thought of becoming a writer. Then something happened few years ago. I willingly gave up a supremely luxurious life in Sydney for Mumbai! Everyone was surprised. Most of all, I was surprised at myself. The surge of emotions within me were so compelling, I needed to channelize them into something. Easiest, cheapest way is to write a book, use your office laptop, office time (boss thinks you are working) and at least in my family, they don’t ask questions like “Do you even know someone who has written a book?!” What’s with the title (Complete/Convenient)? According to me, life in India is complete. In fact, with so many festivals to celebrate, marriages to attend and relatives to please it is a bit too complete! Contrastingly, life outside India is so convenient. Everything is smooth like vintage wine. Today, thanks to India’s dominant global position, every Indian has the option to move overseas. So just like my protagonist Kabir, every Indian chooses between two lives — complete or convenient. How easy or hard is it to write a book especially one that is based on one’s life? It is very difficult. When I started writing, I had just become a father, we had recently moved to a new city and I was starting

a new job. On top of it, I had never written before. But such is human nature that when you really want something, somehow time and support crawl in. It’s a journey of a man and has been written for men. Do you think women will connect with it? The story is not written only for men. It is written for everyone though from a man’s point of view. I feel today’s stories stereotype men in two roles — either they are superhuman or they are college pranksters. However, there is a lot that happens to a man between the age of 25 and 45. Office, clients, marriage, family, friendships — they all go through testing times which make men (like women) suffer, struggle, sacrifice and most importantly transform. Complete/Convenient provides a glimpse of this side of a man. I’m sure women will connect with the story. First, I can’t think of any woman who is not curious about men or at least some men! Kabir in my story is a boyfriend, husband, brother, son, friend and son-in-law. At least one of these roles would be relevant to women readers. And secondly, there are enough women in the story to connect to as well. Why publish with Shristi and not with other established publishers? None of the big publishers accepted my manuscript. Of the offers that came my way, Shristhi seemed most passionate about the manuscript. In the last few months, they have worked very hard on the book. Do you think the future belongs to simple short reads? The future belongs to good stories. They may be short or long. People want entertainment, something that makes it worthwhile for them to choose a book over the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padhukone and Chris Gayle. Is there a second book coming soon? A story has been haunting me. I would love to write it. But given my speed, it is at least 2 years away.

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May-June 2013

Reader’s contribution

Adventures of the Newly-Married Just Married, Please Excuse By Yashodhara Lal HarperCollins Sujata Rajpal

hat would your honest feelings be, if you were to express yourself, when your husbandto-be attired in white-and-red on the wedding day reminds you of a tube of Colgate toothpaste? Just Married, Please Excuse is about finding humour even in most sombre situations and Yashodhara Lal has done justice to this outlook. As a first time author, she seems quite impressive.

Yashodhara Lal and Vijay Sharma get married after three months of courtship. Would it have made any difference if they knew each other for three years? Hardly. Y, as she is fondly called by Vijay, is a free spirited Delhite while he is a small town, big-hearted man. He doesn’t believe in taking life too seriously. They are opposites and, to prove the adage right, they are attracted to each other.

They are a typical urbanite couple with their mundane issues — reason enough for the book to make instant connection with the readers. The book’s take on life is that in order to be happy, one needs to ignore the negatives in life and appreciate the positives. The book highlights sweet challenges in a new marriage — those which you would love to indulge in as a process of getting to know each other better. In any relationship, especially marriage, being expressive always helps. But it is up to the individual to draw the line between expressive, like Vijay, and overtly expressive, like Y. This adds some friction to their relationship. After three years of ‘happy marriage’, the protagonists realise that marriage is all about understanding and ‘slight adjustments’. It is also about saying the right thing at the right time. The book is a light read, something you can enjoy even while travelling in a crowded metro. With enough doses of humour, the book is descriptive as well as hilarious. Lal writes with dollops of Hindi words which, on the one hand, inject life to her characters but, on the other hand, can make readers who don’t speak Hindi sit up and ask ‘what does this mean’. The book is racy except for the part about pregnancy — which kind of drags on and you want to skip pages to find out what actually happens later. There is no climax, suspense or conflicts of characters — the main elements of any gripping story. Despite this, Lal has a knack for connecting with her readers. She has a refreshing take on the journey of a newly married couple.

Sujata Rajpal is a member of JustBooks KD Road, Mysore. She heads Corporate Communication & PR function of SPI Mysore. She is a yoga enthusiast and an active Toastmaster. She lives in Mysore with her husband and two sons.

Reader’s Voice I am a retired senior citizen, a voracious reader who recently migrated from Gujarat. Just as we were getting acquainted with the new surroundings, my son came across JustBooks near our house. I did not waste any time and rushed to register myself as a member. I was indeed very much impressed by the concept and extremely friendly and courteous team working in the library. Though the place is comparatively small it is well equipped with the latest technology. A few suggestions that I have: 1) Your presence will certainly be welcomed in Gujarat as the CM had himself initiated a campaign to promote reading. 2) Please provide enough copies of the bestsellers. 3) Please provide more copies of magazines. 4) I am happy that you have recently introduced Gujarati books also but many renowed authors’ books are not available yet. May I request you to get more inputs and give the authors their due share in your library. I wish to add one more ‘R’ in your slogan RENT-READ-RELISH-RETURN Ramesh Kapadia Thane, Mumbai

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May-June 2013 Reader’s contribution

Art of War for Modern Business Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: A 52 brilliant ideas interpretation By Karen McCreadie Research Press Anup Sidharthan

he book Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: A 52 brilliant ideas interpretation by Karen McCreadie is a brilliant work where she has described 52 ideas in modern business relevance. It is a practical book with practical approach to modern business problems and solutions based on master Sun Tzu’s principles. It should be on the list of must reads for any modern professional. Karen McCreadie is also the author of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. Karen McCreadie is a business graduate and a successful professional ghost writer. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is considered to be the first self-help book. It was written around 513 BC and consists of 13 chapters devoted to every aspect of warfare. Sun Tzu was an ancient Chinese

military general, strategist and philosopher from the Zhou Dynasty. On the onset it may seem as a treatise on military strategy and tactics, at least that is what it was supposed to be, but fortunately it does not end there. The Art of War is an extremely influential and timeless masterpiece. The contents of this book was put into practice in the Vietnam war by General Vo Nguyen Giap and dealt severe blows to the French and American armies. The American defeat in Vietnam prompted the Department of United States Army to issue a directive to introduce Sun Tzu’s The Art of War in the US military academy. It is listed on the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program. The teachings are revered and exemplified by the Japanese samurai. It is rumoured that Napoleon devised his campaigns based on Sun Tzu’s teachings and that he carried a copy of the treatise with him all the time. The essence of the chapters can be applied to any walk of life to achieve greatness and perfection, much like any of the holy books or epics. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War simply transcends time and genre as it can be applied for personal development or for wealth creation. Ironically, not everyone can comprehend the actual work, let alone deciphering it and applying to another field of life. Even the basic act of translating a significant work into another language is daunting and the exact nuances will be lost in translation. Many world leaders, generals, sports coaches and motivational speakers have drawn inspiration from The Art of War making it one of the most popular reference books for strategy and tactics. This formidable work was as common as rice and chopsticks in the eastern part of the world. People have used it in business, legal and other competitive professions ever since the first translation by Jean Joseph Marie Amiot in French appeared in 1772, and it has been propagated into many languages. Numerous books have been written for business executives and managers based on the teachings of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. One of the foremost advice Sun Tzu gives is to win without

fighting, and it is this advice that can be applied into any competitive field. Business is a battle, a battle to succeed, perform better than the competition and foresee the market trends by watching and studying closely. All the 13 chapters can be adopted for modern business and effectively applied for success. The book is relevant for any period of time and any profession where discipline, growth and winning matters. It contains such wisdom that the modern entrepreneurs and business professionals cannot ignore, and should not ignore. A few of the key issues found in the pages of the book in context of business and entrepreneurship are keys to succeed, flexibility, decision making, planning for any contingencies, leadership qualities, cutting costs, studying markets and so on. The Art of War is the formula for success when applied as prescribed by the master himself. The statement “he will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight” is apt and evergreen in any given profession. Sun Tzu was an extraordinary man with very deep insight about human nature. It is undeniably the most read and quoted book in the world. Every reading opens the doors for new interpretations and deeper understanding for leading a successful life. Sun Tzu himself said, “the art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road to safety or to ruin. Therefore, it is a subject that must be thoroughly studied.” Yes, thoroughly studied, because on deeper scrutiny, the interpretation becomes subjective, it depends on the reader and to which profession the reader intends to apply the teachings. Great minds have been influenced by the master’s teachings, and I believe great things can be achieved by one and all by understanding the gist of this great treatise.

Anup is a member of JustBooks, Vidyaranyapura. A digital artist by profession, he is currently working as an English language trainer. His hobbies include photography, philately and numismatics. In his free time, he reads a lot and listens to new age music.

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May-June 2013 3. Which of these was a well-known sonnet writer? a. Percy Shelley b. William Shakespeare c. Thomas Love Peacock 4. Who is considered the father of Haiku in the Indian sub-continent? a. Mohammed Fakhruddin b. Rabindranath Tagore c. Richard Wright

1. When is World Poetry Day? a. Oct 1st b. March 8th c. March 21st 2. A Haiku is typically how long? a. 2 lines b. 14 lines c. 3 lines

5. Who is credited with inventing the name ‘Haiku’? a. Matsuo Basho b. Masaoka Shiki c. Kenneth Yasuda

Answers: March 21st, 3 lines, William Shakespeare, Mohammed Fakhruddin, Masaoka Shiki

JustBooks Top 5 New Arrivals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer Those Pricey Thakur Girls by Anuja Chauhan The Oath Of The Vayuputras by Amish Tripathi Follow Every Rainbow by Rashmi Bansal Oops The Mighty Gurgle by RamG Vallath

Recommended 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Anthills Of The Savannah by Chinua Achebe Heat And Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala A Song Flung Up To Heaven by Maya Angelou How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M Christensen Olympics:The India Story by Boria Majumdar and Nalin Mehta

Rentals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Special offer on our in-house magazine, Books & More Books & More is a one-of-a-kind magazine for book lovers published by JustBooks. Its mission is to encourage reading as a habit. In every issue, Books & More carries book reviews, author profiles, best-seller lists, editors’ picks, puzzles, a young adult section, and reports on the latest trends in Indian regional literature. The magazine also covers happenings and trends in the book and publishing industry by bringing you feature articles, interviews, and opinions related to the literary world. Some content from the magazine is available online: booksandmoremagazine.in

The Oath Of The Vayuputras by Amish Tripathi What Young India Wants by Chetan Bhagat Diary of a Wimpy Kid:The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Archer Revolution 2020 by chetan Bhagat

Subscription offer details at JustBooks blog: blog.justbooksclc.com

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May-June 2013

Just Kids

Redemption Most Beautiful A Monster Calls By Patrick Ness Walker Books Vivek Tejuja

hen I started reading A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, I didn’t imagine that I’d be so impacted by it that I’d cry at the end of it and wouldn’t stop thinking about it. Some books do that. It’s because of the connect we share in some way or the other with it. This one sure did. It struck a chord somewhere, and I instantly went back and reread it and enjoyed it even more than I did the first time. A Monster Calls is about Conor, a 13-year-old boy, and his mother, who is suffering from cancer, and there seems to be no hope for her. Conor has nightmares which he cannot speak of. He cannot share them with anyone, till one night, a

monster comes knocking on his bedroom window and Conor’s life changes drastically. The monster is the yew tree monster, who stands dull and strong in the daytime and arrives precisely at 12:07 am to tell tales to Conor, wanting to hear his last truth and tale. Conor’s character is complex. But at the same time, he’s like any other teenager who wants things to be perfect and knows that they will never be so. The monster is, of course, crucial to the story. Conor’s mother, father and grandma, along with his once best-friend Lily, and other bullies at school, make for the rest of the characters of the book. What’s interesting is that Ness leaves the interpretation of the monster (I think intentionally) to the readers. For me, it was a construct made of agony, loneliness, fear, the power to change, and emotions that are at war in Conor’s mind and heart. For some, it could mean that the monster does exist, and that is the point of the entire story anyway. The book appears to be set in England. But one wishes that the landscape and descriptions could’ve been a little more detailed to add to the atmosphere, though the narrative and the story make up for it. However, there is an illustrated version too, which will certainly add to the story. The idea of the story originally belonged, as Ness says, to one of the finest young adult writers, Siobhan Dowd, who died due to breast cancer. Ness was approached then to work on the idea and has tried to be true to it. The writing is strong

and precise. Ness knows what to do with words and what not to do with them. He also knows how to build a structure and add to the plot without letting the reader feel strayed. The book is perfect for young adults, as the coming-of-age factor has been

Ness knows what to do with words... He also knows how to build a structure and add to the plot without letting the reader feel strayed.

brought out without it being too sentimental. Conor’s character will ring true with every youngster who has ever felt alienated, confused or left out. There are things about the book that will instantly connect with the readers, and not just young adults at that. It’s human and, above all, describes loss, love, and redemption in the most beautiful manner. The emotions are universal and it’s easy to get hooked on to the story, though there were times I wished there were more tales by the monster. However, there couldn’t have been more, considering the nature and context of the book. The other problem with the book is that it’s too short. There are so many layers waiting to be uncovered and so many parallel stories that could have been worked on a little more, that it could have easily been longer. Having said that, A Monster Calls is like no other book that I’ve read in the genre in a long time. Its uniqueness, and to some extent, the morbid aura around which it is centred, makes it special. The book is an excellent example of fine writing and the age-old affirmation that stories do move people in more ways than one. “Stories are wild creatures. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?” the Monster asks. It’s surprising what a single idea can do and lead to something as beautiful as this book. Ness is brilliant at his craft, and as he has also highly recommended Dowd’s works, my next new-found author would have to be her.

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May-June 2013

Just Kids

Historically Mysterious The History Keepers: The Storm Begins By Damian Dibben Random House

ake Djones is like any other boy from a middle class family whose life is very boring with no adventures. His parents run a small shop which sells bathroom accessories in London. Jake is an exceptionally unique character who loves history. Unlike many teenagers of his age, his favorite pastime is going to museums and admiring the old paintings. He also loves geography and, like any other teenager, dreams of becoming a superhero one day. Djones’ parents had not returned home from a trade event that they had gone to attend three days ago. Djones is extremely worried. To make things worse, he is abducted and taken to a lonely tower in London where he is informed that his parents belong to a secret and ancient organisation called “The History Keepers”. Djones is out of options — he must find out about the History Keepers and what his parents have to do with them. His journey starts when he is taken to their headquarters in nineteenth century France where

he learns about an evil prince who had been at war with the History Keepers for a very long time. This evil prince could be behind the mysterious disappearance of his parents. He meets a group of brave and amazing agents and continues his quest for his parents. Unknown to him, the evil prince is planning to destroy the world and send everyone back to the Stone Age. On the other hand, the History Keepers are also oblivious to the fact that there is a spy in the organisation. Unfortunately, the agents get ambushed, but Djones escapes miraculously. Now the responsibility of finding his parents and stopping the evil prince falls entirely on him. The book is well-written and the story is gripping, even though the emotions and attributes of characters are not described in detail. The language is simple and easy to understand. The History Keepers is an internationally acclaimed series which has been published in over 40 countries and translated into 26 languages. Dibben has worked extensively as a screenwriter on projects as diverse as The Phantom Of The Opera and Puss In Boots. He is a keen explorer, inspired by everything from archaeology to cosmology and loves nothing more than a rollicking adventure story. He is a proud Londoner and lives on the Southbank with his dog. This is his first novel.

Rahul Rajpal 10th Standard St. Joseph’s Central School, Mysore

Rahul is a member of JustBooks KD Road Mysore. He is a voracious reader and loves mimicry. He also likes to swim and play badminton.

JustBooks’ Picks for Young Readers Horton Hears A Who! by Dr. Seuss

The Lonely King And Queen by Deepa Balsavar

Alphabet Mystery by Audrey Wood Biggest, Strongest, Fastest by Steve Jenkins

Trash by Anushka Ravishankar, Gita Wolf and Orijit Sen The Ring Of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech The Adventures Of The New Cut Gang by Philip Pullman and Martin Brown The Beast by Walter Dean Myers

Young Readers can send their contribution to editor@justbooksclc.com

May-June 2013

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Interview with a Franchisee

“Reading books, interacting with members is therapeutic”

mar Kamath, who along with his friend Vinayak started the JustBooks Bejai, Mangalore franchise, talks here about his journey with JustBooks family and his love for books. Tell us about yourself. I did my engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology and got into our family business. My wife Anjana conducts Montessori training. In addition to this both of us wanted to start up a something new which was unique and involved our passion and luckily for us Justbooks happened. There is a new addition to my family recently. My wife and I became proud parents of a baby girl at the beginning of this year. Why and how did this franchise option happen? My business partner Vinayak’s close friend Vittal ( JustBooks Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore, franchise owner) ventured into this business a few months before us and it was he who inspired and instilled confidence in us. Vinayak and I then had (From left) Aden, Steffi, Aarna, Anjana, Amar a meeting with Ravi (AVP, Business Development, JustBooks) who convinced us to take up this franchise. Do you feel reading as a habit is on decline because of Tell us about your experience on starting and taking our busy lifestyle? care of this franchise. I don’t buy this idea for the simple reason that being busy It’s been close to a year and half since we started JustBooks in doesn’t stop most of us from either watching TV or going to Mangalore. Vinayak and I were a bit apprehensive at the beginmalls and restaurants. It’s all about priorities. If you love readning but in the end it was our love for books which clinched it. ing, somehow you will manage to make time for it. We have a Vinayak is not involved physically in the day to day operations, few members who work 12 hrs a day but still manage to finish as he works for an IT company in Bangalore. However we confour to five books in a month. stantly strategise over the phone on how to get greater visibility and member base for our branch. What do you think will be a great value-added service to your existing members? How has been the customer response to your library? I personally feel JustBooks as it is, is a great value for money People in Mangalore are relaxed and laid back so maybe that’s for its members. However if we can get into music and video rentals I feel we can target a greater audience. The holiday package which the parent company, Strata, is planning to introduce is also an excellent initiative. I feel many of our members would be interested in it. How much of your time do you spend at your JustBooks outlet personally? How rewarding is the experience of interacting with your members? You can find me at the library after 6:30 pm on most days. For me reading books and interacting with members is very therapeutic. Before I started the library, I was an introvert who found solace in books. However I realised that interacting with people can also be an enriching experience.

Clay Modeeling Event at the library the reason the library here has not risen to its potential. However having said that, the existing members are pretty happy and satisfied with us and thank us constantly for starting JustBooks in Mangalore, this keeps us going. We have been regularly conducting in-house events like story reading, recreational maths, clay modelling, etc. so that we can give some value addition to the members.

What kind of books do you read personally? Who are your favourite authors? My love for books was the main reason why I took up this franchise. Barring recipe books, I manage to read all genres. Amongst writers, I like Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Harlan Coben, Mitch Albom and Robin Sharma. What is your advice to book lovers who would like to turn entrepreneurs through JustBooks? I feel if you get into a business you love, you will get immense satisfaction. JustBooks is a venture through which I feel one can bring about a positive change in the community.

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Meet the Author Sujata Rajpal

ome people have to look for adventure where as adventure comes to some people like me,” Aroon Raman said light-heartedly, engaging the audience with interesting anecdotes from his own life. The acclaimed author of The

May-June 2013

Shadow Throne was speaking to the audience at JustBooks Kuvempunagar, Mysore. “This is the most awaited moment for JustBooks Mysore. We had been

looking forward to this session for a very long time,” said Ms Poornima V. Kumar, welcoming the guests at Meet the Author program. The bestselling author has definitely a way with the words, not only written, but also spoken. He is an orator par excellence and is naturally gifted with the knack of making the day-to-day things sound fascinating. He advised the audience to step out of the safe confines of their familiar surroundings to experience diversity in life. “Story ideas are all around us, we only need to explore and, later build on them,” he advised to the wannabe authors. The Shadow Throne is actually his second book which incidentally was published first when Osama Bin Laden was

Glimpses of the summer workshop at JustBooks Kalidas Road, Mysore.

killed in his hideout at Abbottabad in 2011. The new book due to be released soon by Pan Macmillan is a book on adventure set in Mugal India at the time of Akbar. The book is a product of considerable research. Talking about writing as a profession or a hobby, “Writing is a gift, for some it comes naturally where as some have to try really hard to make any headway,” opined Aroon. He also answered rapid fire questions giving the audience a peek into his favourites. Not many know that his favourite adda during his days in Mysore was Ramya Hotel. Aroon is truly a versatile personality and dons many hats — a successful entrepreneur, a bestselling author, trekker, tennis enthusiast, keen traveller and a fine orator. He is of the opinion that the authors, even successful ones, need to have a bunch of beta readers who read their book and give feedback on what works and what doesn’t. Your critics are your best friends. They keep you grounded and help you in improving your own work. “My wife is my best critic,” he admits. Asked whether he preferred being called an author or an entrepreneur. “Now I prefer author,” he replied candidly before signing off.

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May-June 2013 Events

Children’s Book Club

ast September the young members of JustBooks Nerul, Mumbai formed a Children’s Book Club, where even non-members are welcome. This was initiated by Shyamala S, who is an avid reader, and a children’s book writer. She spends more than an hour on the fourth Saturday of every month with the young book lovers discussing authors and the books written by them. An author is chosen for the month and the books by this author are discussed with respect to the plots, the stories and the characters. The participation is made interesting in form of quiz and drawings. Selected authors so far include Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, Gerenimo Stilton, Jeff Kinney, Rick Riordan, Fransesca Simon. For the month of April, Ruskin Bond has been chosen as he celebrates his birthday in the month in May. In order to introduce Indian authors to the children, Roopa Pai will be chosen as the author for the month of May. Thanks to Shyamala for conducting these sessions so diligently and a special thanks to Vijita Ramasubu (another member) for filling in for one session.

An Evening with Preeti Shenoy Preeti Shenoy, at JustBooks, AECS. Captivating the audience with her virtue and wit, Preeti spoke about her latest book, The Secret Wish List.

Poetry Sundays

t Justbooks Thane, Mumbai, children between 7 and 14 years are encouraged to write poems. The nuances of writing poems are explained and taught by Shiksha Power, who conducts sessions for personal development for children. On alternate Sunday afternoons, children spend an hour and a half learning to improve their poetic capabilities. The 12-sessions workshop is so flexible that a child can join in at any time and still not miss out on any of the aspects of the workshop.

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May-June 2013

Once upon a time there is a kingdom in the wild wild West….. The King of the kingdom is the greatest warrior the world has ever seen… And then one day….. some where out from the outer planet… Shattering the furry clouds... from the blue sky… A platoon of fiery dragons attacked the kingdom… And then………………………………………………………

Your imaginations never end. But can we hear a story out of it?

Short Story Writing Contest For Children Oakridge – India’s Largest International School in association with JustBooks invites all the aspiring little creative literary wizards for a Short Story Writing Contest. Be it a fairy story of your dreams, be it a character out of our imagination. Humor, Fantasy, School Chronicles…any genre! We are ready to hear it from you! All you need is to have the right plot in your mind. Come to Oakridge and put it on paper. Winners take away attractive gifts sponsored by Oakridge and JustBooks. And that’s not all, the shortlisted stories will be published in the International Coffee Table Book by Oakridge.

Age Group: Less than 6 years, 7 to 10 years and 11 to 16 years Date: 25th May, 2013 Time: 10 am onwards Venue: Oakridge International School, Near Dommasundra circle, Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru

Supported by

To register : Call 1800-200-8171 or visit www.oakridge.in/yourstory

Just Books in association with Tabtor presents the Tabtor Math Summer Program on iPad* at JustBooks - AECS, Prestige Shantiniketan and Indira Nagar.

Tabtor Math

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Each session comes with teacher assistance and we analyze the student’s performance at every key and pen stroke.

The curriculum is based on the Common Core State Standard (CCSS) USA, Singapore Math mapped to specific CBSE / ICSE / IGCSE / other Indian school curriculum.

To know more, check out

www.tabtor.com/justbooks & http://youtu.be/48VmnZxZ74c or talk to a representative at : +91-98403-08650, +91-90084-57457 *iPad Will be provided