You Are Here

As an extension of our Bloggers to Authors series, here is Sunayana Roy's review of Meenakshi Madhavan Reddy's You Are Here.

You Are Here


Meenakshi Madhavan Reddy

Penguin Books, Rs 199

When Meenakshi Madhavan Reddy’s debut novel came out last year, the one consistent charge levelled against it was that it was too similar in tone and concept to her popular blog, Compulsive Confessor. Accordingly, I started reading the book with certain preconceived misgivings.



However, You Are Here proved itself to be a fast, smooth and light read, well edited for the most part and sufficiently gripping to have me finish it in one go. The similarity to eM’s blog, I would say, lies in that both eM (the central character of the blog) and Arushi (the protagonist of the novel) seem to come from a similar background. But I think this is more a case of Reddy writing about what is familiar – in her case the familiar is already well discussed on the blog but Arushi never did seem to blur into eM.



What I liked best about the book was Arushi’s consistent fleshing out as a ditsy, untried and aimless young woman. Her voice as the protagonist often meanders into the meaningless or takes random diversions, is at times unsure, and the bossier reader will want to occasionally shake some sense into her but for the most part as she tries to make sense of her life and loves, one finds oneself viewing her through somewhat indulgent spectacles. She sounds like somebody we’ve all met at some point and since she is essentially harmless, it’s hard to dislike her.



That sentiment could sum up this reader’s feelings about the book: light, fun and essentially harmless. It will probably not make you rethink your priorities or values but it doesn’t claim to want to.



Sunayana Roy
 
Meenakshi Madhavan Reddy blogs at http://thecompulsiveconfessor.blogspot.com/

Q&A with Gouri Dange

Gouri Dange is a writer, book editor and practising family counsellor. Her features, articles, interviews, short stories – various works of fiction and non-fiction – have appeared regularly in leading Indian publications, on her website www.gouridange.com, and in a US-based magazine called India Currents. Her writings have a large informal following – readers, bloggers and editors write in regularly expressing their appreciation and delight at her style and content – which ranges from the savagely funny to the nuancedly reflective and empathetic. She holds writing workshops, in which participants are guided to synthesize and transform into writing what they experience, perceive and imagine. She blogs here.

Here's a short Q&A with her:
1) Your earlier blog posts have material published in your columns.Which papers/magazines did you/do you write for?

I have written for and continue to write for the TOI, Express, HT, Outlook, Pune Mirror, Sakaal Times, Namaskaar, Jetwings, Commodity Vision, Gentleman, Mindfields, Mint, Soma, Business India, Swagat, Metroscan, Life Positive, Well-Being, and some Internet content people.

2) What kind of counselling do you do? and for what ages/parameters?

It’s usually personal and family/relationship counselling. Students who come from far and wide to Pune for further studies – they often seek counselling support in areas such as: loneliness/homesickness, adjustment to a new culture, dealing with authority figures, handling money, sexual issues, issues of self-esteem and confidence, experimentation with alcohol, commitment in relationships, perceptions of ‘safe and unsafe’ behaviour, work/exam pressures, etc. I am able to provide not only an empathetic ear, but constructive suggestions and guidance. Having lived in various parts of the world and interacted with a range of nationalities, I am comfortable with a range of accents, which makes it that much easier for students to be understood and communicate freely. Cases in which family members have for long been at logger-heads and have been urged to seek counseling by those around them. I have been able to help them identify the assumptions, misplaced expectations, poor communication and hidden agendas that have fuelled the deterioration of the relationship. Couples who have basically sound marriages but are in a bad phase (related to children, infidelity, career issues, sex-related matters, in-laws etc). I also work with people who are in abusive marriages and are in the midst of divorce proceedings, helping them to let go and part ways in a non destructive way. I also provide secondary support in cases where the person seeking counselling is part of a couple or family in which one person is being treated by a psychiatrist for schizophrenia, alcoholism, etc. The person coming to me for counselling is able to find ways of coping and providing positive support to the partner/family member under treatment. In mid life issues, in the case of men, usually relating to impending retirement or retrenchment; sexual ‘boredom’ and perceived non-responsiveness of the partner, loss of interest in work, search for more meaning, etc. In the case of women, ‘empty nest’ syndrome, work-fatigue, menopause, changing sexuality, etc. I have been able to help them come to terms with certain issues, take some hard decisions, deal with guilt, etc. I work with the elderly – where the issues are loneliness, restricted mobility, disability, perceived loss of worth/respect/independence. Have been able to help in better adjustment to their changed life situation – in terms of finding new careers/hobbies, mending relationships, etc. Also worked with care-givers of the elderly, addressing their difficulties. I also work with young children and their parents. I sometimes work in tandem with a psychiatrist and/or a paedatrician

3) You are a passionate listener of Hindustani classical music. Do you have any formal training in the same?

Yes, I learnt the sitar from when I was about 15, for over 20 years. I also sat in on my mother’s training and riyaz etc during her sangeet visharad ‘sadhana’. I taught the sitar for some years to young/new students. I don’t play now, it seems like there is so much to listen to, rather than to play! I play the harmonium and sing, but not in any formal/performance mode.

4) When do you expect The Bedside Blog to be published?

Someone’s working on the cover and the inside design – I hope to have illustrations and separators and little elements and embellishments along with the pieces. The artist’s name is Junuka Deshpande. She’s in Boston right now, and also a blogger – www.twoinsomnias.com. She is also a musician, filmmaker and so many other things. So bedside blog should be out in September of this year 2010. Under the imprint OMO Books.

5) As a writer, do you feel that your craftsmanship has changed from 3, Zakia Mansion to The Counsel of Strangers?

Not essentially, but yes, I have become less ‘condensed’ and more ‘amplified’. To use a music metaphor, perhaps I am singing in a more ‘khulla awaz’ now. And I am trying a raagmala – of six characters! 3 Zakia Mansion is a single raga explored and presented, perhaps.

6) What are the influences that have shaped you most profoundly?

Is this where I say Mother Teresa? J. ...Well it’s parents who lived life very fully – peopling it with friends, music, food, travel, hard work, a good smattering of irony and sarcasm and humour even in bad times. And also allowed me to meander on to many paths, without any pressure to ‘become’ this and ‘achieve’ that. The three primary kids in my life (now all grown), a niece, a nephew and a deemed daughter as i call her, have also influenced me and continue to do so. They were my fans and now I’m their fan. There are a host of subsidiary kids too – who are now lovely grown-ups. And they have actually influenced the way I look at the world. My friends (to whom I have dedicated the forthcoming The Counsel of Strangers) are also a deep and wide influence. Music is a huge influence. Ok, now this is sounding like an Oscar speech. a

7) Shaheen never gets treated for her psychological issues, and somehow manages to carry on, despite them. As a counsellor, what do feel helped her the most?

Well she did have one small skirmish with a lady therapist! Shaheen had a genuine core and did not run away from her issues. She chose to stare them in the face, and perhaps had that ability in her. She could separate the useless from the meaningful. The coming of Manas and his mother into her life provided anchors and ports at which she could dock. Her daughter too was a force in her life. Once she stopped being embarrassed and burdened by her dysfunctional family, she could deal with things.

8] Who are your favourite authors and literary influences? Gosh, so many. Graham Greene, Naipaul, Alexander McCaull Smith, Sheila Dhar (I would have been her groupie were she alive), Wodehouse, Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie writing non crime), Edward Stewart, and really so many more...poets, bloggers, humourists, screenwriters.

9] Any advice you would give bloggers who are tempted to write books?

Write away! But do get beyond the purely autobiographical. And experiment with genres. And pay your bills on time.

10] What are you working on next?

There’s The Counsel of Strangers and Bedside Blog; also a second ABCs of Parenting – these are ready and in the design/printing pipeline. I plan to go into a second edition of 3 Zakia Mansion, under the OMO Books label. Also the Marathi 3 Zakia Mansion, which is being translated right now by Anagha Lele.

I’m also experimenting with stand-up monologues (not exactly all comedy – a range of narrations from the funny to the sentimental) and am doing these in front of small audiences of about 30 people in Pune, Mumbai and Bangalore.

3, Zakia Mansion

3, Zakia Mansion
Reviewed by Dipali Taneja

3, Zakia Mansion tells the story of a dysfunctional family, largely from the perspective of Shaheen, the oldest of three children. Her parents inhabit strange worlds of their own, and rarely connect with each other. Their father is extremely harsh and autocratic, with strange ideas about child rearing. Their mother, Nimmi, is embittered by her life, and tries to find what succour she can, while remaining quite detached from her children.


Ehsaan, Shaheen's orphaned cousin, lives with them and provides great common sense, humour, and is a rock for the siblings, as is their grandmother, until a tirade against the independent unmarried daughter by Shaheen's mother drives the grandmother downstairs, to live with her other son. Matters have been compounded by Shaheen refusing to marry Sajid, her mother's effete second cousin, who has come to Mumbai looking for both a bride and a job.

Ehsaan's mimicry of Sajid's peculiar English makes you laugh out loud. Dadi moving out gives Sajid an opportunity to woo Nimmi, and her father's drunken proclamation of their affair traumatises Shaheen totally.

A marriage proposal from the Adamji family gives her an exit from her home a few moths later, but her husband is most cowardly in the face of his dominating mother, and Shaheen finds little joy in her marriage, although the birth of her daughter does change her life. Juhi is a child 'who just strolled out into the world and started ordering everybody about', much to the chagrin of her imperious grandmother, whom she constantly challenges.

Many tragedies later, Shaheen leaves her husband, who refuses to let Juhi accompany her. Juhi has developed severe eczema, and while going out of town to seek a cure for her child, Shaheen meets Manas, an architecture student. Many travails later, Shaheen is finally able to piece her life together.

The trouble with trying to review 3, Zakia Mansion is that you get sucked into reading the book again and again. It is a slim book, economical with words and rich in concepts and characters. It is a book that demands to be read and re-read several times over. One central concept is of the betrayal of children by their parents, of actual or virtual orphanhood. Another is of the need for kindness in human relationships. This verse, by Ella Wheer Willcox which appears at the beginning of the book, is also quoted by the holy man at the ashram:

So many Gods, so many creeds,

So many paths that wind and wind,

While just the art of being kind

Is all this sad world needs.

While I am eagerly awaiting Ms.Dange's next book, I do wonder if it will become as much a part of me as 3, Zakia Mansion has become.


Edited to add:  Gouri Dange blogs at http://www.gouridange.blogspot.com/

Smita Jain tells us how to craft a perfect chicklit-crime novel

Smita Jain gave us the howlarious Kkrishnaa's Konfessions, where she placed a murder in the penstabbing world of TV serial scripting and TRP rage. Now she's back with Piggies on the Railway: A Kasthuri Kumar Mystery, about a glamorous Private Investigator suddenly confronted with a corpse of a movie star.

Here is a short Q&A

1] In both your books, Kkrishnaa's Konfessions and Piggies on the Railway, you have gone in for what would seem like an implausible mix of chicklit and crime. What do you think is the reason the mix has has worked?
It has worked?!!!! But, seriously, why wouldn’t it work? The heroine is imperfect, glamour struck and insecure. In other words, she’s totally identifiable. Show me a woman who isn’t all that and I’ll show you a straight male fashion designer. In addition, the narrative is pacy, the situations outrageously hilarious, the tone self deprecating, the language simple, the mystery intelligent, what’s not to like?



2] You've worked across mediums, from scripting serials and films to writing books, and blogging. What are the highs and lows of each medium, according to you?
Actually writing books is not that different from writing film screenplays. After all it is about writing stories and rules for writing stories remain the same whatever the medium. It’s all about character and conflict. About plot points and resolving conflict. The highs and lows are the same. The impatience when the going is slow initially, the frustration when you unable to crack a flaw in the plot or character after weeks of consistent trying, the rush of excitement when you get it, and finally, overwhelming relief when it’s done. The only difference lies in the format of the script or the manuscript as the case maybe, and the language employed. And the tense. A screenplay is always in the present tense while an MS, not always.


3] In Piggies on the Railway, you've created Kasthuri Kumar, a detective with a penchant for Fendi peeptoes and fashion ripoffs, riding a bike, and a sex life that rocks. Isnt she a total antithesis to the profession?
Yes! And isn’t it fun? But seriously, only in India is she an antithesis of the conventional detective. That is perhaps because here the genre is in its infancy yet. In developed markets you have all kinds of characters. I’ve read capers of a woman who is a beautician by day and a PI by night. I’ve read stories of PIs who are models, TV reporters, supposedly idle high society ladies, manic depressives, split personalities, alcoholics...

4] What are your rules for crafting a detective novel?
I usually visualize the crime and then work backwards. So I think to myself, let’s have an old guy who’s stabbed. Then I give the situation some personality. For instance, when and where was he found? What were the circumstances of the crime? Next, I give him family, friends and colleagues. Since the killer is almost always from them, they all get broad back stories, aspirations, motives and opportunities and alibis. So, you see, it’s fairly simple once you get a hang of the rules. It’s intricate, but simple. It’s simply a matter of maintaining detailed notes.

5] How do you see the character of Katie evolving, since Kasthuri Kumar is planned as a series of mysteries?
Hmmm, too soon to tell. But she’s definitely not gonna get less glamorous! Or less sexual!

Q & A with Parul Sharma

I'm always all excited when Parul Sharma comes up in any discussion about bloggers turned authors, because, what the hell, she's a friend, and she's a mommy blogger, and she's a genuine nice person. Yes, yes, I'm biased and this has nothing to do with her hilarious book, Bringing Up Vasu: That First Year, which you must buy to boost up sales and send into reprint.

Here's a Q&A with her:
1] When you began blogging, did you imagine that this would lead to a book someday? Or was there always a book at the back of your mind?

Sure, I dreamt that publishers all over would be flocking to my doorstep once they read my blog, except that they didn't.
Actually, I started my blog to get writing practice and it served me well to that end. I got some readers and loads of encouragement. Yes, I always wanted to be a writer but even I, in my infinite optimism did not start blogging thinking that it would lead to a book deal. I had to go about it the old-fashioned way and so I finished the manuscript and sent it to a commissioning editor and hoped and prayed like hell that she would like it. My publishers came to know of my blog much later when I asked them if I should mention the book on it. I think the exact response was on the enthusiastic lines of yes, whatever but then, mine is not a hugely popular blog.

2] How easy or difficult is it to make the transition from blogging short posts, to writing a full fledged book, what is the shift in mind set required?
Well, I don't think it is particularly difficult but you do need to be oriented differently. There are many things one needs to consider while writing a full-length novel, the storyline needs to be consistent, the characters need to be fleshed out, the level of engagement needs to be high and so on. The stakes are higher while writing a book. Blogging in that sense is more fun and it allows you a lot more flexibility. I write about anything that catches my fancy on my blog. In a book, I need to stick to the story, a singularly tough task. Another thing - because of the comments they leave and the blogs they themselves maintain, one more or less knows who the blog-reader is. There is no such luxury while writing novels.
Also, I get away with using adverbs in the blog, something I have been repeatedly told is absolutely unforgivable if you want to be a good writer.

3] How do you respond to the criticism that most bloggers turned authors recycle the same stuff from their blogs into their books?
I think we end up writing about things that we feel close to and some overlap is inevitable in the first published work and the blog. Debuts do tend to be semi-autobiographical. As the writer gains experience, one hopes she can develop the chops necessary to explore other territories.

4] Who are your favourite authors and which are your favourite books?
I love P G Wodehouse, Stephen King, Bill Bryson, Alexander McCall Smith and Shivani and have read most of their works. I like Murakami a lot too. Amongst the newer authors that I have read I have liked Daniyal Mueenuddin and Suketu Mehta a fair bit. Oh and I am a fervent admirer of Bill Watterson.
My favourite books are To Kill A Mockingbird, City of Djinns, The Lord Of The Rings, On Writing, all Calvin and Hobbes comics, Persepolis...this could go on.

5] Any advice you would give bloggers aspiring to be authors?
The same as I would give to anyone aspiring to be an author - just write. Don't wait for divine inspiration, don't seek the perfect words to come to you, don't await the perfect pitch for your voice. The only way to be a writer is to write. Boring I know, but true. It's like any other job. You get up in the morning and you show up at your writing desk.

6] What should readers watch out for, are you working on a next book?
My second book is due for release in September 2010. The working title is By The Watercooler.

Here are the links to some reviews on the blogosphere of Bringing Up Vasu
Mamma mia me a Mamma
Monika Manchanda
R's Mom
Aneela of Golkamra
Purple Homes
The Hungry Bookworm

(If I've missed out on any links to this book, do send them in, and links to blogs with reviews of other blogger turned author written books are also welcome! Help me out here folks, you know I am scatterbrained at the best of times.)

May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss

By Arnab Ray aka Great Bong

Reviewed by Dipali Taneja

"May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss" is a brilliantly funny book by an author who is immensely observant. To me the book is essentially a sociological treatise on Indian urban life in the last two decades or so, but one written with wit, wisdom and imagination. So many of his observations ring so true- when he speaks of the ultra-slow plot progression of desi soaps, you find yourself in full agreement with the author. When he writes about the travails of the Bengali bridegroom going through a traditional marriage, you cannot help but chuckle. I loved the way he described the seminal influence some Hindi films had on him. One chapter heading is 'Five things that piss me off', which encompasses Human Resource Personnel, First Class In Flights, Polite Conversation, The Flush, and, most frustrating of them all, Calling Customer Service. You cannot help but identify with one or more of these! If you want advice on How To Start Your Own managemnt Institute, look no further. He writes openly, honestly, and political correctness can go take a jump.


If you want a lighthearted insight into modern day urban India, Arnab Ray's 'May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss' is a wonderful read!

Psst, psst: Read our interview with Arnab here
Also read Mamma Mia!! Me a Mamma??'s review here

And here's Sidin....

Columnist, blogger (http://www.whatay.com/) and now, with the publication of Dork:The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Verghese, an author, Sidin Vadukut is undoubtedly the funny man to read when you're in a bit of a funk. Sidin took time out to respond to our questions on his writing, and his book, and yes there will be sequels, so keep your money ready and waiting.

1] When you began blogging, did you imagine that this would lead to a book someday? Or was there always a book at the back of your mind?

Absolutely. When I began blogging, way back in 2002 or so, I was convinced that all this typing and posting was inevitably leading to literary achievements and fame and glory and all that. As was/is everyone else as they fill in that online form to open their Blogger or Wordpress account. At the time, in 2002, I was full of the stupid conviction of youth that I was an amazing writer and all this blogging was a distraction from the book writing and prize winning.

Now when I go back and read what I wrote in 2002... shudder.

But since then priorities changed drastically. Gradually I realized I sucked at fiction, realized perhaps journalism was the way to go, and then plunged into that whole-heartedly. This shift happened sometime in 2005 I think. I did work on a book at the time, and that period saw a slowdown in blogging which I have never really recovered from. And then that manuscript got shelved as I got on with the business of making ends meet, getting married and joining gyms.

I was once again coaxed into the book project by friends and family in 2006. Then a combination of luck, good timing and LinkedIn.com made Dork happen. So no, I was never carrying Dork in my head and waiting for the perfect moment. First I decided I wanted to write a book, Dork was the idea everyone liked best.

2] How easy or difficult is it to make the transition from blogging short posts, to writing a full fledged book, what is the shift in mind required?

The process of writing wasn't difficult. But the substance of the manuscript itself was a challenge.
I was able to cope with the process because of three reasons: Having been a journalist of some kind helps deal with deadlines, editing, correcting and, most importantly, helps you somewhat distinguish good writing from bad. (I've had some amazing editors over the last few years. Touch wood.) Secondly, I'd always written very long blog posts, 2000 words at a time. And I spend a fair amount of time on those posts. So typing into the night on a tight daily word-count wasn't a shock. And finally in Dork I'd chosen a format, the diary entry, which wasn't all that different from a blog format. This was not entirely accidental.

The substance itself was a problem. Thinking and creating a plotline that runs across 65000 words is very difficult. It was only after writing half the book that I developed a system of plot outlines, notes and character descriptions that made things easier. This was the hardest element. Creating a sequence of events that lasts AND sustains interest. Very hard.

3] How do you respond to the criticism that most bloggers turned authors recycle the same stuff from their blogs into their books?

While this is probably true, I don't think there is a problem here per se. This is a little bit like saying William Dalrymple is obsessed with history no? I don't mind blogger-authors sticking to a genre or a topic or a style. The real issue is recycling and originality. But remember that most bloggers get commissioned to write exactly what is on their blog. It is not like publishers will approach a humour blogger and tell them to write the next War And Peace with a gritty Mumbai feel.
And unless the blogger tries something drastically different, frequent readers WILL predict punchlines, plot twists, dialogues et cetera, et cetera. The blog reader can be pretty unforgiving.
Blogger-authors have it tough.

4] Who are your favourite authors and which are your favourite books?
Whatay hard question. Favourite authors: Bill Bryson, Dave Barry, Martin Cruz Smith, William Dalrymple, Sjowall and Wahloo, Anthony Beevor.
Favourite books: Netherland, Stalingrad, D-Day, Red Square, The Laughing Policeman, From the Holy Mountain, Maus, Dave Barry Slept Here, e by Matt Beaumont... so many.

5] Any advice you would give bloggers aspiring to be authors?
Write about sex. Sex and IITs. Or Sex IN an IIM. Five Point Threesome.
Otherwise develop one of two things: style or substance. Develop a style, ala Greatbong, Amit Verma, Krish Ashok, that lets you handle any topic with unique flair. Or specialize in a particular topic in great depth and enthusiasm. Like the Indian National Interest guys, Jai Arjun Singh or Bharadwaj Rangan. I can't think of another way to make it. Newspapers and, I assume, most publishers wants a killer style or an awesome story. You have to have one of those.
Then work at it. Get published. Network heavily so you get bylines everywhere. Indeed we are lucky to be in a country where new magazines still open and newspapers still look for writers. There is a dire need of good writers across all topics. Meet that demand. Caferati and book readings are good places to network.
And please be open to feedback. The earlier you get solid feedback in your career the better.
And once you feel what it means to be edited, to meet deadlines and to really craft nice sentences and tight endings, the book deals will begin to be within reach.
Oh and read lots. Of everything. No output without input.

6] What should readers watch out for, are you working on a next book?
Dork 2 is afoot. Very, very slowly. Due in June. But I am also working on a non-Dork novel outline. Hoping to send out pitches to publishers by June end. I am very excited about this project. A strange and macabre idea. Fingers itch to type. But hush hush for now. Dork 2 first.
And then that magnum opus World War 2 book that someone will have to fund me copiously for. Dream project. Much traveling involved. Unless I kill two birds with one stone and enroll for a PhD in History in 2012.

Would you like to send in a review?

If you would like to review any book written by a blogger turned author for our Blogger Turned Author fortnight, please do mail us at bookwelove@gmail.com, with your review, and a short intro of yourself, and a link to your blog, if you blog. We would be happy to publish it.