New on shelves: Four titles that shine a lens on our past, present and future
This picture book, with gorgeous illustrations by Peter Brown, comes in his popular The Wild Robot series, made into a movie featuring Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal and Kit Connor. Roz, the robot, lands up on an island and is forced to learn the ways of the wild to survive. Intended for readers between the ages of 3 and 7, profound life lessons for adults are tucked away in these pages too. 'The Wild Robot on the Island', by Peter Brown, HarperCollins, 48 pages, ₹ 599.
In his new book, co-written with Colin Butfield, naturalist David Attenborough takes the readers into the depths of the oceans, the 'earth's last wildness' as the subtitle describes them. From the mysteries of the coral reefs to the unique species that inhabit the waters, this is a magisterial story of an ecosystem hidden from our eyes but critically responsible for supporting life on earth. 'Oceans', by David Attenborough and Colin Butfield, Hachette India, 352 pages, ₹ 1,299.
Former US President Bill Clinton is back with another thriller with co writer James Patterson, this one with obvious autobiographical leanings. The First Gentleman—a former President (ahem) now playing second fiddle to his wife, the reigning President—is accused of murder, which sets a pair of journalists on an investigation. 'The First Gentleman', by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, Penguin Random House, 400 pages, ₹ 899.
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Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
New on shelves: Four titles that shine a lens on our past, present and future
This picture book, with gorgeous illustrations by Peter Brown, comes in his popular The Wild Robot series, made into a movie featuring Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal and Kit Connor. Roz, the robot, lands up on an island and is forced to learn the ways of the wild to survive. Intended for readers between the ages of 3 and 7, profound life lessons for adults are tucked away in these pages too. 'The Wild Robot on the Island', by Peter Brown, HarperCollins, 48 pages, ₹ 599. In his new book, co-written with Colin Butfield, naturalist David Attenborough takes the readers into the depths of the oceans, the 'earth's last wildness' as the subtitle describes them. From the mysteries of the coral reefs to the unique species that inhabit the waters, this is a magisterial story of an ecosystem hidden from our eyes but critically responsible for supporting life on earth. 'Oceans', by David Attenborough and Colin Butfield, Hachette India, 352 pages, ₹ 1,299. Former US President Bill Clinton is back with another thriller with co writer James Patterson, this one with obvious autobiographical leanings. The First Gentleman—a former President (ahem) now playing second fiddle to his wife, the reigning President—is accused of murder, which sets a pair of journalists on an investigation. 'The First Gentleman', by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, Penguin Random House, 400 pages, ₹ 899.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Children's author Khyrunnisa A on her latest book in the ‘Butterfingers' series
Children's author Khyrunnisa A. is back with her book of (mis)adventures of Butterfingers a.k.a. Amar Kishen in The World of Butterfingers : The Halloween Adventure And Other Stories. The prolific author from Thiruvananthapuram, who delights readers with the seamless blend of fun and facts in her works, has packed three stories in the new book published by Penguin Random House (Puffin). The character Butterfingers, the clumsy yet exuberant and endearing 13-year-old boy, and the world the author has created around him have won her many fans over the years. The first story of the new book, The Heebee Jeebees And The Bees, is about the visit of The Heebee Jeebees, Amar's favourite band to town and the chaos that follows, which eventually ends on a happy note. The Halloween Adventure, as the title suggests, takes Amar and his gang to Ooty after they win a cricket tournament, during Halloween, where a haunted house and a bank robbery create all the hullabaloo. Butterfingers And The Antiquity Stall, perhaps the most delightful of the three, is based around a history exhibition, where Amar and friends set up an antiquity stall with a difference. This is her 18th book, ninth in the Butterfingers series and the second comic book. In an interview, the author, a former English professor at All Saints' College, Thiruvananthapuram, talks about the book, her creative process and what keeps her going. Excerpts: Arriving at the plots The ideas randomly come up. The thread for the third story popped up when I broke something. The piece looked like what you see in archeological sites or museums. I worked around that thought for the story. I take a lot of joy in building my plots. Some authors say writing is a mystical, mysterious process. However, I can't actually describe it. Creativity is a conscious thing, it comes out of your imagination. At the same time, sometimes when I am busy typing the story as I have thought it out in my head, a totally new idea, a shift in the plot or a new angle comes from nowhere into my mind. That is truly mysterious, and I cannot explain it. What keeps you going? I think it is like a mission for me to get children interested in books and reading. Because, we all know how important it is to read. The page/book vs screen debate is still on. Definitely, the page has won. Research has shown that those who read turn out to be well-adjusted, responsible, intelligent individuals. Getting addicted to the screen robs you of many virtues. It is true that you can run several errands through your phone. But once you are hooked to the screen, you get distracted. You keep on scrolling and nothing makes you happy. That makes you impatient. Adapting to the changing times I haven't changed my style. People associate humour with me even though I have written a few serious books for adults. I am extremely comfortable writing humorous content. Also, I stay away from topics such as religion, politics, mythology, and the like. I feel comfortable in what I have been writing all these years. And from the feedback I have been getting, I know that readers like that. I prefer to keep my works realistic. I can't write horror or fantasy since I don't want to. I often write about animals and little creatures; I make them anthropomorphic. In that way it is a kind of fantasy. At the same time, I ensure that I am factually correct about these creatures. The idea is that children should establish a connect with these little creatures and insects and understand that they are very, very important for our survival and we have to live with them. The human beings are less than a small dot in the universe. But I really do not know how much of that is comprehended by the children. Nevertheless they laugh and enjoy the stories. I hope they absorb some of the underlying themes too. Penchant for humour There are several reasons for that. One is I grew up in a large family, as the youngest of eight. I needed humour for survival. Another fact is I loved to read humour. PG Wodehouse is my all-time favourite. I started reading him while in Class VII and I still enjoy his work. I have at least 50 of his books in my collection. I would call him an indirect influence on my writing. I also love the writings of Bill Bryson, Gerald Durrell, Jerome K Jerome etc. Growing up, I enjoyed the William series by Richmal Crompton. I suppose I must have internalised humour. People say it is very difficult to write humour. For me, it is not. The new-age lingo I love the English language and enjoy playing with words. But I don't try to bring the Gen Z language into my writing because I don't want to. I know that children indulge in rough, crude talk, use bad words, slang and so on. However, I prefer to keep what is good, acceptable English, while making it sound realistic. I don't want to imitate to the letter how they speak in real life. I don't wish to take realism to that level. That's why someone said I use a kind of idealised language. Love for sports I love sports although I am not a sportsperson. In fact, I follow all of them – cricket, badminton, tennis, football, global sports events... everything. That's why I include them in my works [her latest book for Penguin, Agassi and the Great Cycle Race features cycling]. Writing has always to do with what you are interested in, what you know best, what you are comfortable writing about. One must write to their strengths. At the same time I don't make it technical. It is done in a funny, simple way so that readers who have no idea about the particular sport, get to understand it effortlessly while enjoying the book. The World of Butterfingers : The Halloween Adventure And Other Stories, with illustrations by Abhijeet Kini, is available in book stores.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
When Kishore Kumar's Songs were Banned
When Sanjay Gandhi, the unelected son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, wanted to promote his 20-point programme — a list he put down as socio-economic development initiatives — during the Emergency, he decided to commission members of the film industry to further his reform agenda. He organised 'Geeto Bhari Shaam', the state-sponsored charity event under the aegis of the Indian Youth Congress, in Delhi's Ambedkar Stadium on April 11, 1976. Even as brute force was used for a mass sterilisation drive under the guise of family planning all over the country (11 million were eventually sterilised), the programme went on. This was the time actor Dilip Kumar spoke about population outbreak and need for family planning from the stage. He even used a couplet to highlight his point besides compering a chunk of the programme. Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mukesh and Mahendra Kapoor crooned under RD Burman's baton. Amjad Khan took on the Gabbar avatar to tell Burman, 'Bahut jaan hai iske sangeet mein,' as the audience went into splits. Amitabh Bachchan recited Sahir Ludhianvi's 'Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai' just before actors Rakhee and Shashi Kapoor announced the song from the film 'Kabhie Kabhie' (1976). Shabana Azmi and Zeenat Aman shook a leg as Bhosle sang 'Hare rama, hare krishna', the eponymous song from the 1971 film, starring Dev Anand and Aman. While some of the most sought-after names were present in the gathering, Kishore Kumar, a fixture in Burman's numerous songs, such as 'Ye shaam mastani' and 'Ek main aur ek tu', including the recent hit 'Sholay', was missing from the event. He was also that year's Filmfare winner for the title song in the Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore-starrer 'Amaanush' (1974). The Emergency took place at the peak of his popularity. Kumar had refused to be part of the event and said 'no' to singing jingles for the government, even though the directive had come straight from the top. Gandhi was also looking at alleviating despair from people's lives and Kumar's presence seemed necessary for that. According to 'Kishore Kumar, the Ultimate Biography' (Harper Collins, 2022) by Aniruddh Bhattacharjee and Parthiv Dhar, SMH Burney — the then secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting headed by VC Shukla — had approached Kumar in January 1976 to be part of the show. The singer refused, mainly because it felt like an order and not an invitation. Also read – Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography pieces together the many ups and downs of the actor-singer's life Burney was swiftly directed to arrange a meeting with a few government officials and industry representatives in Mumbai. The meeting took place on April 29, 1976, days after 'Geeto Bhari Shaam' in the Capital. It was attended by GP Sippy, the then head of the All-India Film Producers' Council, director Shriram Bohra, BR Chopra, Subodh Mukerji and Nasir Hussain, among others. It is also reported that Sippy tried to persuade Kumar, who wouldn't budge. He also refused to meet Joint Secretary CB Jain regarding the same. Kumar is quoted from one of his interviews in the book: 'I did what I thought best. Singing at private functions is definitely not an anathema. With genuine love and respect, I am only too eager to bend. However, if someone decides to rest his foot in my head, he will not have the good fortune to witness the best of my courtesies.' Years later, he told Pritish Nandy in an interview, 'No one can make me do what I don't want to do. I don't sing at anyone's will or command.' Kumar's refusal was taken as rebellion and defiance. A sweeping ban on all his songs was imposed on May 4. They were removed from AIR and Doordarshan broadcasts, including on Ameen Sayani's 'Binaca Geetmala'. The sale and distribution of his records were halted. Jain also wanted the BBC to stop the broadcast. According to the book, the note from Burney — approved by Shukla a week after the order came into effect — read: 'All the songs of Sri Kishore Kumar should be banned from AIR and DD and that all films in which he was the playback singer should be listed out so that suitable action can be taken against these films. Besides, the representative of HMV and Gramophone recording companies should be sent for and, in consultation with the Ministry of Education, the sale of Sri Kishore Kumar's records and discs should be frozen.' Eventually, former Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray stepped in and held a meeting with Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Vijay Anand, Dev Anand (who was a vociferous protester of the Emergency) and Shukla. Kumar finally agreed to be part of another show at the Sanjay Gandhi Flying Club. The ban was lifted on June 16, 1976, two days after the meeting.
