Booknomics

Entry for WYL Contest: Letter to Vivian Ward

Hope you have checked out our Write Your Love Contest. If not, do so now. Here is the entry from Kaycee.

The letter is addressed to the character played by Julia Roberts in the movie “Pretty Woman”.

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The Letter

dear Julia,

I wish I had not met you at all.It is our destiny that made us meet .In my work ,I meet plenty of girls but what is it that I found in you that i have not seen in others.

Definitely not your beauty.You are beautiful of course, but that is not what attracted me to you. Your Talk ,no.Well, now I know, it is you inner beauty. beauty of your heart.You were in a cheap profession but you are not cheap.You had your own personality.You were not for money .When Gere offered you money ,you did not accept it because you knew that you had not earned that money.In this bad bad world, who else will behave the way you did.I fell in love with you when you did not touch the money.At that moment I knew that you were a woman of substance, a woman with a heart of gold.

You looked graceful in the new dresses that you bought.That you are a woman of substance was again demonstrated when In the last scene,Richard Gere comes to your apartment in search of you and not vice versa. Your smile is powerful.The lobby manager in the hotel and the liftman were your admirers even though they knew your background.

That speaks volumes to you earthly behavior. Hats off to you. Valentine,s day is round the corner. I could not help placing my thoughts about you at this time.I love you,Julia.

Kaycee

End of the Letter

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Pothi.com’s note

There is a technical issue with the letter. He has mentioned the name of actors, when the name of the characters should have been mentioned. But since the intent was to address the characters themselves, we have put up the letter.

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About the character

Julia Roberts in Pretty woman plays the role of a hooker but with a heart of gold. Even when a rich man falls in love with her, she is not carried away by his riches.

She retains her individuality and grace in spite of being in the oldest profession.I liked her role and I felt I would anyway love her.

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How did you like the letter?

Important Information about Write Your Love Contest

There is no word limit on the letter being written. Your challenge is to keep it interesting irrespective of how long it is.
The letter should be written to a fictional character (from a book/movie/TV Series), not to a real person (alive or dead), not to a person you have imagined either.
The letter should be from you to that fictional character, not from a third party. For example you should be writing to Juliet, not Romeo!

Entry for WYL Contest: Letter to Lucy Mannette

Hope you have checked out our Write Your Love Contest. If not, do so now. Here is the entry from Ayaz Lakdawala.

The letter is addressed to Lucy Mannette from “A Tale of Two Cities”.

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The Letter

Dear Lucy,

Just wanted to let you know that I have never come across somebody as sweet as you from all the stories that I’ve heard or read. When I first read about you, I was struck by your innocent charm and soft and kind demeanor. You remind me of Snowhite, Cindrella, and Rapunzel. When you wept for Charles when he was sentenced to die, I empathized with you. I could almost feel the pain that you felt as you sat helplessly on the park bench and sobbed uncontrollably for the inevitable. Your persona mesmerized Carton so much that he gave his very life for you, his one and only true love. I loved Carton’s intense love for you that made him attain nobility by sacrificing his life. Lucy, the aura of your love captivated somebody to such as extent that he could even give his life for you. I simply adore you for that. It goes without saying and there are no two ways about it that I am truly, sincerely, and most deeply in love with you. All I want to ask for this Valentine’s Day is for you to make my day. Will you be my Valentine?

With Love,
Ayaz

End of the Letter

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About the character: The fictional character to whom this love letter is being written is Lucy Mannette, the beautiful daughter of Dr. Mannette from the literature classic, A Tale of Two Cities. Lucy is the quintessential English beauty, a fine young lady who has a heart of gold. She is the object of desire of two fine suitors, Charles Darnay, an aristocratic, and Sidney Carton, an English Lawyer. Lucy evokes great sympathy when her husband Charles Darnay is falsely implicated and sentenced to die. She also inspires the other hero, Sidney Carton, who gives the supreme sacrifice by taking Charles’s place and giving his life for their happiness. She embodies the feeling of intense love in her beautiful, innocent, and tender character.

Name of the book and an overview of the story: A Tale of Two Cities is a classic by Charles Dickens in English literature. The story is set in the 16th Century France in the backdrop of the French revolution. It revolves around the two cites, France and London. Charles Darnay belongs to the aristocratic family of Everemonde. He falls in love with Lucy, the beautiful daughter of Dr. Mannete. However, Charles is implicated in a false trial when he visits France from London. Just at the time, the revolution begins and Charles is sentenced to die on the guillotine. Then comes the most intense and noble character of Sidney Carton, who is an eminent English Lawyer. Sidney too had been attracted to Lucy but before he could have professed his undying love for her, she had got married to Charles. Sidney Carton bears a close resemblance to Charles Darnay and he takes up Charles’s case. The only way he can save Charles is by taking his place and going to the guillotine. After seeing the sad and despairing Lucy, he decides to sacrifice his life for his true love and cleverly takes the place of her husband Charles in the Bastilles, the castle prison. He gives his life for her and goes to the guillotine in the place of Charles Darnay. A true tale of love, sacrifice, and nobility.

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How did you like the letter? Do leave your comments and help Ayaz win the contest 🙂

Entry for WYL Contest: Letter to Scarlett O’Hara

Hope you have checked out our Write Your Love Contest. If not, do so now. Here is the entry from Prasad Mahajan.

The letter is addressed to Scarlett O’Hara, the protagonist of “Gone With the Wind”.

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The Letter

Dear Scarlet O’Hara,

I do not mind sharing with you that I have had my share of women in the 22 years of life I have lived. I mean, I had few crushes, few had a crush on me, I proposed some, some proposed me, some rejected me, I rejected some. But none of them was as fascinating, charming, real or practical as you.

Scarlet, apart from your obvious charm, I like the way you conduct your whole life, like a businesswoman, a very hard headed corporate executive. You are indifferent to the usual mundaneness of life. You are nonchalant in a very turbulent, troubled way. You get bored at parties. But why do have to contemplate whether to belch or not in a party? Considering the woman you are, why do you give a shit anyway?

I would admit that I am fascinated by not only the coquettish girl you are, but also by the character you’ve gradually evolved into as your life progressed. Do I want to marry you? Hell, no. You would leave me if you get another good business proposition. And you know what; I would also do the same. So, you see, we are not apposite for each other. So let’s keep it simple. I have a crush on you, kind of a little crush kids have in school. And we will leave matters at that.

Well, I am also mesmerized how you could twist, bend, and modify yourself to protect your dear ones. I mean you do not have an agenda except for saving your own life and that of your dear ones. And you are ready to pay whatever price it takes. How much more practical one can get? Much appreciated.

But when you are this practical, why don’t you admit that you are a straightforward business minded woman? Why disguise? Why hide who you are? Why trick gullible men? You could have them anyway with your charm and wits? That way, you are little twisted. And that’s the only thing I do not like about you.

It’s pretty amazing to observe how fast you got translated from me pretty little girl to a woman who shoulders family responsibilities. In a strange way, the way you change yourself reminds me of the speed of Mumbai local. Come to Mumbai sometime, Scarlet. You would love this amazingly electric city. This city is made for people like you. This city is full of people who are driven by absolute self interest, people who have never seen face of self-denial, people who make hard choices knowing the consequences, never regretting the past however bitter the past might be, and arrogantly audacious for the future; like you are. They are kind of narcissist like you, you know. Let me know when you are around. We can go for a drink or something. I hear you like premium scotch.

Thanks and regards,
Prasad Mahajan

P.S.: Frankly, my dear, I do not give a damn if you do not reply to this letter.

End of the letter

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How do you like the quirky expression of love? Do leave your comments and help Prasad win the contest 🙂

Entry for WYL Contest: Letter to Ethan

Hope you have checked out our Write Your Love Contest. If not, do so now. Here is the entry from Neelam Chandra.

The letter is addressed to Ethan (from movie Guzaarish). Ethan is a paraplegic who files mercy petition for Euthanasia. He had been a famous magician once upon a time.

This letter is being written at a stage when he has just filed his petition for euthanasia.

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The Letter

Ethan, I love you. I think you are going to have a hearty laugh as I bare out my heart in front of you. But I just can’t help it. Love is like this only – pure, naive and simple. It does not understand any boundaries.

Ethan, you may think that I am someone from your past – just like Estella. But I am not. Neither do I love you for being a famous magician. That simply does not matter. I love you for your zest for life. I love you for your enthusiasm. I love you because you make so many people smile. And I think bringing a smile on someone’s lips is one of the most wonderful tasks which a living mortal can execute.

Ethan, I have been hearing you on Radio Zindagi since quite some time. I still remember how it all started. One of my friends had had a heart break. Her whole world seemed to have come tumbling down. She had been going steady with this boy friend of hers since more than five years. One day he simply came and told her, “Sona, I must apologize to you. I do not love you, but love your colleague instead.” She was heartbroken and felt that life was not worth living. She had taken out a razor and had thought of cutting her veins. Suddenly, she heard your programme on Radio Zindagi and connected to you. You not only made her ward off such thoughts; you also made her live her life to the fullest. She was the one who had introduced your program to me and since then I have been listening to all your programmes.
I sometimes feel that this nurse of yours, Sophie, is in love with you too and my heart is pink with envy. I think you belong to me exclusively and I am not able to bear the thought that you spend most of her time with her. I feel a strange chemistry between you two, even on the radio. That hurts me. Ethan, you belong to me. Please, please don’t love anyone else.

You may ask me what I shall get from you. After all you are a paraplegic. But do we love someone only for the sake of getting something? Can someone not love a person just like that? I don’t want anything from you. Nothing interests me so much as your thought, your contemplation and your reflection. May be, it is a platonic love!

Ethan, it is true that I have not met you as yet. I had seen you speed by in a car through my window when you were going to the court for your petition of euthanasia. I don’t know how I missed meeting you. Had I known, I would have asked someone to carry me to the court.

Coming to your petition of euthanasia, I don’t think I agree with you. With so many loving friends around you, you should not do it. How heartbroken will they be? I can understand your pain. I know the aches, anguish and agony you have to go through. But your suicide (I call it so) will have a sad, lingering and cascading effect on many of your fans like me. Did I mention I am also a paraplegic like you? I think not. Ethan, I do not even have someone like Sophie to take care of me. It is a struggle at every step for me and my mother who is eighty years old now. But then, one has to live on. After all, if there is life, there has to be some mission.

Ethan, you were the one who used to give me the zeal and enthusiasm to carry on. But don’t worry. The zest for life which you have got imbedded in me shall stay even if you leave this earth. I shall continue to live and be a support for the hundreds of paraplegic persons by writing for them. (I think I told you that I am a writer). After all, the ardour and passion to live begun by you has to continue. I love you Ethan for imparting me that fervour.

End of the letter

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How do you like the letter? Do leave your comments and help Neelam win the contest 🙂

Write Your Love

February has arrived and immediately you start seeing red hearts in shop windows and pop-up ads advertising gifts to buy your Valentine. Some people feel that Valentine’s Day is ‘imported’ from the West but a great many embrace it and celebrate it with enthusiasm. After all, it’s just a day to show your loved ones that you care.

You can run but you can never hide. The fact of the matter is, everybody wants and needs love, whether or not he’s a romantic.

Who knows what would have happened if Romeo and Juliet had got married and lived together? Would their love have remained that powerful and blind? But when we watch a romantic scene in a movie, we are moved by the love on screen, because we have either experienced something like that some time in our lives or wished we could.

Romance has moved people throughout history and continues to do so today. Love letters have always been treasured. Beethoven had a secret lover whom he was passionately in love with but this fact came to light only on the discovery of a love letter after his death. Her name was not on the letter, so she remains a mystery. Napoleon Bonaparte was a prolific letter writer and reportedly wrote hundreds of love letters to his wife Josephine. It is through some of these letters that the world discovered the great emperor’s tender and emotional side.

Have you felt your heart surge with love when you read of a character in a book or watched a movie? Did you want to switch places with Jack and kiss Rose in the Titanic? Perhaps your tummy did a flip every time you watched Paul (Keanu Reeves) in A Walk in the Clouds? Whether your dream lover is Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice or Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, you can have fun by participating in the Write Your Love contest on Pothi.com.

Write a letter to your fictional lover and the best two letters stand to win a cash prize of Rs 1000 each. Click here for details. Go on, then, bring on the love!

Major Book Fairs in India

Don’t you hate it when you miss a book fair just because you didn’t know when it came to town—and left?

India is one of the ten biggest book publishing centres in the world, according to the Mumbai International Book Fair website, and is only third, after USA and UK for English titles.

Book fairs are not only fun to visit for good book deals, they are also a place to discover new authors, books and friends. This apart, you get to participate in literary and cultural programmes, listen to poetry recitals by famous poets and interact with authors, which are especially conducted during these fairs and a rare treat for those who enjoy and appreciate the marvels of the written word.

We’re talking about major book fairs in India, not exhibitions where a bookstore offers a discount sale on leftover books to clear stock. Major book fairs are large events in which publishers, book stores and people related to the publishing industry put up stalls to promote reading, writing, literature and, of course, to sell their books and promote new releases.

There is no single place on the Internet where you can get extensive information about all the major book fairs in India, so we thought we’d do some research and put one together.

Here is a listing of major book fairs in India, zone-wise, along with the dates during which they are generally conducted so you can plan ahead and be there.

North India

Delhi – There are two types of major book fairs held here. The Delhi Book Fair, organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), in its 16^th year, will be held from 25 Dec 2010 to 2 Jan 2011 at Pragati Maidan. It drew three lakh visitors last year. The date for the fair is not constant—for instance, the next fair will be from Aug 29–Sep 6, 2011.
The other major book fair in Delhi is also held in Pragati Maidan but is called the New Delhi World Book Fair and is organized once in two years by NBT. In its 19^th year now, this fair was held from 30 Jan–7 Feb 2010, so the next one will be in 2012. This, according to NBT, is the biggest book fair in the Afro-Asian Region and attracts exhibitors both from India and abroad.
Jaipur – The Dainik Bhaskar Book Fair was held between 24 Sept and 3 Oct 2010, at the outer area of SMS Stadium, near Ambedkar Circle. Dates and venue differ. Dainik Bhaskar also conducts book fairs in several other places in North and Central India. Please check http://www.bhaskar.com for more information.
Noida – The 4^th Noida Book & Stationery Fair organised by Udichi and TradexpoIndia will be conducted at GIP Mall, Sec 18, Atta Market, Noida from 27 Nov–5 Dec 2010. It is an annual fair, conducted simultaneously with Edufiesta, an education fair that draws a large number of students.

South India

Chennai – Chennai Book Fair or Madras Book Fair is an annual book fair organized in Chennai by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India. The fair lasts for about 10 days and is held between December and January. The fair is one of the important cultural events every year, and has been around a long time—the 33^rd fair was held in January 2010.
Hyderabad – The 25^th Hyderabad Book Fair will be organized from 16^th to 26^th Dec 2010, at People’s Plaza Ground, Necklace Road. The fair is usually held around the same dates every year. Since this is the silver jubilee year, the fair promises special attractions. More at http://hyderabadbookfair.com.
Bengaluru – The Bangalore Book Fair, organised by the Bangalore Booksellers and Publishers Association, in its sixth year now, was conducted in Palace Grounds from 12–21 November 2010. This major book fair is said to be the second largest in the country and is generally held in November. It draws more than 1 lakh visitors and has revenue in several crore rupees.
Vijayawada – The Vijayawada Book Festival Society (VBFS) has been organizing book festivals on the lines of the National Book Trust (NBT) since 1989. They organize several events such as ‘Walk for Books’, celebrating birth centenaries of eminent Telugu writers, competitions for students, to name a few. These events do not need an entry ticket. The Vijayawada Book Festival is held from 1–11 January every year.
Kochi – In its 14^th year now, the Kochi International Book Festival, organized by the Antharashtra Pusthakotsava Samithy, Kochi, is held from 26 Nov–6 Dec 2010 at the Ernakulathappan Grounds. Their focus, they say, is the book lover rather than the publisher and book seller. Several literary events are organised, too.
Thiruvananthapuram – In the Tehelka Readership Survey 2010, it was found that the maximum monthly spend on books in India was in Thiruvananthapuram (Rs 569.50). The Thiruvananthapuram Book Fair, organised by the Department of Culture, Government of Kerala, is held from 18–26 December at Kanakakkunnu Palace and is part of the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival. This time, a children’s writers and publisher’s workshop will also be a part of it.

West India

Mumbai – The Mumbai International Book Fair (MIBF), organised by the Good Governance India Foundation, a trust dedicated to the promotion of literacy and reading as a habit, is held in January every year in the Bandra-Kurla complex.
Pune – The 9^th Pune Book Fair (PBF), supported by the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, was a 5-day fair conducted from 20–24 October 2010 at Kamayani grounds in Patrakarnagar. While the fair is held every year, the date and venue differ.

East India

Kolkata – The largest book fair in India is the Kolkata Book Fair. In its 34^th year, it was held from 27 Jan–7 Feb in 2010. Many foreign countries participate and there is a theme each year dedicated to literature from one country. Awards to authors for lifetime achievement and promising writer were given this year. The dates for the next fair are 26 Jan–6 Feb 2011, with the focal theme: USA. The entry will be free in 2011 in homage to its being the 150^th birth year of Rabindranath Tagore. More at www.kolkatabookfaironline.com

The National Book Trust (NBT), India, organises several book fairs across India. From their website: The National Book Trust, India, established in 1957 for the promotion of books and to inculcate book culture in India, organises book fairs/festivals at local, regional and national levels. To look for the upcoming fair (2010-11) in your neighbourhood, please visit http://www.nbtindia.org.in/download/NOV2010/NBFairs1011.pdf . For later fairs, please visit the NBT website at http://www.nbtindia.org.in.

Interview with Nikesh Rathi: Author of Somewhere@Nowhere

Nikesh originally self-published his book through Pothi.com after which the book was accepted and published by PustakMahal.

Pothi: Nikesh, congratulations on getting your book published by Pustak Mahal! Tell us something about yourself.

Nikesh: I belong to Raipur, have done most of my schooling at Baroda, my engineering at NIT, Bhopal and MBA at IIM, Lucknow (2008). I have worked in IT and FMCG industries for some time before moving to education sector recently. Currently I am working with the academics team at IMS Learning Resources, Mumbai. I have lived in several places in India.

Apart from writing, I am interested in reading, watching movies, quizzing, cricket and travelling.

Pothi: Where can we find your book on the Web?

Nikesh: It is available with several leading online stores: Flipkart, Infibeam, Indiaplaza, Amazon (Kindle version), etc.

Pothi: Favourite author/book? Name the one that made the biggest impact on you.

Nikesh: It is difficult to single out a book but some of my favourites are: 1984 and Animal Farm (both by George Orwell), To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Catcher in the Rye (J D Salinger), Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams), Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts), Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), The Prophet (Khalil Gibran), The Godfather (Mario Puzo) and The Day of the Jackal (Frederick Forsyth).

Pothi: How did you get the idea to write a novel? Is it a novel? Memoir? Fiction based on real life?

Nikesh: It was a mix of various factors. It was something which I always wanted to do!

I have been somewhat creative throughout my life but this had been mostly limited to blogs, short stories, few articles in college publications or just cracking PJs! There was always an urge to do something more, maybe on a larger platform and this is where I got this idea to write a book. I started and abandoned the project a few times, but eventually I got going and wrote it.

It is a work of fiction, but at some level it has been influenced by my life—my beliefs, opinions, travels or experiences while working in FMCG industry, a result of watching too many movies, a reflection of my confused self or just a figment of my imagination!

I guess there will be people reading between the lines, and there is nothing I can do about it. Maybe, if this happens I can consider it as a good omen!

Pothi: What is your favourite part/passage/chapter from the book?

Nikesh: Impossible to single out any one!

Pothi: How much time and effort did it take to finish the book?

Nikesh: It took a few months to write. It kind of followed Pareto’s principle—the first 80% took 20% of the time! That was when a basic skeleton was ready. Then it was all about revising it, re-revising it, re-re-revising it and so on. Theoretically there is no end to it. This went on for almost around a few months. Most of that time was used in giving ‘finishing touches’!

The process was quite interesting and it often involved stretching my imagination and kind of living two lives—one real, and other one virtual, imagining what the book’s “hero” would be doing! Once the image was ready, putting it into words and what would finally come out was a lot different from what I had initially imagined.

Pothi: How was your publishing experience? Any advice for new authors?

Nikesh: The publishing experience was a kind of mixed bag. To begin with, I was a ‘nobody,’ sending an unsolicited manuscript to publishers. There were publishers who never replied, there were some who rejected it outright and there were some who wanted to make major changes to the content to make the book more ‘spicy’!

I eventually decided to go ahead with self-publishing on Pothi.com and the feedback was quite encouraging.

Later on, Pothi sent me a mail regarding a competition by Cedar Books. I participated in it and my book was selected for publishing.

As far as writing a book is concerned, I think getting started is the most difficult part. Once you break that inertia, you have set the ball rolling.

To begin with, self-publishing provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase your work. Also, since there are no major copyright issues or other legalities involved, switching to a traditional publisher (the advantage in this is the reach of their distribution channel) is hassle free. With pothi.com, they were quite responsive and willing to help and also have a transparent system in place, which makes the self-publishing (especially for a new writer) experience a lot more comfortable.

Pothi: Did you find the experience of self-publishing worthwhile? What more would you like to see?

Nikesh: Absolutely! Self-publishing is a wonderful opportunity as it lowers the barriers to become a published writer.

Also, it lets you control your content as some of the traditional publishers dictate terms about content. It is like you have a movie ready and the producer comes and says, “This won’t work. Add a few item songs, introduce a love story as a sub-plot, put in more masala and make it spicy.” If you are comfortable with it, it might work in your favour, but as an author I felt that my book should be what I want it to be.

Self-publishing is a relatively new concept in India and its reach is quite limited. So, if I write a book, not many people outside my immediate friends circle might know about it.

Going ahead, I would like to see self-publishing sites having tie-ups with retail channels (especially online ones like Flipkart). This might help in giving authors a wider reach.

Pothi: Plans to write more going forward?

Nikesh: Definitely. But I would try to steer clear of all those life/love at IIT/ IIM kind of stories!

Pothi: Thanks for talking with us, Nikesh, and all the best for your writing endeavours!

Nikesh originally self-published his book through Pothi.com after which the book was accepted and published by PustakMahal (http://www.pustakmahal.com/book/book/bid,,9546B/isbn:9788122311303/index.html).