Ruskin Bond’s first novel, The Room on the Roof, written when he was seventeen, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written over 500 short stories, novellas, poems and articles that have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993 and the Padma Shri in 1999. His short stories “The Night Train at Deoli”, “Time Stops at Shamli”, and “Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra” have been part of the school text books in India.

His story A Flight of Pigeons was about the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 and was made into a film by Shyam Benegal with the title Junoon. Vishal Bharadwaj made films based on his stories The Blue Umbrella and more recently the film Saat Khoon Maaf was based Ruskin Bond’s short story “Susanna’s Seven Husbands”. Read my review of Saat Khoon Maaf <click here>. I ask him if he is planning to go to the Jaipur Literary Fest 2012 starting the next day? He laughs and says that writers of children’s books are perhaps not invited. Jaipur’s loss is my gain for sure.

Abhijit: You have been a prolific writer. Have you ever experienced the dreaded Writer’s Block?

Ruskin Bond: Yes I have occasionally abandoned a manuscript. I write a story in my head. I see the story like a movie. So writing that out is relatively simple. When I write I just keep a waste paper basket handy in case I am experiencing a block. I mostly write short stories. They are best written in a continuous creative process. You have a feel of immediacy. When you write a novel you have to live with the characters for a long time. So I prefer short stories. I never wrote anything more than 250 pages. <picks up my novel Mediocre But Arrogant and looks at the page count> Your novel is 261 pages. You just managed to beat me <laughs>. I can’t ever see myself writing something like A Suitable Boy or Mediocre But Arrogant!

Abhijit: Where do you find triggers for your stories?

Ruskin Bond: They could be about people or incidents that have happened to you or to others. A lot of my stories are portraits of people.

Abhijit: Is nostalgia a better trigger for you than the reality of today?

Ruskin Bond: I was nostalgic even as a young man. Preferred listening to Opera not Bing Crossby. I read Hugh Walpole, Jack London, Charles Dickens, Joseph Conrad, Evelyn Waugh, Richard Jefferies and Louise Imogen Guineyas a young man. I watched a lot of movies. I was deeply influenced by movies. I was in Dehradoon with my mother and step father. Neither had much interest in what I did.

Abhijit Bhaduri: Do you feel unhappy when you see your stories on celluloid?

Ruskin Bond: Film is a different medium. So you have to change settings, characters etc to suit the medium. Sometimes the ending may have to be different. Junoon was very close to what I had in mind. So was Blue Umbrella. Saat Khoon Maaf was a black comedy. Not sure if the comedy through.

Abhijit Bhaduri: Do introverts make better writers than extroverts?

Ruskin Bond: There are two kinds of authors – subjective and objective. Introverts are more inward looking. Emily Bronte, Virginia Woolf etc wrote from within themselves. Poets like Keats or Shelley  were introverts. On the other hand John Grisham would be my example of an objective writer. Frederick Forsyth is an example of an objective storyteller. They are extroverts.

Abhijit Bhaduri: How would you describe yourself?

Ruskin Bond: I am a storyteller from a personal viewpoint. When I run out of people I invent ghosts. (chuckles) I don’t believe in ghosts. Never saw one.

Abhijit Bhaduri: How has the Indian literary scene changed over the last few years?

Ruskin Bond: There were no lit fests and launches in India till the eighties when we had the first World Book Fair. In the ’50s and ’60s newspapers also published fiction especially short stories. So I wrote short stories. We did not have many publishers.  But many writers have been forgotten – like Kamala Markandeya, Mulgaonkar or Mulk Raj Anand.

Abhijit Bhaduri: Should a writer experiment with different genres of writing?

Ruskin Bond: Readers want more of the same from you. So stick to one genre. Chetan Bhagat has got five novels of a similar nature. Not sure if would want to write an autobiography or a travel book etc.

Abhijit Bhaduri: Advice for aspiring writers…?

Ruskin Bond: The more you write, the better you will write! So – keep at it!

Daniel Kahneman is a psychologist who won the Nobel Prize in 2002 for contributions to Economics. He has combined his insights of psychology and applied them to Economics and created the fascinating subject called Behavioral Economics. He currently is professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.

Thinking Fast and Slow introduces us to the two kinds of thinking we use – System1 and System 2. System 1 is the part of our thinking that is fast and intuitive. We use System 1 for almost all of our day-to-day actions and decisions, like brushing our teeth or talking to friends. It is the mind’s autopilot, so to speak, and we are essentially not aware of it. System 2, the slow aspect of our thinking that deliberates and uses deductive reasoning. System 1 is fast; it’s intuitive, associative, metaphorical, automatic, impressionistic, and it can’t be switched off. Hence it has a tendency to use broad heuristics or rules of thumb to go through life.If you were asked to find the answer to 17 x 23 as you are driving a car in high speed and around a sharp bend (please do not do it) you will discover it is impossible to do it without focusing entirely on the math and involving System 2 thinking. That is the slow, deliberate act of thinking.

If you are asked to count the number of occurrences of the letter a in this article, you have to use System 2 or even when you tell someone your phone number. We always tend to think of ourselves as having only System 2 thinking – deliberate, rational and without bias. We are mistaken. Watch this video for a great example:

The next time you are walking with a friend ask that person to compute 23 x 75 and to do so immediately. The person will stop. This mental effort uses the same resources as the act of act of exercising self control. So if you are asked to remember a seven digit number like 5924618 for the next two minutes and also have to choose between a bar of chocolate and a healthy salad, it is hard to choose the salad. If you were to write an important exam, make sure you are well rested and not hungry when you write the test – you will do better. That will prevent System 2 from getting distracted. If you have exercised self control by eating virtuous food and saying no to the chocolates, you will give up sooner while attempting challenging mental tasks. Mental choices that involve conflict deplete your self control. If you have spent the whole day in office pretending to smile at your annoying colleague you are likely to be extra snappy at home that evening. You are more likely to be influenced by commercials when you are tired and depleted. Now you know why they air those tele-shopping programs at night when you are REALLY tired.

Do not try to solve this puzzle. But listen to your intuition:

A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. The cost of the ball is $___

The number that came to your mind is 10 cents. That is your system 1 responding. System 2 is lazy. It needs to be nudged to be put to work. Impulsive people find it hard to delay gratification and often make poor choices. Those who are able to resist the System 1 thinking show higher measure of executive control in cognitive tasks. They can reallocate their attention effectively. There is a close correlation between being able to control your attention and your ability to control your emotions. Fortunately this too can be learned.

What do you think of Alan and Ben?

Alan: Intelligent – industrious – impulsive – critical  stubborn – envious

Ben: envious – stubborn – critical – impulsive – industrious – intelligent

Most view Alan more favorably. The initial traits list changes the meaning of the traits that appear later. So the sequence in which we observe the characteristics of a person matters.

System 1 creates thumb rules that make it easy for us to go through the routine tasks of life and its ability to judge threats quickly keeps us safe. Yet if we do not engage System 2 thinking then we will be victims of bias and stereotypes.

I could go on and on about all the cognitive biases that we are victims of. Kahneman writes with the skill of a storyteller as he lures you to the unexplored corners of your mind. The anecdotes, the research, the little tricks in every chapter make this book unputdownable. the chapters are short and put in simple language.  Some are easier to read than others (System 1 and 2 at work I suspect).

I would give this book a 5 star rating if I were to be guided by System 1. Then I told myself that let me not get carried away and use System 2 to rate the book. In that case I would give it a 5 star rating. That is easy.

The most influential book I have read this year – for sure. Highly recommended.

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Watch Kahneman in this video

Ask any publisher and they will tell you that people do not buy poetry. I have never understood why it does not make commercial sense to buy poetry. When I look at my bookshelf the number of poetry I have is abysmally small as compared to works of fiction. Poetry is hard to appreciate if you do not have the same sensitivity about the subject of the poem as the poet. If that is not hard enough, it gets harder when someone translates the poems that someone else has written. UNLESS the one translating the book is Gulzar.

Mera saaya jab mujhse aage nikla

Mujhe maloom thha suraj ko peechhe

ChHor aayi hoon

मेरा साया जब मुझसे आगे निकला
मुझे मालूम था सूरज को पीछे
छोड़ आई हूँ

When my shadow

Overtook me

I knew

I had crossed the sun

Sukrita Paul Kumar‘s poems have been translated into the Urdu laced Hindi that is typical of Gulzar.

There is a constant

sound of footsteps

From behind

Looking back will

demolish all hope

सुनाई देती है पीछे पीछे
किसी के क़दमों की चाप पैहम
जो मुड़के देखूं …
उम्मीद भी कट जाएगी |

Gulzar

I tried reading some of the poems in English and then read the translation in the mirror page. And then read a few of the poems in Hindi to savor the experience of mentally translating the poem back to English to see how much of the poem matched the printed translation. And then I read all the poems in English.At one stage I lost track of which one was the originally written poem and which one was the translation.

Sukrita brings in the influences of her Punjabi family, of her childhood in Africa, growing up in Aurangabad and the influences of Delhi where she currently lives. She is an honorary fellow of the prestigious International Writing Program, University of Iowa. She knows the grammar and knows what makes for the soul of a poem. See this is what makes her poems resonate with the reader. The word “Sukrita” means born of good deed – this book certainly lives upto that name.

And if there is just one word to describe the translations by Gulzar, it is brilliant. And then you will say I am biased. Yes, I am.

His website describes him as “Gulzar, is a poet above all things. His style marks a sensitivity that is best reflected through his writing and treatment of films. He is one of those sensitive people whose work is laced with the lyrical but psychologically adept examination of human sensibilities.” It is this sensitivity that comes bridges the language barrier effortlessly.

Gulzar with his two day old stubble, white kurta and shawl and deep voice fits everyone’s image of the poet who sensitizes all of us as he narrates his poems. Speaking of his poems, here is a favorite of mine. Gulzar recites his poem as it blends in with the vocals of Shubha Mudgal in the film Raincoat – Kisi mausam ka jhonka thha (trans: A gust of wind it was perhaps that left the picture on the wall forever tilted). Visualize raindrops trickling down your window pane when you hear this poem.

किसी मौसम का झोंका था
जो इस दीवार पे लटकी हुयी तस्वीर तिरछी कर गया है
गए सावन में यह दीवारें सीली नहीं थी
न जाने क्यूँ इस दफा इन में सीलन आ गयी है, दरारें पड़ गयी हैं
और सीलन इस तरह बहती है जैसे खुश्क रुखसार पर गीले आंसू चलते हैं
यह बारिश गुनगुनाती थी इसी छत की मुंडेरों पर
ये घर की खिडकियों के कांच पर लिख जाती थी संदेशे
बिलखती हुई सी बैठी रहती है अब बंद रोशनदानो के पीछे
दोपेहरें ऐसी लगती हैं – बिना मोहरों के खली खाने रखे हैं
न कोई खेलने वाला है बाज़ी न कोई चाल चलता है
अब न दिन होता है न रात होती है
सभी कुछ रुक सा गया है
वह क्या मौसम का झोंका था जो इस दीवार पे लगी तस्वीर को तिरछी कर गया है ||

This is the skill of Gulzar. He removes the chasm between the original and the translation in the book Poems Come Home. Pick up the book. On a rainy afternoon, sit near the window, watch the rain and read the poems as the different moods of the rain from the drizzle to the torrential downpour all make the poems resonate just a little more.

Recommended

PS: I am now waiting for Gulzar’s upcoming book called A Poem A Day that will have 365 poems – from poets across the world, all translated by Gulzar. Can’t wait for that one.

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Watch this brilliant discussion on the evolution of Hindi film music at the Jaipur Literary Festival featuring Gulzar, Prasoon Joshi and Javed Akhtar Click Here

In Feb 2008, I got a call from VR Ferose, the MD of SAP Labs, to address his employees in their Gurgaon office. No, this was not a talk on how to motivate employees. The employees were planning to start a book club and had invited me to talk about my books Mediocre But Arrogant and Married But Available. Ferose has brought his passion for books, quizzing, soccer, running and more to the office. That enthusiasm I suspect rubs off on the employees too. Today SAP Labs has more than 25 “interest groups” – everything from music to trekking. It binds the employees in ways that formal employee engagement programs cannot. Since these are owned and run by the employees, they feel this is their own space and not an official initiative.  Economic Times carried a neat write up on them recently. Here is the article in the Eco Times dated 17 July 2011:

“India-born British writer Amit Chaudhary was in Kolkata early this year when he got a call from a Bangalore-based software engineer who invited him to a book-reading session at SAP Labs India. He immediately said yes, because he was impressed by the caller’s knowledge of his oeuvre and the prospect of interacting with an “unusual” audience.
“I found the crowd perceptive…their response to literature and the arts was brilliant,” says Chaudhury, who discussed both his music and writing with the young crowd at the Bangalore office of SAP Labs India, a subsidiary of the Walldorf, Germany-headquartered SAP AG. “It is nice to see that they are breaking the monotony of a techie’s job, by talking to writers,” adds Chaudhury.

Sumit Shetty, a book worm, is the coordinator for Literati, SAP’s book-reading club, which has so far invited writers with varied tastes and outlook either in Bangalore or at its Gurgaon office – the names include Mark Tully, Vikas Swarup, Anita Nair, Shashi Deshpande, Shobhaa De, Alice Albinia, Abhijit Bhaduri, Advaita Kala, Mukul Kesavan, Rana Dasgupta, Sarnath Banerjee and CP Surendran.

Shetty says behind this initiative is the thought that “a creative mind, which needs to write a code, should be exposed to a lot of ideas, especially from the non-technical stream”. Such interactions stimulate and expand your mind, says he, adding that after the chat with Albinia, whose work Leela’s Book draws on The Mahabharata, one of his colleagues came up with the idea of creating a “family tree software application”. “You return cleansed,” he says. Such sessions are held during work hours for one full hour.

Less than three years old, SAP’s author-interaction club has started working with publishers such as Harper Collins and Random House who alert Literati when authors are “in town”, says Shetty. Lipika Bhushan of Harper Collins says Literati is “sort of unique” and highly organised. “Authors are excited about it…they often give very positive feedback.” What she finds commendable is “its regularity in organising events”. Random House’s Rachel Tanzer says Literati sessions “are an interesting diversion to the standard hotel or bookstore events”. Bangalore-based writer Anita Nair, too, says the sessions at SAP Labs are well-organised. The first book-reading session at SAP was held in February 2008 with Abhijit Bhaduri, the author of Mediocre But Arrogant. The company doesn’t pay the authors, but does buy some 50 of their books.

Literati is just one of the 27-odd “interest groups” SAP’s 36-year-old managing director VR Ferose – who founded the book-reading group at the company – is banking on to improve what he calls overall productivity at work. Attrition, he says, is not a cause for concern, but activities that these groups promote have ensured that members of such groups stay a tad longer in the company. Nearly 50% of SAP Labs India’s 4,000 employees are members of one interest group or the other. At SAP Labs, on an average, in the past 10 years, employees who were members of such groups put in six years compared with non-members who worked for four years.

Ferose, who joined SAP Labs 13 years ago, is a soccer player and a marathon runner and he was instrumental in setting up many of these groups. At SAP, they have interest groups for badminton, chess, quiz, cycling, running, soccer, etc. The list goes on. After he was named the managing director of its Gurgaon centre three years ago, Ferose started more such groups, which were later extended to the Bangalore centre last year when he got the additional charge as MD of SAP Labs, Bangalore.

Says Ferose: “Our objective is to create an environment which is unique and appreciated by employees.” Sure, he is used to the initial disinterest among employees to anything new. Though SAP has had many interest groups, when the book-reading sessions were launched, there were skeptics. “However, since this is now a sustained initiative, there are several converts. The response has been phenomenal. For instance, a book-reading session by (former Infosys director) Sudha Murthy saw over 500 attendees compared with the first session which had 35 people…our LTS, too, has on an average of over 500 people attending it,” says Ferose.

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Read about VR Ferose here

Photograph courtesy Faraaz Kazi, author of Truly, Madly, Deeply

Rebirth is the second book by Jahnavi Barua that I am reviewing. I had read her collection of short stories called Next Door about two years back and was totally bowled over. You can read that review here.  I had the privilege of reading the early draft of this novel – see the advantage of having Jahnavi as a friend!

Jahnavi started writing as a full time writer in 2004. Initially it was short stories that were published in various anthologies and even wrote a children’s book called, The Boy Who Lost His Voice. This doctor won the Short Fiction contest hosted by British Council in ’05 and then the second prize in the Children’s Fiction category of the same prize. She was awarded the Charles Wallace Trust Fellowship to study Creative Writing in the UK in 2006. She is a “writer by profession, a doctor by education and a birder and gardener by passion”. 

The landscape of Assam features prominently in her prose. I saw that in her short stories and the same can be said for Rebirth. The protagonist Kaberi now married to an unloving husband in Bangalore speaks to the unborn child she is carrying and tells us about life back in Assam.

“We would all pile into Bipul Moha’s black Ambassador, the men in front, the women and children at the back, and drive away, usually on a cold winter morning. The boot would be crammed tight with battered suitcases, cloth bags stuffed with packets of biscuits and larus and home made cake, in case they ran out of food at the old Forest Lodge where we stayed.

Bipl Moha’s stately speed of forty kilometres an hour coupled with the fact that we stopped every half an hour for either Ma or Bina Mahi to buy vegetables or fish from village folks squatting patiently by the highway meant that it was late afternoon by the time we arrived at Kaziranga.”

Jahnavi’s style of narration is unhurried and yet the speed of storytelling never seems to drop. The little details of the variety of trees, flowers and birds that show up in her stories create a unique flavor of writing that is very enjoyable. As the protagonist’s mood changes so does the landscape. From the urban landscape and life of an apartment in Bangalore to the house built by Joya’s husband Bidyut on the banks of the Brahmaputra river, she describes it all with the skill of a gemcutter. The pace of the story in the first 150 odd pages is absolutely gripping. The resonance in the life of her mother and the parallels with Kaberi’s creates a much larger impact because it is unsaid and unspoken.

I personally struggle while closing a story in a novel. Life after all does not end in 203 pages. There is so much more that is happening and sometimes that is a trick that the authors have to master. The novel does not end with the same flourish as I expected. It is like having a fabulous meal and ending up with a slightly syrupy or not-so-sweet dessert.Nevertheless the main course was fabulous and demands a second helping!!

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You can order Jahnavi’s novels from Flipkart by clicking here