The tenth birthday celebrations were awesome! Lots of fun, lots of parties, fun and food! Yes, we tntians have a fascinating relationship with food! All students who have worked with us in the past were here in Pune to celebrate what we have.
While the Store itself looked absolutely ravishing and bright, the students who have passed out of the twistntales graduation school decided to all come back and make it an occasion to remember!
"What twistntales means to me" is an essay that each one of them has written and will shortly ask them to post it on the blog themselves! Many have had different contributions to make.
Reshma (worked in tnt in 2006, now an accomplished artist) for instance decided to paint the shutter! Our shutter now looks a beautiful representation of what's inside. The process of painting the shutter by itself was a beautiful one. The work would start at 9pm when the Store closed for the day and many of you have seen the updates on facebook first thing in the morning. Please do make time and see it at night or on any Monday.
Tia (worked in tnt in 2005-2007, now a journalist) wrote this beautiful poem, which is so us! It just fell into place so beautifully in this banner, which became a backdrop for Aakash (worked in tnt in 2005-6, now a film-maker) to make his film on twistntales! Well, when it is ready, you will be the first to know!
All the photographs have been loaded on the twistntales facebook page and you can see them by copy/paste on your browser.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150665759898195.399605.710923194&type=1&l=b3841ce3d2
Our new financial year has begun and so has summer vacations in many schools. Let’s make it a point to spend some time reading with our loved ones. On a break, at home, in the car or at bedtime, choose your time and spot, but do read and feel the awesomeness of reading a good book!
We are ready and well stocked up and we are sure that you will find what you are looking for when you come to twistntales.
New Books:
“The Chilled Parent” by Rita Offen @ Rs. 195/- (pgs 139)
Being a parent can be the hardest job on earth. Many of us are consumed with worry and concerns over our children. In this powerful, information-packed book, expert Rita Offen makes us laugh, gives us tips, and most importantly, gives us hope that we can ‘chill out’ and still be great parents.
“The Habit of Love” by Namita Gokhale @ Rs. 250/- (pgs 250)
The Habit of Love is a collection of stories about the inner lives of women. Some of these women inhibit the ancient past, some the present day, but they share the whimsical humour with which they speak for themselves. Delicately poised between irony and grief The Habit of Love is elegant and acute, arch and melancholic. Namita Gokhale holds a mirror opposite the profound insight into the female mind and in these moving stories she displays both sympathy and understanding as she unveils the workings of a woman’s heart.
“Confessions of a Serial Dieter – A weightloss memoir” by Kalli Purie @ Rs. 250/- (pgs 225)
In this candid tell-all, Kalli looks at weight-related complexes, myths and dilemmas straight in the eye and tells us not just what to do but how to do it. Kilo by kilo. The story of weight lost and a life gained, Confessions of a Serial Dieter will make you believe you can do it, whether it’s losing those stubborn last three kilos or chasing your dream!
“The Flying Man” by Roopa Farooki @ Rs. 499/- (pgs 339)
Meet Maqil- also known as Mike, Mehmet, Mikhail and Miguel- a chancer and charlatan. A criminally clever man who tells a good tale, trading on his charms and good looks, reinventing himself with a new identity and nationality in each successive country he makes his home, abandoning wife and children and careers in the process. The Flying Man is an affecting, evocative and often funny story of the ultimate immigrant, a man who fits in everywhere and nowhere, who cannot help but cause harm to those around him but, ultimately, inspires love.
“The Magic” by Rhonda Byrne @ 399/- (pgs 254)
You hold in your hands the way to a magical life! Remember when you were a child and you believed that life was magical? Well, the magic of life is real and it’s far more breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and exciting than you ever imagined as a child. So read this exciting book and experience the magic within! After her successful debut book “The Secret” Rhonda Byrne has released another breathtaking book which will inspire and motivate everyone to live a full life with a strong hint of Magic and excitement.
“Anna: 13 Days that Awakened India” by Ashutosh @ Rs. 199/- (pgs 226)
Anna Hazare’s fast unto death in August 2011, demanding the enactment of a strong Lokpal bill, was a watershed moment in post-independence India. Coming soon after a slew of corruption exposes, the movement galvanized an increasingly disenchanted middle class like nothing had in decades. Well-known Hindi journalist Ashutosh weaves together the story of the thirteen days that changed India. Evoking the Jayaprakash Narayan movement and Gandhi’s Satyagraha, Ashutosh mines the history of India’s Post-independence politics to understand the phenomenon that is Anna Hazare.
“And all is said” By Zareer Masani @ Rs. 299/- (pgs 236)
In this unflinchingly candid memoir, Zareer Masani draws on the letters and diaries of his parents, charismatic politician Minoo Masani and his gifted wife Shakuntala, to paint an intimate portrait of two remarkable individuals and their prominent but very different families- the Masanis, Bombay Parsis and the Srivastavas, UP Kayasths- united by marriage but divided by temperament, lifestyle and political affiliation. The author writes of his turbulent upbringing as an only child torn between the rival influences and attractions of his parents and grandparents; of the struggle to express his own sexuality in 1960s India; and of the stormy and agonizing breakdown of his parents marriage, which was closely interwoven with the political drama of Indira Gandhi’s rise to power and the Emergency she imposed.
“The Story of Indian Business Series” edited by Gurcharan Das @ Rs.399/- each.
Titles in the Series:
• ‘Merchants of Tamilakam’ by Kanakalatha Mukund
How did the Tamil merchant become India’s first link to the outside world?
• ‘Arthashastra’ by Thomas R. Trautmann
What is the secret of creating and sustaining wealth?
• ‘The East India Company’ by Tirthankar Roy
How did the East India Company change the way in which business was conducted in India?
By editing the original texts and answering these questions Gurcharan Das has successfully portrayed big ideas that have shaped business in South Asia.
“Balasaraswati: Her Art & Life” by Douglas M Knight Jr. @ Rs.599/- (pgs 325)
This book is a gripping account of the hereditary system of transmission in the performing arts through the biography of one of India’s greatest dancers, T. Balasaraswati. It illuminates many of the important issues associated with the emergence of Bharata Natyam in twentieth-century India in both its pre- and post-independence manifestations. The author unfolds many layers of the personal, social, artistic, national and international aspects of T. Balasaraswati’s life. This is a must-book for all those interested in Indian dance, music and cultural history.
“What Went Wrong and Why” by Kiran Bedi @ Rs.399/- (pgs 334)
The victims of society’s atrocities gather courage and find their voice to narrate their stories. These heart-rendering narratives bring alive the pain, the agony, the trauma and the humiliation suffered by the victims in their day-to-day life. This volume provides a revealing insight into the social and economic maladies that adversely affect present-day society in areas such as domestic problems, women’s issues, police harassment, addiction, juvenile matters and crime. The book also emphasizes that hope is not lost and we can take the appropriate actions to change our social problems.
“Urban Shots” by Paritosh Uttam @ Rs. 145/- (pgs 222)
This book offers a collection of wonderful carefully picked stories that talk about different aspects of Urban Life varying from relationships, lifestyles, love, depression, domestic Violence, longing and friendship. Turn the pages enjoying and evoking the urban spirit in this book keeping aside all preconceived notions, clichés and any emotional baggage you may have!
“The Other Side: Redefining Bharat” edited by Dominic Emmanuel, Francis Gonsalves and John Dayal @ Rs.495/- (pgs 211)
The essays written in this book by eminent authors like Mani Shankar Aiyar, Ambrose Pinto and Mark Tully focus on stark realities which India currently faces. This book looks at the traumas and shortcomings of Bharat while celebrating the achievements of India, juxtaposing narrative with some sharp questioning of the difference the nation’s successive government’s have made in the life of the people or failed to make! These essays draw roadmaps that India could follow for a brighter tomorrow!
“The Forest of Stories (Mahabharata Series Book One)” by Ashok K. Banker @ Rs.295/- (pgs 350)
From the Internationally acclaimed author of the Ramayana and Krishna Coriolis series comes another compelling book The Forest of Stories. Deep in the haunted jungle of Naimishavan, Suta a traveler reads out the epic narrative poem called the Maha Bharat to the ashram he has reached. As the night wears on the tales get darker, Suta can feel countless ghostly beings beyond the shadows of the flickering oil lamp, the restless souls of many millions butchered in the climactic war. Based on the original shlokas with an action-packed narration and vivid descriptions that give the reader the feel of a 3D Surround Sound experience!
“Shakti: Real- life stories Celebrating Women Power” by Maloy Krishna Dhar @ Rs.325/- (pgs 381)
Shakti is an exciting anthology which showcases 14 crisp and wonderful stories about varied women whom the author, Maloy Dhar, met during as he grew up. The author delves deep into his labyrinth of his sensitive chords and tries to encrypt the heroic stories of these women. All these stories are as varied as the women themselves and depict how these women fight their way out from the situations they encounter. From portraying the undying love of his friends from college days, to the harrowing account of a riot victim, a famous starlet’s fight for her real identity, the author has woven a beautiful tapestry which throws abundant light on the foundation of all creations- Shakti.
“Messi: The Inside Story of the Boy who became Legend” by Luca Caioli @ Rs.299/- (pgs 311)
Still only 24, Lionel Messi is on course to become the greatest footballer of all time. The 2009 and 2010 FIFA World Player of the Year, he is fast, elusive and mesmerizing. Luca Caioli draws on numerous exclusive testimonies to tell Messi’s story: his parents and extended family; his coaches; Frank Rijkaard and Zambrotta from Barcelona and many other players from Argentina and Manchester City. In the final chapter of this book Messi himself sizes up his own life.
“The Prisoner of Paradise” by Romesh Gunesekera @ Rs, 550/- (pgs 389)
It is 1825, and the age of slavery is coming to its messy end. Under the surface there is growing unease when Lucy, the protagonist arrives in Mauritius- this island paradise poised between Africa and India to live with her Aunt and Uncle. For everyone on the Island, a devastating storm is coming… Can they survive it? Put your Ear to the pages of this book and you can almost hear the Ocean whisper!
“No Country For Women” by Taslima Nasreen @ Rs. 325/- (pgs 301)
This book is a collection of Taslima Nasreen’s essays which revolt against the status of women in this man-made world. The author says that there is no place which belongs to women and hence they have to fight for every inch of ground to get their rightful place. Her fans laud her acuity of observation, sharpness of presentation and boldness of articulation. They are running fan clubs and blogs in her name of which even she is unaware. Even though critics consider her to be a misandrist, she boldly poses arguments like, ‘Who is guilty? Men or Patriarchy? You cannot say that men are good but patriarchy is bad’.
‘Between Democracy and Nation: Gender and Militarisation in Kashmir’ by Seema Kazi @ Rs.375/- (pgs 222)
Focusing on the militarization of a secessionist movement involving Kashmiri militants and Indian military forces in Jammu and Kashmir this book examines the relationship between state military processes at the national level and social transformations at the local/societal level. Seema Kazi underlines why militarism has failed both to ensure security for the state or security and justice for Kashmiris.
‘The Persistence of Caste’ by Teltumbde @ Rs.200/- (pgs 192)
While the caste system has been formally abolished under the Indian Constitution, according to official statistics, every eighteen minutes a crime is committed on a Dalit. This book uses the shocking case of Khairlanji, the brutal murder of four members of a dalit family in 2006, to explode the myth that caste no longer matters. Teltumbde demonstrates how caste has shown amazing resilience - surviving feudalism, capitalist industrialization and a republican Constitution- to still be alive and well today, despite all denial, under a neo-liberal globalization. Through this book the author has created a solid corpus of work that bears witness to the degradation of Indian democracy, and to the capacity of Indian socialism.
Other new books:
“Bali and the Ocean of Milk” by Nilanjan P Choudhury @ Rs. 199/- (pgs 306)
“Grandma’s bag of Stories” by Sudha Murthy @ Rs. 199/-
“Her piece of Sky” – Contemporary Hindi Stories by Deepa Agarwal @ Rs. 295/-
‘The Scattered Leaves of my Life: An Indian Nationalist Remembers Saraladebi Chaudhurani’ (Translated and edited by Sikata Banerjee) @ Rs. 500/- (pgs 195)
‘Writing Indian History: A View from below’ by Achuthan M Kandyil @ Rs.700/- (pgs 448)
‘Women, War and the Making of Bangladesh: Remembering 1971’ by Yasmin Saikia @ Rs.600/- (pgs 304)
‘Shabari: A Novel’ by Vibhavari Shirurkar (Translated by Yashodhara Deshpande Maitra @ Rs.325/- (pgs 181)
“Mindfulness: A Practical Guide” by Tessa Watt @ Rs.199/- (pgs 216)
“National Motoring Atlas: Get. Set. Explore!” by MapmyIndia @ Rs.350/- (pgs 274)
“Times Food Guide 2012: Pune” by Karen Anand @ Rs. 199/-
“Three Plays: Larins Sahib; Mira; 9 Jakhoo Hill” by Gurcharan Das @ Rs.250/- (pgs 205)
“Take Charge! - Building an Entrepreneur Mindset” by Gaurav Marya @ Rs.295/- (pgs 199)
“The Lords and The New Creatures” by Jim Morrison @ Rs.325/- (pgs 133)
“JS & the Times of my Life: A worm’s- eye view of Indian Journalism” by Jug Suraiya @ Rs.495/- (pgs 340)
Happy Reading and see you at the Store!
From the team at,
twistntales
1 comment:
Like those colourful balloons on the ceiling :-)
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