Interview with a literary agent (Jayapriya Vasudevan)!!

Q1. What inspired you to become an editor/writer/publisher?

I grew up in a house full of books. My father was a journalist. I chose to study Literature and it was really the only industry i wanted to be in. I worked in many aspects of publishing, working with a running bookstore and finally using all my experience to set up Jacaranda, India's first literary agency.

Q2. What books have you published/edited.

So many books. I started our list with Anita Nair's first novel A BETTER MAN and Shashi Warrier's NIGHT OF THE KRAIT. We work with authors from all over the world. We are currently working on the India rights of Salinger's biography and Filipino author whose book is on the Man Asia long list. Look at http://www.jacaranda-press.com/ for our author list.

Q3. Do you find your job interesting?

I love what i do . I love writing and the arts. And am a complete people person. To be an agent, you have to be a discerning reader and passionate about the work you represent. You also have to be able to be a sort of sales person!

Q4. Is writing/editing/publishing tiring?

Yes it is. My work is more reading really. And that takes time. And concentration. I edit in more broad, giving an author direction way, which becomes part of the reading process.

Q5. How have your experiences at book inaugrations/releases been?

As agents, we take a backseat and allow the spotlight to be on the author. I do think that book launches are necessary. Especially in the case of newer, emerging authors. That way, the author gets the opportunity to share her work and then get some press and publicity as well. I have done book events in several cities and countries. An author leads such a solitary life. It is events like launches they get to connect with their readers.

Q6. Has your career ever interferred in your personal life?

Yes. Because a have to travel a great deal. But that would be true of many professionals!

Q7. Have you ever regretted being a writer/editor/publisher?

I question my career some days. When i have a particularly difficult time with either my authors or publishers. As agents, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. We work for the author but need to sell to publishers. We are dealing with very emotional people. That can get exhausting at times. Fortunately the feeling passes. This is what i was meant to do!

Publishing is a wonderful industry to work in!

Infinite Souls Summer Camp

It's that time of the year again! When we announce Summer Camp and start dreaming about pitching tents, apple crumble, Theatre Classes, Music jams, late night performances, early morning treks with Bamboo, Mushroom and Prudence, not to forget Vineet!

This year we're adding some work - we're going to try and dig a rainwater trench running through the course of the land from the highest point to the lowest. So come prepared with hats and shorts. Come prepared for hard work and balloon fights!

Hi! Theatre Lab

The first time I went to Theater lab, I was a bit nervous. As time passed I have come out of it.Theater Lab has given me a platform to express my views and it has helped me in using creativity. Theater Lab is more like an adventure as I learning new things everytime I attend the class.Through Theater Lab I have got new friends and it is a fun place. Theater Lab, I am looking forward to learn more from you.

Trip to Apparao gallery!

One day at Theatre lab, Kirtana told us we were going to an art gallery. We were all excited. We walked and walkeed the endless roads of bangalore, It was really exhausting. Finally we reached the place and went to the fifth floor, It was dark. We then realized we had come to the wrong place. But then, Kirtana told us there was anoher gallery nearby. Apparao gallery!! We were greeted by a paper mache person. Then we had a look at Gautamn Bhatia's work on Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji's face was stuck on other people's body. It was pretty hilarious. It also reflected the way we act nowadays. A pretty bad reflection, I must admit!! We also had a look at many drawings drawn by people many years ago. Later on, the way back to India garage we had smoothies! :)

What is a cinquain?

A Cinquain is a poem that has five lines, and each line has its own special rule.

1st line: One word (title).

2nd line:Two words that describe a title.

3rd line: Three action words about the title.

4th line: Four words that express the thought and feeling about the title.

5th line: One word that means the same thing as the title.

Such as:

Laya(SP)

Bubbly, bouncy

Learning, growing, glowing

Your sincerity is awesome

Trusted

Heres one more!

Pickle.

Bumpy,lumpy,

Crunching, munching, lunching,

Cucumbers making you pucker,

Gherkin.

hey guys i just acted in a movie it was directed by ang lee

Apparao Galleries

Last weekend at class we went to Apparao galleries. When we went in, we were greeted by a sculpture that looked like a human plant. "I wear my heart on my sleeve", it was written on his clothes. There was an exhibition about Mahatma Gandhi by Gautam Bhatia going on. It was clever what he did putting Gandhi's face on different bodies, but it was also quite disturbing. We went further into the gallery to see other artworks. Some that were made with pen and ink looked like they were made with charcoal. After we went we realized that the gallery looked like a stage setup. 

www.apparaogalleries.com

It was the summer of 2009 when I was first introduced to Kirtana’s farm. The holidays were nearly over with just a week to spare. My mom had signed me up for this three-day camp, without even asking me. To be truthful, I wasn’t really enthusiastic at all. I thought it was just a waste of my last few days of the holidays. The thought of getting up early the next morning and sitting in a 1 ½ bus ride to a place that I hadn’t even heard about bored me to death. But eventually nothing turned out the way I expected it to be. The bus ride surprisingly didn't feel long and Aditya and I built up a rapport with another by Ansaar. He was in 8^th grade then, two years older than us, and studied in Vidya Niketan School (same class as one of my cousins). Once we reached, we were lead to our dorms. Ansaar, Aditya and I were in one. We were then left alone with our Kalaripayattu teacher, Mothi. Throughout the class he was stern and harsh (which showed me the respect he had towards the martial art), but otherwise he was a complete clown. That’s how every morning began, with 2 serious hours of Kalaripayattu, followed by Shakespeare. This was where most of my knowledge about Shakespeare came from. The first session we did a brain dump on everything we knew about the playwright. We proceeded by knowing bit about the plays he wrote, his family and where he lived, England at that time and so on. After we got our basics right we worked on the play Julius Cesar by acting out the main, popular, vital scenes of the play. There were also music sessions for whoever was interested with Konarak Uncle. We would spend every evening playing a game our multiple numbers of games of soccer along with Mothi and Vinit, and every night before dinner we had to perform anything that we had learned throughout the day or anything that you were willing to share, be it Kalaripayattu, be it a scene from Julius Cesar, be it a song that you liked. We’d then eat dinner and sleep at whatever time we pleased. The next morning we would get up early and go for a walk/hike. I enjoyed this trip to such an extent that I came back the next year. The memories of these trips will always be cherished.

a tribute to jhansi rani laxmi bai

JHANSI RANI LAXMIBAI
manikarnika was born in 1835
long after the British arrived.
she fought for us,
and her friend mandar was the only one she could trust.
On her back she tied her son ,
and she was courageous enough to ,but not to run.
All the battles she fought, she won
but without using a rifle or a gun.
Laxmibai fought with bravery,
to free us fromthe British slavery.
She stood alone ,
in front of her fort like stone.
LaxmiBai , Gangadhar's wife,
we will never forget you,not in this life.

The chronicles of Narnia- The lion, The witch and The wardrobe(character sketche and how the story starts)

The story starts as a narrative. The book is based during the World War 2. During the air raids,all children in England were sent away to the country side so that they could be safe. Amongst them there were four ordinary children whose names were Edmund,Lucy,Susan and Peter. These four children were sent to a old Professors house whose name was Professor Digory Kirke.
Lucy is the youngest amongst them and is described as a sweet,gentle,loving girl who is loved by everuone who knows her.
Edmund is the third of the four children. He is described as a cunning person who always gets what he wants and if he doesn't then will find a way to get what he wants.
Susan is the second oldest of the four children. She is described as a gentle humman being who will never actually hurt others unless absolutely necessory.
Peter is the oldest and is described as a mature boy who knows how to make decisions but is a little troubled by Edmunds behaviour.

A Theatre Lab student in Life of Pi!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!

Om Kamath, a Theatre Lab student from the Saturday morning batch has been cast in Ang Lee's Life of Pi. For those of you who have read the book, he's the bully in school who calls Piscine Pissing!

For all you Saturday morning kids - your good wishes to Om this last Saturday paid off!

Congratulations Om, we're thrilled for you! All the best during the shoot and come back and tell us good stories.

Shakespeare in Love

We reached Kirtana's home expecting another improvisation. Instead, she announced to the class that we would be watching a movie. I silently cheered and did a little dance , but that ended abruptly when she told us it had somethig to do with Shakespeare. No offence to him, but I never liked his plays that much , seeing that I didn't understand the language. But what I watched was nothing like what I expected..

We made ourselves comfortable in Kirtana aunties room. Some on the bed and some on chairs, and the movie started to play...

To sum it up it in one word would be a..um..difficult task for one with such limited vocabulary. But I will tell you that it was amazing. The set was what I liked the most. The location for the movie was just breath taking. And thankfully, the language was understandable. To tell you the truth I was quite confused when the movie began. Cause all I saw was a man with a mustache that was too long tied to a seat and his legs being burnt. And a man in a black hovering over the poor soul who was being tortured, barking orders at him. It was quite amusing, if you looked at it from a certain angle. My confusion disappeared as the movie continued, and I actually followed it. It was great. I soon found myself absorbed in the movie, laughing when the actors laughed, frowning when they were sad.

There were some scenes which were not very..um ... appropriate so Kirtana aunty and Kaveri had to stand in front of the screen during that time until it passed. Apart from those minor "glitches" the movie went on. Through it's ups and downs we laughed and cried (not really...) we were so obsessed in the movie, we ignored the poor potato chips(in the end, we did complete it, after Kirtana aunty reminded us to).

The Actors were simply brilliant and the script was simply amazing.We managed to spot three actors who acted in Harry Potter; the lady who acted as Umbridge, the man who acted as Arthur Weasley and the man who acted as Professor Snape. :)

To all those who are in a quest of finding a good movie, search no more, for Shakespeare in love is the movie you must see!

Macbeth is a beautiful story and a beautiful play acted out. I have read the book and seen the movie and I love the way each Character behaves and it gives us lots of thoughts.

The play begins as Banquo and Macbeth are returning from a war. The three witches tell Banquo that his sons will become kings and they tell Macbeth that he will be the king of Scotland. Both Macbeth and Banquo are ambitious but Banquo is not tempted to do evil unlike Macbeth.

With the help of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth kills King Duncan and becomes the king of Scotland. Both Banquo and Macduff are suspicious and Macbeth fears them.

Macbeth invites Banquo to Banquet and plans to kill Banquo and Fleance. However, Fleance escapes.

Macbeth kills Macduff’s family. Macduff is angry and plans to kill Macbeth. Macbeth’s hopes build up until he is told that Macduff is born by Caeserean.

This is basically a short summary on Macbeth. The acting is really good and nice to watch. You should watch the movie. I am sure that anyone who watches it would like it. They play’s blend of action and ambition creates a appealing theme to most people.

Pampasutra

I arrived at the house with my friend for a final practice, before the showdown! We were all excited to perform the extract from the book. I was the River, so was my sister. My friend, who had come to visit from Singapore was also dragged into it, she was reading the extract, along with the others. We had a few hours before the final performance!! In these few hours we had to get a 'khadi' , 'kurta' (Kirtana aunty insisted it be khadi) and at the end of it all deliver ourselves to Kirtana aunty's house....which we did perfectly.

We reached the area a few hours early, people were still setting up. To pass our time we joined a few kids and made some dragon flies. Finally it was showtime!! I thought we did a good job and everyone was praising us!!! After the show was the book signing. I managed to buy a book and get it signed too. There was plenty of food there.....jam tarts.........chips.....chocolates....lemon tarts...and of course CAKE!! For me the best part of the day were the lemon Tarts ;)!!

http://www.saffrontree.org/2010/02/interview-with-shilo-shiv-suleman_04.html

Review of Julius Caesar

To read about a new production of Julius Caesar at the Roundhouse in London click on link below...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/jan/11/julius-caesar-rsc-review

Haiku

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry.It consists of 17 moras (Moras are not syllables,so 17 moras is not 17 syllables). Haikus have three phrases, the first phrase has five moras, the second has seven moras and the last phrase has five moras. Japanese Haikus are printed in a straight line and are generally about nature.

HISTORY OF HAIKU
Hokku is the starting verse of a Japanese linked poem or Renga. A Renga has verses of 14 and 17 syllables. If the Hokku in a Renga has 14 syllables then the third, fifth, seventh, ninth verses will have 14 syllables, this pattern continues. This works when the Hokku has 17 syllables too. By the seventeenth century, the time of the famous poets Matsuo Basho and Ueshma Onitsura, Hokkus started appearing as independent poems. Variations included Haibun (prose and Hokku) and Haiga (painting and Hokku) The name was changed from Hokku to Haiku by the poet Masaoka Shiki in the late nineteenth century.

VISIT TO ST. MARKS CATHEDRAL
Theatre lab (thursday group) visited St. Marks cathedral. After the visit they made Haikus about their feelings and observations in the church.

ABOUT THE CHURCH
St. Marks cathedral is one of Bangalore's oldest churches. It is on M G road and is over 200 years old. It was founded in 1808 and consecrated by the bishop of Calcutta in 1816. St. Marks cathedral is named after St Mark, one of the twelve deciples of Christ. The interior of the church is modelled like that of St. Pauls cathedral, London. It is known for its external bells, woodwork, carvings, domes and stained glass. The church was rebuilt in 1927 and has a seating capacity of 700 people.

THEATRE LAB'S HAIKUS

Trisha's Haikus:

White as falling snow
arches against the sky
colour blinds the light

White faithful friend
a daisy in summer
drops from the ceiling


Anshul's Haiku:

Yellow as lemon rice
peaceful, magnificent
happiness


Careena's Haiku:

White as pearls
brown as chocolate
arching over my head


Manik's Haiku:

Open doors to all
place of peace
a monument of time


Sagar's Haiku:

Landmark next to the park
inside,whiteness
peace


Tarun's Haiku:

A holy place
of peace and quiet
yellow and red streamers

Theatre Lab experiences!!

One saturday evening we took a cab to theatre lab. My Friend who went to theatre lab had recommended it to me. It was the first time i had come to this class. I was amused by the creativity and talents the other children had. At that point of time I didn't know much about acting...... As everyone was doing an improvisation Kirtana told me to join.

It was fun as well as interesting working with all the other aspiring actors....
Till date i've always cherished coming to these classes and i have learnt much from it.
Becoming an actor has inspired me to be punctual to theatre lab. After joining theatre lab i have been a part of plays directed by Kirtana and us. A few of them are Pampa sutra, the rangashankara mela and cubbon park stories which was held in Sona towers.

Shakespeare

 Shakespeare is one of the best writers of all time. He was born on the 23rd of april - Saint George's day - in Warwickshire to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. Some of the plays he wrote are Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Julius Ceaser, The Winter's Tale, Othello and Romeo And Juliet. Shakespeare married a girl called Anne Hathaway (No, not the actress).

One thing really interesting about Shakespeare is that he died on his 52nd birthday, which must have spoilt the party.

Christmas Party

We started the Christmas Party by directing a nativity play in which the morning batch kids were our "star" actors. The play was , well a flop, but loads of fun to direct. We realized how tough it was to direct a play, but I'm pretty sure the next time we'll do better...if the boys decide to help, that is. :)
The party was loads of fun. After the play, we lit a bonfire and sang carols and songs (which had nothing to do with Christmas). I ,on the other hand, preferred sitting inside with a plate full of delicious food, and a crumbling ginger bread house.
We lit candles while Jesus was born and sung carols. Along with carols we sang a birthday song for Ankit, as it was his birthday. No, he doesn't share his birthday with Jesus as the party was held on the 20th of december.... he was short by just 5 days. :)

I know this is a little too late but Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :D