In Conversation with the Budding Author: Yamini Prashanth

Meet the budding author, Yamini Prashanth.

Yamini with her parents 

"Mishti" is a children's novella written by this 12 year old author, which is going to be published by Unicorn Books private limited and will be launched very soon. Yamini wrote "Mishti" when she was 11 years old. Her second book, which is a collection of short stories, is expected to hit the readers' desk shortly.

 Here is an interview with this young talent, Yamini Prashanth, for our readers.

Varsha: A warm welcome Yamini!

Yamini: Dear Varsha didi, first of all I would really like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help and support.

                                 

Varsha: In today’s context when everyone of your age group is moving to read the stories like Harry Potter series; it’s encouraging to see a young and talented writer like you. However, are you ever tempted to any other genre of writing? 

Yamini: Yes, I am very tempted to try other genres, in fact I am currently writing a book titled "Daughter of Diana" which is completely different from "Mishti" and is for children who enjoy reading fantasy and action.

Varsha: Tell us what is ‘Mishti’ to you? How did you conceive the idea of writing Mishti?

Yamini: To me "Mishti" is just the life of a normal girl. It is my imagination of a perfect childhood and a perfect life. "Mishti" is inspired by Ruskin Bond. I am a huge fan of his and love the way he makes an ordinary person's life look so extraordinary and lovely. I wanted my main character to be simple yet, fun and interesting.

Varsha: How does it feel to achieve so much at such a young age?

Yamini: I am very thankful to God, for he bestowed such a wonderful talent upon me. I just feel extremely honoured to have gotten this opportunity … as the very thought of some child picking up my book and reading it is so thrilling. I want to thank my family, Unicorn Books Pvt. ltd. and every single person who has been with me in this journey.

Varsha: Tell us how did your interest in fiction develop?

Yamini: The credit goes to my father. He was the one who used to {and still does} tell me stories, carefully chose and buy lovely books for me to read. He encouraged me to read books belonging to different genres. He used to ask me to write the summary of every book that I finished reading. This helped me a lot. He got me the movies of the books that I had read, like Oliver Twist, Mary Poppins, and Treasure Island etc. and took me for a lot of musicals in London. All this helped me develop a love for reading and fiction.

Varsha: You were all of eleven when you started writing. Tell us more about your story?

Yamini: Yes, I was eleven, when I wrote my first book, "Mishti". There are many children like me, who don't like Harry Potter and who would enjoy reading simple, heartwarming stories. I am not averse to mystery/adventure/fantasy. In fact I love Percy Jackson. I finished reading the entire series in one month and am eagerly waiting for the new book to arrive. But before I got introduced to Percy Jackson books and developed a liking for them, I used to make many trips to various book shops and would get frustrated on not finding any book to my liking. Many of my friends said the same thing. I had finished reading all the classics, Enid Blyton books, Ruskin Bond books, Shakespeare, Arabian Nights, Greek, Roman and Indian mythology, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, R.K. Narayan, .......but what next??  That’s when one evening, after my 11th birthday, during my summer vacations, I decided to write a story of my own. That's how "Mishti" happened.

Varsha: From where do you get the passion for writing? Tell me which facet of writing excites you the most?

Yamini: My passion for writing comes from my love for English and books. It gives a lot of satisfaction when you are able to convert your ideas into words and when you write you just get transported into another world. Your characters are moving all around you and you are both the spectator as well as the wire puller. I love to use different words, especially to express humour. Sometimes, sheer boredom steers me towards writing. When I've finished reading all the books at home, when my studies and homework are all done and dusted, when there's nothing even mildly interesting on television and the weather is awful outside- that's when I sit on my laptop and start working on my book. Being the hyperactive girl that I am, the only option left is some sort of creative work.

Varsha: Name one historical and one contemporary novelist whose works inspired you?

Yamini: Historical- Enid Blyton and Shakespeare are my favourite authors and my biggest inspirations {Comedy of Errors is my favourite!} contemporary- Ruskin Bond and Rick Riordan.

Varsha: Apart from novels, what are your other interests?

Yamini: The only books I like besides novels are comics. I love reading Calvin and Hobbes.

Varsha: Would you tell us something about your upcoming anthology of short stories?

Yamini:  The book is about two children spending a most memorable weekend with their granny who lives in a beautiful beach house, but all alone. The children and granny undertake some pretty routine outings- to the grocery store, library, and the sandwich shack- but what is, most touching is the stories that granny shares with the children. This book is meant for 7-9 year old kids.

Varsha: I am sure there are many more plans; many wonderful creations to come through your creative mind. Tell us what is next in the list?

Yamini: As I have mentioned earlier, I am currently working on a book called "Daughter of Diana". It's going to take me quite some time to finish writing this because it isn't as simple as my earlier books. I have to do a lot of thinking as the story is a little complicated. I am also writing a book called "Mulberry Meadows" which is a story about 5 horses living in a stable.

Varsha: That was very nice talking to you Yamini. Thanks for sparing some time for us and Best Wishes for your future endeavours.

Yamini: Thank you.

The Hidden Silence !

I don't speak much

these days ...

I enjoy being serene

these nights ...

I am not wordless

at all ...

I muffle myself in tranquility

to keep our talks

fresh forever 

which makes my thundering heart

placid from within,

peaceful and satisfied !

-(c) Varsha Singh

Book Review: Silent Days: Poems by Jaydeep Sarangi

“I love your silences, they are like mine. You are the only being before whom I am not distressed by my own silences. You have a vehement silence, one feels it is charged with essences, it is a strangely alive silence, like a trap open over a well, from which one can hear the secret murmur of the earth itself.”
― Anaïs Nin

This is something exact to quote about Silent Days, a collection of poems by Jaydeep Sarangi. This collection is like the garland made up of varieties of flowers from the experiences of life. Poetry, after all, is to be found in the thick of life's activities and experiences; Sarangi is a keen observer of the same. His poems give the sense of familiarity to the readers which are most of the times ignored in the haziness of life. His simplicity is the weapon of his writing spirit, which touches the soul of the readers. Recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Sarangi gives a fresh signification to everything. Silent Days is a collection of 50 poems expressing the ideas and emotions of the lived moments of the poet. Hailing from the city of Joy, Sarangi writes about his childhood days on his native land, collages of rural life, personal emotions, social pangs, modern lifestyle and much more.

His love for the native land, where he was born, is very significant in his writings. The poems like 'The Red Soil Allure' 'I'm On Your Side', 'Refugee', 'Small Rivers of the Mind', 'My Family Tree' etc. portray the deepest connection with his homeland artistically.  

MY FAMILY TREE

The sap of History of the land is a long pedigree.

My forefathers settled near the temple of Kanakdurga

Near the bank of a rivulet

Flowing gently in a soothing pace.

Where I sit and whisper in history forgotten

Like long barren trees in late autumn

Calm as history books

Where dry hard facts are written in black ink.

Sarangi's concern for his city and modern busy life comes out as beautiful verses through his pen when he describes 'Morning' and 'Missed Calls'

The day in Kolkata opens, delayed by

A dim sun, to the haze of 

Last  night's fervour. The note of

Church bells and twittering seep into every derails.

Yogic chants follow a

Rhythm of bridge between a noisy head and a calm mind.

The day poisons night's lullabies,

As my little daughter paints

Shiva's poison-green neck.

MISSED CALLS

"In Tollygunj auto line", "In a crowded bus"

"Will you call back a little later?" "In the metro"

"...calling later" "call back little later"...

The cell phone can erase boundaries 

Between meeting up or not.

Some calls can be received

Others are missed calls

In the buzz of the auto or the metro tunnel

Its not always possible to call back.

Promises hide their faces

Amidst crowds of everyday duties.

With the aroma of chanachur and puffed rice

I remember...

The pleadings of the boy back home -

"Bring me colour pencils today". 

Being an observer of life and society, Sarangi pens the tensions and pressures prevailing in society with a personal touch. 

A ROSE IS A ROSE

She has returned to the dark womb

Of silence and eternity

With lleaves green

And blossom red and white.

Blue wings of my imagination.

Run wild among my ruined terrace

Of sad history of women in our country

Sarangi has given a splendid tribute to his friend Niranjan Mohanty through his poem 'Friendship'.

There is a door in the deep heart of my private chamber

It opens at times, sometime in midnight when the clock marks

'twelve'.

With a descent key

When it does, it takes all of me in.

Your Tiger poems haunt me like

Rhododendron for flies in the upper Himalaya.

My imagination shines with colours

Red and blue

On the banks of Beas.

I register my random thoughts

In my urn of tears. 

At last, it would be better to say, that, this book is a collage of emotions and sentiments uprooted in the poet's silent days; which he lays bare for the readers to witness their own-selves through this book, Silent Days.

About Jaydeep Sarangi:

Jaydeep Sarangi is a bilingual writer, academic, editor and translator with several seminal books as well. He has delivered keynote addresses in several national and international seminars and conferences and read his poems in different continents. He has been anthologized widely in several shores. One of the reviewers has made an honest observation by calling him Bard on the Banks of Dulong . Sarangi is the Vice President, GIEWEC (head office at Kerala) and one of the founder members and the Vice President of SPELL (Society for Poetry, Education, Literature and Language), Kolkata. Anchored in Kolkata, his poetry defies boundaries and resonates with glocal experiences.

Politics of the Moon !

The fading moon

within the murky clouds

plays hide and seek

with each move

beneath gloomy desires

testing the patience

of you... 

the common beings

Without gloomy collisions !

- (c) Varsha Singh

Cloudy Coronation!

When you fall like droplets 

on my windowpanes !

And then come dribbling

on my basking face !

I become the queen

with my new found fame!!

- Varsha Singh

Book Review: Poetic Connections; Poems From Australia & India. Edited by Tamaso Lonsdale / Publisher: Cyberwit.Net

"Once, poets were magicians. Poets were strong, stronger than warriors or kings- stronger than old hapless gods. And they will be strong once again." 

- Greg Bear

The Poetic Connections, edited by Tamaso Lonsdale has come out as an anthology of poems combining the ideas, emotions and cultures of two different places, Australia and India, in the most strengthening way which proves to be the full stop of long waiting process in the field of poetry. 

Jane Kenyon once said, 

"The poet's job is to put into words those feelings we all have that are so deep, so important, and yet so difficult to name, to tell the truth in such a beautiful way, that people cannot live without it"

The poets in the Poetic Connections are those pillars, providing truth with the excellence of artistry and subtlety through their verses.

The anthology consists aesthetic colours and essence of six various poets from Australia and India. Three poets, Laura Jan Shore, Nathalie Buckland and Rob Harle are from Australia; whereas, three poets Aju Mukhopadhyay, Sunil Sharma and Jaydeep Sarangi are from India. 

Laura Jan Shore was born in England and raised in the U.S.A, later moving to Australia. Shore has tutored in and taught creative writing from 1979 onward. She has been the President of Dangerously Poetic Press. The anthology contains eight illuminated poems by her entitled: Meeting You I Wonder, The Interrupt, Facing The Crack, Stranger In Paradise, Revealed, At Dawn, Silence, Don't Say It. Laura excels in crafting each and every word with great ease and intellect which prove to be the most precious pearls in the ocean of aesthetic beauty. To quote some of her words, full of beauty and conception: 

At Dawn

Lured by the throb and suck

of high tide,                           

I'm immersed        

in purple and gold

clouds that smudge                

a brightening dome.  

Summoned too, by rainbow lorikeets

who screech in code                           

as they savage                                    

the banksias and the winged            

whistle of crested pigeons,               

crunch of dried pods underfoot,       

the whorl of grasses                         

beckoning up and over the dunes.

There a dazzle of jade silk               

unfurls to meet the edge of the sky

and my heart is caught                    

like those sea bream                        

agape                                                

in the glimmer of the wind.             

                               

Nathalie Buckland was born in Wales, United Kingdom during the Second World War. She started writing from the age of eight. Nathalie studied Early Childhood Education and moved to Australia in 1969 with her young family. The poems of Nathalie in this anthology are: Sojourner, Don't Wait, Pelicans, Solstice, River - A Sestina, Teenager, Storm and Migrant. Nathalie holds the mastery of gathering inspiration from her local community of Nimbin with all its diversity, her family, and the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside with its native birds and animals. To quote few words of Nathalie:

Teenager

Bathed in

the prickled sunshine of her smile

I am unfurled with love;

never prepared,

no barriers erected for the barbs

flying, with words for wings.

I am a warrior 

wounded in my quest.

My grail is Woman;

rising into life,

bursting from the ugly chrysalis

of drugs and acne,

stinking sneakers, venomous tongue.

I see her shadow,

she comes,

I will endure.

I am a mother.

Rob Harle is a writer, artist and academic reviewer. His main concern is to explore and document the radical changes technology is bringing about, through his poems. Harle's verses in this anthology are: Game Over, The Colour Of Greed, Lost Cafe,Homage To The Mud-Dauber Man, Requiem For An Old Dart, Whore And Nun, The Dulling and On The Road To Nimbin. He mainly focuses on the trends of Post-Postmodernism. To quote some of his lines, which makes his fresh conceptualizations very clear: 

Requiem for An Old Dart

In days of old the serfs were sold

and England's Kings and Queens were bold,

But now the writing's on the wall

from Sydney Cove to Downing Street and all.

The Republican's flag is biting deep

behind closed doors the lonely royalists weep,

a hope to fly the Jack from yards of old,

that now are paved with gangrenous green and gold.

For God and Commonwealth we bled

now Commonwealth and God are dead,

and where the hell's this wealth so comm'n

in vaults beneath a throne bequeathed by flogg'n.

So... Computer chips spew out the news

from satellites in front row pews,

But still the stallions dragged the carriage

for the 20th century's most celebrated marriage.

But remember when the colony becomes oppressive...

There will always be an England

A land of sickly superiority too vain,

Of pomp and bloody circumstance

And rain and rain and rain.

Aju Mukhopadhyay, a bilingual award winning poet, author and critic, writes fictions and essays as well. An ardent follower of Sri Aurobindo, Aju is inwardly guided by the perennial source of his spiritual and philosophic truth. His poems may be broadly categorized into three groups: On Nature, Poems with Spiritual Overtones and Feelings, and Poems on Social, Political Subjects. He is subjective in his subtle feelings and expressions. His poems in this collection are: Om Sri Aurobindo, The Burning Lamp, The Inner World, At The River Bank, Ant's Hut, Life And Death Hug Each Other, Fundamentalists and The Death Of A Rose. His spiritual connect can be noticed through these lines: 

The Burning Lamp

The lamp was burning golden-brown

In my dark room steadily, alone

No one was there around.

Flowers bloomed of a mystic hue

Radiating my obscure chamber.

When you came to light the lamp

No one knew

No tread, no flash, no sound.

Sunil Sharma is an academic administrator, a bilingual critic, poet, literary interviewer, editor, translator, essayist and fiction writer. He is a freelance journalist  and blogger as well. His style and technique of writing proves to be the most dominating part of his verses. The way in which he creates a panorama through his words, is delightful. His poems in this anthology are:  The December Wind, Ode To A Railway Halt, Winter Dusk At The Railway Halt: Second Part, A Garbage Dump, A Woman, The Girl On The Threshold, White Noise and The Dog Whisperer. To quote his wordy jewels:

A Woman

Carrying a bundle

On a grizzled head

Three roped donkeys

Walking behind

Driven by a kid,

The belongings

Kept on their backs,

The mobile gypsy family,

Meager possessions,

Mocking the covetous city

Of high-rises and fancy cars.

Jaydeep Sarangi is a bilingual writer, poet, academic editor, translator and the author of a number of significant publications. Sarangi has the expertise of delving deep and presenting the rich literary and cultural tradition of India in the most splendid way. He is a keen observer of life and world, which seems significant in his verses. His poems in this collection are: Native Links, City Of Joy, Missing Link, Peace In No Man's Land, Life Beyond, My Life, History Of Land and My Sap Of Writing. Sarangi gives a fresh signification to everything. For example:

My Life

I experience what I am going through

Is a brief spell in my life's routine course,

A period of small happenings - 

Things are running back

To his proximate mind,

Aware of each little thing.

I have been calling things 

My native own - 

Steeped with my root nuances

As each small thing has a life.

I'm bound to the sluggish response to my experiences,

Near the banks of Dulong and Subarnorekha.

I am coming round my life's circle

To taste what is my daily own.

Salman Rushdie once said, "A poet's work... to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start argument, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep."

The poets in this anthology, Poetic Connections, have the strength and zeal to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start argument, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep. A must read compilation for all.   

Book Review: Unlocked by Kevin Solomon Missal / Vamptasy Publishing

It is always a matter of great curiosity, when the young and blossoming writers start penning down the serious and gripping stories, with great literary merit. In this time of pop- fiction the fresh generation draws much towards writing down the "time-pass" novels, rather than the serious ones. 

Kevin Solomon Missal must be called a specie as rare as a Unicorn under the recent generation. Kevin is a sixteen year old boy studying at The Faith Academy in New Delhi. At the tender age of fourteen, he wrote his debut novel, Damien Black: The Battle of Lost Ages, which was a heroic fantasy, inspired by Greek mythology, 

Kevin's love and admiration for Greek myths took him towards writing another masterpiece. His second novel, "Unlocked" published by Vamptasy Publishing is a heroic fantasy dealing with the Greek Mythology in its backdrop. The story deals with topics such as friendship, love, betrayal, adventure, death and mystery - with all their complications until the end. 

Kevin knows the art of gripping with his story line, which enables him to make a successful venture in order to keep the readers stick to the text till the end. The lucid language is another strength of this novel. 

The characters are superbly placed under the narrative, as it becomes a challenge for the writer to manage the characters perfectly when it comes to play with the mythical figures and techniques. Kevin has almost been successful in recreating the essence of mythology in a fresh way. 

He gives an Ultramodern touch to the novel by adding the Ultramodern effects merging with fantasy and mythology. 

He found himself in a warm place as he entered Metatron's home. A laptop sat on table beside the soft upon which a Word document which was opened. 

"What are you typing?"

Siphon prodded

"I am Metatron, young lad. I am recording the creation."

His admission was unexpected. Siphon hadn't considered the fact that the scroll of creation was actually being written on a laptop instead of a long, large scroll. He couldn't understand that modernization not only reached mankind, but it had also reached angles and demons.He had seen many demons using cellphones, pagers, iPhone's, iPad's etc.

At the end, it would be better to say, that, under the flood of time pass novels, here is something serious, making itself a must read piece for all, especially the fantasy lover young readers.

http://www.thebookaholics.in/2013/07/book-review-unlocked.html