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Labels: Married But Available, Mediocre But Arrogant

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usic does these strange things. It cuts across boundaries. While words tend to have walls
around them when you mix music and turn words into lyrics, they suddenly get wings. They
reach out and tug at heart strings. The MTV office at Time in New York is a favorite destination
for musicians to strut their stuff hoping some talent scout from the office would listen and give
them their big break. i am not aware of anyone actually getting their break like that. But heck,

New York is the city where dreams are bought and sold everyday. I have stood by
mesmerized by the sound of a bunch of musicians from Andes playing their folk tunes on pan
pipes accompanied by an electric guitar powered by a makeshift car battery and a set of drums. I
have seen an African American drummer play the drums on a set of plastic paint barrels. I
remember missing my train to watch a group of teenagers from Harlem show the world what
break dancing was all about. And of course who can forget the Naked Cowboy stand in the
middle of Time Square in his underwear and have a bunch of screaming hysterical teenagers line
up to photograph themselves with him.

Last evening I went to see Sushmit Bose perform. He calls himself an urban folk musician.
Sometimes I see him being referred to as an urban folk balladeer. It is difficult to imagine this
person once sported shoulder length hair and wrote protest songs. Well he still writes songs and I
guess he still protests against a range of issues. He briefly mentioned Tibet and then also sang a
song protesting against the inhuman treatment given to stray dogs in Kerala. He sings about
urbanization and the loss of soul etc. His songs are set to simple chords and will inevitably
remind listeners of the sounds of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. The only tragedy was that when he
finally sang Blowing In The Wind, he mixed up the lyrics. This is where his guitarist and banjo
player Deepak Castelino stepped up to the mike and sang along with the crowd.
Sushmit was accompanied by Deepak Castelino - one of the finest guitarists I have heard. Many
years back when Deepak was still in college, I watched him on TV singing Me and Bobby
McGhee. His flawless strumming and deep baritone voice has only matured over the years.
Deepak worked for fifteen years in the corporate sector and left it in disgust to pursue music. He
composes and teaches music to children. I loved his composition called Corporation (which he
calls ‰‰ meaning Make Miserable)‰ May his tribe increase. Maybe someday I will
get a chance to learn from Deepak not just how to play the guitar but how to chase my dreams.

  




I am a nervous traveller. Before I travel, I would ideally like to be at peace. Here is what I want it
to be like. I should be able pack my suitcase comfortably, arrange my shirts in a certain
sequence, add my shaving kit on the side - the stuff for meetings all laid out in sequence... Then I
ought to sit back listen to some music and flip through my tickets - everything is in order, I tell
myself as I leave home.

Reality is cruel. Reality is different. I have just rushed back home from office. The neighbor's
dog is bringing down the house with his howl. I think he is sick - not the dog, I meant the owner.
The dog is probably trying to send us a distress signal. I have no time time for all that. I
rummage through my clothes and throw a few of them into the suitcase. They crumple up even
before I have worn them. I lock the suitcase in a jiffy and open it back again. Rush to pack in my
shaving kit. The last time I had left behind the toothpaste tube. The keys of my suitcase!! I had
almost left them behind. But no, I have a sharp memory and I just caught myself in the nick of
time from making yet another fatal error. The taxi is honking and competing with the neighbors'
dog. I rush out of the house and then run back -the ticket. I collapse in a heap in the cab. The
airport is a mess. There are people jumping queues, students listening to iPods and shaking their
heads in approval and the cops eyeing all with suspicion.

"u


  
 she asks me.

"Since no one helps me at home, I have to do it myself." I answer.

"

  
 


  


  She
quizzes me.

"Heck, I don't even get presents on my birthday. Who would buy me a gift simply for travelling
on work? The answer therefore is a no.".

After a string of people have quizzed me, I get my boarding pass. I settle down into the seat. 
   ! ‘ 
 !



" Sure enough, this trip is no exception. I have a mother holding a wailing infant on
one side and a glum faced senior citizen on the other. The flight takes off to the howling of the
baby. Look I like babies especially when they don't cry or need a diaper change. This one missed
my affection on both counts. I try not to puke as the lady changes diapers and constantly tries to
talk in what she thinks is a tone that is building the kid's self image. The gentleman on my left is
sleeping with his mouth open as if in wonder (what IS he dreaming about?) and he is snoring
loudly. The snore sounds like a squeaky wheelbarrow being dragged back and forth on a cobbled
street. I try to read. There is nothing decent around to read either - except for the in-flight
magazine which is usually a by the juveniles and for the juveniles affair. I might as well use the
washroom. I am on the horns of a dilemma. Who should I wake up to go to the washroom? The
snorer? Or the infant who has just fallen asleep and has a steady stream of drool flowing as
proof? I like proof except that it is going to start flowing towards me. I keep a few tissues handy.
The snorer has changed pitch. It now sounds very close to the aircraft's engine. I vote in favor of
the snorer. I try to jump over the old man and get to the aisle and miss. OUCH!! The man's loud
protest wakes up everyone. I am the culprit. I pay the price for it. The baby starts howling again
and wakes up the whole planeload of irritated passengers. I rush to the loo and wait there for a
good five minutes before I return back to my seat. The world is at peace. Snorer is in dreamland.
The baby is quiet and the mother is sleeping. I need to get back to my middle seat without
disturbing the equilibrium of the earth. I have learnt my lesson the last time. I avoid hassling the
grumpy old man. I try to get into my seat and land up waking the baby instead. "OH GOD!!
CAN YOU LEAVE THE BABY ALONE??", someone shouts at me. I apologize to the world at
large as I hide in my seat under the smelly blanket and pray for the baby to stop howling. It is
going to be a long night.
Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at 3:47 AM


   
#ï!

‘ is a rare country with two equally well developed traditions of Classical Music -
Hindustani (from Northern India) and Carnatic (from South India). This post is about Hindustani
Classical music.
You have vocalists and instrumentalists to choose from in each category. The classical set of
instruments that played solo were traditionally



 (bamboo flute),
 
accompanied by the drone of a "
 to keep scale and
  and to the beats of a " !
Over the years other instruments have been brought in to add variety. The Sarangi has moved up
centrestage from being just a sidekick. Some instruments like #$%more popular in the Eastern
States of India especially West Bengal&have faded away even though in some traditions
(Vishnupur) or gharanas it played a prominent role!Over the years many western musical
instruments like violin, harmonium, mandolin, archtop guitar and electric guitar have come to be
accepted in Indian classical music." Brij Bhushan Kabra and later Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
popularized the Guitar as an instrument that can play Hindustani Classical. Just as Shiv Kumar
Sharma has brought the Santoor (meaning a hundred stringed lute) to the mainstream of classical
music.
Indian Classical Music has been developed over several generations with knowledge and skills
being passed down from father to son (most of the instrumentalists are males in Hindustani
Classical Music - is that the same in Carnatic Classical too?) or from teacher to disciple known
as the

'   tradition in India. The guru or the maestro would have the title of ( (in
case the teacher was Muslim) or ) (for the Hindu).
My parents were both Hindustani Classical music addicts. My mother played Ragas on the
Acoustic Hawaiian Lap Guitar (known simply as the Hawaiian Steel Guitar in India). My father
never played an instrument or sang but made sure he taught himself ragas by reading, meeting

musicians and attending concerts whenever possible. The concerts, the vinyl LP records and
the ubiquitious radio with the All India Radio Sangeet Sammelan or the classical music hour at
night were a part of my universe. Just as I was beginning to get excited about The Beatles,
Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, Pat Boone and all, thanks to the efforts of $‘  % (an
acronym for Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Among Youth) my
love for Indian Classical music co-existed with my love for every other sound that I got familiar
with over the years. SPICMACAY used to organize Lecture Demonstrations (LecDems for
short) to bring the best of the best Indian Classical Music maestros to explain the basics elements
of the classical musical vocabulary and grammar and made it "cool" to listen to. The very first
one I attended had Ustad & '  xplaining the basics of Raga Yaman by playing raga
based popular Bollywood hits on the . Accompanied by the long haired () 
*
 on the tabla (who taught a semester at Princeton University in 2006) , they mesmerized
the college crowd. Last fortnight I bumped into Ustad Amjad Ali Khan at Mumbai's swank new
airport terminal. Here is a photo capturing that moment.
Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at 8:11 AM

+,
 - 

#!#

.urgaon has over the last few years begun to be known for many things - malls, Call Centers
and BPOs and lack of infrastructure. Going to see a play, art exhibition or a music concert meant
that one had to go to the cultural hub of Delhi. That could mean anything from an hours drive or
more depending on the time of day when you hit the road. But that was then. We now have
/
 (Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurgaon) - a complex that boasts of a lovely auditorium
(it possibly has 300+ seats??), an art gallery, an amphitheatre, a restaurant, conference & banquet
rooms and a 45000 sq ft exhibition hall. If you want to be on their mailing list, just write to
info@epicentre.co.in
This month for instance had the Puppet Theatre putting up ï0 1 " Smita Bharati
put up two plays there2 ï 
and-2-2--"Feisal Alkazi's #
 "

Yesterday I went to the Epicentre to Rahul Da Cunha's version of µ#!#¶ . The

Pulitzer award winning play written by AR Gurney, describes the romantic and poignant
relationship between childhood friends Melissa Gardner (Shernaz Patel) and Andrew Makepeace
Ladd III (Rajit Kapur) over fifty years. The story unfolds through the letters the two characters
have written to one another. The play was first performed in 1988. Shernaz Patel is just so
amazing in the way she brings the impetuous Melissa. Rajit Kapur is a versatile actor for but last
evening's performance seemed just a tad short of expectations.

Inspired by Love Letters, +3' has directed ï
  44444444

44444 adapted by Javed Siddqui and had Farooque Shaikh who plays the politician

*
+
 and Shabana Azmi playing the painter , . In 1996 I saw them
perform at Darpan Academy in Ahmedabad. It was was perhaps in one of the most powerful
performances I have seen in theatre. By the time the play ends, there was no dry eye in the
audience and Shabana Azmi was so deeply entrenched in the character that she just sobbed long
after the play was over.
There is also the sequel 
544444444446, directed by Salim Arif, starts from
where Tumhari Amrita ends. It has been years since painter Amrita Nigam, whose relationship
with politician Syed Zulfiquar Haider had spawned a series of letters and Tumhari Amrita, has
died. If you have seen it, let me what you thought of it.
Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at


+,
 
7 +10  2+,
 

This year should see a spate of Indian books. From graphic novels to cookbooks. From Science
Fiction to Short Stories, the publishers are ready to pull out their trump cards. With a growing
confidence in everything Indian, the Indian reader is also ready to give Indian writers a chance to
share stories that are desi and in a language that feels real. There is no need to add a glossary of
Indian words or phrases used like they did before. I agree that it is an insult to the reader's
intelligence if you do that.
1 newspaper had recently listed the books we will see being launched in 2008. It is a very
rich list.
"Even as Chetan Bhagat¶s book (Rupa), Abhijit Bhaduri¶s 
 !, and Karan
Bajaj¶s '
ï . (HarperCollins) are being touted as bestsellers in the making, other
books are vying for the top spot. Penguin India has biggies like $

 by Amitav
Ghosh, ,ï by Kamala Markandaya and #+, by Siddharth
Dhanvant Shanghvi lined up. Penguin imports,  ! by Manil Suri,  ïï
%
by Hanif Kureishi, and ï 78 by Nadeem Aslam are also all set to rock readers.
Picador lists... blockbusters in 2008 as The $‘
 by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni,
 ‘
,# by Anuradha Roy and /
 by Manjula Padmanabhan."
The World Book Fair started off yesterday at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. This one promises to
be even bigger and better than the one they did in 2006 which was spread over 38,000 sq metres
of display with around 1300 publishers . In 1972, with 200 participants to visit the modest
display at Windsor Place, New Delhi the World Book Fair made a beginning. Expect to see
celebrity authors cutting deals with publishers or literary agents trying to woo the next big
literary phenomenon. I am going to see if any one of the books mentioned above are available at
the WBF.
I will be around at the HarperCollins stall possibly over the weekend. HarperCollins titles will be
at Stall nos. 677-692, Hall no. 2. from 10 am (don't expect to see me there!!) to 8 pm (more
likely to see me).
Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at 9:04 AM 2 comments Links to this post
Labels: Abhijit Bhaduri, HarperCollins, Indian Fiction, Married But Available


9
  

‘+  !$  

This is my 100th blog entry. My hundredth run in the world of blogging.

So it is about a topic I have never written about - cricket. I may not know anything about cricket
or ... for that matter I know nothing about sports. I suspect I was born without a sporting gene.
Yet while I was using the remote control of the TV to flick aside channel after channel like an
expert batsman, I could not but help take a peek into the world of cricket.

If you, like a billion Indians (make that billion minus 1) watch cricket more than you watch your
own receding hairline, then you are probably celebrating. Australia was sixteen going on
seventeen test victories in a row. Indian cricketers played spoilsport and broke the magic spell.
Now Aussies will need to start working on that record creating spree all over again. The last time
Aussies were halted was at Eden Gardens in 2001. Then it was Steve who had to say Waugh
Bhai Waugh to the winning Indian team!!

Umpiring decision related controversies ruined the spirit of the Sydney test. Well there were
umpiring gaffes in Perth too - but this time in favor of India. The odds are that bad and good
decisions even out in life.
More photos at ‘
Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at


, :
ï  

1938 - A shooting party headed by the then Viceroy of India shot a maximum of 4,273 birds
on 12th November.
1965 - The last leopard was shot with a gun

1967 - Keoladeo Ghana declared a reserved forest

1981 - Keoladeo upgraded to the status of a National Park

Situated 176 Kms away from Delhi, KEOLADEO GHANA NATIONAL PARK has about 400
species of birds. If you have never seen the ever dwindling species of birds called the Siberian
Crane, then you must know that this is one of the two places in the world where this bird can be
seen. the other one is in Iran.

Purshottam has been plying his rickshaw since he was 21 years old. His father was a guide at the
Bharatpur bird sanctuary as well. Affectionately called Purshotti by everyone around, he keeps
pointing out the various species of birds as we go. He knows their names in Bengali as well he
tells me. "I have learnt the names of at least 30 birds in German and French languages. After all
it is the tourists I have to depend on." He amazes me with his knowledge of birds and his ability
to spot them. He loves chatting and keeps me engrossed with trivia and bird facts. I try to ask
him about the brightly colored Kingfisher that is flitting around the marshy patch to my right.
Purshotti silences me midway. He gets off from his rickshaw and looks up at what seems like a
Palm Tree. I follow my teacher. He shows me a brown owl sitting snugly and blinking at the
early rays of the morning Sun. Purshotti has tiptoed to the next tree and is gesticulating wildly to

me to show me another owl. "They always move in pairs."

I rub my hands together to keep myself warm. The quaint little tea-shop in the sanctuary is
brewing some tea. The clientele is building up. That includes a curious Neelgai who is keen to
join us for breakfast. The visitors to the park have been feeding this Neelgai human food for so
long that this particular animal no longer enjoys grass like the rest of them. Purshotti clicks his
head in disapproval at the visitors trying to feed the animal some sandwiches.
When will we ever learn??

Bharatpur is hop step and jump from the Taj Mahal and the beautiful city of Fatehpur Sikri. The
next time you are in the vicinty stop by to look at an amazing collection of birds and a few
animals. If you meet Purshotti, say Hi to him.

+,  :

2ï %  0;

ïhe Chinese calendar has dubbed 2008 as the Year of the Rat - actually it is the Chinese Brown
Earth (Soil) Rat Year. So one would imagine that Mickey Mouse (known as Topolino in Italy)
would thrive. Rat trap sales will decline. I was just about going down that path when someone
decided to give the lowly bookworm its pride of place in the zodiac.

The Hindustan Times of 21st December 2007 did a story on the next year being the Year of the
Bookworm. Girija Duggal predicts the rise of graphic novels and fiction being the dominant
flavor of the next year.

The article talks about the retail boom driving the expansion of chains like Landmark and
Crosswords across cities in India that in turn is making it easy for booklovers to buy books.
Fictions seems to have been the big success story this year. What with Advaita Kala's  


 (7,000 copies sold and counting) being the success of the year.

ï<
.&
= Keep off the Grass,'&&

Married But Available , , & 
You Are Here ,


,  
> !The Other Half of Me ,0'
 "
Indian fiction has been growing in popularity. When I go into the bookstores, I see increasing
amount of shelf space being given to the desi writers. Publishers are bringing out more of fiction.
Graphic novels are inching their way into the bookshelves at home. We have got publishing
houses who are willing to promote unknown authors, authors who are willing to find their own
voice. What is missing is the matchmaker to put writers in touch with the publishers. So the
market is ripe for literary agents. That is the missing link. A literary fest is often the space that
does just that. It gets the reader, the author, the publisher and agent into one forum. And possibly
the translators. There is a rich market of readers waiting out there.

I recently met Mita Kapur, a literary consultant and literary agent who is based out of Jaipur
and runs Siyahi. She has been running the literary fest at Jaipur for the past three years. The
conference, ï ?#
.,3 > ,>(20th -
22nd January, 2008) is an effort by Siyahi to provide an interactive space for creating synergies
to help writers, translators and publishers to understand core issues and work towards creating
bonds which will help them benefit from each other's experiences and understanding.

I loved being there in Mumbai for the Kitabfest in Feb '07. Let me see if I can make it to Jaipur
for the lit fest having just got back after a fab vacation in Jaipur, Bharatpur and Fatehpur Sikri.
More of that soon.


,@ :
*'‘ #;

Once upon a time I used to live in Ahmedabad. And I used to work for the ad agency called
Mudra Communications. Those were heady days for advertising agencies. The founder of Mudra
AG Krishnamurthy (AGK) ran the place. The Ahmedabad office of Mudra used to be decorated
from the floor to ceiling with photos from the various shoots of Vimal. Remember the "Only
Vimal" campaign starring the oh-so-gorgeous Mehr Jessia? Deepak Parashar, Deepak Malhotra,

Bikram Saluja and Himanshu Malik were the male models who were the brand ambassadors
of Vimal suitings.

The creative duo Freddy Birdy and Naved Akhtar were the stars at Mudra those days. Their
campaign for Nestle Polo "Mint with a hole" was the rage. I still have prints of their public
service campaign "All You Have to Spend On the Elderly is Your Time" at home.


had set up the Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad, known as MICA among
students. ‘ was one of the first schools of communication and advertising in India. Tucked
away in the village of Shela near Ahmedabad, the campus was still being built as the first batch
of people from MICA graduated. I have not been to MICA since then but from what I hear
MICA is not only doing well but thriving.

It was great to know that it is not just students but Professors who read the book Mediocre
But Arrogant and liked it. Here is a mail from Deval Kartik - a Professor at MICA. !'
(deval@mica.ac.in) is an Adjunct Professor at MICA. I had to be cautious while spelling that
word. It is not " 9
 $", stupid. Here is her mail to me:

"Hey Abhijit

Thanks for writing such a 'straight from the heart' book. Really enjoyed reading it. And now
waiting for the sequel.
I loved the book at two levels. One, it is set in the time I can identify with. I graduated to be
'Mediocre But Arrogant' in 1990. Not too far away for your period, though from a completely
different part of the country. Yet, there are several characters one can identify with clearly...some
profs and some batch mates!

And now, I am on the other side of the game and can almost sense my students calling
me...well...I hope not Kaamini!!! Hehehehe.. But more than that I can really see where all
assignments come from, why someone is ever so bright for a 6pm PPT and lot more.

The best I could do was gift the book to MICA library and just tell a few of them about it!

The good word spreads ever so quickly!

Cheers and keep writing!

^

MICA"


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$1

For the last couple of years (well, it almost seems like forever) I have been subjected to this
endless stream of promos of two films -   and 0. The beautiful people
were all over the television channels. Heck... who paid for the promo budgets of these films? Bill
Gates and Mukesh Ambani ? Two rich dudes promoting two film promos. Me thinks that is very
likely.

It all began few years back by a grand announcement. We were told that this year on Friday 9th
November 2007, two new stars are going to be born. It is not as if we are running two humans
short on this planet. Yet we have to all make place for Sonam and Ranbir Kapoor. After all they
are both pedigreed stars the media told us. He is Rishi Kapoor's son - no mention of Neetu Singh.
Ranbir Kapoor looks to be more of the Neetu Singh clan than Raj Kapoor. Cut to the music. We
have all been hearing the title song a million times a day so much that even I can sing the first
fifteen seconds of that song "Saawariyah ah ah ahh... Saawariya ah aa a Saawariya". My
neighbor's precocious twelve year old showed me how I had to do some shadow boxing while I
sang this song. "Ranbir is cute... I think... my sister likes him, but Shah Rukh has more fans. All
my sisters friends and their moms loves Shah Rukh. So more people will see OSO." Here is a
budding critic's summary of market research.

I admit I am not much into creepy crawlies. Every now and then while I surf the channels I will
come across a promo of Saawariya that ends with creepy crawlies emerging out of the artwork.
Some channels have these creepy crawlies hanging discreetly behind the channel logo. IS OSO
better than S'a? Is Deepika cuter than Sonam?? Is SRK's six pack for real or is it courtesy
Photoshop? The nation is truly grappling with serious issues like these.

OK these promos have been successful in building awareness but guys gimme a break. I can't
watch the news channel without running into some blatant infomercial. All news bulletins end
with the two film's revenues being discussed in the same breath as the nation's GDP. Promo - no
mo.


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It is official. I am going with *

 s. The publishing giant *
 , one of the
largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE:
NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has
publishing groups around the world. In India they have been in business since 2002 as a joint
venture with the India Today group.
I had to make a choice. After weeks of nail biting suspense, I voted in favour of HarperCollins to
publish my novel  >>‘/(ï 8 ‘# #/. After all they paid me the half a million
dollar advance. Ok... now it is time for truth. Heck no it was nothing like that. In this cruel world
it is the publishers who decide whther to take on your manuscript or not. So I am really excited

that I am going with the biggest name one could have.

I will be working with Karthika their Publisher and Chief Editor. Quite a star in her own right in
the publishing world, she has been responsible for launching many an author and novel. I am
really excited about working with her. The editor plays a major role in what the novel finally
looks and sounds like. So if you like what the book is all about, it was all because of me.
Whatever you don't like is because of Karthika.
Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at 6:24 AM 9 comments Links to this post
Labels: Abhijit Bhaduri, HarperCollins, Married But Available, MBA



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Who on earth thought of this cruel term called royalty? There is nothing royal about it. It is
bloody unfair to term the few coins we authors make (when someone buys our book) as royalty.
It just creates false impressions. Just makes it hard to be an author.

Does anyone here know JK Rowling? She is the one who added being a wizard as a career
choice for many an unsuspecting kid. She has done something similar for other Muggles too. She
has inspired many people to take up writing as a profession. So what are her own credentials?
Impressive. Her personal wealth of £545 million, gets her to rank as thirteenth richest woman in
Britain. In 2006, 
 named Rowling the second-richest female entertainer in the world.

One of these newspapers that I was reading told me that not very long ago, her lifestyle was like
mine. In those days neither of us was a billionaire. I still kept my part of the promise. She went
ahead and became rich. Authors are never rich. So what's the secret?

Whenever I tell someone that I have written a book, they always look at me and turn green. What
do you do with all that royalty, they ask. I have to keep up the pretense. It is all about the image
of being a billionaire author (I mean, JK Rowling is one). I guess I can't blame these guys. If
people know that you get paid in the form of "ROYALTY", it is logical that your readers expect
you to have a lifestyle of the rich and famous. It is too much pressure.

My friends need to know this. I get royalty when someone BUYS my book. Yet each of those
fellows will come up and ask me for a free copy. What is this about insisting on a free copy of
my book? My boss wants one, my colleague wants one. I go to a party and the host introduces
me as an author and then all the bloody guests want a free copy. So if you want to know how my
book made it to the bestseller lists, I bought most of them to gift to my friends, relatives and
colleagues. I have to sneak in to my neighborhood book store and buy a few copies at a time so
that when someone asks for a copy - oh yeah... another one of those misers who will not support
a struggling author - I have to gift him or her one of those copies.

My colleagues are cruel. Last week when everyone was being given out their annual increment
letters, some jealous guy went and told my boss that I did not need the pay rise. My boss too just
shook hands with me and said pretty sheepishly, "You are a rich author. You get paid in royalty.
I know this salary is just your pocket money Abbey. So... no... I won't embarrass myself by
giving you a raise." It is hard being an author.

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Hey Abhijit, great reading your bit about

  in your blog. Wanted to post this
there but realised that this to long. May be you have a way of doing it.

The sad truth is that after having got 80% to 100% over the weekend the film is almost out
starting next Friday. Almost because it will continue in some obscure morning and afternoon
shows. Why? Because people who love different kind of films actually don't get off their butt to
see the films that they want through the week. They then say "Oh no... it's gone? How sad... We
will watch it on DVD ... chalo DVD dekh lenge ( )"Now here's
the catch... DVDs are not like books - at least not yet. You can't market a DVD till it has hit the

theatres and has qualified to be called cinema. So we are the biggest enemies of good
cinema because we are not like the die hard fans of commercial cinema. Those guys queue up to
create what is called an OPENING WEEKEND. But we have have our cocktails and dinners to
do over the weekend... and may be a bit of Golf? But then what the hell...there are DVDs right?

So all those who wanted to see India's next Omar Shariff - Abhijit Bhaduri in Apna Asmaan,
have a choice: they can prove it that you love different / non Bollywoody films and go to see
Apna Asmaan in large numbers for those early morning shows. Or be the cocktail circuit
supporter and pick up a DVD. If not me, Saregama will make money!

Abhijit, you have been a great support. ï

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PS: Nabomita sends me this great link on Kaushik's art collection. Click Here



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Sometime back I have blogged here about my acting in a movie. The movie has now got
released under the name
  444444444‰ Yesterday was the premier of the
film at PVR Saket, New Delhi. The film also has Rajat Kapoor (remember the pedophile
character in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding) and Anupam Kher in some interesting scenes.

This is a film is directed by my ex-colleague from Mudra Communication, Kaushik Roy.

Kaushik belongs to a family of film makers (he is the nephew of the legendary > - of
Madhumati fame. (The director of Do Bigha Zameen, Madhumati, Devdas etc) That by the way
is a photo of Kaushik trying to throttle me on the sets. Irrfan and Shobna (My God, she has pretty
eyes) have played the lead roles. In one of the scenes, Irrfan is taunting his young colleague that
he is =22 """
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I have often been asked if there is a Hindi Translation of Mediocre But Arrogant around the
corner. I am looking for someone who can translate the story into Hindi or other Indian
languages. Google has this cool feature of transliteration. A little painful at times, but certainly
workable. Here is my attempt at translating the first two paras of the book. Tell me what you
think of it.

‰‰ ‰‰ , ‰‰ ‰
(
), , Human Resources Development
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Industrial Relations

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Labels: Abhijit Bhaduri, Hindi Translation, Mediocre But Arrogant

7

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Today is 15th August 2007. Since morning my phone has been beeping. Each time someone
sends me an sms I am given a gentle electronic nudge. The first sms tells me "31 states ( 

  -./(
"
), 1618 languages (there are 22 officially
recognized languages when we last counted), 6400 castes (that could well be unless someone
points me to a reliable source. Not to mention Varna and Jati distinctions), 6
major religions (

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), 6 ethnic groups (2!!!   


 
), 29 major festivals (well there is a site that lists 90 of them in alphabetical
order) and 1 country. Proud to be an Indian. Happy Independence Day."

The newspapers are flashing statistics that tell us that per capita income has risen from Rs 255 in
1947 to being Rs29,382 (in 2007), Population has risen from being 300 million in 1947 to being
1.16 billion in 2007, Per capita power consumption has increased from 15.5 kwh in '47 to being
606kwh in '07 according to the Times of India. I can believe the last bit. Someone in my
apartment complex has 38 light bulbs in the living room that turn up the temperature a notch
above the 42 degrees celsius - approximately 107 Farenheit, in case you went into a tizzy trying
to do that conversion. Not counting the electricity the ugly lava lamp is consuming that proves to
be a humongous distraction while my host excuses himself to switch on the airconditioner for his

two dogs that are panting to cope with the heat and humidity of Gurgaon.

That's pretty impressive. I am told that it is no longer a "Developing" country but a

"transforming" one. That's like peeking while I am trying to change into a new pair of pants in
the shop. You have to wait. So while you keep yourself busy and distracted with all the news
clips of fat people worrying about obesity and debating fiercely whether the South Beach Diet
helps you lose weight faster than the Atkins plan, there are scores of kids who remain
malnourished.

Okay, we are a land of contradictions (see cell phone toting sadhu pic) and we are now a major
power to reckon with. We have the power of Bollywood with us - the single largest source that
can unite the country to speak one language better than what any political party has ever
achieved. It has made Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan popular in the non Hindi
speaking belt and takes the credit for getting Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth to the Hindi speaking
audience. Rahman along with Bharat Bala made it cool to be patriotic when they sang
Ma Tujhe Salaam. Bollywood appeals to us all. With a range of directors and
actors who can talk to the youth and the Yahoo (Young At Heart, Old Otherwise) in the same
breath, we need to leverage this medium to get the people involved and to take ownership of the
changes that they wish to see in the country. Bollywood needs to make it cool for everyone to
make a difference to the country.

It is the ability of the powers that be to ignite the youth power that will help us build momentum.
Tech savvy, impatient and ready to support the cause that appeals to them, the Rang De Basanti
or RDB generation is ready to play their part in escorting the country to the centre stage of the
world. They took to the streets and brought the Jessica Lall murder case to be reopened after the
courts had declared it to be closed and settled - leaving the guilty to go scot free. The RDB Gen
has the power and their time is now. They now need to take the other RDB Generation (for
whom RDB stands for RD Burman) and take India through the next decades so that we all live to
see the Incredible India of our dreams.




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If you ever wrote a Job Description for an author or an aspiring writer, one criteria should be
spelt out in bold letters -  , &
. It is a death blow to one's ego.
Handling that without seeking professional help in carrying out psychological repairs is not easy.

When I was sending out my manuscript to various publishers, I had initially taken a cautious
approach. I would mail my stuff with a polite covering note and add a silent prayer while licking
the stamp. You can't fault me for praying. I would send off the manuscript with the same
fondness with which a parent sees off their child to college. Nobody expects them to dropout.

Then came the next bit - waiting for the mailman to bring in the response. I would bunk work
just so that I could be there in person to receive the million dollar advance that the publisher
might be sending me. Heck that's not how the real world works. I would get a prompt response
back from the publisher. Yeah how long does it take to say "NO" - which part of the "NO" are
you having difficulty comprehending, my friend would ask in a helpful manner.

Priya mentioned that these days the editors send electronic rejection slips. That's taking the art of
insulting to new heights. Can't you take a couple of minutes to write a few lines to the person
whose dreams you are stubbing out.

The only way of coping with this impersonal rejection slip system is to seek tech support. Maybe
someone will figure out a technology that lets all aspiring authors to send one copy of the
manuscript to every publisher in the world simultaneously and then stay pasted on the screen
until he/ she goes through the darn story syllable by syllable. Thereafter, there would be an
annoying pop up that asks the publisher, "Have you sent the million bucks yet?"

The accompanying piece of software the authors will need to install will allow all rejection slips
to be filtered out so that it is only the acceptance letters that flow through to the in-box. Any
takers?
---------------------------------------

This blog entry was inspired by the comment Priya left on my blog. She talked about the auto-rejection slips sent by
publishing houses.
Labels: Abhijit Bhaduri, How to get your novel published, How to Write a Novel




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You have the novel ready. And you are now ready to count the steady flow of royalty. You have
practised the odd moment of living it up like a rich person. So why is the publisher not grabbing
your manuscript.

Heck - that's the reality check. Your publisher needs to feel that your manuscript is going to be
the next Harry Potter or whatever last made a few good millions - for the publisher. Yes... you
read that right. The publisher is really trying to gauge the readership of your novel. So in a very
simplistic manner, they are not really trying to figure out if your plotline was intriguing or not.
They need to know how many people are likely to BUY your novel.

How do you find a publisher?

Option 1: Get yourself invited to a dinner party where publishers are hanging out. Then try and
strike up a conversation with one of 'em. NOT RECOMMENDED.

Option 2: Go to a literary festival or a writers' workshop. Helps to get you in the queue to pick up
a few visiting cards of publishers and employees of publishing houses. Try and listen in to the
panel discussions. That always helps. Listen to other writers and editors and publishers.

Option 3: Find yourself an agent. In US they have a book called the Writers Market. You can
buy it off Amazon.com or a bookstore. That lists basically, which publisher is publishing the
genre of novels that yours fits in. They list names of agents who will represent you to the
publishers. Here is an interview with Eric Simonoff - the agent who represented Jhumpa Lahiri.
Some of the agents want a "Reading Fee" - a hefty sum of money to read your manuscript with
no obligations. Heck, it is a tough world.

Option 4: Keep sending the manuscript to the publishers directly. Most websites have addresses
where you can mail the manuscript. Some want electronic version, some want the hardcopy,
some want a pink bulldog to go with it. Whatever they want and in whatever format they want it
- you increase the probability of someone reading it if you follow instructions.

And I don't know if I should say this to you, but... well... be prepared for the famous "Rejection
Slip". I was told by an engineer that the number of rejection slips will always be one less than the
number of manuscripts you have mailed, since one of them will be the acceptance slip. In
mathematical terms the rejection slips will be n-1 if n is the number of manuscripts mailed. Well
- he was wrong. I got more rejection slips than manuscripts mailed (one publisher sent me two of
those pre-printed ones).

See sample Rejection Slip below

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Nestled in the Dhauladhar Mountain is McLeodganj one of the most sought after destinations in
Himachal Pradesh. The place known as Little Lhasa has a curious mixture of people. What starts

off looking like a typical hill station until you begin to spot the Tibetan monks of all ages
scurrying through the streets. Sometimes sipping tea and sometimes just walking down the
narrow lanes.

ï 
 9  : ‘ 7 was built in 1852. It is a Neo-Gothic stone church
is on the way to the main market square of Mcleodganj. There is a small graveyard by the
church. The gravestones are neglected. The flowers that grow wild are all that the graves get
these days. The odd traveler comes from some remote pocket of the globe in search of the grave
stone of an ancestor or in search of one's roots.

People seem to go to Mcleodganj when they seek a high. The number of people seeking spiritual

heights seemed to be larger than the those seeking salvation through grass. The shops that
sell beads and scarves are the largest in number. These are designed to cater to tourists. So
bargain away if you are looking to buy the cool junk jewellery and beads, Tibetan Prayer
Wheels, Little charms and even Tibetan medicine. Here is the shopkeeper who sold me a CD of
Buddhist Chants. I protested and told him that the CD cover clearly says 'Lounge Music from the
Buddha Bar'. The guy shrugged his shoulders and asked if I would prefer music for meditation
instead.

"Where is the Temple of the Dalai Lama?" I ask some monks going by. They do not speak
English or Hindi. But they understand the magic words "Dalai Lama". They refer to it as
Tsuglagkhang (The Temple of the Dalai Lama). The entrance to the temple looks surprisingly

desolate. It is lunch time. I can smell food as I walk up the flight of stairs.

I am mentally not prepared for the sight that greets me. There are literally hundreds of monks in
the maroonish-red clothing that I will always associate with McLeodganj. They all sit patiently
in groups. How can I meet the Dalai Lama I ask everyone that I meet? "You have to be very
lucky.", says one monk.

I try and spin the series of prayer wheels in the courtyard. The large brass cylinders. Someone
points me to an office building. "Take an appointment. Maybe His Holiness meet you Monday.",
says the person at the counter. Come at 12 noon on Monday I am told.

Every Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of the Compassionate form of the Bodhisattva or Buddha.
The present Dalai Lama is the 14th Dalai Lama. Born to a peasant family on 6th July 1935,
#  
, as he was called at birth was recognized as the reincarnation at age two. He
has been in India since 1959 when he fled Tibet. The Dalai Lama has many names. After
becoming Dalai Lama, he was renamed 9
9
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.- Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom.
Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as % 1,
, the Wishfulfilling Gem or simply

'

 - The Presence.

I spent the whole night charging the batteries of my camera so that I could take pictures of His
Holiness. As I walked into the heavily guarded palace and passed through a series of frisking
stations and metal detectors that would have done an airport proud, I was asked to hand over my
camera. I was reassured that His Holiness had a photographer who would be happy to take a
picture if HE asked him to.

Finally the big moment happened. The Nobel Peace prize winner came up to shake hands. I
knew no one would believe me if I said that I stood right next to him and that the Dalai Lama put
a white silk scarf around my neck and wrote out a small prayer for me. So I have put the proof
here for you to see.

If anyone can read and tell me what the prayer is all about I would be much obliged.


9
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The evening before I left apple country Thanedhar, I made a quick stop at the sole church at
Thanedhar ie the St Mary's Church. The church was built in 1872. Loved the stained glass work
in the church. That always looks really quaint.

If the >! was a treat to watch on the way to Thanedhar, the Sutlej was even The
road girdles along the banks of the river. It gave me a feeling of holding hands with the river as
she walked me home. I drove on to reach the sleepy village of Sojha and passed through miles
and miles of fields of 
‘" Did you know that the Blue Iris is like the cousin of Gladioli
twice removed. So if you see references to the Gladioli flower in my second novel 


!,, you know which part of my vacation inspired it !!

The Retreat where I stayed at Sojha smells of fresh cedar wood. We met Preetam Reddy and his
wife Pallavi who were volunteering their time at Sojha. Preetam and Pallavi are both
programmers. Preetam most recently worked for iGate in Japan and was in Infosys for a while
after doing Civil Engineering (Rascal Rusty's favorite oxymoron) from IIT-Madras. They are
bother avid trekkers and were disappointed at not being able to convince me to join the gang. All
I did was to join them for a walk to the Sojha village where I met 9 .

Johnny is the village mascot. He is a 15 year old dog who rules the area. Last year he
was attacked by a 0#
 and survived. You can still see the scars on Johnny's body.
Johnny escorts the visitors around the village. He did that for me and walked back to laze around
and play with the village kids. The ï River flows close to Sojha. In the evenings, the
Preetam would organize a bonfire to be lit. There was fresh trout served in the evenings for
guests. That's one rendezvous Johnny will never miss. He would join us for his share of grilled
trout and then go back to ensure that the village is safe from the attacks of the snow leopard.

The evenings in Sojha are just magical. It would . What a welcome change it was from the
sweltering heat of Gurgaon in June. I would just lie under the warm quilt and pray that someone
would make yet another cup of hot coffee for me to make the plotline move faster. Here is the
sight of the rain soaked Sojha that greeted me when I woke up. It was going to be a lazy day. Just
the kind when you can sip chai and tap away at the keyboard. Just the perfect day to write out the
romantic portions of the novel.

A couple of days at Sojha and this gypsy was ready to move on to the next destination -

#& - the home of the #"

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It is tough to hold a day job and finish writing a sequel. So I decided on impulse to just go
somewhere inspiring and speed up my sequel (tentatively called 
 !,)

The places were all spread out over the state of Himachal Pradesh in the northern parts of India.

I started with Thanedhar - the place where Mr Stokes planted Himachal's first
apple‰ It was Shatabdi Express from Delhi to Chandigarh and then drove from there. The route
was breathtakingly beautiful. I loved the sight of the Sutlej River (see photo) as it cleared the
mountains away to continue its journey. Samuel Stokes (1882-1946) came to India (specifically
Simla) on a trip from Philadelphia and settled down in Kotgarh which is a stone's - maybe a
Stokes throw away - for those of you who like cheap puns.

I drove from Simla to Thanedhar (1830m). And the place lives upto its reputation. I
was very excited initially and photographed the first few sightings of green apples (actually the
variety is called Red Delicious) but soon realized that there were millions of those trees.
Himachal must be the "Fruit Bowl of India". Right through the journey I saw apples, pears and
the occasional cherry orchards. The place I stayed in was bang in the middle of an apple orchard.
If I had known that I would saved myself the trouble of clicking every apple tree that saw along
the way.

A vacation really recharges the soul and this place was just the right place. I am not the
trekking kind. I know I will offend those of you who go to a place like Thanedhar and get up at
the crack of dawn (whats that?) and wear your sneakers and put on your backpacks. To you I say,
thats just the right thing to do... but no thank you I won't join you. I will just sit on the balcony
and sip the nth cup of tea (from the Kangra Valley) and stare at the beautiful sight ahead. Please
note the apple trees in the foreground and the mountain ranges in various shades of blue fading
away into the horizon.

I just parked myself on the balcony of my room and stared at the valley and pecked away on
my laptop. It was such a liberating feeling to not be bothered by phones and emails and to just
stay with the characters of my novel... getting to know them better!

And now for a collage of the beautiful flowers of Thanedhar including the Blue Iris.
And if you thought this was pretty... then wait for the next post about Sojha, or is it Shoja? .