Tag Archives: when the lotus blooms

Books & Books

Being a Self Published author using Print on Demand, I had grown accustomed to the idea that I would not sell to Bookstores. It was too much work and book keeping is certainly not my forte.

But my dear friend Teva kept telling me about her friend who was manager for Books & Books  one of the leading bookstores in the Miami area often referred to as the Mecca of Miami. It wasn’t until April that we managed to arrange a meeting.

Books and Books on Lincoln Road is a charming store with an ambiance of its own; part bohemian and part erudite. Vivienne, the Store Manager, was such a joy to meet. I had prepared my speech to sell the book to her and was quite taken aback when she just took the books from me and gave me an invoice for it. My book was in.

Imagine my surprise when the following week I see a picture of the book kept with all the bestsellers. The store hosts over 50 events monthly and it very hard to get included for a book reading but like everything about my life I don’t give up hope. I keep trying and I know it will work out.

Check out the website and the next time you are in the store pick up your copy of “When the Lotus Blooms.”

Choosing the Right Publishing Option

 

New Jersey Book Reading

March 25th my dear friend Rajeswari arranged a Book Reading at her neighborhood Community Center in New Jersey.

I met Rajeswari in ’98 when I moved to New York from Argentina. I started music classes with her and our children Lavanya and Shyamala were buddies. We hit it off really well and the connection was deep enough for our friendship to mature over the years. What can I say about Rajeswari? She has the voice of a nightingale and is the gentlest and sweetest person I have met. There was really no reason for her to go out of her way to arrange the readings in New Long Island and New Jersey. She could have been like a lot of my acquaintances who encourage and support me verbally. Yet for no apparent reason, she decided to undertake this special event to promote my book and for that I am truly grateful.

We were around 7 ladies that met that morning. Rajeswari was a little disappointed, but it turned out to be an extremely animated and gratifying reading. The guard at the Center did everything he could to make us miserable including forcing Rajeswari to pick out her trash from the garbage and take it with her. I applaud her for remaining calm. I know I was ready to explode. Instead, taking my cue from her, I focused my energies on greeting the group of ladies that had honored me by taking the time to be present. Almost all of them had read the book and I had no need to introduce or promote the novel. They picked up on the characters and were generous with their compliments. One of them had tears in her eyes as she spoke about Velandi the untouchable and his wretched condition.

One lady remarked about how she was fed up of reading about immigrant “desis” who mix chutney in their cereal and are awestruck by the cars and technology in the US. ” We are not villagers from some remote corner of India. I have lived a very comfortable life in India and I’m tired of reading about the desolate, stereotypical Indian immigrant. This book touched my heart because it brought back memories of my own grandparents. The stories were familiar and the characters so vibrant I felt I knew them and had met them before in my life. The nostalgia was overpowering.”

When the lotus Blooms will probably appeal to that generation of Indians who spent their childhood in India. Although the book is set in Tamil Nadu and East Bengal the situations of the protagonists apply across the board to that generation of Indians.

Long Island Book Launch

On March 24th Dr. Kusum Viswanathan arranged a book reading at Herricks Middle School under the auspices of the Young Indian cultural Group of Long Island.

I sound a little naive saying this  but being the first time travelling alone and navigating the trains of New York and New Jersey was daunting. I worried more about getting places than talking at the readings

 

I reached Mineola, Long Island, without a hitch and was so happy to meet Kusum. What can I say about her? I have never met a more amiable, dynamic, erudite, multifaceted, talented, well spoken, friendly, cultured person in my life. Kusum takes my breath away, for I have never seen one one person with so many selfless qualities. She had spoken with Rathi Raja who very kindly agreed to host the event. I went there expecting nothing which turned out to be a great thing.

When we reached the school, no one had arrived and at 2pm only 3 of us were there. Kusum had arranged tea and snacks and we were busy setting up. As we turned around almost 30 people had come for the reading. This was unbelievable!

Other than a couple, no one had read the book and the reading took on a more informative tone.I introduced the characters and read out sections pertaining to each. It was also interesting to note that we had men in the room including an 87 year old who had read the book in its entirety. I also got a chance to talk about connected topics like self publishing, getting books into a library (almost impossible if you are self published) writing style and editing, areas of publishing that have taken up all of my time this past year.

I felt very satisfied as I boarded the train for New Jersey. I had sold all the books and perhaps generated enough interest for others to pick it up and spread the word.

Its is not enough to have good book. You have to tell others about it and though marketing is a bottomless pit, out of the blue a friend helps you out and when you speak to small groups like this it fills you with a feeling of accomplishment. For me this accompanied by waves of gratitude and awe as I looked back at Kanchana 4 years ago; miserable and lost and I wondered where and how  she had disappeared

Controversy at the Bangalore Book Launch

February 18th; “When the Lotus Blooms,”  launched in Bangalore City at the CrosswordBook Store in Mantri Mall.

Those that have read the book know about Velandi the parayan. I blogged about it earlier, connecting it to ‘The Help” by Katherine Stockett. My editor warned me against inserting this piece as she felt it would give international audiences the wrong pictiure about India, but I felt compelled to include it because of my belief that in the life of the bramin, the parayan was important and to some extent their existence defined brahmin culture, taboos and caste rules. It was a practice I abhorred, yet I was filled with compassion for them and needed to highlight the importance of their role in society, something they themeselves were scarcely aware of. This section covers about 10 pages and is not in any way the main theme in the story, so I was very surprised when Vaasanthi brought up the use of the word Parayan in context of the current political arena in Tamil Nadu.To my horror a whole can of worms was opened.

The audience became very vocal, giving their reasons for the inclusion or exclusion of this term. I watched awestruck as the converstaion turned to antibrahmin sentiment, DMK ethos, Dalits and then boomeranged with vociferous calls for author’s license and freedom of expression.  ”Words banned today were common in the 1930?s and therefore had historical perspective,” they insisted. Vaasanthi warned that certain sections of Chennai society might find the use of this word objectionable and I should not be surprised if the book ends up being banned in the state. In my defense, I had no idea that the use of the word parayan was banned by law. It is considered as objectionable as the “N” word in the US and rightly so. Untouchability is reprehensible and their treatment abhorrent, which why I have tried to apologize in some way for this distasteful practice which exists in some parts of the country even today.

On a more positive note, the most incredible part of the Bangalore Launch was that it took place in the presence of my mother, Kamu Ayyar, who inspired me to write the book in the first place. It was really special because my sister Dammu, (Dharma Kannan) introduced me and I had my father-in-law and my brothers-in- law Mahendra and Kannan present as well.

My mother had been calling everyone she knew over the last month and  was terribly excited and anxious that everything should go as scheduled. We were expecting her friends to arrive in a string of wheelchairs and walkers!  The Chief Guest, Vaasanthi is a renowned author in Tamil language whom my mother recommended. My Publisher , Mr. Udayan Singh, has a strong presence in the north, but I was on my own in the south, and thankfully my sister Lakshmi had spoken to the store owner Mr. Pasha who was very helpful in arranging the launch at his store. In fact my book was the inaugural launch for this store. So really this event was the culmination of family effort.

After my sister completed the introductions Vaasanthi read out a very well scripted analysis of the book, after which we began a conversation. No matter how hard we tired to steer the conversation away the audience kept bringing it back to the topic of parayans. I was  not really worried. All it meant was that in addition to being my official photographer, my husband Rajiv would have to take on the ominous task of bodyguard as well, at the Chennai Book Launch.

All in all, several books were sold and many friends attended and supported me including celebrity Vani Ganpathy. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a good thing that there was no Press at the event.

Kolkata Book Launch

February 13th was a special day. It marked my very first Book Launch of my debut novel “When the Lotus Blooms.”

I reached Kolkata the previous day and was surprised to note that even after a lapse of 25 years, little had changed in the city. Other than the metro and a few fashion Malls the landscape seemed uncannily familiar. From our suite in the Taj Bengal in Alipore, we could discern the outline of the Victoria Memorial appearing out of Kolkata’s famous smog which typifies its winter. I was only 9 years old when I last lived in Calcutta (which was how I knew it) and the images were emerging from my consciousness in fits and starts. Hathrickshaws and yellow Ambassador cabs still ply the streets which are surprisingly navigable. Kolkata has apparently not been drawn into the culture of muliple family cars and its streets thankfully are not jammed with traffic.

The next day we reached Oxford Book Store on Kolkata’s famous Park Street at arounf 5 PM. I was greeted by the cherubic staff of Supernova Publishers and introduced to the bookstore’s PR Director Mrs. Maina Bhagat and we chatted over a cup of tea waiting for the media to arrive.

It was like a dream, sitting sitting in front of a camera, microphone attached to my blouse, lights and attention focused on me! Was this really happening? I talked to Zee Bangla, ENews and 24 hours, all on their local channels.  I wanted to try out my Bengali but didnt want to make a fool of myself, so the Queen’s English took precedence.

One delight of the Kolkata book launch was meeting old friends; the Das’s and Majumdars whom I had lost touch with for years and we were lost in nostalgia as we moved into a loft of sorts which was converted into the event area. I think the greatest  joy was in seeing stacks of neatly placed  books with my name on it for sale in a store; something that I was robbed of by self publishing in the US. The Chief guest, Moon Moon Sen looked as lovely as I remembered her onscreen.

My editor Indrani, who knew the book well took over once Mrs Bhagat had introduced us. She seamlessly began the proceedings with questions about the genesis and streams of consciousness through the book. What emerged through the conversation was the timeless circumstances of women and that was reflected in the subsequent press reviews. Both Moon Moon and myself read several sections and as I heard her reading the letter Dharmu  writes to her mother with so much emotion, I sat in disbelief, marveling that I had actually written that.

8 interviews later my head was reeling. I had just launched my book in Kolkata. How amazing was that!

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on the Power of Womanhood

In an effort to express themselves women sometimes lose sight of the power that they innately possess. Being a housewife/ homemaker all my life, I was at times despondent at not contributing to family income and therefore believing I was nothing financially. It was while I wrote my book that I started appreciating my ancestors; women like Dharmu, Rajam, Nagamma and Mangalam, each wielding and controlling their circle of influence, some with authority and  others with a sense of helplessness. For them, like most women, power was either misused or untapped and they never took the time to seek answers and search  for strength within. 

Yes, I do believe that some women need to be empowered but strongly affirm that for most of us the empowerment is largely from within. We need to start believing in ourselves, stop doubting our place in society and instead focus on channelizing our energy to spread love, peace  and harmony that is our innate nature.

This is what SriSri has to say about women.

In Indian mythology, the female energy is depicted as Shakti  the embodiment of strength against injustice combined with beauty, love and compassion. Shakti is also represented in the trinity of Durga, goddess of valour and vitality, Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and well-being, and Saraswati, goddess of knowledge and art. Women just need a reminder that all these Goddesses are holding such important portfolios (Defence, Wealth and Education) and that they better start claiming their own portfolios too. Women must be proactive. Somebody else has to empower us is itself a sign of weakness. Women are innately powerful and they only need to realise it. Every woman has within her the right blend of strength with grace, courage with compassion, affluence with values, and wisdom with vision. In her lies the seed for a profound social transformation. In many facets of life the world over, the modern woman has epitomised this ideal of Shakti, using her innate strength to create a more humane and just social order. In public life, many women have worked to highlight issues that increase global peace, social welfare and international equity. In economic life, they have worked to make corporations more socially responsible and communities stronger. In literature, they have found new voices to raise social consciousness. Women always make an impact wherever they go. They can shape societies and countries. It is women who can inculcate values in the many people around them. I see women as a source of introducing values into children, the family and society. She is the glue who can keep everyone in the family intact. To keep them together, a woman brings celebration into the home. If the woman of the house is depressed, there can be no celebration. Neither can there be celebration where womenfolk are not participating. Women should be more celebratory, watch over and keep their family and society together. In fact, that is their responsibility. The real strength of a woman is her emotion when she channelises it in the correct way. Womens freedom and empowerment should not take away from their motherhood and their maternal or feminine qualities. The fine female qualities like softness, gentleness, compassion, nurturing instincts should not be lost while becoming powerful. So, women have a challenge to maintain two aspects of their empowerment  being in a certain amount of dominance and retaining the submissiveness, which is a womans beauty. It is indeed a challenge to bring about a balance between feminism and dominance in any field. A truly empowered woman is one who is confident, creative and one who brings people together rather than create disharmony. Only her own sense of insecurity and her lack of confidence in herself can prevent a woman from being truly empowered. I want the women of India to bring back the glory to the country, the culture and its civilisation. Our whole civilisation is based on the woman-force  Sthree Shakti. Thats why we call India Bharat Matha. We never say Bharat Pitha. Our country is named and personified as a woman. Though Bharat is a male name, we associate it with the mother/woman. Strength of a woman is persuasive not aggressive. Strength of a woman is elastic not brittle. Strength of a woman is subtle not obvious

Uma Parameswaran Endorses When the Lotus Blooms

I contacted Uma Parameswaran a few months ago to ask if she would endorse my book. She is the author of several literary works, both prose and poetry specializing in South Asian culture.This she does in addition to her regular day job at the University of Winnipeg. If you haven’t already, I would recommend “What was always hers,” and “Cycle of the moon.” Despite her busy schedule Uma took the time to review and endorse my book. Here is what she has to say…

Kanchana Krishnan’s novel is an ambitious foray into reconstructing a space and time – the 1930s in Tamilnadu and East Bengal, when social and political changes were transforming the country. The everyday routine and inevitable conflicts within an extended family are scrupulously documented and the reader gets a conducted tour of  the customs and mores of  brahmin culture. The story is about two years in the lives of  Rajam,and Dharmu, their extended families and of servants who work for them.

Kanchana writes with authenticity and empathy about the culture of the era, a time when the middle class was influenced by British education and the national struggle for Independence, and also the weight of traditional beliefs. The number of characters in the novel is daunting but the author weaves them in and out of the narrative, affirming that the family, more than any single character is the protagonist.

—       Uma Parameswaran Author and Professor of English University of Winnipeg

Velandi -The Parayan (Untouchable)

Posted: October 26, 2011

I saw ‘The Help’ last week with my daughter. As I watched the movie unfold, I was amazed at how they focused on the help using an outside bathroom, and how distasteful and demeaning it was to them as human beings. In India, this practice is commonplace. Even today, the servants have a separate toilet if any; the open countryside or side of the road suffices, and they sit on the floor and eat in separate dishes. Even the rice bought for them is of an inferior quality. No servant would dare sit on a chair in the presence of the family. This is something we live with, and though my sensibilities were offended by the ‘bathroom issue’ in The Help, I know that on returning to India I will not bat an eyelid at the treatment of servants in my home. And to be truthful in our home we respect and treat them well. If you look at the lives of the lowest caste in India thesudras, or untouchables, their condition is pathetic, and even hearing about it makes your blood boil. From beatings to burning and ostracism, the list goes on. In many parts of rural India this is still a way of life, where people belonging to this caste simply accept their lot and don’t ask for more. Of course there has been an effort to uplift the classes through reservation and education, but the effort is too small to impact society at the level of the village. This is why I introduced Velandi into my book to demonstrate the contrast between the classes and the sheer injustice of it all. This is an extract from When the Lotus Blooms

She stopped just outside as she heard the noise of water. The parayan had come early to clean the latrine. Nagamma was not going to be too happy about that. No one had used the toilet as yet, and smell would become unbearable by tomorrow when he returned once again to clean. The latrine sat on a raised platform with three steps leading to it. Every morning the parayan crawled through a small side door and scooped away the stinking remains that lay underneath. Rajam watched in silence as he poured water and washed out the filth. As he crept out from the aperture beneath the toilet, he gave her a toothless grin. He wore a dirty undershirt and had his veshti tied almost like a loin cloth. His hands and clothes were covered in the muck that he worked with all day.

Rajam felt repulsed and sorry at the same time. What a job! All day he toiled in the filth and dirt, making the world a cleaner place to live in. She wondered if he realized how important his job was to them. If he missed coming to clean even one day, it became impossible to use the toilet without gagging. Still, she could not bring herself to come anywhere near him and stayed rooted to the same spot till he finished collecting the garbage and exited through the back door into the street that only parayans could use. He, too, sensed how his presence revolted her and left the house as quickly as he could. She was a brahmin woman, and he was a parayan, an untouchable. He knew his place and did not want to transgress the strict rules governing his presence in the brahmin quarter.

He had absolutely no clue that his life or his job was of any value to anyone.

Mahadevan’s Dilemma

Colonial Rule has been controversial in many ways. Trying to make ends meet in the Pre-Independence Era resulted in being forced to make several tough choices. What I refer to as the “Babu Syndrome,”–the Brown Sahib complex or whatever…. had its downside. For many of the cerebral elite the choice was a tough one, which invoked walking the fine line between enslavement and revolution. Mahadevan is Dharmu’s husband, and through the book you see his mental anguish as he deliberates over his chosen path. Here is one instance….

The second shocker came when the Indian contingent went up to the top deck for dinner. Although they did not have to eat with the servants, who thankfully ate in a separate mess, they were all put together in two tables in one corner of the room. Mahadevan felt demeaned. All of this — sitting for the ICS, going to England — was in ardent pursuit for acceptance by the ruling class, to become part of the British elite. In reality, to the British he was nothing but another Indian, inferior to the British Brahmins. It was like climbing a steep slope and moving one step forward and three steps back. By dehumanizing the natives, the British rulers alienated large sections of the local population who fervently sought their expulsion from their land. Right now, Mahadevan was experiencing the very indignation and deep humiliation that gripped the land. But he recognized he was no Gandhi; he did not have the moral courage to languish in jail for a cause. Instead, he chose the path of least resistance, one that entailed mental enslavement to British colonialism, just like many Indian intellectuals all over the nation. He would become as British as the British. He would get into their minds and find what made them tick; he would show them that he was as good as any of them by becoming part of the cerebral elite.