Types of people I meet at meetup.com

Ever since I started my meetup groups on meetup.com - meetup.com/talking-books-in-delhi and meetup.com/delhicartoonists I have come across several breeds of people and have been secretly judging them and smiling to myself like a moron. It is about to time that I shared the data with you all so that we can all smile to ourselves like morons-

Meetup with Kulpreet Yadav: 10 steps to writing a bestseller

After reading Catching the Departed, I was super eager to meet the author and shower accolades on him for writing such immensely readable spy thriller. On April 12, we finally had a chance to catch up and it was amazing. People showed up in large numbers and the people at the venue were friendly and helpful.

Here is a link to the meetup's page- http://www.meetup.com/Talking-Books-in-Delhi/events/221076372/

The best part was that we had people from all walks of life showing up and ideas merging seamlessly. I felt the brunt of being the organizer because I had to step aside from time to time to coordinate with members and give them directions to the venue. Even then, all the words that went into my ears sporadically were enough to leave me inspired and awe-struck.

The author talked about the differences between commercial fiction and literary fiction. His talk was essentially about commercial fiction wherein he laid emphasis on easy language with short sentences and their impact.

He shared tricks of good fiction writing with us. Reading the work aloud, getting it reviewed by a neutral reviewer being a few of them. He also talked about diligence and discipline.

The session was interactive and people asked him questions and he patiently replied. Me and Rohit Ainapur had already read the book so, we had some specific queries. We laid out our questions regarding pace of the novel, role of female protagonist in it among other things. His replies were satisfactory and helpful toward understanding the intent of the author while designing the plot.

The conversation kept flowing even when the event got over and I talked to the author about the financial aspect of writing as a career choice. He laid out the difficulties that befall one's path when he chooses to take up writing professionally. He emphasized that one has to have a back-up plan.

We talked about Haryanvi people and their rustic nature. He told us more about his family and background. Then he talked about his upcoming novel in the Andy Karana series. He revealed that the novel has Goan backdrop and it was enough for me to start drooling. I am sure the next one will be even better. He also talked about how he wanted a vulnerable hero. I urged him to increase the theatrics in the novels. I told him that a Karna is incomplete without an Arjuna. He took my advice to notice.

All in all, it was a nice experience. The day made my life fuller and richer. Hope to see such lovely people more and more.

Sunday picnic with Shweta Taneja

On March 22 this year, my meetup group Talking Books in Delhi met for a Sunday picnic in the Lodhi Gardens with author Shweta Taneja. Here are some of the highlights from the meet-

Here is the link to the meetup- http://www.meetup.com/Talking-Books-in-Delhi/events/221050231/







We sat down under a tree in front of the Bada Gumbad monument and conversation began to flow. One of our members Mr Neeraj was kind enough to bring a basket full of oranges for everyone. He also brought water in a wine bottle which was a disappointment.

Shweta began to talk about her interest in the occult and what went into the making of her book - Cult of Chaos. She talked about she had always been attracted to the genre of urban fantasies and that's why decided to write her first novel in the same genre.

One of the members was curious about the research that went into the making of the novel. We were all pretty surprised on the revelation that the author had actually gone to haunted places and aghori sadhus to research for her novel. The tales sent shivers down our spine.

On being asked if she would recommend her book to the faint-hearted, her answer was an emphatic no. The novel strictly is for adults and contains graphic content.

One of the group members began the debate about whether tantra is really a science or just superstition. The author was a firm believer in tantra and its powers. Another member mentioned that tantra is just a means to achieve proximity to God. Shweta seemed to disagree with such an oversimplification but the conversation went on.

Mr K K Verma had brought his own books on 'un-learning' and left us some copies. It was all in all, a delightful experience and everyone learned one thing or the other from it. The topics discussed were as varied as spirituality, yoga, meditation and politics.

A got an author signed copy for myself and am yet to read it. Kshitij mention a book called Aghora which is also now on my to-read list. This is an extremely vast field of study and I feel, there is a lot to be understood about the occult sciences.

I feel thankful to everyone who showed up and made the event a success. Here's hoping that this caravan goes on.

How awesome is the internet?

How awesome is it, right?

This time my #bookwalk with my meetup group- Talking Books in Delhi was particularly memorable.The reason- six amazing bookworms showed up this time and the weather was just perfect. 

Here are the photos from the day- 

Everyone brought in their own distinct flavour in the meetup. Sarah read out some amazing classic poetry while Debashish provoked thoughts by reading lines from a Mulk Raj Anand novel. Siddharth told us a scary horror story while Maha Laxmi read out from a motivational book. Brishti read out lines from Pride and Prejudice while I presented my favourite contemporary fiction titles. 

We went to Eatopia for lunch and came back to Lodhi Garden to talk more. I could have just asked everyone to pack their lunches at eat at the park but hey! You only get so much organizational skills from someone as lazy as me!

The next time we meet is going to be on this coming Sunday when Spring Fever by Penguin-Random House comes to India Habitat Center. 

We also have sample review copies of Jamie's Blues by debutant author V K Sharma with us and shall start circulating them in the group the next time we meet.

Third #BookWalk

On 4th of this month, I conducted another book walk and this time, we had Brishti Guha with us. The other members couldn't make it, and it ended up being just the two of us.

My meetup group is turning out to be such a fun experience. I had looked up Brishti online before coming to the meetup and I was already in awe of her academic achievements.  She is an economist with broad research interests and a PhD from Princeton!!! She knows Sanskrit and her interest areas range from cooking to dancing. Needless to say, it was an absolute joy meeting her and listening to her.

We started off the conversation with 'fear of dentists' and how she wouldn't get a consultation by me because she thought all dentist are sadists (well, not really!) and then we talked about myriad things.

She talked to me about William Dalrymple and the history behind the white Moghuls- about how those Britishers who intermarried in India were turned into untouchables in terms of jobs and perks by the East India Company and the British Crown.

She mentioned how her interest in classics runs parallel to popular fiction. She can seamlessly switch from Dalrymple to Game of Thrones. I liked how she didn't judge the book by its cover. She also talked about how she found the book 'Bali and the Ocean of Milk' utterly amusing and humourous. She quoted instances from the book which she liked most. We shared a chuckle or two. 

I mentioned how I had picked up Chekhov from the Russian book stall at the Gwalior Vyapar Mela (fair) in my childhood.

I tried to elaborate more on Chekhov's writing style by mentioning how he left the conclusion the reader by leaving the ending in suspense. My memory failed me though when I tried to use one of his stories as an example. 

She told me that she liked historical fiction and I introduced her to The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett.

We both agreed that the book was pretty thick. :)

We talked about many different things. The books we intend to write (Mine is going to be a comedy involving a dentist and his love-life), the people we have met on meetup.com thus far, the things we have learned and the things we wish to do in life. We also had a brief conversation about stereotypes and I wondered how much she fits in the Bengali stereotypes. She did love her books, art cinema and fish. Thank you Bengal, for people like her.

She also mentioned how she wants to brighten up the winters by strictly wearing bright colours only. I welcomed the decision and mentioned how I have been doing my bit by wearing floral patterns.

Until next time then!

Second Book Walk in Delhi NCR

 Past Sunday I organized the second book walk for my meetup group and it wasn’t a grand success as barring me, the number of participants was one less than last time. Last time, we had two participants. :P

I wasn’t disappointed though because it is not bad for a start. The purpose of the book walk was fulfilled where I met someone who had an interest in books and was willing to share his thoughts. I wish this idea snowballs into something beautiful one day.

Mr Hitesh Rathi, an engineer by profession seemed to have a keen eye for good contemporary nonfiction books. He told me that he had recently completed the book ‘Breaking India’ by Rajiv Malhotra and would highly recommend it. He told me that the book contained 60 pages of bibliography and was a thoroughly researched book. As he was into Indian history and busting myths, I recommended him my favourite book on the topic- ‘Sanskriti Ke Chaar Adhyay’ by Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. Very few people know that Dinkar was actually a historian by education and he took up literature as a hobby later.

Mr Rathi also shared his views about the popular series of Games of Thrones and I couldn’t but ruefully mourn my ignorance in the fantasy fiction department.

I also seem to get the same reaction from every book lover when I tell them I haven’t yet read Mario Puzo’s Godfather which is a wide-eyed look of surprise. I need to read it ASAP. I am losing face.

 

I shared my experience of reading Indian authors- Amitav Ghosh and Arundhati Roy in their respective works The Shadow Lines and The God of Small Things. Mr Rathi talked about how some movies more than make up for the books. We also talked about how the book ‘Shantaram’ is a literary gem.

His prime recommendation to me was ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen R Covey. 

I have never touched the genre of motivational books but he talked pretty enthusiastically about it. We also gave a quick thought to Paulo Coelho and how all his books other than 'The Alchemist' were a bit disappointing. We discussed the idea of pooling our reading lists together in the group so that when we meet, we have an idea of who is going to talk about what. Mr Rathi was a keen follower of Indian tradition and wanted to read more about it. He wants to learn Sanskrit so that he can read a firsthand account of Yajurveda etc. I applauded the idea.

Hope to see more people in the next book walk.

Here’s a short note to thank Teja and Pathik for showing up at the first meet. I have bought and am reading Teja’s recommendation- ‘Kane and Abel’ by Jeffrey Archer.

Until Next Time!

Do join us by signing up for the group AND the meet at- http://www.meetup.com/Talking-Books-in-Delhi/events/219372313/