SPOTLIGHT: Why Jayant Kriplani Wrote Cantilevered Tales...

Well, in the history of my blog, this is the first time some one, other than me, is writing on this blog and I am happy that, that some one I could personally relate with - Jayant Kriplani. I have admired him from 'Khandaan' days on TV to '3 Idiots' short role and now that he is a fellow author, my respect for him grows. So here he is, talking about...

Available at Amazon

The story behind Cantilevered Tales

- By Jayant Kriplani

Why did I start writing this set of short stories that became one long story? 

I don’t really know. I was on way my back from somewhere by train and at Howrah Station a group of taxi drivers tried to extort a higher fare from me.  This was before the time of pre paid taxi booths.  Rather than shell out five times the fare I thought I’d take a bus. It was peak hour in the morning and though I did get a seat since the bus started from there, I hadn’t calculated the length of time I’d be sitting in the bus on the bridge. Forty five minutes of inching along later I heard a voice behind me say, “AitakiHaora Bridge na Laora Bridge?”

I knew exactly what he meant.

I knew then that I had the beginning of a story.

“Where are you getting off?” I turned around and asked.

“High Court,” he replied.

By now we had reached the East end of the bridge. It still looked like we’d be on the bus for another 45 minutes.

“Walk?” I asked him.

“Let’s,” he said.

And that as they say was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

His name was Khokon. He lived in Santragachhi. And because of that immortal first line, I called the protagonist of my story Khokon. In the book though, the line belongs to his colleague Ashutosh.

Some time later, I overheard a group of people talking about saving a water body from some unscrupulous builder. Arun Lal the cricket player might have been a part of the group but I’m not sure.  I started keeping tabs on them. Not because I was interested in saving the environment or even that small little lake.

I am not a crusader.

I hate getting involved with issues.

But if you live in Calcutta, even for a short while, trust me, you’ll get involved.

More power to the builder I thought after I first saw the lake if you can call brackish acres of sludge a lake.

What did interest me were the disparate lot of people, and some desperate ones among them, who were determined they were going to save a stagnant water body from becoming an office complex. Frankly in my opinion that lake had outlived its usefulness to be anything at all.

I didn’t give a damn what happened to the lake.

But over a period of time I did start worrying about the people. And of course fell hopelessly in love with them. Their wellbeing and their good health became a matter of great concern to me especially since I saw the array of ‘villains’ lined up against them.

So rather than concentrate on Builder v Helpless Citizen – enough stories had been written about them, I concentrated on their stories and their histories.

This is their story or should I say these are their stories.  Some of the people are real; some of the people who come to their assistance are thinly disguised caricatures of people I admire; some are just people I met on buses and trams in my journeys across the bridge who wormed their way into the book.

And that is how this book got wrote.

Book Blurb

CANTILEVERED TALES IS A STORY ABOUT PEOPLE, THEIR QUIRKS AND WHY THEY BECOME WHO THEY BECOME. AND LOTS OF LAUGHTER!

I overheard a group of people talking about saving a water body from some unscrupulous builder and started keeping tabs on them. Not because I was interested in saving the environment or even that small little lake. What did interest me were the disparate lot of people, and some desperate ones among them, who were determined that they were going to save a stagnant water body, which in my opinion had outlived its usefulness as anything at all, from becoming an office complex.

This is NOT a Builder v Helpless citizen epic. In fact that is the least important part of the book. This is about a group of inept people who you want to reach out and protect but you discover are more than capable of taking care of not just themselves, but of you too.

Author Bio

Jayant Kripalani is an Indian film, television and stage actor, writer and director. Known for his work in TV series like Khandaan, Mr Ya Mrs and Ji Mantriji, he graduated from Jadavpur University with a degree in English Literature.

He has played character roles in movies like Heat and Dust, Rockford, Jaane Tu. . .Ya Jaane Na, 3 Idiots and, most recently, Hawaizaade and The Hunger. He has directed and produced a number of films and is actively involved with theatre. He

wrote the screenplay for Shyam Benegal’s film Well Done Abba. He is the author of the heartwarming and nostalgic New Market Tales, set in the historic New Market area of Kolkata in the 1960s and 1970s. His recent foray into writing performance poetry has brought him acclaim in poetic circles around the country. When he is not in Calcutta, he is either fishing in Himachal, pfaffing in Bombay or being a beach bum in Goa.

Click here to by 'Cantilevered Tales' by Jayant Kriplani

________________

– by Shashi 

Works for Cushman & Wakefield

Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” & "Kuhase Ke Geet "
Haiku Poet | Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”
(Global Ranking #36)

List of SPOTLIGHT authors of 2017

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Humanitarian... - Mary Felciani       Cantilevered Tales by Jayant Kriplani

SPOTLIGHT: ‘Mock, Stalk & Quarrel - A collection of satirical tales edited by Indrani Ganguly

Spotlight is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

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"The human mind has long been likened to a garden. Wise men tell us to cultivate good thoughts and weed out the bad ones. Indeed. It is the highest of practices. High it may be. But easy, it is certainly not." - Indrani Ganguly

I have had focused on giving space to individual authors, so I was out of my depth when Piyusha approached me to put “Mock, Stalk & Quarrel” - An anthology brought by Readomania, in the ‘Spotlight’. I was not sure how this would work out, but then Piyusha came out with a lovely solution. Who will be better than the Editor, Indrani Ganguly who put together this anthology to answer my questions about the book? 

So here it goes, as I interacted with Indrani Ji. I leave you all to judge about this post but I found the process quite interesting and stimulating.

The Mock, Stalk and Quarrel Gang (I am sorry if I have missed any one as
I had only this picture of the whole gang)

To begin, let me start with the purpose of the book, which I believe every creative manifestation to have, in order to sustain through the test of the times. And as Indrani beautifully puts it as its reason for existence – to make constructive criticism on socio-political matters using wit and irony. She says that each narrative in this anthology is a silent scream, a way to remind the reader of the stark realities of our times, of the hollowness, the empty promises and the increasing nepotism, corruption, and banal priorities of the modern life. From domestic violence, to red-tapism, from reservation to religious fundamentalism, from scams to god men, our authors have captured it all, creating stories that prick the conscience and challenge the powerful, gently ridicule absurdities and follies of fellow humans, not to enrage the reader but to bring on a wry smile.

Indrani says, the two main reasons for writing should be to express oneself and inform as well as persuade the readers. The writing must be powerful enough to make the reader think. It should stir the deepest cockles of their heart; bring out memories through lexical sights and smells. It should make them a changed individual after reading. Your words should stay with them long after they’ve finished the book. That is the power a writer wields but only a few can accomplish. And as I went through some of the stories, it stays true to its ideology.

And with that kind of a writer, the pressure from people one loves and respects to stop writing, for whatever reason, is disturbing which affects the writer at deeper level. In answering my question, whether she will stop from writing, she confirms my deep-rooted belief that a real and passionate writer writes for the change within, which the process brings.

Delhi Launch of the Book

“I think the worst thing you can do to a writer/artist is to chain his/her creativity literally or figuratively.” - Indrani Ganguly

And she goes on to add that even if she to considers the possibility for a moment, she would probably stop loving and start abhorring that person immediately. One cannot put a leash on a creative person and expect him/her to continue loving them. 

BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE EDITOR

Indrani Ganguly is a manuscript editor with over 15 years of experience in all genres of editing, shifting gears from news, academic, Science-Technology-Medicine, lifestyle and law, though fiction remains her first love. She has done her graduation from St Xavier’s College (University of Calcutta) majoring in English Literature and her post-graduation in Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, specializing in Print Journalism. She started her career in the news room of leading national daily Hindustan Times where she was in-charge of the International desk. She has edited high academic books for many well-known publishers like Oxford University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Collins India, Lexis-Nexis, John Wiley to name a few. She was also the consulting editor of lifestyle magazine ThnkMkt and has contributed many articles for the same. She also had a brief stint in teaching language and composition to undergraduate students. She has been the Resident Editor of Readomania since February 2015 and has edited many of their bestselling titles like The Madras Affair, The Curse of Nalanda, Cabbing All The Way, Confessions on an Island, In The Light of Darkness. She was also the editorial mentor for Defiant Dreams – Tales of Everyday Divas. She has just wrapped up Archana Sarat’s psychological thriller, Birds of Prey and is extremely excited about being the editor of renowned actor/thinker Jayant Kripalani’s next. Mock, Stalk & Quarrel, a collection of satirical tales, is her first solo anthology.

In the very little leisure time that she gets, Indrani loves to read thrillers, modern interpretations of mythological tales and books based on culinary history and evolution. She is passionate about punning and uses her wit to get out of sticky situations. A die-hard alternative rock and Celtic music aficionado, Indrani lives in Kolkata with her nine-year-old daughter Aahana, who is her biggest fan and fiercest critic.

HER INSPIRATIONS

As an Editor, it is the love for the English language – meaningful and accurate words constructed into lucid sentences that drive home not only a story but emotions. I am a bit of a Grammar Nazi; I even edit my social media posts! My eyes would inevitable find errors in whatever I am reading and believe me this is not good when you’re reading for leisure! But then I take my job very seriously.

HER CHALLENGES

I had some sort of belief that people will not be attracted to a book that talks about feelings. Perhaps it was there because the same people who made fun of my writing were also making fun of emotions. "Too much drama... why talk about feelings? Just LIVE! DO! Why do you need to talk about it?"

As always, the biggest challenges have to do with self-confidence (or self-doubt).

QUOTES

“Practicing just “feeling good” by contemplating pure good feelings will not only make you stronger but it will spill over into everything else.”

"Have you ever tried to write down all the positive feelings that you feel on a regular basis? How long do you think the list is?"

“Just because something is good for you, doesn’t mean that you will do it.”

THE BOOK

Satire is the crème de la crème of all literary writing and in the hands of an exponent, its sharp edge has bled victims through ages. It is said to be the weapon of the powerless against the powerful. It gives voice to the suppressed who have been muted by the authoritative.

Dostoyevsky said, “Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded.”

Mock, Stalk & Quarrel, a collection of satirical tales, emanated from a nationwide contest conducted by Readomania to identify powerful voices that could wage an ideological war against issues that matter. Twenty-nine voices, indulgent, tolerant, amusing and witty, were chosen to create this collection.

Satire is meant to use wit to sweeten constructive social criticism. This was the guiding light for Readomania, to compile an impactful set of stories that can make a difference. Each narrative in this anthology is a silent scream, a way to remind the reader of the stark realities of our times, of the hollowness, the empty promises and the increasing nepotism, corruption, and banal priorities of the modern life. From domestic violence, to red-tapism, from reservation to religious fundamentalism, from scams to godmen, our authors have captured it all, creating stories that prick the conscience and challenge the powerful, gently ridicule absurdities and follies of fellow humans, not to enrage the reader but to bring on a wry smile. Eventually, they take lexical pot-shots at the well-heeled establishment that does not think twice before taking people for granted.

In each tale the author has attempted to sketch darkness, not with black, instead with a palette of colours to bring out light and shadow.  There is a bride who fights against her dowry-greedy father-in-law, a student who wages a virtual war against corruption and reservation, goddesses chatting on GodsApp about the paradox of men worshipping them yet ill treating women, the loneliness of a teenager whose parents give him all but their love, the campaign of a dark-skinned woman against the supremacy of fair skin, the fight against the government’s diktats on what to wear and what to eat and so on. These tales are sprinkled with liberal doses of humour and wit that will make the readers laugh, cry, rage and think.

In a world that leaves very little room between one person’s morality and another’s bigotry, with widely divergent views on everything, no single type of satire can fit all.

Mock, Stalk and Quarrel endeavours to bring to you as many of the variety as it can and hopes to live up to William Stryon’s belief, ‘Wickedly funny to read and morally bracing as only good satire can be’. I am sure this anthology will provoke you to think and question all that is considered acceptable in the world today.

Piyusha

 - Editor Indrani Ganguly

In the end let me say thanks to Piyusha that I was able to write this post.... I am grateful to you.

TO BUY THE BOOK “Mock, Stalk & Quarrel” … CLICK HERE

– Shashi 

CEO & Partner ICUBE Projects

Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” | Haiku Poet

Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”

List of SPOTLIGHT authors of Dec '16

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ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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SPOTLIGHT: ‘TJ’s Last Summer in Cape Cod’ by Garfield Whyte - Coming of Age

Spotlight is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

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“Staring is different from admiration. You stare at something that looks odd, but when I see a gem, there’s cause for admiration.” - says Garfield Whyte, Author of “TJ’s Last Summer in Cape Cod”

The book is about a sexy summers age of growing up and falling in love as the author of the book, Garfield Whyte defines it in one sentence. Garfield is from Jamaica - West Indies and as I interacted with him, he reiterated that the book was written to make adult readers want to feel 18 again. The book has a youthful theme that takes us back to our teenage years and cause us to laugh at ourselves. As he finished writing the book, he has enjoyed the sense of satisfaction of seeing his words on paper and likes the feeling the commendations he receives from readers.

When asked, if some one tells him to stop writing…

“Persons who know me well cannot be a stumbling block in my way. I would simply ignore them and keep writing; I am my own motivating force and my own source of inspiration. I am too focused and goal oriented to be distracted or derailed in my pursuits.” - Garfield Whyte

BRIEF NOTE BY THE AUTHOR

I’m a lawyer who is gradually trying to make a career change as I find law mundane and boring. Writing has always been something I enjoyed, which started with my love for writing poetry. Having qualified for three degrees, one day I told myself that I was tired of reading books written by other persons. Eventually, I took on the challenge of writing my own books. Law pays my bills for now, so I can only find time to write at nights.

As a passionate environmentalist, I visit the hills regularly as I find it therapeutic and also look forward to the inspiration it provides.

Through discipline and strict time management I was able to write; Feelings an environmental photography and poetry book well as the recently completed Nostalgia from: A City Set Upon a Hill, my memoir about life at Munro College in Jamaica, my all- boys’ boarding high school, one of Jamaica’s most prestigious citadels of learning.

I have many readers asking when or if I will be doing a sequel to that novel. My main goal now is to have it adapted into a screenplay or a movie series. For the past few months I have been engaged in dialogues with top screenwriters to do that for me.

I am also shopping around two screenplays that I have written entitled Nostalgia about life at my boys boarding high school and the complimentary script girls’ for it entitled: Meet The MGGM Posse (Must Get a Good Man).

HIS INSPIRATIONS

Self-actualization. Following Maslow’s theory, I think I have accomplished most things; so writing motivates me a lot.

HIS CHALLENGES

Writing was fun, not a challenge at all. I was doing what I always wanted to do to finally become an author. All along I have been reading books by other writers, it was time for me to have other persons read my work.

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

‘We’re going to sleep together tonight, Cutie pie. Rest your head on my chest.”

“That girl lit a fire of desire in me that not even all the water in the Atlantic Ocean could quench.”

“If you’d been wearing rags today, I would have picked you out of the crowd,” Kaci said, stroking his ego.”

THE STORY

Meet Taj James (aka TJ), an 18-year-old high school basketball star; Maggie, his naïve friend; his Spanish teacher from Venezuela; Susan, an old flame; and a few girls that TJ refuses after he meets Maggie until he crosses paths with a 18-year-old girl on his jogging trail by the lake. Initially, she shows no interest in him, but since TJ gets what TJ wants, he charms his way into her grandmother’s heart to be close to Sye.

TJ was groomed by Uncle Peter to be everything he had wanted to be when he was a teenager. He tried to make TJ his protégé and in so doing this relationship was validating the youth in Uncle Peter allowing him to fan the flames of his philandering lifestyle?  TJ’s loyalty was always on his Uncle Peter’s side while his parents, girlfriend and admirers were always playing second fiddle.

This unique bond between an uncle and a nephew gives telepathy a new meaning, until an inadvertent colossal error on TJ’s part finally brings all that had been kept in the dark to light. This put a rift in his uncle’s solid marriage and made his mom finally feel vindicated.

As things started falling apart as the curtains were being drawn on this summer, TJ badly wanted to get away from Cape Cod, fortunately for him it was time to leave to take up his basketball scholarship. In the end it was an uncle left behind to pay the price for the mistake of his nephew.

 TJ’s Last Summer in Cape Cod is bold, suspenseful, rude, sexy, provocative and unpredictable, and is sure to have all adults wishing they were 18 again.

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Garfield says that before he writes, he goes for jogging or nature walk to gather his thoughts and then sit by his computer desk and unleash the words. He took almost 5 months to write the first draft of his book.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT GARFIELD

1) I worked full time while I did my 3 degrees,

2) I also write screenplays,

3) I am a tennis and basketball fanatic

4) I have a passion for the environment

5) I started writing poetry from High School and now have a poetry book, a novel and a memoir published.

HIS FAVORITES

GENRE: Thriller

BOOKS:

Rage of Angels and The Sands of Time by Sidney Sheldon. The former had to do with a lawyer’s resilience which I can identify with. The latter was more than a surprise as the title has nothing to do with the actual story.

TO BUY HIS BOOK‘TJ’S LAST SUMMER IN CAPE COD’ CLICK HERE.

– Written by Shashi 

CEO & Partner ICUBE Projects

Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” | Haiku Poet

Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”

List of SPOTLIGHT authors of Dec '16

__

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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Broken Shadows by Tarek Refaat          "Through Mind's Eye" by J P Willson