two songs in one book launch

For the first time, both the people siting on the dais with me had actually read the book, A Grasshopper's Pilgrimage.

Tom Alter was in an ecstatic mood right from the moment we met at the Airport. He gave me three good reasons for being happy:
1. The Congress was winning left, right and center.
2. An 'art' film that Tom has acted in, called 'Ocean of an old Man,' is getting released on 22nd May. Tom had no hope left that this film would ever see the dark of a theater because it is too beautiful.
3. He had been (re) reading my book on the plane.

And so, he very generously gave the credit for all three to the Mountain. (Not this blog, but the actual Mountain, Arunachala.)

Tom Alter’s introduction to the book:

This is not a book, it is a pilgrimage. Not only physical pilgrimage, because it covers many parts of India, but in mind and spirit, it covers time and generations, the past, present. It deals with love, a little bit of lust: all the beautiful things are part of this pilgrimage that she takes us along. I guarantee you one thing, that you cannot put it down, and not because of the excitement and the adventure, but something much deeper and unfathomable.

What I particularly like about this book, is that Manjushree is dealing with very important topics, but she does not preach about them. This grasshopper strokes life and death with the same brush and takes you into the next hop. As you read you become so absorbed, you begin to go on your own pilgrimage, and this is what great art is.

After there readings Tom and David, the American poet, sang out the Beatles song, 'Will you still need me , will you still feed me, when I am sixtyfour....

And ofcource, I sang Arunachala...

(video will be uploaded as soon as hubby makes the youtube video).

Here is a press article in the TOI.

Grasshopper to launch in Bangalore

Tom Alter

to launch my first novel ,

A Grasshopper's Pilgrimage

on 16th May, 6: 30 pm,

at Crossword Store at Garuda Mall,

Bangalore.

All are welcome!

I am so happy at the thought of meeting Tom after such a long gap. I remember the first time I saw him, playing cricket on the cricket ground at the film institute. He had come down from Mumbai, and he was playing on the ex-students side. Tom is very dedicated to sports, I think more than to cinema.

A few meetings, a few years later, we met for the launch of his first novel, The Longest Race. I remember Tom gifted me a signed copy and the next couple of days I got totally lost his book. A young boy from the hills who loves to run, who knows how to run, and who 'looks like a sage when he runs'. This book depicts the sheer, thoughtless beauty of immersing the mind into the body.

Needless to say, I loved the spiritual touch to sports that only a real sportsperson like Tom can articulate. And so I gave him my first draft, a fat thick bundle, to read when he came to Ahmedabad.

Surprisingly, less than a week later, he called my cell and told me that my novel was fantastic. He urged me to go ahead and get the book published, just as it was.

"Dont change a single word." he said.

So you see why I am so looking forward to meet him?