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And the interviews-

Raghav Arumugam, writer -director

Q1) What is Odyssey for you?

Odyssey is a very personal project that we wrote specifically for the actress, Khyati Trehan. It’s about a journey. The basic idea is taken from one of the many Hindu stories of creationism, which is that the whole world is a dream of Vishnu, which is why everything around us is an illusion, or Maya.

Thus, Everything is nothing, And the Beginning is the End. And that is tale of the Odyssey.

Q2) How is Odyssey different from any other film?

Well, it doesn’t make sense. What I mean by that, is this film is a very open ended project, it gives the viewer a basic idea of the world and those who inhabit it, but the meaning is up to you to decide, there are many levels in this film, some people watch it and take away one level of understanding and some people will take away 42. It’s different because it doesn’t tell you what the story is, it lets you discover the story for yourself.

Q3) What was more difficult to be- a director or a writer ?

I don’t find either to be difficult, since I truly enjoy making films. Being your own Writer/director allows you a whole lot of freedom you wouldn’t normally get when working for someone else. Of course, having said that, there is a whole lot of pressure of taking the responsibility for the entire film on my own shoulders, it’s my vision and my own execution, so if the film turns out to be total trash and I’m unable to visually communicate my intentions, I cant blame the writers or producers or anyone else but me.

Q4) What kind of challenges did you face as a director?

For a film like this, where the story is about an idea, an emotion, its difficult to find tangible objects and locations that will successfully communicate that. There are a lot of sets and backgrounds that we created completely out of scratch on the computer because we simply couldn’t find real locations that would fit our requirements. That was a big challenge, to make the CGI so seamless with the real so that it communicates the same level of emotion we are trying to achieve.

Also the special effects in this film are some that we haven’t ever tried before, so doing those took a good amount of my time.

Q5) How long did it take you to complete the entire movie ? After all the hardwork and efforts, you expectations ?

We wrote, planned and set up everything within a week and filmed in the following week. This was in the summer. Then the film fell to the back burner because the special effects were becoming more and more complicated as we started working on it in post production. We shot the title sequence in four different ways until we got the one that we used in the final film.

We sort of let the project sleep for a while and worked on other things, built our abilities to the level that we needed for this film and then returned to it last month. By then we were confident we knew what we wanted to do with this film and then we just sat down and pumped the whole thing out. It’s been a long journey, but I’m happy with what we have, and this will be a stepping stone to bigger and more ambitious films in the future.

Dhruv Ganguly, Writer

Q1) Who came up with the abstract idea of Odyssey and how did you put it to words?

     

We didn’t really put it into words, it was Raghav’s idea to start with a face painting video. He’s done one before called Happy Faces and he wanted to do another. We sat down over the phone for an hour and a half just talking about it, working out a story from an elemental and creationist point of view. We had a whole different story in the beginning, with a bunch of various characters and complicated but beautiful story, the thing with that story was that it had no basis, we felt like we needed to create the world the story inhabits first, so we ended up heavily simplifying it and the plot fell into place organically.

Q2) How difficult was it to write a film that is focusing on a visual and emotional narrative rather than an actual plotline?

If you’re keeping a sort of distance from the world and having an existential premise, you have to count on basic elements and emotions and one strong feeling of omnipotence, there was no question of a story. It was an awesome exercise for us to bring it out. It has to be simple enough to create a world, and have her interact with things that are two steps above primeordeal.
What was tough was to get past the ideation point, at the ideation point we came up with everything she goes through, all the emotions and ideas we wanted to express. The problems arose when finding locations and sets and visuals ideal for the emotion we wanted to portray

Q3) How would you define Odyssey for our readers?

It is a chronicle of emotions of the mortal versus the omnipotent. The lack of emotion as far as omnipotent is concerned, a sort of bland expression leading to creation, the juxtaposition of what the omnipotent otherworldly person expects after creation.

The whole point of the thing is birth and rebirth, and then we moved slightly beyond that to a dreamlike existence, creating a world, making it beautiful, then turning it into a nightmare, and then snapping out of it.

Q5) How was the whole experience of working on Odyssey ?

Pretty easy going actually, the writing process was simple for me, and Raghav did most of the technical work.

ODYSSEY

KUCHH MACHLI COLLABORATES WITH WRITERSPOINT TO LAUNCH ITS SHORT 

FILM- ODYSSEY

I have already seen the wonderful movie and it is something to wait and watch out for.

This movie is different, has a fresh air around it and is sure to come across as a blissful to all.

This film is about a Journey, it's an abstract storyline, left open to interpretation, focussing on a visual and emotional narrative rather than an actual plotline. The basic idea is taken from one of the many Hindu stories of creationism, which is that the whole world is a dream of Vishnu, which is why everything around us is an illusion, or Maya.

We don't get to see short films with intense ideas and emotions so deeply routed it in. In five minutes, the talented team of Kuchh Machli unearths the reality of life and presents it in front of the viewers in a way that it will leave you with something to think on! 

 The film releases on December 1 right here on Writerspoint.

Watch the Trailer of the film on You tube, follow the link -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVsUuCKfEJg

Coming soon- The interviews of the Director and Writer and Pitctures ! 

WRITERSPOINT FOR BOOKAROO'12

VIEW ALL THE PICTURES OF THE EVENT ON WRITERSPOINT PICTURE GALLERY

Bookaroo festival entered its 5th year this time. Amazed by the line up of inspiring speakers and authors, Writerspoint decided to cover all the action there on 25th November'12

So there we were at the Arjangarh metro station, from where the Bookaroo shuttle bus took us to the most beautiful venue. The place was so green and clean that you feel you are in a new world all together!

There was passion in air, enthusiasm in eyes of all and love for literature was evident! Its going to be a great day, I was sure !

Unfortunately, Ruskin Bond could not make it to the festival due to health issues. But the  organisers compensated it well enough. The event 'hot seat' which was  to be done by Ruskin initially, was done by not one but five other authors.

Hot seat at the Amphitheatre was the first event we attended and it was a wonderful start to the festival. Bookaroo put five authors on the hot seat -

 Grant S. Clark, Penny Dolan, Ranjit Lal, Shamim Padamsee and Petr Horacek.

All the authors first introduced themselves to the listeners and then the children shot at them questions that were very interesting! Some questions were so hilarious and the witty replies made everyone laugh!

Penny Dolan gave out a very interesting tip while giving the answer to How do you get ideas? She advised the little boy to maintain an 'idea box' where he should put chit of ideas whenever he gets one. She said he should go out observe people and make chits!

When someone asked Ranjit Lal, How to become a writer? He said write whatever comes to your mind, just write. Later edit it, and it will do the job! Another very interesting thing he said was - " I take revenge from people by making them insects in my stories and killing them."

Grant S. Clark who was a sports journalist said he gets inspiration from pictures and art. " I try to convert my feelings into words"

Petr, who is trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in rague before becoming a graphic designer, illustrator and painter said he does not like plain books. So his books are colourful and have pop outs and holes. He also drew Suzie the Goose from his book for the little children.

                                      _________________

Loud laughters of children guided us to the Glade, where Neeraj Jain was amusing little kids by reading out a part of a book to them. 

Neeraj Jain is a professional and a volunteer with ITIHAAS. He has also served as a member of ITIHAAS' Advisory Council. He  says he has a vast reservoir of stories to share

His expressions and the way of interacting with little ones, kept the children glued to their places as they laughed their hearts out.What I loved the most about his session was that children were an intrinsic part of his story telling. After the session, they all got a 'jaadu ki jhappi' from the stuff elephant Neeraj brought with himself. 

He told us that he has been coming to Bookaroo since the last five years and what drives him there every year are the fantastic authors, speakers and listeners.

  

Another session that really engrossed the children was the Creative Writing Workshop by Asha Nehemiah. She was very professional in her approach and yet the kids were very comfortable with her. The atmosphere they created at The Think Tank was unbelievable. She gave out techniques like 'Dive into Technique' and 'X-ray Technique' and explained them in a way that made it all so easy.

The entire purpose of the workshop- How to draw the reader in from the very first paragraph? was very interesting. Inputs from the children made the whole session worth attending.

_______________

Hachette's area was buzzing with children and turned out to be the most popular spot among them. 

There was everything- creating a buzz at the spelling bee, be a whiz at quiz, write a rhyme and book reading. And what more ? There were prizes! There is nothing more a kid can ask for!  I think it was the best decorated area, nicely done up with flags and banners of book covers.

When we entered the Pavilion,  author Imtiaz Ali's niece was reading a part of his book.  After it ended we asked him a couple of questions-

How would you introduce yourself to the readers of Writerspoint ? 

         " I am a banker turned author, who writes books for children."

Ipsita Agarwal, interviewer for writerspoint, catching up with author Imtiaz Ali 

What inspires you to write children's books ? 

" I love writing books for children. I write books on my experiences an books for children take me back to my childhood. I  find ancient Urdu literature very inspiring. "

______________

Next to join the 'Bookathon' was the very wonderful Shabnam Minwala. We missed her programme but we got her talking about her book and Bookaroo.  From all that she told us, we are sure it would have been a splendid session with a lot of fun.

How would you introduce yourself to Writerspoint? 

"My name is Sabnam Minwala. I was a senior assistant editor with Times of India. My three children got me into an even more brain scrambling job and so I left TOI. After they grew up, I got into writing. I sent my script to Hachette and got a reply from them and this is how I got into writing.

What drove you here, to Bookaroo ?

" Hachette asked me to do a session here and I was thrilled ! I flew here all the way from Mumbai. My passion of meeting new people drove me here. At the end of the day when you write a book, you want it to be read and so I came here to meet children who might like it and might want to read it."

So, how was the response you received?

"It is just great! I did a long session yesterday also and it was so much fun. We did a lot of great activities like making charm bags and our own charms. For me magic is something that you wish to do to get what you really want. In my book little children want to use magic to prevent their new neighbours to cut down a couple of trees in the garden. And we also did the bad neighbour dance !" (laughs)

How would you describe the place to the readers who could not attend the festival?

" Bookaroo is fabulous! It is so clean and open ! I mean you children are so fortunate that a festival like Bookaroo is happening in your city. It is great to see so many children here for their love for books."

_________________

Meanwhile, Kalash, Ipsita and Kngana, interviewers for 'Writerspoint covers Bookroo'12' attended Nevedita Subrimanyam's book reading session at Kahani Tree.

 Kangana told me  that she was very interactive and kept the children engrossed. It was a delight! How she made a simple story Monkey Maythem so interesting even for adults, was amazing.

How would you introduce yourself ?

"I am someone who loves picture books and comics."

She is excited by the possibilities of picture books and comics, and enjoys photography and illustration. She has worked as a creative writer and s currently an associate editor.

She told us  she has a special thing for story telling because it involves interaction and makes a book come alive.

She said she always wanted to write books for children.          

                                 _____________________

Paro Anand, an award winning author of children's books was, for me, the highlight of the day ! She was at the amphitheater making poetry easy for every kid who struggles with rhymes and rhythm.

She had so much to give, which she did and awed everybody! She gave children some easy recipes that made poetry simply delicious for them!

The best part was when, cute little children , at the end of the session, walked up to her and said, " I will write poems from now on!" So the session really worked and personally, I loved it.

At the author's desk, she was children's favourite as so many of them came running to her for her autographs on their books.  We were right there, when she was signing the copies and the excitement and passion in her so overwhelming that you cannot help but get inspired! She was so warm, so friendly, she made sure she makes every child smile! 

The interview I enjoyed taking the most was of Paro Anand, excerpts from the interview-

How would you introduce yourself to the readers ?

"I am a writer, performance story teller and a world record holder of helping children make the world's longest newspaper!"

                            What brings you to Bookaroo? 

" I love being with kids, I love this place and meeting others who do what I do."

What change have you seen here, at Bookaroo ?

" I have been attending Bookaroo since the last 6 years. The change I have seen is young children gaining confidence.Now they interact more. Six years back they were shy and used to ask me the same three questions. But now they ask me wonderful questions, just like you are asking and that is what I treasure!"

_____________

 Credits-

Kangana Pandya, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya.

Ipsita Agarwal,  Sardar Patel Vidyalaya.

Kalash Pandya, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya.

Thank you for helping me with the interviews and photos and for attending sessions. 

WRITERSPOINT TURNS ONE THIS DECEMBER!

Like every journey, my journey of blogging started with both apprehension and excitement. I was surely excited because it was something new, something I had never explored but something that had always strangely attracted me. But more than this zeal was a weird apprehension. Would I be able to write something my readers would enjoy, and more than anything would I be able to get any readers at all ? 

When blogger asked me for a name I randomly wrote - Writerspoint, it was an experiment after all. But today Writerspoint has become a part of me. I know I don't write so often and update it only once in two months, but my seldom tryst with Writerspoint always help me grow, explore my thoughts and gives me unparalleled joy!

On 26th December' 12 Writerspoint will complete an entire year and celebrate its week long 1st birthday.

And now with so many people to thank, friends who made me believe in it and appreciate what  I wrote, I have something exciting for them on Writerspoint's birthday week.

That week, we will feature some simply beautiful stories and articles by people who excel in their fields and have experiences and tales to share that are inspiring and wonderful to read.

 All the details and the list of guest bloggers, photographers and editors will be posted here very soon. 

Thank you for all the support.

Keep reading!

DARK AND PROUD- Letter from a Dark Skinned Father to his Daughter

Dear daughter,

I have seen dismay in your eyes, when you look 

at yourself in the mirror. What do you see? Is 

that dismay because of your brown skin that

 clings to your bones?

Remember, you are not fair, but you are lovely.

  Just like fair girls, you have a heart and a 

soul that have no colour. Just like those fair 

girls, you have immense potential in you to be 

whatever you want to be, don’t feel left behind 

in the race, just because you have a different 

color.  You have a gorgeous smile and a 

vibrant personality that is much beyond your 

skin color.

I believe you live in an imperfect world, just

 like me and your mother. You have grown up

 in a society, where colour of your skin is 

considered a better indicator of your beauty 

than the person within.

 People will avoid you because you are darker 

than them but only you can change it. Be 

proud of what defines you, what completes you

 and what you always carry with yourself.

That colour hugs your soul and makes you 

what you are and you should love it back. Why?

 Simply because it is yours. You were born with

 it and you will die with it.

You have the colour of the rich chocolate you 

love and so does everybody else. 

As a child you always craved for brown eyes.  So

 what makes you sad about your beautiful 

brown skin? Your dark skin is the right skin 

and your brown color is the color of beauty.  

Take pride in being different, respect your 

color that reflects grace and love yourself.

 Fair and lovely? Blah! Be dark and proud!

Love you always

Your Daddy.