HYDERABAD : Two books ‘Dangling Gandhi and other short stories’ by Jayanthi Sankar, and ‘Train Friends’, a collection of essays by Ranjani Rao and Nandini Patwardhan were launched at an event held at Lamakaan, Banjara Hills on Saturday. Tens of enthusiasts participated in the event. The authors took part in a book reading session, followed by review discussions and questions from audience. The 12 stories in ‘Dangling Gandhi’ are character-driven and revolve around contemporary as well as colonial times, portraying the lives of the ordinary people in India and Singapore.
In a way, the stories showcase human nature and make the readers introspect on the society they are living in. On the reason behind the title ‘Dangling Gandhi’, Jayanthi laughs, “It is a metaphor for the uncertainties in our world, and for the nonviolence Mahatma Gandhi advocated. The stories are inspired by real-life experiences.” ‘Train Friends’ is a collection of 14 personal essays that revolve around the authors’ growing up years, work life, motherhood, living abroad, parenting and other such topics. Interestingly, authors Ranjani Rao and Nandini Patwardhan both grew up in Mumbai and lived in the US for many years.
How did the collaboration work? Ranjani shares, “Actually, it was more of an afterthought. We met due to our mutual interest in reading and writing. We became friends online and discussed the works that we have written. We realised that the themes we have written match, and so the idea was born”. On the importance of cultivating the habit of reading, Jayanthi said, “A day spent without reading is for me, a day unlived,” while Ranjani praised the interoperability of libraries in Singapore, where one can take a book at any branch and drop it off at any another branch. Concluding the session, the authors had a message for the audience – read for the pleasure of reading. Words of wisdom, aren’t they?