The world’s got a
Lilt in her step
Spring in her flight
Revelling in
Intoxicatingly frisky delight.
Nature’s frost bitten fingers
Tickle her spine
She smiles a bit, giggles awhile
Proceeds to guffaw with glee sublime.
The world’s
Paddling in the pool
Of garrulous grins
A whimsical tippler, a fool
Misery and Pain,
Passers-by quite strange
Ephemeral as evening rain.
All worries, stark sorrows
Flung carelessly
Into swirling chasms of happiness
Sucked into the vortex
Of giddy gladness
They flounder uselessly.
Moisten your lips
With the nectar of mirth
The world’s glugging unabashedly
In doubt or despair
Laugh uproariously
Or do you fancy a tranquil beam?
The world’s waltzing with joy
All smiles and laughs
Frolicking fantastically
In dizzy abandon
She pirouettes and whirls
The dance of ecstasy.
Malvika Parthasarathy
Cluny Convent High School
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Review of "The Fang of Summoning"
A roller coaster ride - The Fang of Summoning’ by Giti Chandra is not your typical magical story.
It is an exhilarating roller-coaster ride [ I know, this does sound clichéd, but there’s no better way to describe it], initially gathering momentum so subtly that you barely notice it, and then plunging you headfirst into a fantastically concocted fantasy that will have you gasping for breath. Hurtling between 21st century Gurgaon and the frozen mountainside of 11th century Iceland, it follows the struggle between six children and the terrifyingly sinister Edasich, or hyena.
The eye on the cover page is startlingly similar to that of the one on the cover page of Brisingr [third in the Eragon series], but is nevertheless alluring. It makes you think of bewitchment and breathtaking battles, which is what ‘The Fang of Summoning’ is about.
Amidst the blazing conflagration of the Aurora Borealis, or The Northern Lights, Vasuki, a powerful, dragon-like being leaves crystals of immeasurable enchantment or Starstones with three different guardians. Two of these guardians are lost in time.
A thousand years later, in Gurgaon, India, six cousins begin to acquire certain powers. Not your regular Superman- Wonder woman stuff, but abilities that shimmer with out of this world awesomeness. Akshat and Adit, the eighteen year old twins, can communicate with each other mentally, and can make copies of themselves; thousands of living , sentient, thinking copies of themselves.
Thirteen year old Amar can [yes, literally] play metal out of his iPod with his dextrous fingers and well timed crescendos. Ananya, his nine year old sister, can make anyone do anything she orders them to do. Two and a half year old Noor can make the pictures that she scrawls with her crayons come alive. And Tarini’s got something that the Adversary desperately wants. These gifts will ultimately lead to an epoch making battle that will determine their destines, and ours.
The third guardian, Mr. Harish Chandra, is the grandfather of the superpower possessing cousins, and trains them for the final battle that is to come. Will the children, with Vasuki’s help, triumph over Edasich, or will Edasich and his army of ‘ferals’ [untamed, hyena-like beasts] destroy the world as we know it ?
The author skilfully combines astronomy, flecks of humour, Old Norse legends, and ancient Indian mythology.
The story is crammed with tangibly real characters like quiet, wise Mrs. Chandra as well as some completely wacko ones, like Hsima, the ‘tooth fairy’ who is a charismatic, witty, buoy of a man.
The book starts off sluggishly, but after the first few chapters the tale seems to whizz past you at a breathtaking pace. Once you get past the first few overly descriptive pages, you will find the book simply unputdownable.
The book feels sort of like a jigsaw puzzle, with all the pieces fitting in snugly only at the end. Until the last chapter, you have no clue about what exactly is going on, [the parents and the uncle of the kids strike a chord with the reader since they are similarly baffled by the strange happenings] but the story is nevertheless gripping.
The book is categorized as ‘young adult fiction’, but can be enjoyed by an older audience as well.
It’s excellent that Indian authors are being encouraged to explore genres like fantasy. ‘The Fang of Summoning’ is a tale that knits together vivid descriptions, skilfully sequenced battles, and mind-boggling twists and turns.
Don’t miss it!
Price : Rs.250
Publisher: Hachette
Author : Giti Chandra
Fiction
It is an exhilarating roller-coaster ride [ I know, this does sound clichéd, but there’s no better way to describe it], initially gathering momentum so subtly that you barely notice it, and then plunging you headfirst into a fantastically concocted fantasy that will have you gasping for breath. Hurtling between 21st century Gurgaon and the frozen mountainside of 11th century Iceland, it follows the struggle between six children and the terrifyingly sinister Edasich, or hyena.
The eye on the cover page is startlingly similar to that of the one on the cover page of Brisingr [third in the Eragon series], but is nevertheless alluring. It makes you think of bewitchment and breathtaking battles, which is what ‘The Fang of Summoning’ is about.
Amidst the blazing conflagration of the Aurora Borealis, or The Northern Lights, Vasuki, a powerful, dragon-like being leaves crystals of immeasurable enchantment or Starstones with three different guardians. Two of these guardians are lost in time.
A thousand years later, in Gurgaon, India, six cousins begin to acquire certain powers. Not your regular Superman- Wonder woman stuff, but abilities that shimmer with out of this world awesomeness. Akshat and Adit, the eighteen year old twins, can communicate with each other mentally, and can make copies of themselves; thousands of living , sentient, thinking copies of themselves.
Thirteen year old Amar can [yes, literally] play metal out of his iPod with his dextrous fingers and well timed crescendos. Ananya, his nine year old sister, can make anyone do anything she orders them to do. Two and a half year old Noor can make the pictures that she scrawls with her crayons come alive. And Tarini’s got something that the Adversary desperately wants. These gifts will ultimately lead to an epoch making battle that will determine their destines, and ours.
The third guardian, Mr. Harish Chandra, is the grandfather of the superpower possessing cousins, and trains them for the final battle that is to come. Will the children, with Vasuki’s help, triumph over Edasich, or will Edasich and his army of ‘ferals’ [untamed, hyena-like beasts] destroy the world as we know it ?
The author skilfully combines astronomy, flecks of humour, Old Norse legends, and ancient Indian mythology.
The story is crammed with tangibly real characters like quiet, wise Mrs. Chandra as well as some completely wacko ones, like Hsima, the ‘tooth fairy’ who is a charismatic, witty, buoy of a man.
The book starts off sluggishly, but after the first few chapters the tale seems to whizz past you at a breathtaking pace. Once you get past the first few overly descriptive pages, you will find the book simply unputdownable.
The book feels sort of like a jigsaw puzzle, with all the pieces fitting in snugly only at the end. Until the last chapter, you have no clue about what exactly is going on, [the parents and the uncle of the kids strike a chord with the reader since they are similarly baffled by the strange happenings] but the story is nevertheless gripping.
The book is categorized as ‘young adult fiction’, but can be enjoyed by an older audience as well.
It’s excellent that Indian authors are being encouraged to explore genres like fantasy. ‘The Fang of Summoning’ is a tale that knits together vivid descriptions, skilfully sequenced battles, and mind-boggling twists and turns.
Don’t miss it!
Price : Rs.250
Publisher: Hachette
Author : Giti Chandra
Fiction
Friday, December 3, 2010
The Writer’s Magic!
Pick up the dusty book on the shelf
Give it a thorough rub
Don't throw it a cursory glance
That would be the silliest snub
Open it, and you never know,
What treasures may tumble out !
Inspiration Inexplicable tingle
Running down my spine
Oozes into creaky fingers
Infusing them with life
Sinews just can't stop quivering
Writhing in ecstasy
Harried, frantic hunting
For a paintbrush, biro ,lipstick
Anything that can write !
Malvika Parthasarthy
Cluny Convent School
Give it a thorough rub
Don't throw it a cursory glance
That would be the silliest snub
Open it, and you never know,
What treasures may tumble out !
Inspiration Inexplicable tingle
Running down my spine
Oozes into creaky fingers
Infusing them with life
Sinews just can't stop quivering
Writhing in ecstasy
Harried, frantic hunting
For a paintbrush, biro ,lipstick
Anything that can write !
Malvika Parthasarthy
Cluny Convent School
The Wink that came out of the muddy drain
There was a rat
Who could inspire terror
Notorious miscreant
With gleaming teeth and inky brows
Prancing jauntily across the hall
Pilfered treasure between clenched jaws
Thick lashing tail; quite a pretty petunia pink
She was quite covetous of it
Or so I think.
Found her one day on the table
Nestling snugly amidst the fruit
Kissing passionately an apple most crimson
Tail wrapped around her healthy loot
Rodent eyes shut in ecstasy.
Thwack !
I kung-fu chopped with a broom
But she was much too swift,
Light and sure.
She scampered away to her hiding place
Underneath the revoltingly musty drain
Olympian running an epoch- making race
Whack !
I leaped at her in vain
But it was much too late
She had bested me again
But not before I could see
The jubilant wink she flung at me !
Malvika Parthasarthy
Cluny Convent School
Who could inspire terror
Notorious miscreant
With gleaming teeth and inky brows
Prancing jauntily across the hall
Pilfered treasure between clenched jaws
Thick lashing tail; quite a pretty petunia pink
She was quite covetous of it
Or so I think.
Found her one day on the table
Nestling snugly amidst the fruit
Kissing passionately an apple most crimson
Tail wrapped around her healthy loot
Rodent eyes shut in ecstasy.
Thwack !
I kung-fu chopped with a broom
But she was much too swift,
Light and sure.
She scampered away to her hiding place
Underneath the revoltingly musty drain
Olympian running an epoch- making race
Whack !
I leaped at her in vain
But it was much too late
She had bested me again
But not before I could see
The jubilant wink she flung at me !
Malvika Parthasarthy
Cluny Convent School
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