An in-depth and insightful review of International reuel Prize Winning writer, memoirist and poet Satbir Chadha's debut poetry collection 'Breeze', written by renowned author, academician, poet, TEDX speaker Dr. Santosh Bakaya.
An engaging review of Dr. AV Koshy's recent book of poems, 'Birds of Different Feathers' by Sunita Singh.
Lopa Banerjee's new book of poetry and memoir, titled 'Woman And Her Muse' is an artist's journey, leading the readers to a tapestry of emotions, consisting of her tribute to Kolkata, travel, art and cinema. A memorable foreword by Dr. Santosh Bakaya, renowned author and academician.
Renowned author Dr Ampat Koshy met Vinitha Nair, an upcoming painter in the realist mould on Facebook and eventually in real life. When he saw her two paintings with which she burst on the scene, he, like others, was astounded at her aesthetic acumen. Wanting to dig a bit deeper, knowing that such finesse, observation powers, concentration, focus, and eye for detail as well as craft could not come out of nowhere, he interviewed her. Excerpts:
With a minimum of words, Gauri Dixit manages to convey the maximum of meaning. Sensitive, hard-hitting and definitely not high brow, the simplicity of her verse is stunning in its impact - A review by Santosh Bakaya
In Gauri Dixit's first book of poems, ‘In My Skin, I Find Freedom’, there is a common thread of a skeptical questioning mind. Book review by Sunita Singh.
Tagore spoke of women's empowerment, about a woman's rightful place, about her power and respect, about how she can turn the course of things in one's life much before these ideas became popular fads. Chandalika and Chitrangada are two beautiful, lyrical and yet extremely powerful dance dramas in verse by Tagore that emphatically place the woman on equal terms with the man, if not above him in courage and conviction.
The Blue Pencil, an imprint of Learning and Creativity is proud to present our latest publication 'Tales of Transformation: English Translation of Tagore's Chitrangada and Chandalika, by renowned author and expert translator Lopamudra Banerjee.
The book boasts of a brilliant foreword by Suman Pokhrel, renowned translator, author, playwright and SAARC awardee, and with some mind-blowing illustrations created by the design team of Blue Pencil Editing Services. The cover illustration by the brilliant Avijit Sarkar from Australia. Print edition will follow soon.
As the FIFA World Cup 2018 fever grips football fans across the world, Ramendra Kumar's novel Against All Odds about a school boy Kartik who never gives up on his dream to play football although he has only one arm, catches the fascination of our young readers. Sixteen year old Ishika writes about the book she found inspiring, not only because of football but also because it is like a story next door!
A Skyful of Balloons by Santosh Bakaya will make you laugh and cry with the characters, the vicissitudes in their lives will tug at your heartstrings; you will savour the beams of the rising sun, and the romance of the setting sun will tickle you into a beautiful morn. An extract.
Effective Parenting: A book full of anecdotes, quotes, poems and short stories and what makes it interesting is it comes from a father rather than a mother. A Review by Bhaskar Parichha.
Prof. Achyuta Samanta, founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Odisha, has been working relentlessly for Zero Poverty, Zero Hunger and Zero Illiteracy. He is the founder of the Art of Giving concept, which he has launched officially in 30 countries and in more than 210 places in India. This year the Art of Giving theme is “Pyaar Bhara Pack” or “Feeding with Love.” This will be celebrated in 500 places across the globe. In Odisha, 3 million people will be getting quality food on 17th May. Art of Giving will be reaching out to more than 5 to 7 million in the entire country and around the world on this day.
Ramendra Kumar got an opportunity to converse with Prof. Samanta on Rourkela Steel TV, the in-house cable TV network of Rourkela Steel Plant. Excerpts from the interview:
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English. Part 5 and 6, the final parts of the drama.
In the month of March, which is the Women's History Month, Learning and Creativity brings to you our book of the month, 'Cloudburst: The Womanly Deluge', a poetry anthology of contemporary Indian women poets, painstakingly edited and compiled by Dr. Santosh Bakaya and Lopamudra Banerjee, and published by Global Fraternity of Poets, Gurugram, India.
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English. Part 4.
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English. Part 3.
'A New Lease Of Life: Stories of Reunion' is a short story collection penned by Sarmita Dey, a writer based in Mumbai, India. In this foreword to her debut fiction anthology, Lopamudra Banerjee, her editor lucidly documents what an emotional odyssey the genre of short stories can be and what the readers can expect from Sarmita's book.
Dr. Aditi Bandyopadhyay, a physician of medicine with a parallel identity as an Odissi dancer and as dance and movement therapy, practitioner, has been actively involved as an advocate for rights of persons with Autism and other neuro-developmental delays. She speaks about the new vistas opening up in dance and movement therapy and music for helping children with Autism and special needs.
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English.
‘Chitrangada’, a dance drama by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, is based on the love life of Manipur’s princess Chitrangada and Arjun, the third Pandava of the epic Mahabharata. Lopa Banerjee translates it into English.
Note: Learning & Creativity celebrates authors in the ever expansive realm of traditional and indie publishing by featuring a new book every month and sharing a few words about its author.
This February, our book in focus is The Earthen Bowl by the prolific writer/poet Bhuvaneshwari Shivkumar Shankar.
The Sinhala translation of Ramendra Kumar’s book ‘Dilemma and Other Stories’ was recently released in Colombo. This is the writer’s 4th book in Sinhala.
Poet, author of 'Echoes', Mallika Bhaumik talks to deputy editor of L&C, Lopa Banerjee about her recently released book, about literature and about Kolkata, her city and inspiration.
Learning and Creativity and our imprint The Blue Pencil recommend books from various genres for our readers. These are books we have read and enjoyed. We are absolutely certain you will love them the way we did! So go ahead and pick them up... and do let us know your reviews. The selected reviews will be published with the author's profile in LnC.
Learning and Creativity Magazine brings you an exclusive interview with Bahrain-based poet, editor and blogger Vaijayantee Bhattacharya about her debut collection of poems 'Mosaic Vision' which she launched in the city of joy, Kolkata. Editor and Journalist Vaijayantee Bhattacharya who is a ‘Kolkata Girl’ by heart and a poetic traveler by soul.
Against All Odds, the latest book for children by renowned writer Ramendra Kumar, is about three individuals, three obstacles and one passion – Football. Learning and Creativity caught up with this prolific and highly popular author for a tête-à-tête on his latest tome.
A review of Lopamudra Banerjee's recently released book, The Broken Home and Other Stories (Authorspress, 2017), her English translation of Rabindranath Tagore's selected works of fiction.
An in-depth interview with acclaimed painter and visionary artist hailing from Uttarakhand, Monica Talukdar, who has recently exhibited her stunning paintings in Hewitt Public Library, Waco and also Plano, Texas, USA.
In conversation with the two prolific authors and editors of the ghost story anthology 'Darkness There But Something More', Dr. Santosh Bakaya and Lopamudra Banerjee. The book has recently been published by The Blue Pencil and is available in Amazon and Flipkart.
A foreword to Ananya Dhawan's recently released anthology of poems, 'Dew and Daze', available in Amazon Kindle and soon to be available in print.
"A portrait of the poet carrying all the hues the brush of time has painted over the half wrinkled canvas of her life" is how Perveiz Ali describes Dr Santosh Bakaya's Under the Apple Boughs. A Review.
Award-winning and best-selling children's books author Ramendra Kumar conducted a session based on Against All Odds, his latest book which was recently released, in Delhi Public School, Bengaluru as a part of Bookaroo’s School Outreach programme.
"The beautiful, passionate bunch of her poems is a testimony to her intense musings and revelations, a kaleidoscope of all the colours of life, a search of her own self in the smouldering embers of singed dreams," says Manikant Sharma in his review of Lopamudra Banerjee's book of verses Let the Night Sing.
Subhajit tastes the ecstatic flavours of murk, weird esotery in Darkness There But Something More that give him enough fright to visualize gleaming eyes in darkened room at night.
Rungli-Rungliot (Thus far and No Further)
Author: Rumer Godden
Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir
Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Synopsis of the book….
One day while browsing a supplement...
Santosh Bakaya's forte remains dramatic and rhyming and wherever she combines these two, the result is exquisite. A Poetry Book Review by Shabir Ahmad Mir.
I had the pleasure of being a panelist at the book launch of A Tsunami called Naani. It was indeed a wonderful experience to discuss the author’s work and thought process which went on to become this book. It is rare that we get insights into the author’s mind whenever we read a book. This was an experience that I really cherished.
Before I go on to review the book, let me mention that the book was read out to my six-and-a-half-year-old daughter first and all my opinions are laced by her ideas.
The book is an imaginative memoir of a 10-year old from his perspective. The naivety of thoughts in children makes it a more compelling read.
Munshi Premchand has highlighted all the simple strengths and weaknesses of a human being in his masterpiece Karmabhoomi. Gunjan Joshi reviews this novel which highlights the multiple facets of human behavior and presence of several human beings in one individual. Munshi Premchand (1880-1936) was born 137 years ago on July 31 in Lamhi, a village near Varanasi.
As a parent, nurturing your child to help him/her grow up to be a responsible adult depends on how well you are able to inculcate habits in your child and establish routines that will ensure a holistic growth. Some useful parenting tips for the new age parent.
After all the excitement of the highly successful Kindle Edition, The Blue Pencil launched the much awaited paperback edition of Ghost Stories collection
Darkness There...
Positive parenting tips from Ramendra Kumar, the author of Effective Parenting Book which suggests a fresh avatar for the new age parent, with stories and lively, useful parenting advice.
Cancer by Joygopal Podder is a crime thriller where the graph of anxiety, curiosity and the adrenaline rush, keeps rising higher with every chapter. Amidst all this, romance too plays its own role. Kiren Babal reviews the book.
An engrossing and in-depth review of Joyce Yarrow and Arindam Roy's cross-cultural saga of crime and intrigue, 'Rivers Run Back'
Renowned author Ramendra Kumar held an engaging and interactive creative writing workshop in St Joseph’s Convent School, Rourkela where students had to write a story and share it with all participants to experience the joy of creation.
Maya Khandelwal's evocative review of Lopamudra Banerjee's memoir 'Thwarted Escape: An Immigrant's Wayward Journey', written in a poetic, lyrical form. Her first attempt at a poetic review of a book.
A succinct, sensitive and analytical review of Maya Khandelwal's recently released novel 'Fireflies' by Wani Nazir Ahmed.
Marriage, does it really make a person happy? Or is it all about adjustments? 'The Story of My Second Marriage' is a delightful rumination on marriage, adjustments and human nature. An excerpt from the recently published novel by Mahesh Sowani.
A Tsunami Called Naani is the latest ace served by renowned children's books author Ramendra Kumar. He speaks to Antara on what drives him to write books for kids and how he loves weaving those enriching stories are kids love to read and listen to.
Santosh Bakaya invites all the peace and ‘love-mongers’ to be ambassadors and tell the modern Thor to his face that the countdown of his days has started.
The Significant League (TSL) launched eminent author Dr Santosh Bakaya's much awaited collection of essays Flights From My Terrace in Delhi. A report.
Shabir Ahmad Mir, noted young poet, writer, literary critic dissects the intricacies of an immigrant woman's inner sojourns, as a child woman, a woman and mother, and also a daughter, as reflected in the autobiographical narratives of Lopamudra Banerjee's 'Thwarted Escape'.
Dr Santosh Bakaya, author of the phenomenal peace poetry collection Where Are The Lilacs and Ballad of Bapu, speaks to Lopa Banerjee, of Learning and Creativity about her books, passions and inspirations.
The genre of short story in order to claim its rightful place needs to evolve and diversify like the Novel has already done. It is from this perspective that this collection of short stories attains significance because Scream and other Urbane Legends contains many a seed which if nourished and watered properly can bear amazing fruits.
Beyond Apu – 20 Favourite Film Roles of Soumitra Chatterjee: In Conversation with Author Amitava Nag
To capture a close shot of the man, the actor and the thought processes behind the name ‘Soumitra Chatterjee', Silhouette Magazine editor and noted film critic Amitava Nag picked 20 film roles to explore the expanse of the legendary cinema and theatre actor's repertoire. In a conversation with Learning and Creativity Editor Antara, Amitava Nag talks about his book Beyond Apu – 20 Favourite Film Roles of Soumitra Chatterjee, published by Harper Collins India.
An excerpt from my memoir/nonfiction novel 'Thwarted Escape: An Immigrant's Wayward Journey', published by Authorspress in October 2016.
Dr Koshy AV's first short stories collection 'Scream and Other Urbane Legends' was brought out by Lifi Publications on January 10th at New Delhi World Book Fair. The launch was done by Koshy's wife Anna Gabriel Koshy as the author could not be present. In a note, the author thanked Rakesh Sharma and Ramesh Mittal and the Lifi team as well as Drs Bina Biswas and Santosh Bakaya and Archna Pant and Reena Prasad, all famous writers, for all help in writing forewords, blurbs and encouragement.
Allusions to Simplicity is Dr. Koshy A.V’s first solo collection of poetry. He speaks to Lopa Banerjee, author of the memoir 'Thwarted Escape: An Immigrant's Wayward Journey' about his latest publication.
Thwarted Escape: An Immigrant's Wayward Journey, published by Authorspress, Delhi, is Lopa Banerjee's debut memoir/narrative nonfiction work - a personal journey of seeking the essence and meaning of HOME.
'The highlight of the book is the author’s storytelling style, one of warmth and sincerity. Ramendra Kumar has the knack of presenting weighty themes with a light touch.,' says ParentEdge Magazine in its review of Effective Parenting; A New Paradigm
Anything but KHAMOSH, the biography of Shatrughan Sinha has many parts that will remain with you and leave a lasting impact, reviews Peeyush Sharma.
Ramendra Kumar presents two positive stories of how effective parenting prevented kids from wilting and helped them bloom and blossom.
A brief review of the acclaimed novel 'A Thousand Unspoken Words' by award-winning author and scriptwriter Paulami Duttagupta, published by Readomania.
The Broken Home happens to be the second only translation of Tagore's Nashtanirh, and the only one available in Amazon. Written by Lopa Banerjee, Deputy Editor, Learning and Creativity.
Renowned author of children's books conducted five story telling sessions for different age groups at the Bookaroo Children's Literature Festival.
Review of book of poems by Pramila Khadun - a trilogy by a triumvirate, an exciting journey into and sojourn in the world of poetry. The beautifully interwoven layers in each of her poems, carry the trademark of artistic brilliance, and awaken the mind, heart and soul.
An intimate author interview with prolific poet Sanjeev Sethi regarding his latest collection 'This Summer and That Summer'.
A detailed, analytic book review of 'Defiant Dreams: Tales of Everyday Divas', published by Readomania, edited and curated by Incredible Women of India.
The whole concept of literary criticism arises, maybe, out of a question: On what basis do we judge a book/text as being better than another book/text? Is it subjective, based on one’s personal opinion, or objective; based on a set of parameters? Or both?
Ramendra Kumar writes about the engaging Creative Writing Workshop and Story Telling Sessions at Chandigarh Children’s Literature Festival CCLF 2016.
Smita Patil, the book, is a detailed chronicle of the actresses' work. It is the sum total of the amazing roles essayed in an eventful career by an actress with star quality, whose incandescence though brief, left enough light behind to illuminate the screen even three decades later.
"If you want to raise positive kids, give them a positive environment at home. This fact simply is not negotiable." Ramendra Kumar, the author of Effective Parenting: A New Paradigm, looks back at his own childhood to present some healthy parenting tips to parents of today.
"Jagjit Singh's songs celebrate life and comment on its inequalities. He added new expressions, surprising twists and new instruments, revolutionising the performance of the ghazal."
In remembrance of Jagjit Singh, Learning and Creativity-Silhouette Magazine presents a review of Baat Niklegi Toh Phir The Life and Music of Jagjit Singh. We compliment journalist-editor-biographer Sathya Saran for bringing out an eloquent and engrossing chronicle of the life and times of India's unforgettable ghazal maestro, her third ace in the series of biographies on the legends of India's movies and music scene.
Never measure the worth of your child in terms of her performance. Even if she is neither brilliant in Maths, nor talented in painting, neither terrific in tennis nor a wizard...
Give your child the power of trust and support which she can count on at all times.
Parenting Tips #1: Make sure the last thoughts in your child's mind before she sleeps are those of caring and sharing.
Sitting down with The Significant Anthology is like being invited to sit in some great meeting place around a glowing campfire. You don’t want to get up, close your eyes, or miss a single moment.
Ramendra Kumar's straight from the heart, hands-on approach to parenting received an excellent response at the Workshop on Effective Parenting and Story Telling.
A unique, experimental poetic form, the Roseate Sonnet, invented by Dr. A.V. Koshy and inspired by the symbol of the rose, that also inspired other poets to try it.
When thinking about the diverse themes, ideas, styles, forms and voices that coalesce in this anthology, it is this all-pervading attribute of peace and the unifying spirit of creative consciousness that strikes us about the book and makes us want to read it to understand its uniqueness and artistic/literary appeal. In conversation with author, editor, literary critic Dr. Koshy A.V. about a magnum opus literary anthology that he released, The Significant Anthology.
Olympiad Champs’ e-courses let students practice and revise for Olympiad exams. Olympiad e-courses are available for subjects Mathematics, Science, and English
The tradition of Chera Panhara started by King Purushottama Deva continues to this day. It is the most famous ritual associated with the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra. During the festival, the Gajapati King sweeps all around the deities and chariots. He then cleanses the road with a broom (gold-handled) and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder. His action bridges the gap between the rich and the poor, the low caste and the high caste and sends out the very important message of dignity of labour.
All the questions in Olympiad English books are designed in a way so as to clear misconceptions and strengthen the knowledge about the subject.
The Science Olympiad books and course material contain a wide range of thought provoking questions that tests the student’s knowledge and capabilities thoroughly.
Olympiad Champs Mathematics books for Classes 1 to 8 are one of its kind books intended for students who are keen to appear in world’s renowned Maths Olympiad exams.
This riveting legend once again stresses on the importance of loyalty. Though Bandhu is subjected to untold miseries he never loses faith in his friend, Lord Jagannath. His steadfast faithfulness is rewarded when the Lord himself comes to his rescue. It is an ageless tale about a timeless value.
The story of the celebration of Margashira Guruvar puja is a classic tale that espouses caste and gender equality.
The story illustrates that for Lord Jagannath, it is the dedication of the devotee alone that matters, not his or her elegance or stature or position. Mania was of low caste, barely clad and crude, awkward and uncouth in his worship, yet the Lord recognised his pristine devotion and took him into his fold.
In modern times style is far more importance than substance and external appearance has become more vital than intrinsic values. Today a person is recognised by what he has than what he is. In such a scenario, the love Lord Jagannath bestows on Mania can be a real source of learning and inspiration.
Goswami’s experience is a fascinating tale of mystery and magic that underscores omnipresence and omnipotence of the Almighty.
This interesting anecdote brings to life a simple truth: never, ever doubt the word of the Lord. Good and bad happen with his will. He rewards patience and faith and as long as these virtues are there the end will be a fulfilling one.
The story behind the appearance of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra in Ganapati Vesha at the Snana Mandap.
In the present times, prejudice and disharmony rule the world. The story of Bhakta Salbeg stands as a testimony to the universal values of love, peace and tolerance.
This story illustrates the power of faith. One night Dasia and his family had nothing to eat. Lord Jagannath appeared at the gate in disguise asking for food.
King Indradyumna epitomises faith, devotion, commitment and a never say die spirit. In spite of all odds he never wavered from its resolve and ultimately succeeded in his mission. The present day child should be exposed to these time cherished values so that she grows up into an individual who believes in the power of the mind and the strength of the soul.
A Book Review of “Beckett’s English Poetry : Transcending the Roots of Resistance in Language” by Dr A.V. Koshy published by Authorspress Global Publishing Network.
Jagannath Culture offers an elevating and enchanting collage of philosophy, literature, wisdom and lots more. It covers the entire gamut from timeless tales to ageless credos. It provides to the young generation a glimpse of our rich and glorious heritage as well as paradigms of value.
To commemorate the Rath Yatra, Learning and Creativity presents 10 Tales of Lord Jagannath written by Ramendra Kumar.
Ramendra Kumar has been doing research on Jagannath Culture for more than a decade. What makes this book unique is that though these tales have been around for centuries in oral form, they have not found a place in any anthology for children in English. Besides, subtly interwoven in each of these stories is a value which is relevant even today. The anthology thus aims to enthrall as well as elevate by offering the children eternal tales with a contemporary sensibility.
Reading Dickens in the bicentennial year of birth: representation, art and aesthetics in commercial and industrial England as mirrored in ‘Hard Times’.
"Whenever I find I am not making much headway in one area of creativity I switch genres and move on." Ramendra Kumar writes about the National Level Workshop on Creative Writing In English.
Ramendra Kumar, author of Effective Parenting : A New Paradigm conducted a workshop based on the ideas culled from his book at a leading school in Rourkela.
The author and poet extraordinaire Ramakanta Das, speaks about the symbolism, the elements of mythology and the subtle Hindu philosophies represented in his poetry collection 'Grass Flower'.
Ramendra Kumar is a national award winning author with 25 books to his name. The book is straight from the writer’s heart, it has hands-on approach to parenting and the potential to morph a good parent into the best parent.
