The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
Ouch!Cried Planet Earth by Mrs.Dheera Kitchlu Published by Serene Woods Launched by Rahul Bose at Hornbill House 3rd Decemeber, 2010 The launch of a new book is always a reason to rejoice, especially when it is a kids book set in Mumbai, and deals with the environment and how a 12 year old boy takes matters into his own hands! I have not attended many book launches before, but was rather enthusiastic about attending this for two reasons - the author was one I had heard of (I have read a couple of her books) and corresponded wtih a few times, and secondly, the book was launched at the BNHS's Hornbill House. It had been ages since I visited the place, and was really excited about visiting again, and that too for a book launch! I would have loved to take Samhith along, but the time wasnt suitable, and I had to leave him behind with his grandmother, rushing off just as he returned from school. Travelling to VT alone by train and walking down to BNHS made me re-live m...