The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye - first edition cover from 1951 - is it too quaint for young people now?

Six members gathered to read from the classic novella of J.D. Salinger. This was the second time reading the story for most of us, and it brought back memories from long ago. But the book was now revealed in a different light by the passage of decades. 

 

Priya, Bobby, Indira, KumKum, Talitha, and Amita after the reading

You will have an idea of the rapt enjoyment with which the individual readings were received from this picture of Talitha reading as KumKum listens:

She is reading the tender recall of his kid brother, Allie, dead of leukemia, as Holden Caulfield is writing an essay on Allie's old baseball mitt, which he kept as a treasure: it had "poems written all over the fingers and the pocket and everywhere. In green ink."

Several of the women found that their teenage sons have, or had, similar  rebellious characteristics. A great deal of time in the discussion went into getting to the bottom of Holden's unique personality, as revealed in his adventures and conversations with a variety of people. It's all there in our discussions; please see the Full Record and Account of the session on June 5, 2009.

Here's another picture. Indira and Talitha listen as KumKum reads from the conversation between Phoebe and Holden when the kid sister challenges him to name a single real thing he likes! 

The next session will be Poetry, on July 3, 2009, at DC Books on Chittoor Road at 5:30 pm. The novel for the following session will be selected by Bobby and Indira and notified to members. The date has yet to be fixed.

'Shakescene' – an all Shakespeare Poetry event

On May Day 2009 the Kochi Reading Group celebrated Shakespeare's birthday which falls nominally on the same day as he died, April 23. Talitha's suggestion at the last meeting that this should be an all-Shakespeare event triggered the preparation.

 Priya, Indira, KumKum, Talitha (reading), and Amita

The enthusiasm was so great that a group formed spontaneously to practise some of the lovely songs that are scattered throughout the plays. Talitha had preserved the music for these songs from her college days and brought along a banner decorated with the 'Shakescene' title (used by a gossip of those times to pour scorn on the Bard). You can see the Droeshout engraving at the right corner of the banner.


The Plays, the Sonnets, and the Songs got equal time; but the enjoyment was geatest when the music added its magic to the lyrics of the songs. Thommo even contribted a tune for his rendition of Sonnet 6, 'Then let not winter's ragged hand deface'. You can see the relish on our faces when we adjourned after the unusually long session of two hours.

Priya, Indira, KumKum, Amita, Talitha Geetha, the Bard, Thommo, and Joe

Downloadable mp3 files of the KRG Elizabethan Singers singing three songs and a sonnet can be found by clicking on the active link. We also present a full account of the discussions on May 1.


The next session to read J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye will be held on June 5, 2009, same time, 5:30 pm, and same place, DC Books on Chittoor Road opposite the YMCA. Thommo will be traveling. Tentatively the next session after that on Poetry will be held on July 3.

'Rabbit is Rich' by John Updike

 Amita, Joe, Talitha, KumKum, Thommo, and Bobby

The group had a ripping session on Friday Mar 20, 2009. Updike's novel, Rabbit is Rich, provoked such intense discussions that we went on for two hours. It was the first time we were reading an American author.

Everyone had prepared insightful readings, and we were quite animated, discussing various issues the novel brings up: sex mores, father-son relationships, women as sex-objects, humour, the interior monologue style of writing, instances where Harry Angstrom fades out and Updike interjects himself into the novel, poetic passages, soft porn, and other issues.

Shevlin Sebastian of the Indian Express interviewing Talitha

Mr Shevlin Sebastian from the Indian Express newspaper wished to write an article, so we invited him to come along and attend the session. It turned out he was a long-time Updike enthusiast himself, and he participated too, providing such sidelights as Updike's having a different room in his house for each type of composition: one for writing novels, another for reviews, yet another for poetry, and so on. 

His article was published in The New Indian Express, Kochi, on Mar 25, 2009. Here is a link to it: Where Books Steal the Show
 

Our next session will be Poetry - an all-Shakespeare session on May 1 - his birthday falls on April 23. Indira’s idea of taking up a play once a year, and letting Harold Pinter be the first chosen, was approved. At this session we introduced a new feature, remote participation: Indira who was absent sent in her impressions on e-mail; it was read out first, and the discussion started off in earnest.

A full account is here:Record of the Fiction Session on Mar 20, 2009

Poetry Session on Jan 30, 2009

 

Thommo, Talitha, KumKum, Indira, and Bobby

 

The year's first reading was held at DC Books on Jan 30, 2009. This was notable as being the first session where the women did not outnumber the men! But we missed Amita, Jeena, and Shobha. Had they been present the scales would have tipped the other way.

The next fiction session will be in early March to read from Rabbit is Rich by the late John Updike. For the next fiction choice after that two volunteers will go to a bookstore, select an appropriate book, and buy five or six copies. This may help us get over the difficulty of going through a voting process to decide the novel, only to find after much delay that it is not available in India through distributors.

You may peruse here the complete Record of the Poetry Session on Jan 30, 2009

Reading of The Glass Palace, novel by Amitav Ghosh – Nov 28, 2008

Indira, Jeena in blue crocs, KumKum, Amita, Talitha, Bobby 

In the midst of the Mumbai terror the Kochi Reading Group met to find some solace in literary matters. It was the reading of The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh, set in Burma, India, and Malaya, starting with the exile of King Thebaw of Burma and continuing beyond World War II.

Jeena reading, Indira and KumKum listening

 This was one of the most intense and interesting novel reading sessions ever held by us. And this, in spite of the fact that the majority of readers delivered a poor opinion of the novel. Their musings and the debates concerning the characters in the novel, and the themes addressed, may be read in the full account, linked below:
 Record of Reading on Nov 28, 2008 - The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh

 

 Thommo, Indira, Jeena, KumKum, Amita, Talitha, Bobby

The next session will be Poetry on Friday Jan 23, 2009 at 5:30 pm.

Happy Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you, our dear readers of the group and those on the Web! Send in your comments by clicking at bottom right.

Poetry Session of Oct 10, 2008 and Membership

Indira and Penny in conversation, KumKum, Amita

Membership Indira and Bobby as the founding members discussed and came up with ideas of how to qualify people for membership in future. A statement of what we do at the KRG and the commitment required from intending members was handed out to everyone as a laminated template. The fiction session is demanding in time (15 to 20 hours just to read the novel chosen) and then more time to prepare your reactions, critique, and comments for the session. It is a group commitment: since we benefit from the effort of others, we too have to put in our own effort. Poetry is only slightly less time consuming. It needs a fair amount of reading of the chosen poet before one begins to feel the unique rasa of the poems. We would like people to self-select whether they should join the KRG or not, by presenting the laminated template for them to read. We also have a numbers limitation imposed by how much time we can devote at a sitting (max 2 hours) and the seating space of our DC Books niche (~12 people). Other matters Nov 28, 2008 will be the date for reading Amitava Ghosh's novel The Glass Palace. An expanded version of the KRG charter is attached below: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcwcz48g_35c479mfgs The record of our discussions at the stimulating poetry session on Oct 10 is here: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1am-1P0wSZpUHeEFoiA6IYdTFQWRl_iIaNIpVHuVGc54/edit?usp=sharing

Joe, Shobha, Indira, Penny, KumKum, Amita, and Bobby

Reading of Anil’s Ghost, novel by Michael Ondaatje – Sep 5, 2008

KumKum reads the passages on how Anil got her name - Indira, Jeena, Penny, KumKum, & Amita

The session to read and discuss Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje was stimulating. Everyone benefited from the reactions and observations of others, pointing out obscure things within the novel, and sharing experiences from personal knowledge of Sri Lanka, our nearest neighbour country from Kochi.

The session was notable for the range of commentary. The singular events in the novel, the angular attributes of the heroine, and the unusual make-up of the secondary characters in the novel, were cause for reactions, ranging from admiration of the poetic descriptions to critique of the novel's weaknesses.

Penny, KumKum, Amita, and Talitha at the reading

The intensity of the participation at this reading, and the rich commentary illustrates why everyone is eager for these sessions.

The next session (Poetry) will take place on Oct 10, 2008, same place, same time! Please prepare.

A detailed account of the course of our thoughts as we read from Anil's Ghost is linked below:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcwcz48g_33hsbvkfhd

Thommo, Rajan, Shobha, Ammini Amma, Jeena & Indira after the reading

Madras Book Club releases book 'Historic Residences of Chennai' by V. Sriram

Mr S. Muthiah (left) receives the first copy of the book Historic Residences of Chennai from S. Vijayaraghavan. Author V. Sriram is at right.

Audience in the Ball Room of the Taj Connemara Hotel gathered to witness the release of the book Historic Residences of Chennai

Joe & KumKum attended a Madras Reading Club event when a book by V. Sriram titled Historic Residences of Chennai was released on the occasion of the 369th anniversary of Madras. It has been called the First City of Modern India, established by a grant of land from two local Nayaks (leaders) to Andrew Cogan and John Day of the John Company on August 22, 1639. Thus it antedates both Bombay (1661) and Calcutta (1690).

Copies of Sriram's handsome book printed on art paper with full-page pencil sketches of 50 dwellings (by a young artist, V. Vijayakumar) were given free to all the attendees - about 400 people attended at the Ball Room of the Taj Connemara Hotel. The publication was underwritten by the business group, Sanmar. Every residence is described on the page facing the sketch with a historical account in English and Tamil. Mr Sriram, the author, is an entrepreneur in software and hydraulics, but his intense interest in music and preservation of tradition has inspired him to write three books about exponents of Carnatic music. And now this volume on heritage.

Mr S. Muthiah, a well-known figure in the heritage and preservation of Chennai, and self-styled 'Chronicler of Madras', received the first copy. He writes in the preface to the Seventh Edition of his book, Madras Rediscovered, that "there are heartening signs that heritage and history are being paid attention to." His book of 450 odd pages has been touted as the best guidebook to the city, with many black & white photographs and maps.

Joe & KumKum met the Ms Jayanthi of the Madras Book Club, who reaffirmed her invitation to the Kochi Reading Group to attend their functions, free of charge. Incidentally, they charge Rs 600 per year from their members. Before the event the Book Club served coffee/tea, gulab jamuns, etc. in the regal surroundings of the Ball Room of the Connemara Hotel.

A couple of photos are shown above, and here is an account of the event as it appeared in The Hindu of Aug 18, 2008:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/18/stories/2008081858130200.htm

Poetry Session of Oct 22, 2007 and some archival pictures

Here is another record from our Archives of the Poetry session held on Oct 22, 2007, when we recited from these poets: George Mac Beth, Robert Browning, ee cummings, T.S. Eliot, Stewart Conn, Arun Kolatkar, Rainer Maria Rilke, Edwin Brock, and Vikram Seth.

Click on:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcwcz48g_312pn4tnct

Some pictures from the archives too:


A House for Mr Biswas by Naipaul; discussing are Indira Outcalt, Thomas Chacko (Thommo), the late Manjoo Menon, Jeena Thomas, KumKum (hidden), Joe and Bobby Paul George on July 17, 2006.


Bobby Paul George, Joe, Grace George, Rajeev, Indira, KumKum, Gopa David, Salim David listen as Joe discusses Seamus Heaney's translation Beowulf -- Aug 9, 2006.


Bobby George, Joe, Grace George, Rajeev, Indira, KumKum, Gopa David, Salim David discussing a poem with Indira leading - Poetry Session on Aug 9, 2006.



Bobby, John Mitchell (Australian) with no trace of Oz accent, Hélène no trace of her Belgian accent, Indira no trace of her Princeton accent, & KumKum with hints of her Bengali accent, at the Poetry Session on January 10, 2007.

Madras Book Club News

The Madras Book Club has been meeting for the longest time. As a book club their main activity is holding talks and readings by visiting authors, and sponsoring talks on the occasion of book releases, and so on. About 200 or so attend their meetings on average, which are held at the Connemara Hotel, Anna Salai (Mount Road), the Binny Room. Attendance at the Madras Book Club events is open to Kochi Reading Group members on a reciprocal basis. Our events will be circulated to their members also.

If any of our members happen to visit Chennai, they can attend. The next two scheduled events of the Madras Book Club are:

1st August - 6.30 p.m. - Discussion on The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction - discussion by Sadanand Menon and Pritam Chakravarty

17th August - 10.30 a.m. - Madras Week celebration (369th birthday of Madras) - release of a new book on Chennai Heritage Homes, sponsored by Sanmar Group.