What is the life story of Romulus Whitaker?



Have you seen my pet?' a teenage Romulus Whitaker went knocking door to door in his apartment complex in Bombay (today's Mumbai).



What sort of a pet? One neighbour asked kindly, probably thinking of a cat, dog or some such.



A python,' Rom answered, with a straight face.



The neighbours eyes widened, and words caught in his throat.



It's non-venomous.' explained Rom, patiently.



Rom retells the story, while sitting in his house in Tamil Nadu, with a twinkle in his eyes. 'Ah, non-venomous. As though that makes a big difference! A snake is a snake.



City slickers are not very kind towards species that they ve only read about and don't really know personally."



Fortunately for his neighbours, Rom found his missing pet snoozing under an old trunk in the storeroom in his own house, and so, 1 had to literally go back to every house and tell them.' Little did his neighbours know that the teenager would go on to become one of India's foremost herpetologists earning him the title, Paambu kaara ('snake man in Tamil).



Romulus Earl Whitaker III has been working in reptile conservation for over half a century, but his heart still races when he sees a King Cobra. In fact, decades of hard work hasn't dulled his passion or enthusiasm for the subject and the species.



Rom has worked with scientists, educationists, students and conservationists in India and all across the world on several projects: crocodile recovery programmes, radio telemetry studies on the Gharial and King Cobra, snake venom collection and rodent control by indigenous people. Breeding biology of pythons and King Cobras, field surveys to determine conservation status of reptiles, and popularising conservation biology through writings, talks and films.



Rom moved to India when he was seven with his mother Doris Norden and stepfather Rama Chattopadhyay, son of social reformer and freedom fighter Kamaladevi and poet Harindranath. After high school, Rom went to college briefly in the U.S. and served in the U.S. army for two years during the Vietnam War, working in the army hospital and assisting the medical team in Japan. Rom trained at the Miami Serpentarium from 1963 to 1965, and returned to India because he knew he wanted to work with reptiles.



His career is dotted with many firsts:



1969: Rom set up the Madras Snake Park, India's first reptile park.



1972: Rom started the first sea turtle walks in India. Volunteers would walk the coast and transplant eggs to hatcheries to safeguard them.



Early 1970s: Rom carried out the first Gharial survey in the Chambal Valley. This work helped convince the government of India to create six new river sanctuaries for this endangered species, and a national conservation programme, Project Crocodile, was established. 1975: Rom conducted India's first survey of crocodiles Finding out that crocodile populations were dwindling spurred him and his former wife, children's author Zai Whitaker, to start the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) in 1976, with three field research and conservation stations on the Chambal river, the Agumbe rainforest and the Andaman Islands,



Rom was instrumental in bringing about the creation of five iconic Protected Areas (where human occupation and exploitation of natural resources are limited or banned), These are Silent Valley National Park in Kerala, Guindy National Park and Palani Hills National Park in Tamil Nadu. Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve in the Indian Ocean and the Great Nicobar Island Biosphere Reserve in the Nicobar Islands.



The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust



The MCBT was set up by Rom and zai. They met through their joint desire to protect Silent Valley.



The Indian wing of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was set up in 1969 by Zai's father, Zafar Futehally. While working there as a volunteer, Zai read an article by Rom about Silent Valley. Silent Valley is a perfect example of (a] true rainforest with all the wealth of animals and plants that make it up... As humble observers of this great expanse of rainforest we also know that it is just a tiny valley when compared to what has already been deforested in the name of "economic and technological progress... HOW many dam projects could be best done in biotopes less vitally important to keep intact? (published in the WWF newsletter November 1973).



Deeply moved, Zai and her sister petitioned Salim Ali, their unde and India's foremost omithologist, who headed the Bombay Natural History Society at the time. They urged him to write to the then prime minister Indira Gandhi to stop the dam construction. He shooed us away! Laughed Zai. But we drafted and redrafted a letter and he signed and sent it. And Indira Gandhi put a stop to it.



Three years later, they set up the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) together, of which their elder son Nikhil is the curator. Zai, who is the joint director of MCBT, said people thought they were crazy to set up a centre in the middle of nowhere, 'Back then it was just a bare sandy stretch with few casuarina trees ... we walked out one day and an Olive Ridley Turtle was laying eggs by the gate; there were sea snakes on the shore, and jackals and foxes at night.



Parselmouth



Rom, Zai and their team also partnered with the Irulas, an indigenous community from Tamil Nadu known for their skill in finding and handling snakes, to set up the Inula Snake Catchers Cooperative Society in 1978, and they worked with the community for three decades. The Irulas extract venom from snakes, which is needed to make antivenom to treat snakebites, thus saving many human and snake lives. This is crucial, as according to one estimate, some 46,000 snakebite deaths occur annually in India. (Ironically, Rom is allergic to antivenom.) Many years later, Zai would write "Kali and the Rat Snake" (Tulika Books), a story about an Irula boy whose classmates find him strange. She also wrote the script for the multilingual award winning film, "The Boy and the Crocodile," which was directed by Rom.



Rom attributes a lot of his knowledge of snakes to the Irulas, and continues to be amazed. At how good they are at tracking snakes, especially how they can tell whether the snakes are venomous or not simply by looking at their tracks on the ground. Rom has had a special interest in snakes from the time his mother got him "The Boys Book of Snakes when he was four. It was basically about American snakes but it helped a lot.' said Rom. First of all, it told her that there are no venomous snakes where we lived in northern New York state, which is helpful. No matter what I picked up, I might get a bite but I'm not gonna get a venomous bite. So she was pretty cool with that.'



When Rom was studying in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, he ferried his pet python to school by train in a vegetable basket, and stored him under his bed in the dormitory in a box. He warned the cleaners not to bother with the box. He would take him out to bask in the sunlight while his friends read and played. He picked up snakes whenever he spotted one, read about them and wrote to herpetologists asking for tips on taking care of the reptiles.



It was in school that he came across a green coloured pit viper. He sensibly spoke to his biology teacher rather than hiding the snake under his bed. Luckily, this guy was okay, recalled Rom. He said, I know it's venomous. We also know that it's not a fatally venomous creature and we are not going to let anyone handle it' He put it in a terrarium and kept it for a while, until I decided to let it go. So it was a series of people who encouraged me along the way. Or didn't discourage me, let's put it that way.



Life with crocodiles Rom first met a crocodile when he was fifteen: used to go fishing, with one of the guys who "I worked at my stepfather's motion picture lab, an old German guy, Schroder. Shammi Kapoor (actor) and people like that now old timers, loved fishing too. We'd fish from these so-called machans, which were floating on Powai Lake. We'd fish all night. We'd go in the evenings, spend the whole night nodding off fishing for katla and rohu. One evening. I saw a croc on the surface. And it just disappeared under the water, and I was like, wow! It was like the first dinosaur I'd ever seen."



Rom started researching crocodiles by talking to people.



Many people hated crocodiles, as they did leopards and tigers, because they were predators. Luckily, Rom knew otherwise.



Gharials, he discovered, had evolved with the dinosaurs, which means they have spent some 150 million years on this planet. Also, that birds are highly modified reptiles, which is why birds get a little bit of space in Rom's life.



Life with many animals Rom has a pet Emu called Neelakantan, named after his brother, and because the bird develops a blue mane during the breeding breeding season (neela: blue; kanta: throat). Neelakantan can be friendly or can make enemies in an instant.



'I wasn't into conservation,' said Rom. People give me that label and I still cringe a little bit. It just seems like a natural part of what you do, is to have that attitude towards life. It's not a special little branch of a tree which you sit out on, and say I am a conservationist. You just live your life that way. And if everyone did, it would help the world a lot.



But Rom credits his single-minded approach for his success. I still get excited at seeing a snake, he said, pointing around his garden in Tamil Nadu, if a snake pops up over there, which is very possible. There's a cobra, there's a Rat Snake, there are lots of vine snakes living here. And when I see one, I still get a real good feeling."



"Humans are not comfortable with creatures they know little about and if there is one thing those of us who like reptiles (and all wild creatures) can do to help them it's to get people to know and appreciate them.' said Rom. He has spent years understanding the King Cobra's biology and his efforts, by way of his writings, research and films, have helped building people's tolerance towards the snake. The first instinct to kill on sight has given way to observe and understand the snake instead.



WHAT CAN YOU DO?



Learn everything there is to about reptiles. Start with "Snakes of India: The Field Guide by Romulus Whitaker and Ashok Captain.




  • Once you know how fascinating they are, it's easy to protect them. If there are venomous snakes in your area, don't disturb them. Instead, tell an adult and call the local wildlife department or people who work with animals to rescue them.

  • Become a snake myth-buster. Cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty has written a comic book, "Making Friends with Snakes (But From a Distance)", based on Rom's film. It's got everything for you to become a know-it-all.



MORE CHAMPIONS WORKING WITH REPTILES



1. Ashok Captain, a Pune-based herpetologist, is so cool that he has two snakes named after him: Ashok's Bronzeback Tree Snake and Captain's Wood Snake! In 2019, he described a new snake species, the Arunachal Pit Viper. He's co-authored Snakes of India: The Field Guide with Rom. Usually he's found on a bicycle (he used to cycle competitively), and when off it he's counting snake scales.



2. Vijaya was perhaps India's first female herpetologist. She trained with Rom and in the early 1980s she documented mass hunting and slaughter of sea turtles. Her photographs caught the attention of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, who created rules to conserve the species and instructed the coast guard to stop sea turtle captures. Vijaya lived alone for many months in a cave in Kerala while studying the Forest Cane Turtle, when she passed away under unknown circumstances. After 19 years, the turtle species she was studying was named Vijaycheles silvatica. She died in 1987.



3. P Gowri Shankar learnt how to handle snakes at the age of 13, and has gone on to rescue more than 100 King Cobras over the years. He works in Agumbe in the Western Ghats of Kamataka. He is a familiar face if you have watched any documentaries that feature Rom. He studies and documents King Cobra behaviour and trains hundreds of young people on snake ecology.



4. Gururaja KV is a batrachologist (bátrakhos is frog in Ancient Greek) and has described many new species of frogs. Special mentions go to one who is an ace potter (Kumbara Night Frog), and another who calls like a kingfisher (Karnavali Skittering Frog)! Gururaja helped publish a field guide to identify frogs, called "Frog Find" (there's an app too) and is part of a team that put together "Mandookavani". An audio compilation that has field recordings of over 75 frog calls.



 



Picture Credit : Google


What is the life story of Rohan Chakravarty?



"Drawing Doomsday" is a chapter from the book "10 Indian Champions Who Are Fighting to Save the Planet by Bijal Vachharajani and Radha Rangarajan published by Penguin.



With sixty lakh visitors annually, Guvahati's taxi drivers are used to strange requests from tourists. But one found himself stumped. Cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty hopped off the aircraft and booked a taxi straight to the local municipal garbage dump. "It was to see Guwahati's Greater Adjutant Storks, that have made the dump their home." he explained. "Never in my life have I seen a more perplexed taxi driver."



It's not only in Assam that Rohan finds humour and beauty in dire situations. It's all in a day's work for Rohan who creates environment and wildlife cartoons under the name Green Humour. Whether it's hombills or Polar Bears, politicians or environmentalists, turtles or elephants, they've all been given a humorous twist by his pen.



From dentures to green adventures



The only memory that Rohan has of his childhood scribbles is drawing rain and leopards. "While my love for leopards is unchanged," said Rohan, "I've grown up into somewhat of a hydrophobe! If only watching frogs and snakes weren't a thing of the monsoon!"



What helped to inspire his interest in wildlife was that he and his brother Rohit, a chiropterologist (someone who studies bats), grew up on a steady diet of encyclopedias and picture books that their grandfather gifted them so they knew about ocelots and matamatas by the age of three!



Rohan studied to be a dentist. "I have never been a bright student, particularly of subjects I dislike," he explained. "Dentistry fit into that bill. My mother has stood by every decision I have made in my life. except getting into dental college, and was very relieved when I made the switch to animation (initially) and later cartooning: she always knew that medicine wasn't for me."



When you ask Rohan what prompted him to move from molar to solar power, he responds with a perfect nature analogy. "In the winter of 2014, a kittiwake, a seabird not found in the Indian subcontinent, landed up on the coast of Maharashtra. It was a straggling vagrant, probably blown in by unpredictable winds, and obviously had no idea what it was doing in the Konkan coast. I too, was as aimless in my teenage years as that kittiwake. It was only when met my first wild tigress that the kittiwake in me "kitti-woke up. and decided to merge two dormant passions wildlife and cartoons and spring into action."



While Rohan's mother was secretly pleased his father had his reservations Wildlife cartooning did not seem like a viable career choice. There are few cartoonists such as Patrick McDonnell, creator of the iconic series "Mutts", who have managed to cane a name for themselves in this niche. And in India, most cartooning is political But Rohan's father quickly changed his mind, when a former patient confessed that the denture his son had made for her didn't fit her.



When Rohan started out in around 2010, it was difficult to get publishers and readers to take cartoons on wildlife seriously. But he feels that readers have become more receptive over time. 1 don't know whether i should be thankful for this or not, but the fact that environmental issues are now so grave that they occupy the forefront of many minds, and this has helped my series gain the attention it needed, he said.



Rohan did not study to be a naturalist. "There was a point in my life where I really wanted to become a wildlife scientist," he said. "But i soon realised that I did not have the patience to wait for an owl to poop so I could dissect its pellets. I think that my aversion to academics (and a staple diet of Yash Chopra films) has helped keep the romance in me alive, something that's very necessary for being an artist of any kind." The way he sees it, rather than drowning animals in formalin to study them, he'd rather draw them to leam more about different species. Field visits have helped him understand how cultural differences shape local conservation practices. For example, Neilingding, a military island that he visited in southeastern China, has a designated sanctuary for an animal that most Indians have at least once had their kitchens raided by-the Rhesus Macaque!



Seriously funny stuff



Most environmental sciences books are very earnest when they talk about the planet's diverse flora and fauna (well, it is a very serious subject). Newspaper reports about climate change, deforestation and wildlife crimes are frightening enough to make anyone want to curl up into a ball like a threatened pangolin, and environment policymakers often seem out to disprove their name People shy away from bad news (and there is enough of that around) so humour is a powerful weapon to make people engage with climate change.



What Rohan draws and talks about is serious. But it's also seriously funny:



When I had started out I was drawing cartoons with the sole purpose of making some mischief every day and feeling good about it. The awareness that resulted in readers was a mere by-product. But this changed over the years... Humour has always been my go-to tool to put forth my point and I believe that it is a lot more effective in making an audience retain as well as respond to information compared to most other media of communication. While it is hard to measure the effect that Rohan's work has on his readers, some stories show how strong these can be. A comic about the illegal trade of the Pygmy Marmoset the world's smallest monkey which is found in the Amazon. for the pet market convinced a Peruvian reader to not buy one. After reading his comics on the cruelty behind civet coffee in southeast Asia, some travellers from France reconsidered their buying practices. Rohan's comic about eco-friendly sanitary products inspired many to make the switch.



On binge-watching nature



 Rohan's idea of entertainment is sitting in his balcony with coffee and looking around: When I'm in the mood for a musical. I watch the magpie robin composing new tunes on the go. When it's comedy I'm up for the palm squirrels antics keep me amused. When I want some action. I search for the neighbourhood Shikra that specialises in hunting bats!



Rohan swears his eternal loyalty to a tigress, from whom he drew inspiration to start making wildlife cartoons in the first place, but smaller and lesser known creatures generally fascinate him a lot more than megafauna.



He draws almost every day:



In my school days, I was addicted to watching cartoons (mostly shows by Genndy Tartakovsky and Hanna Barbera), and would often wake up at 4 a.m. to catch reruns of my favourite episodes. This was replaced by video games in my teens, and I often neglected studies to play "Age of Empires" and "Diablo". Quite fortunately, an addiction to drawing took over in my adult life, and hasn't died out yet.



One of Rohan's most iconic creations is the all encompassing map that celebrates the wildlife of India, with 115 species plotted in exactly the spots in which they are seen the most, and 46 biodiversity hotspots. Flamingos in Gujarat's saltpans, tragopans in Nagaland's bamboo forests, marmots in the cold deserts of Ladakh and dugongs in the Indian Ocean are all in the map, and still Rohan wishes he had space for more.



Research alone took him almost a year, involving reading numerous field guides, making notes, and picking the brains of many scientist friends from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). Bengaluru, over filter coffee and chilli cheese toast.



Rohan has illustrated other wildlife maps too, including those of Bhutan, the Greater Bay Area of China and Hong Kong, one of the world's densest concrete jungles. Many forest reserves in India requested their own. Look through Rohan's website and you will find maps of Kanha Tiger Reserve Pakke Tiger Reserve, Manas National Park, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and Mangalajodi. There are also lessons that Rohan absorbs from the wild and celebrates in his work. For example, Rohan uses wildlife cleverly to drive home a feminist point of view. Apart from talking about the matriarchal elephant family, he's coined the word 'hyenarchy' to show how even the lowest-ranking female gets more importance than the highest-ranking male in a Spotted Hyena society.



He is also aware that it is difficult for women to make a living out of working for wildlife. Like the elephants in my comics, I too am of the belief that matriarchy might just save the world someday! Some of his comics celebrate women in wildlife, such as forest guard Kiran Pathija who walked among lions while patrolling her range in Gir Forest National Park, even during her pregnancy.



According to Rohan, India's biggest environmental challenges are:




  • No cap on population growth

  • Unplanned development

  • A mad race to urbanize and westernize

  • The ruling government's complete disregard of protecting natural resources



These issues are reflected in his cartoons, many of which tend to provoke. But fear of offending the powers that be doesn't stop Rohan from commenting on government policies like the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train route that will cut through the heart of SGNP, home to the largest urban leopard population in the country: or the proposed Mumbai coastal road, which will destroy a fragile inter-tidal ecosystem and destroy the livelihoods of many local fishing communities.



ROHAN'S HONOUR ROLL



Awards racked up:



WWF International President's Award; RBS Earth Heroes Award; Sanctuary Asia Young Naturalist Award.



(His favourite 'award', says Rohan, is wildlife conservationist Belinda Wright telling him: "There are many like me but there's just one you.")



 



Picture Credit : Google


What is the life story of Alfred Nobel?



Alfred Nobel was born in Sweden on October 21, 1833. He was interested in literature, but his family steered him towards chemical engineering, to follow his father’s example. Nobel’s father Immanuel was an engineer who experimented with different explosives.



An explosive discovery



Once while mixing different additives to nitroglycerine, Nobel discovered that adding fine sand – silica – turns the liquid into paste, which made it safer and easier to handle. He moulded the paste into rods, which could be inserted into holes for controlled explosions. Nobel patented his discovery as dynamite. Always eager to experiment and innovate, he acquired as many as 355 patents during his lifetime; most of them dealt with manufacturing arms and helped him earn a fortune.



A change of heart



An unusual incident that took place in 1888 forced Nobel to re-evaluate his life. A French newspaper mistakenly published an obituary on him (instead of his brother Ludvig who had died due to a heart attack.) Titled "The Merchant of Death," it criticised Nobel for the sale of arms. The error was later corrected, but it continued to prick his conscience. On November 27, 1895, Nobel signed his last will and testament, stipulating that 94% of his assets should be used to establish a series of five awards to felicitate excellence in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Physiology, Literature and Peace. Nobel died in 1896 and the Nobel Prizes were handed out for the very first time in 1901.



ON THE 2020 HONOUR ROLL




  • Chemistry: Jointly awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna "for the development of a method for genome editing."

  • Physics: One half to Roger Penrose for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity" and the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy."

  • Physiology and Medicine: Shared between Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice "for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus."

  • Literature: U.S. poet Louise Glück for "her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal."

  • Peace: The UN World Food Programme (WFP).



DID YOU KNOW?




  • Have you ever wondered why the Nobel Prize winners are called laureates? The word Laureate' refers to the laurel wreath' which is a symbol of victory and honour in Greek mythology.

  • Marie Curie is the only person who was awarded the Nobel in two different scientific categories - Physics and Chemistry.

  • Malala Yousafzai is the youngest to win the Nobel. She was only 17 when she won the Nobel Peace Prize.

  • John B. Goodenough is the oldest person to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. He won in 2019 at the age of 97.

  •  



Picture Credit : Google


What is Philip Pullman famous for?



Multiple words, extraordinary creatures, cracking adventures, and quantum physics – welcome to Philip Pullman’s universe. It’s a world you may be familiar with world you like reading fantasy novels. Now, a previously unseen “His Dark Material” story written by Pullman over a decade ago, which he never intended to publish, will be released this month. Are you ready to dive into Pullman’s universe?



Early life



In 1956, Pullman, along with his stepfather, visited the area affected by the River Murray floods in Australia. The swelling floodwaters had devastated entire towns in three States, leaving an immense grey mass as far as the eye could see. Everything was submerged under water. It inspired him to pick up the pen. These memories helped him write “His Dark Materials” – trilogy and “La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust.”



What’s the new book about?



The new book called “Serpentine”, is a novella set after the end of the trilogy “His Dark Materials”, but before the start of Pullman’s recent book, “The Secret Commonwealth.” The story sees Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon return to Trollesund, the remote town where she first met the armoured bear lorek Byrnison and aeronaut Lee Scoresby in “Northern Lights”



Pullman wrote the story for a charity auction in 2004, at the request of Nicholas Hytner, then director at the National Theatre, during the company’s production of “His Dark Materials.”



Who is Lyra?



Lyra is the main character in Philip’s trilogy of books called “His Dark Materials.”



First released in 1995, the books have now sold more than 17 million copies around the world, and been turned into a film and TV series.



He also wrote a follow-up series called the “Book of Dust”, which tells the story of Lyra as a baby, and as an adult.



Pullman is currently writing the final book in the “Book of Dust” trilogy which will perhaps be the last on Lyra’s story.



Oh Really?




  • On September 1, 2020, he ignited a debate on Twitter on punctuation, saying: “apparently young people feel that full stops are threatening or angry and messages are friendlier without them bunch of wimps”.

  • Popular singer Ed Sheeran is a fan of Pullman. Sheeran has named his newborn daughter Lyra, after the heroine of his favourite “His Dark Materials” series.

  • While writing “La Belle Sauvage”, Pullman had vowed not to cut his hair until it was finished. Judith, his wife of 47 years, finally chopped off his ponytail after he completed the book.

  • Pullman writes only three pages a day. The rituals sacred and he has been following it since he started writing.



 



Picture Credit : Google


What are the functions of muscles?



Every movement you make uses muscles. They allow you to smile, walk, lift, and run. Muscles also move blood around the body and food through the digestive system. Some muscles must be ordered by the brain to move, while others work without us even thinking about them.



The involuntary cardiac and smooth muscles help your heart beat and blood flow through your body by producing electrical impulses. The cardiac muscle (myocardium) is found in the walls of the heart. It’s controlled by the autonomic nervous system responsible for most bodily functions.



Your diaphragm is the main muscle at work during quiet breathing. Heavier breathing, like what you experience during exercise, may require accessory muscles to help the diaphragm. These can include the abdominal, neck, and back muscles.



All the muscles in your urinary system work together so you can urinate. The dome of your bladder is made of smooth muscles. You can release urine when those muscles tighten. When they relax, you can hold in your urine.



 



Picture Credit : Google



 



 


What is the story of Hugh Lofting?



Whether it is Peter Rabbit, Peppa the Pig or Winnie the Pooh, stories of talking animals are an integral part of our childhood. And the doctor who has an ability to talk to and understand animals holds a special place in our heads.



Doctor Dolittle first appeared in Hugh Lofting’s book. “The Story of Doctor Dolittle” in 1920, and was republished almost annually thereafter, as were many of the 11 other books in the series. But the character’s popularity grew because of the film versions – starring Eddie Murphy and the latest, Robert Downey Jr.



Who was Hugh Lofting?



A civil engineer by training, Lofting created children’s literature’s classic character Doctor Dolittle from the British Army trenches during World War I. He often wrote letters to his children from the battlefield. On their request, he began including drawings of animals were mistreated in the army. For instance, injured horses were shot dead and not treated. He imagined that humans would be less cruel towards animals if they could read their minds or communicate with them. And so he wrote stories of talking animals in his letters. These letters formed the basis of “The Story of Doctor Dolittle.”



Different faces of Doctor Dolittle



Even a century after his creation, Doctor Dolittle remains a popular character in children’s literature. However, the good doctor has undergone many transformations over the years as the books were adapted to be silver screen multiple times.



In the book, Lofting depicted Dolittle as a portly physician living in the Victorian era. He starts a veterinary practice after learning the secret of speaking to his parrot Polynesia. As his fame spreads throughout the animal world, he sets off on wild adventures across the world.



The first three books in the series were merged into a 1967 Hollywood film starring Rex Harrison as the doctor. Though this film did not do well at the box office, it won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song.



It was the comedian Eddie Murphy who immortalized the nutty titular character in the 1998 version of the film “Dr. Dolittle”. The film’s success spawned many sequels and spin-offs.



The latest version of the doctor is played by Robert Downey Jr. in “Dolittle” which released earlier this year.




  • Oh really?

  • Lofting’s experience in the army trenches turned him against war and the glorification of combat, including in children’s books. In 1942, he published “Victory for the Slain,” an epic poem about the futility of war.

  • “The Story of Doctor Dolittle” won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958. The sequel “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle” won Lofting the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1923. Eight more books followed during his lifetime, however, two more were published posthumously. They contained short previously unpublished pieces. Lofting passed away on September 26, 1947.



 



Picture Credit : Google


What is the story of Dan Brown?



A passion for music, mystery and writing



After decades of writing about secret societies and symbologists, author Dan Brown has now started a new chapter in his life. And it was perhaps even more unpredictable than the plots of his thrillers. On September 1, Brown made his debut as a children’s writer with the release of the book, “Wild Symphony”.



The picture book is all about an orchestra-conducting mouse who gathers characters from all over to play in his symphony. The music-loving rodent, Maestro Mouse, shares Brown’s love of music.



Short notes



Besides solving puzzles, Brown loved playing the piano as a child. He produced songs for children – some of them such as “Suzuki elephants” and “Happy Frog” became popular – and later went on to launch his own record company. He even moved to Hollywood to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter and pianist, but did not meet with much success.



Wild Symphony



Brown finally got a chance to combine his passions for writing and music through “Wild Symphony”. He has come up with an accompanying score for the book. Children can download the app for free and use it to listen to the right song for the right animal. The songs match the characteristic traits of each animal. Brown has written an original piece of music for each of the wild animals in his book. That means, as a child turns the page to the busy beetles, she can hear their song (by scanning a QR code on the page with the Wild Symphony app). Or listen to the bouncy and upbeat music accompanying the kangaroos on the next page.



Popular words



While working as a teacher in 1998, Brown penned “Digital Fortress”. It is a techno-thriller that explores the theme of government surveillance of electronically stored information on the private lives of citizens. Its success was followed in 2003 by yet another bestseller, this time a mystery set in the world of art history and religion, “The Da Vinci Code.” The book is credited with renewing interest in Da Vinci’s work and secret societies, leading to sudden spike tourism to Paris and Rome. It was adapted into a film in 2006 starring the inimitable Tom Hanks as the protagonist Robert Langdon.



 



Picture Credit : Google


What is the story of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai?



The trumpets were silenced, hearts were broken and disappointment reigned when the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) lost contact with the Vikram lander, just moments before its scheduled touchdown on the lunar surface. The words “Vikram, Do you copy?” echoed throughout the world, but the lander remained silent. While the ISRO could not re-establish communication, there is no denying that the Chandrayaan-2 mission was phenomenally exciting? If India has made significant strides in space exploration, it was thanks to the vision of one man, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. Knowing the importance of a space programme for the country, it was he who helped set up INCOPSA way back in 1962.



Down-to-earth



Born in a renowned industrialist family of Ahmedabad in Gujarat on August 12, 1919, Sarabhai had a privileged childhood. But his parents, Ambalal and Sarla Devi, ensured that he remained grounded and in touch with his roots. Actively taking part in India’s Independence movement, they served as stellar role models for the young Sarabhai. Regular interactions with the likes of Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu and Mahatma Gandhi, who were Sarabhai’s personality. He imbibed the values of hardwork, social responsibility and, above all generosity from them.



Love for science



From a young age, Sarabhai evinced a keen interest in science and mathematics. Impressed by his constant tinkering with machines, his father set up a workshop where Sarabhai was free to experiment.



Sarabhai graduated from Gujarat College and pursued further studies at St. John’s College, Cambridge University. Where he received the prestigious trips in National Sciences in 1940. The tripos framework includes a wide range of natural sciences from physical sciences to biology which are taught alongside the history and philosophy of science.



As World War II escalated, Sarabhai returned to India. He joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and obtained special permission to complete his research on cosmic rays under the reputed physicist Sir C.V. Raman in Bengaluru. Sarabhai’s first scientific paper Time Distribution of Cosmic Rays, was published in 1942. In 1945, he returned to Cambridge for a docorate.



Sensing the need for better scientific facilities in India, Sarabhai convinced the Charitable trusts controlled by his family to establish the Physical Research laboratory (PRL.) Ahmedabad. He was just 28 then. From this small start, began his long, illustrious journey to build India’s space programme.



Shooting for the stars



After Russia launched its rocket Sputnik, Sarabhai convinced the Indian government of the importance of investing into a space programme. He set up the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOPSAR) which later grew and became the ISRO in 1969. Today, the ISRO is the world’s largest government space agency.



With support from Dr. Homi Bhabha widely regarded as the father of India’s nuclear science programme, Sarabhai set up the first rocket launching station TERLS (Thumba quatorial Rocket Launching Station)( centre at Thumba near Thiruvanathapuram, a location close to the magnetic equator. Sarabhai’s achievements earned him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award. After Homi Bhaba’s death, Sarabhai took over as the chairperson of the Atomic energy Commission. Taking up the work passionately, he helped set up many nuclear plants across the country. He also played a key role in developing indigenous nuclear technology for defence. He was committed to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. He was also concerned about the implications of the technology falling into wrong hands.



Visionary



Sarabhai had a vision to use science and technology for development. With programmes to take education to remote villages via satellites, he brought about a communication revolution. He also contributed towards the satellite-based remote sensing of natural resources. But Sarabhai’s vision was not restricted to science. Realizing the need for management education in India, he establishment the Indian Institute of Management in Ahemdabad (IIM-A). To promote visual and performing arts, he set up the National Institute of Design (NID) and Darpan Academy for Performing Arts.



Death came to Sarabhai in 1971 at his favourite resort on Kovalam beach, after he had witnessed the launch of a Russian rocket and inaugurated Thumba railway station earlier that day.



 



Picture Credit : Google


What is the story of Quentin Blake?



Who is Quentin Blake?



An English cartoonist, illustrator and designer, Quentin Blake is known for his collaborations with children’s author Roald Dahl. Through his expressive style, Blake breathed life into Dahl’s endearing characters such as the gentle BFG, the graceful Matilda, and the toe-curling Witches. He also created other memorable characters in children’s literature. And there is no stopping the octogenarian. He continues to sketch, winning the hearts of millions of children even today.



Early life



Blake grew up in Sidcup in the U.K. with a pencil in his hand. A self-taught artist, he never went to an art school. He learned to draw on his own by poring over the technical plans, or drawings, of machines that his father, a civil servant, brought home.



At 16 while still in school, his first sketches were published in the Punch magazine. He entered the children’s book sphere when he illustrated “A Drink of Water” by John Yeoman in 1960. He went on to become the head of the illustration department at the Royal College of Art in 1978, and served there till 1986.



Friendship with Dahl



Blake became friends with Dahl when he began to draw the BFG, Dahl rejected the first two sets of illustrations and even sent Blake one of his old sandals with a note stating “this was what the BFG should be wearing and not the clumsy knee-length boots” that he drawn.



Blake went to visit Dahl at his home in Gypsy House, at Great Missenden, northwest of London. There he saw Dahl with his family, especially his granddaughter Sophie after whom the little girl in “The BFG” was named. It prompted him to re-think the character of the giant as he found a similarity between the BFG and Dahl. Both were “tall men who put dreams into the heads of children.” At first, he had drawn the BFG with a clown face. But he redrew him in a “gentler manner” and made him “grandfatherly.”



The making of Matilda



Like the BFG, Blake created the character of Matilda in his unique style. She was drawn repeatedly until her face exuded “not her intelligence exactly, but her magic powers”. Willy Wonka’s appearance was also Blake’s visualization. He drew Wonka like a sprite because everything that happened inside his factory seemed unreal, like a fairy tale.



Such examples show that Blake gave shape to Dahl’s characters in his own way and that he did not blindly follow Dahl’s instructions. Perhaps, that’s why Dahl entrusted only Blake with his work. Blake has illustrated almost all of his books. Dahl’s final book, “Billy and the Minpins” was the only children’s book Blake did not originally illustrate, but a new updated version includes Blake’s illustrations.



Centre for illustration



A new gallery dedicated to Quentin Blake will open in London in 2022. The Quentin Blake Centre for illustration will become the world’s largest public arts space.



The House of illustration in King’s Cross, founded by Blake in 2014, will make way for the new centre in Islington. The Quentin Blake Centre for illustration will be built at an estimated cost of whopping $8 million.



It will feature exhibition galleries, education studios, and events spaces.



It will also become a permanent home for Blake’s archive of over 40,000 drawings.



Oh really?




  • Blake has worked with other children’s literature authors, including Russell Hoban, Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen and David Walliams. His own heavily illustrated and quirky books include “Mister Magnolia”, “Zagazoo” and “Loveykins”.

  • Blake was honoured with a knighthood in 2013 for his work as an illustrator.

  • So far, he was illustrated more than 300 books, Blake also works with hospitals and mental health units, decorating buildings with his sketches.



 



Picture Credit : Google


What is the life story of George Lucas?



On May 25, 1977, a low-budget science-fiction film opened in just 32 movie theaters across the United States. The film, packed with strange characters such as lightsaber-wielding Jedis and Wookiees, surprisingly caught the public imagination and broke all box-office records across the country.



That film was none other than the cult classic Star Wars, and the little-known filmmaker, who conceived, wrote and directed it was George Lucas. He pioneered a new way of making films and merchandising in Hollywood.



Want to know more about this cinematic genius? Read on…



Early life



George Lucas Walton Jr. was born in a small town of Modesto in California on May 14, 1944. From a young age, Lucas had big ambitions: he wanted to become a professional race car driver. A young Lucas was dazzled by the speed, glamour and thrill of the car racing circuit. As a teen, he even took part in underground car races. A near-fatal car racing accident however altered his aspirations and forced him to pursue other interests.



Cine-magic



He gave up car racing and instead, began filming car races. Gradually, he developed an interest in cinema, Lucas started devouring avant garde and classic European films such as Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless and Francois Truffaut’s Jules et Jim. His interest grew so strong that he decided to study the art of film making. He signed up at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts, one of the earliest universities devoted to motion picture film, where he met many other aspiring filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Randal Kleiser. At USC, Lucas developed a passion for camera work and editing.



Opportunity of a lifetime



In 1967, he submitted a short film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB at a student film festival. The film received critical acclaim, earning him a student scholarship by Warner Bros. As part of the scholarship, Lucas could work on the making of a film of his choosing. An enthusiastic Lucas chose Finian’s Rainbow directed by Francis Ford Coppola, a revered filmmaker of the time.



Impressed by Lucas, Coppola teamed up with him to create the American Zoetrope studio dedicated to encouraging alternative approaches to film making. His first major film was American Graffiti, based on his teenage years in Modesto. The film was nominated for an Oscar in best picture, a major achievement for a budding director.



Next Lucas decided to remake his childhood favourite Flash Gordon series. However, he was unable to obtain rights for it. So he embarked upon writing an original story based in space that would eventually become Star Wars.



Overcoming challenges



Contrary to the science-fiction films of the time, Lucas wanted to make something light and targeted towards young adults. So he began working on the space drama Star Wars. But its production was quite tumultuous. From budget constraints and health issues to natural disasters, Lucas had to overcome great odds along the way. On the first day of filming A New Hope, a huge Tunisian storm destroyed the set and delayed shooting, some of the electronic equipment malfunctioned, and to make matters worse, actor Mark Hamil, who plays Luke Skywalker, was injured in an accident towards the end of production. That’s not all, Lucas had an equally tough time finding producers for the film. It was turned down by major studios such as United Artists and Universal. But an undeterred Lucas, finally managed to convince 20th Century Fox to invest in the film.



Indy tales



After the success of the first film, Lucas worked on more Star Wars films and television spin-offs. Desperate for a break, he focused his creative energy on creating another legendary character, the rugged, globetrotting adventurer Indiana Jones. He collaborated with his college friend Steven Spielberg to develop the series, which remains popular even today.



Giving back



Star Wars and Indiana Jones became two of the world’s most successful film franchises, paving the way for others such as Harry Potter and Marvel. Today, Lucas is worth an estimated $6.1 billion. But in 2010, the billionaire signed the Giving Pledge, which is a promise to give away half his wealth during his lifetime. He was particularly interested in donating it for the cause of improving education. A noble gesture, indeed!



 



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What is Jack Kirby famous for?



Kirby’s origin story



From Captain America and The Hulk to The X-Men and the adorable Groot, comic look artist Jack Kirby breathed life into some of Marvel's biggest and most popular superheroes. Sadly, he never got due recognition in his lifetime.



Written in the form of a graphic novel, “The Epic Life of the King of Comics” by Tom Scioli tells the improbable tale of how a young kid raised in the streets of New York became the most important figure in the evolution of comics.



Rough-and-tumble life



Born as Jacob Kurtzberg on August 28, 1917, Kirby lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattam – a neighbourhood infamous for its violent street gangs, Kirby too joined one of the gangs and led a rough life – partly due to poor financial conditions at home. Years later, these experiences helped him come up with dynamic fight and action sequences in his comics.



Drawing from scrap



The timeless characters that Kirby created are testament to his talent. But id you know how Kirby learnt to draw? No, he could not afford to study at any fancy art school. Instead, he practised his art skills using newspapers stolen from his neighbour’s trash can.



At the age of 11, he started drawing cartoons for the local newspaper. A few years later, he was hired to illustrate columns such as “Your Health Comes First” and “Facts You Never Knew” by another newspaper. From there he moved on to Max Fleischer’s animation studio where he worked for a while creating backgrounds for “Popeye” cartoons.



A timely choice



Working with Timely Comics (which eventually became Marvel), Kirby partnered with writer Joe Simon to come up with the shield-bearing Captain America.



While he was busy illustrating the eye-popping fight scenes of the Cap on paper, he soon experienced them in real life. In 1943, he got drafted into the Army to fight in WWII. On learning of Kirby’s background in the comics industry, his lieutenant made him a scout who would advance into towns and draw reconnaissance maps and pictures, an extremely dangerous duty. During one such mission in Normandy, he nearly lost his leg to frost-bite.



Working with Stan Lee



Kirby worked on several projects with Marvel comics figurehead Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko. They came up with legendary characters such as Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Anti-Man, the collective Avengers, Silver Surfer and the X-Men. But while Lee come into the limelight, Kirby and Ditko remained in the shadows.



At Marvel, Kirby struggled for better pay, royalties, and the return of original artwork.



Later, he worked for other publications including DC Comics, created the Fourth World saga, which includes New Gods, an integral part of the DC universe. He also worked with Neil Gaiman to revive the “Sandman” series.



Work ethic



Kirby was known for his strict work ethic. In his prime, Kirby would draw three or four pages a day, resulting in thousands of pages over the course of his career.



Legacy



Kirby died in 1994, but his name remains etched in stone in the comic world.



Did you know?




  • In 2017, Kirby was posthumously named a Disney Legend with Lee for their co-creations, which formed the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  • The Jack Kirby Award was presented in his honour from 985-1987 for achievement in comic books.

  • Kirby produced over 25,000 pages during his lifetime as well as hundreds of comic strips and sketches.



 



Picture Credit : Google


Who is the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh?



Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne’s collection of children’s stories about a little boy named Christopher Robin and his beloved little bear made him a household name.



Generations of children all over the world grew up loving the tales of Winnie-the-Pooh and the friendly animals of the Hundred Acre Wood.



But while the poems and stories continue to enthrall readers even today, their creator Milne himself was never able to enjoy his success. The honey-eating bear overshadowed all his other work and was the cause of a bitter feud with his son, the real-life Christopher Robin who had inspired Milne to create the fictional characters.



Who was A.A. Milne?



Born in London on January 18, 1882, Milne was the son of John Vine, a headmaster of a small boys’ school in England. Milne had an extraordinary flair for writing from a young age. Despite a graduate degree in mathematics from Trinity College, Cambridge, Milne chose to pursue a career in literature. His first big break was working for the leading British humour magazine Punch.



War experiences



Milne served in the British Army during World War I. Fighting in the Battle of Somme, he witnessed the harsh realities of war. His best friend was “blown to pieces just as he was settling down for tea,” while another friend was killed by a German sniper. Disturbed by his war experiences, Milne took refuge in writing. He became a successful playwright and a screenwriter.



Milne and Robin



Christopher Robin, born on August 21, 1920, was Milne’s son. On his first birthday, Robin received a stuffed bear as a present and named it Edward. The child soon accumulated a collection of similar animals, which inspired Milne to spin whimsical stories around the toys. He created the world of Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood, along with illustrator Ernest Shepherd who brought the tales to life through his expressive drawings. The first book, a collection of children’s poems titled “When We Were Very Young”, came out in 1924, shortly after Robin’s fourth birthday. It sold more than 50,000 copies in eight weeks. Three more short stories followed.



Rift with Robin



But as the popularity of the series grew, it made life incredibly difficult for Milne’s young son., Robin. He was bullied in school for resembling the eponymous fictional character. His classmates taunted him by reciting lines from Milne’s books and poems.



The 2017 biopic, “Goodbye Christopher Robin” an iconic scene between the father and son, shows his agony – “You asked me to write a book for you” says the father. The son replies: “Yes, for me not about me!”



Robin has elaborated on his feelings towards his father and character in his memoir “The Enchanted Places.” “At home I still liked him (his father), indeed felt at times quite proud that I shared his name and was able to bask in some of his glory. At school, however, I began to dislike him, and I found myself disliking him more and more the older I got,” it reads. The father-son relationship strained as a result.



Bear in mind



Even Milne eventually came to resent the honey-eating bear as it eclipsed all that he had accomplished as a poet, playwright, peace campaigner and novelist. As he put it in 1952, he created Winnie-the-Pooh, “little thinking/ All my years of pen-and-inking/ Would be almost lost among/ Those four trifles for the young”.



Did you know?




  • The first volume of Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” series published in 1926, consisted of 10 short stories, which were later adapted by Disney into a cartoon series. It was followed by the second volume “House at Pooh Corner” in 1928.

  • Milne also wrote for different audiences spanning different genres such as war and politics. In 1922, he wrote a mystery novel called “Red House Mystery.”

  • Milne and Arthur Conan Doyle played on the same cricket team Allahakberries.

  • A talented mathematician, Milne won a scholarship to study at one of the world’s most restricted institutions, Trinity College, Cambridge.

  • The original map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood by Ernest Shepherd sold at an auction in Sotheby’s in London for 430,000 pounds, a record price for a book illustration.

  • The name Winnie came from a brown bear that young Robin visited in the London Zoo. The bear was rescued by a veterinarian doctor from Canada, Harry Colebourn in 1914, who named it Winnipeg, after his hometown.

  • The character has always been referred to as a ‘he’ in the literary works and films.



 



Picture Credit : Google


How Sarojini Naidu found her voice as a poet?



Sarojini Naidu was the first woman president of the Indian National Congress and free India’s first woman governor.  But first and foremost, she was a poet. A uniquely talented poet, Sarojini had the ability to capture the essence of humanity through her lyrical verses, which are recited in schools across India even today. But do you know how she found her voice as a poet?



Early life



Sarojini was born in Hyderabad on February 13, 1879, to Aghornath Chattopadhyay, a scientist, philosopher and co-founder of the Nizam College, and Barada Sundari Devi, a Bengali poet. A gifted student, Sarojini was proficient in Bengali, Urdu, Telugu, French and English. At just 12 years of age, she topped the matriculation exam at the University of Madras.



Once while working on an algebra problem, she penned a 1,300-line-long poem titled The Lady of the Lake. When she showed it to her father, he recognized her literary talent and encouraged her to pursue writing, even though he initially wanted her to study mathematics.



Sarojini wrote the play Maher Muneer in the Persian language. And her father sent one copy to the Nawab of Hyderabad. The Nawab was greatly impressed by the play written by a young girl and offered her a scholarship to study abroad. So at 16, she took admission to King’s College, London, and later, pursued further studies at Girton College, Cambridge.



Finding her voice



Studying in England, Sarojini got an opportunity to meet with some of the greatest literary names of the time. One of them was prominent English poet, Edmund Gosse, who had influenced James Joyce and W.B. Yeats. Gosse guided Sarojini to stay true to Indian themes in her poetry. Following his advice, Sarojini was able to find her voice as a poet. Weaving Indian festivals, customs and traditions, flora and fauna into her verses, she wrote about the simple joys and sorrows of life. Her collections The Golden Threshold, The Bird of Time, and The Broken Wing earned her both national and international recognition. Prominent Indian personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore, and Jawaharlal Nehru counted them among her fans.



At 19, she married Dr. Govindarajulu Naidu even though he belonged to a different caste. When she returned to India she actively took part in demonstrations against the Partition of Bengal. Freedom fighter Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who admired her poems, inspired her to use her poetry to encourage the masses to join the Independence movement. Her poetry helped galvanise the public into action since the British had banned the publication of Indian newspapers. Her In the Bazaars of Hyderabad spread the message of Swadeshi.



For her work in the field of poetry writing, Sarojini earned the sobriquet “The Nightingale of India”.



Empowering women



Sarojini travelled throughout the country to encourage women to take part in the movement. Along with Annie Besant, Sarojini founded the Women’s India Association at Adyar in Chennai (then Madras). She demanded recognition from the Congress and the British for women’s suffrage in India.



Sarojini developed a strong friendship with Gandhiji, and remained by his side for 30 years.



After India attained independence, she became the first woman governor of the United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh). She served as governor till she died of a heart attack on March3, 1949.



 



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What is the story of author Aravind Adiga?



Aravind Adiga made headlines more than 12 years ago when he won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. Aged 33 at the time, he became the second-youngest author to win the coveted literary prize. Before him, Ben Okri won it at the age of 32 in 1994. Eleanor Catton (25) is the youngest-ever, having won the prize in 2013.



And the fact that Adiga was a first-time author cemented his place among the literary greats. Today, there is hardly a reader in India who has not heard about Adiga and the White Tiger (even if they have not read it.)



Early life



Adiga was born in Chennai on October 23, 1974. Later, he moved to Mangalore (Mangaluru) with his family. Growing up in the provincial town, Adiga’s mother, Usha helped him cultivate a healthy reading habit. Since it was expensive to buy books, he joined a circulating library that would lend books at a nominal rate. Like other children his age, Adiga devoured comics and Hardy Boys. But he was getting bored with the typical fare for young adult readers. On the recommendation of a librarian, Adiga read Oscar Wilde and Agatha Christie. Christie’s unique narrative technique – using the murderer as a narrator in the Murder of a Roger Ackroyd – fascinated him. It inspired his Booker winning debut novel The White Riger.



Soon even the library had nothing more to offer the avid reader and so, Adiga started combing through his grandfather’s cupboards to find new titles to read. He was not disappointed. His grandfather, a local lawyer, kept his cupboards well-stocked with the works of prominent British writers Somerset Maugham, G.K. Chesterton, G.B. Shaw, and J.B. Priestley.



Tragedy strikes



At 16, Adiga lost his mother and suddenly his world turned upside down. Leaving behind his beloved town, Adiga moved to Australia along with his father. Holding a dual citizenship of India and Australia, Adiga spent some of his teenage years in Parramatta in Sydney, where he attended The James Ruse Agricultural High School.



Mangaluru and Sydney were worlds apart, but writing helped Adiga cope with his new environment. He devoted himself to writing and often spent whole nights typing away on his computer.



Journalism years



Adiga’s clarity of ideas, freshness of approach and exceptional grasp of topics earned him praise from his teachers. He went onto study English Literature at Columbia University in New York and then at Magdalen College, Oxford. Despite spending years abroad, he felt the pull to return to India. And so after graduation, he started working as a financial journalist in the capital. Working with Financial Times, he covered the dynamic world of stock markets and investments and later contributed to Time magazine in Delhi. But the desire to become a writer was so strong that he quit his job and moved to Mumbai to focus on writing.



Maximum city



Living in a dingy one bedroom apartment in the crowded suburb of Santacruz, Adiga hoped that the Maximum city would be his muse. The British Council library in Nariman Point, Prithvi Café in Juhu and small Udupi restaurants became his daily haunts. The city helped him discover his voice as a writer and soon, he gained international recognition for his first book, The White Tiger about a rickshaw puller’s son rising from the depths of poverty in rural India to becoming an entrepreneur in Bengaluru. It paints a scathing picture of the corruption and greed rampant in the country.



His subsequent works Last Man in Tower and Selection Day paid ode to the City of Dreams, Mumbai. In Last Man in Tower, Adiga captures the harsh realities of Mumbai’s real-estate market, while he focusses on the aspirations of its young in Selection Day.



His latest book, Amnesty, is a tale about an ‘illegal’ migrant from Sri Lanka who is caught in a moral dilemma in Australia.



Oh Really?




  • Adiga was a state topper in his Class X board examinations.

  • His mother, Usha, inculcated a love of reading in the young Adiga.

  • As a financial journalist, Adiga once interviewed the current U.S. President Donald Trump.

  • In 2008, Adiga became the second-youngest writer to win the £50,000 Man Booker award.

  • In 2017, his novel Selection Day was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. The book has been adapted into a Netflix series starring Mahesh Manjrekar and Ratna Pathak.



 



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What is the back-story of Dan Brown?



It’s not every day that you hear of an author of adrenaline-fuelled conspiracy novels turning to children’s writing and music. But then Dan Brown always does things differently.



Growing up, he lived on the campus of his school, Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire, where his father Richard taught mathematics. His parents’ decision to not keep a television set in the House forced Brown and his siblings to turn to puzzles and crosswords for entertainment.



Love for riddles



On birthdays and Christmases, the entire family took part in treasure hunts designed by their father. They eagerly pored over riddles and maps to find clues carefully hidden around the house. Racing from one clue to the next, the joy of finally locating their gifts – a shiny new bicycle, a favourite book or a cherished toy – would elicit shrieks of delight.



Besides solving puzzles, Brown enjoyed playing the piano. He was part of the Amherst College Glee Club, which was a singing group. His mother Constance too was a trained church organist. After graduation, Brown decided to become a musician. He produced songs for children – some of them such as Suzuki Elephants and Happy Frog became popular – and later went on to launch his own record company. He even moved to Hollywood to pursue a carrer as a singer-songwriter and pianist, but did not meet with much success.



A thrilling start



Brown took up a job as an English teacher at his alma mater, Phillip Exeter Academy. Reading Sidney Sheldon’s The Doomsday Conspiracy on a lazy vacation inspired him to try his hand at writing a thriller. Tapping into his passion for cryptography and riddles, Brown penned Digital Fortress, a techno-thriller that explores the theme of government surveillance of electronically stored information on the private lives of citizens. Its success led him to quit his job as a teacher and focus on writing full-time. His knowledge of art history and religion helped him come up with The Da Vinci Code, the second book to feature the character of Robert Langdon, a symbology expert. The book became an instant success and is credited with renewing interest in Da Vinci’s work and secret societies, as well as spiking tourism to Paris and Rome. It was adapted into a film in 2006 starring the inimitable Tom Hanks as Langdon.



Changing tack



Brown’s books usually explore the intriguing world of secret societies, saints, deities, poets, architects, code-breakers and symbologists. With a desire to share his love for music and mysteries with kids, he has now forayed into children’s literature. His picture book is wild Symphony, scheduled to release in September. The book is about a mouse who is a musical conductor. Staying true to Brown’s love for codes, the book will include different types of clues and puzzles. Readers can find anagrams that spell a musical instrument when placed in the right order. The book also promises a unique reading experience as it combines reading with music. Using an app on your phone, you will be able to play the right song for every animal.



Giving back



Brown has always acknowledged the role of his alma mater Phillips Exeter in shaping his life. His family makes frequent donations to the school to provide financial support to underprivileged students. In 2004, the family set up the Richard G. Brown Technology Endowment to give computers to children in need.



OH REALLY?




  • Have you read Danielle Brown? Dan Brown used this pseudonym to co-author a book with his wife Blythe. It was called 187 Men to Avoid: A Survival Guide for the Romantically Frustrated Woman

  • The Chapter 23 in The Da Vinci Code contains some events that are a part of Brown’s childhood. The book jacket even contains puzzles that give hints about its sequel.

  • Brown uses inversion therapy – hanging upside down using gravity boots – to get ideas when he experiences writer’s block.



 



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