The Last Wave _ Photos

Report on The Last Wave - Mukul Ahmed

THE BOOK CLUB

The Last Wave – Pankaj  Sekhsaria;  a meeting with the author at The Book Club, U S Library, Poona Club on 24^th November 2014.

Pankaj introduced himself as an activist with Kalpavruksha , a Delhi based NGO working in the field of  environment.  He says he was ‘smitten’   with the islands of the Andaman  and Nicobar and whatever anyone might say, his book is ‘strongly grounded’ in the islands. He first visited them in 1993-94 but revisited them as a more committed activist with the SC’s intervention on the rights of indigenous people. While the orders on the rights were passed way back as 2002, to date they have not been implemented. The book, Pankaj clams is a result of the non implementation of the Court’s orders.

Pankaj maintains that while the broader issues of the islands  are known to all, there are several  micro but equally pressing issues in need of attention . The major issues can be listed as the Cellular jail, the Jarawa tribes, the local born people, the settlers. These are woven into a story.

The islands are quite far from mainland India & much closer to Indonesia and Burma. Few on the mainland of India know much about them except what they are shown as tourists. While the islands suffered destruction, paradoxically, the endangered Jarawa community remained unharmed by the mighty tsunami. The book, the author claims is a failure of his activism against the onslaught of ‘development’ , ‘the metaphorical wave’ against the real  tsunami wave.  It was a result of the author’s need to reach a wider audience to convey this.

Questions such as what do the Jarawa’s want ( like other indigenous peoples), who are we to  define their lives for them’ made for lively discussion. The author felt he had no answers to the many questions that emerged,  and more areas of grey emerged  in the process of his writing and during his stay there. More questions than answers were thrown up.

He concluded by saying that all places have ‘unknown recesses’ of history – stories that have been untouched. The book ‘is a canvas for reflection’ he concluded.

Asked if it was autobiographical he said some parts were.

Ms. Mukul Ahmed

The Last Wave - Pankaj Sekhsaria

Ever the aimless drifter, Harish finds the anchor his life needs in a chance encounter with members of the ancient – and threatened – Jarawa community: the ‘original people’ of the Andaman Islands and its tropical rainforests.

As he observes the slow but sure destruction of everything the Jarawa require for their survival, Harish is moved by a need to understand, to do something.

His unlikely friend and partner on this quest is Uncle Pame, a seventy-year-old Karen boatman whose father was brought to the islands from Burma by the British in the 1920s.

The islands also bring him to Seema, a ‘local born’ – a descendant of the convicts who were lodged in the infamous Cellular Jail of Port Blair. Seema has seen the world, but unlike most educated islanders of her generation, she has decided to return home.

Harish’s earnestness, his fascination and growing love for the islands, their shared attempt to understand the Jarawa and the loss of her own first love, all draw Seema closer to Harish. As many things seem to fall in place and parallel journeys converge, an unknown contender appears: the giant tsunami of December 2004.

The Last Wave is a story of lost loves, but also of a culture, a community, an ecology poised on the sharp edge of time and history.
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PANKAJ SEKHSARIA is an author, researcher, writer, photographer, campaigner and academic. He has travelled extensively in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for nearly 20 years as part of his work with the environmental action group, Kalpavriksh. He graduated as an engineer from University of Pune in 1994 and did a Masters in Mass Communication from Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi in 1997. He is currently writing up his doctoral thesis on the Cultures of Innovation in Nanotechnology Research for Development in India’ as part of his doctoral work in Science and Technology Studies.

Hyderabad has been his home for the last six years and he lives here with his wife and four year old son. He is currently Assistant Professor at the Tata Insitute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Hyderabad.
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Reviews of the book:

a commendable debut…

 Ajay Dandekar in Biblio

a poignant yet engaging tale of a group of tiny islands, which seldom find a worthy note of mention in ‘mainland India’, save for tourism and administrative purposes. Unless you are an anthropologist or an
anthropology student, you will hardly get to read a work of literature so soothingly immersed in that unusual milieu.

 The Financial Express

Sekhsaria …  invests The Last Wave with an imaginative spiritual core. The book draws on the wellsprings of life forces; it brings to sharp relief the mindless advance of modernity, contrasting it with a natural order of life.

 Shamik Bag in The Indian Express

The Book Club meets on Mon 24 November at 6:15pm

Via Satish Khot

THE BOOK CLUB

will meet on

MONDAY 24th November 2014

at 6.15 pm

at the U S Library, Poona Club

to discuss

The Last Wave - An Island Novel

by

 Pankaj Sekhsaria

This is a story based on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands,

A story of lost loves, but also of a culture, a community

poised on the sharp edge of time and history.

The Author himself will lead the discussion.

Do come & bring other book lovers along.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

To Be or Not to Be ..… Hamlet or Haider

Via Satish Khot

The Book Club's meeting on 27^th October 2014 where we discussed To Be or Not to Be ..…  Hamlet or Haider  was quite a hit. Over 70 people attended and we had to rush around to get more chairs. Even then we had a no. of people perched on tables.  But we all enjoyed it thoroughly. The Book Club got excellent reviews for it's meeting from the media. Even a FM radio station talked about it on their channel. The report in the newspaper can be seen on the following URL:

http://epaper.indianexpress.com/364513/Indian-Express-Pune/29-October-2014#page/24/1

Mohini Khot introduced the play and pointed out the popularity on stage ever since Shakespeare first wrote it. She said it was so as Hamlet's  allure was it's enigmatic nature. Why would a hero bent on revenge inexplicably delay it? And rather than an angry, determined and vengeful hero, in Hamlet we have an introspective, melancholy one who questions the very value of living –To Be or Not to Be.

After the introduction, Ahmed Karim offered a psychological interpretation of Hamlet's state of mind, his famed indecision and introspection, his "madness", his obsession with his uncle's guilt and his mother's sin. He further said that Hamlet's strong attachment to his mother seems a case of Oedipus complex.

Gautam Idnani reviewed the movie Haider, adapted by Vishal Bharadwaj. There was intensive discussion on Bharadwaj's choice of trouble torn Kashmir as the setting for this movie. The depiction of the police and the army came in for criticism  as was the script for being excessively pro militant.

Five members of The Book Club: Rita Chablani, Mukul Ahmed, Shenaz Setna, Shama Vijayan and Deepak Morris each recited a segment of the central soliloquy  To Be or Not to Be. Peter Veigas lightened the mood with an irreverent and comic take on the Prince of Denmark. And the heated discussion dissolved into laughter.

Here's a link to the Sakal Times coverage. Scroll down to see the report when the PDF loads.

FOR THE BOOKLOVERS!!!!!16 Amazing Bookstores From Around the World.

From Satish Khot

For me, all bookstores and libraries have a little magic to them, as they open up the door to knowledge. That said, some book stores stand out from the rest and offer an experience like no other. These are all amazing places where anyone can find something they love to read, sit back, and relax as they enjoy a unique atmosphere. So tell me, when was the last time you went out and got a good book?


Polare Bookstore in Maastricht, Netherlands.





I don't know who had the idea of turning a 700-year-old church to a bookstore but I'd have to say it was a really good one. In this beautiful mix of Gothic architecture and modern furniture you can enjoy a large number of titles and a great feeling of relaxation.







Word on the Water in London, United Kingdom.


When was the last time you were in a bookstore on a barge? Well now you know where to go if you ever feel like hopping aboard and browsing through a great selection of books. You can also stay on dry land and enjoy the shop's live readings and music shows.













City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, California.


Founded by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, it's no shock that this bookstore offers the entire second floor as a dedicated poetry space. Throughout the store there are chairs strategically placed so customers can not only enjoy the natural light but also take their time to sit and read a bit before choosing which book to take home.













The Livraria Cultura in São Paulo, Brazil.


This is the largest bookstore in Brazil but you can also say it's one of its biggest playgrounds. Featuring giant dragon statues, numerous areas to lounge and four stories of book-filled aisles, this is one place where it's hard to be bored.













Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, Italy.


A memorable store in a memorable city, Acqua Alta is a small shop full of books that fall off gondolas, bathtubs, and small boats all over the city. Feel free to dip your feet in the canal as you read, or climb a set of steps entirely made of old books.












Librería El Ateneo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.


Another good idea for a place to turn into a bookstore: a theater. The store is full of stunning architectural details, like Italian ceiling frescoes, rich red curtains, and ornate sculptures. It even has a piano that plays music as you browse your way around each section.













Cook & Book in Brussels, Belgium.


Many bookstores also include a coffee shop but none like this one. The shop is divided into nine rooms, each room contains a different genre of books and has its own special design to match.













Brattle Book Shop in Boston, Massachusetts.


One of the largest antiquarian book shops in the US, the Brattle Book Shop was founded in 1825 and offers a unique experience of outdoor bookstalls. If it's a bit too cold or hot outside, you are more than welcome to go inside and see the other three levels of the bookstore.













Librairie Ptyx in Brussels, Belgium.


A monument to all things art from both inside and out, you'll have a really hard time not noticing this amazing shop. The books here are carefully curated and the art on the walls pays homages to famous writers from all over the world.













The Last Bookstore in Downtown Los Angeles, California.


Welcome to another world, full of enormous pillars, bright lights, and a huge mix of new, old and used books. The upstairs section of the store is a paradise for book lovers where everything is just 1$.













Cafebrería El Péndulo in Mexico City, Mexico.


I have mentioned before the common mix of coffee shops and bookstores, but this store takes the idea to a new level with a combination of a coffee shop, a bookstore and a greenhouse. The place is full of natural light and vegetation so you won't even feel like you are in a bookstore as you sit there and read while throwing back some mojitos.













Atlantis Books in Santorini, Greece.


Atlantis is really just a big treasure cave for book lovers filled with tons of character and charm. The walls are full of messages to go over as you look through the many shelves of books around each corner.













Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon.


This indie bookstore was once a car dealership which means that while it not be as fancy as a former church or a theater, it's definitely enormous. The store is a well-known Portland landmark and a good reminder of the fact that people still appreciate new books, writers and titles.













Librairie Avant-Garde in Nanjing, China.


Moving on with the theme of cars, welcome to one of the world's only car garages converted to a bookstore. You can still see the yellow line on the floor as you look around and enjoy the simplistic but modern design.













Books Actually in Tiong Bahru, Singapore.


A refreshing and quirky mix of classic and modern, this bookstore has a collection of books that matches its appearance. Indie titles, local authors, and plenty of cute little knick-knacks sit next to modern classical books. It's a small but intimate book store, the kind you think of when you picture the ideal bookstore in your favorite book.













Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal.


The old saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is a perfect match for this "little" gem. The unassuming exterior of the store hides its beautiful rich dark wood, a sweeping staircase and stained glass windows. It is one of Portugal's oldest bookstores and a much recommended place to visit for just about anyone.

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