It's an era of customised fitness books: Celebrity fitness trainers

Gone are the days when fitness books were synonymous with diet books or guide books carrying a huge list of do's and don'ts.
    The recent years have witnessed multiple experiments in the genre of fitness books with new avatars hitting the book shelves while the experts believe 'customised fitness books'  is the season's trend.
    "No wonder how well researched and well written a fitness book is it can not prove useful for everyone. The fitness needs vary with certain factors like age, sex, health and much more and hence the need of 'customised fitness books' for different categories ", says Abhishek, celebrity fitness trainer.
    Abhishek who has been training celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kappor, Kalki Koechlin, Sonam Kaoor, Salman Khan, Akshay Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Subroto Roy and Aditya Roy Kapoor  has recently added a new category to the customized list with his book 'Fitness on go -For busy people'.
    " Why should fitness books just fall into traditional categories. 'Busy people' is one such category which will involve majority of people. So, I chose to pen down this book for guiding anytime anywhere holistic workout for busy people" says Abhsihek.
    " People today are not interested in fads, short cuts or some new clever way of exercising which promise results without any effort. They want books which can play the same role a fitness trainer will play for them." says Abhishek.

 

  Another wellness expert Namita Jain who has written four fitness books for different age categories like Jaldi Fit (for adults), Jaldi fit kids (For kids), The four weeks countdown
diet and Figure it out (For teens) completed her series by penning down another book for old people titled 'sexy at sixty".
    " People's approach towards fitness has drastically changed over years. Today fitness is not just recognised as toned muscles or flat stomach." says Namita adding, " A fitness regime suggested for a 30-year-old woman will not be beneficial for a teenage girl who wishes to have an hour glass
figure. Hence they need to have options to pick up books customised to suit their needs"
        Namita who recently associated herself with ' Diet Mantra' for training dieticians in personalised fitness solutions says, " Apart from telling what is good for health of old people and what is not ' Sexy at sixty' also takes into account certain problems like Menopause,  prostate enlargement and osteoporosis which are common at this age. "
        " The readers don't just expect a checklist of things to be followed from the fitness books but also expect the book to have that kind of motivation that when they finish reading it the book does not only lie in their bookshelves but they also feel like following it regularly" says Abhishek.
        Other books like 'Confessions of a serial dieter' by Kalie Purie and bestsellers like 'Don't Loose your mind, Loose your weight' and ' Women and weight loss tamasha' by Rujeta Diwekar also fall into the category and deal with specific issues pertaining to fitness which an average reader would like to read and follow rather than them just appealing the health experts.

Wendell Rodricks allow an entry into his ' Green Room' via his autobiography 

Too many fashion weeks all year around not only localise the industry but also dilute its long celebrated essence as well as negatively impact business, says fashion designer Wendell Rodricks who has unveiled secrets of the glamorous industry in his newly released autobiography.
    "With so many fashion weeks being held every now and then the whole concept of 'green room' is being diluted and the business is being affected," says Rodricks, a veteran of the Indian fashion industry.
    "The Green Room" published by Rupa's Raintree Publications is Wendell's autobiographical account which he says is an entry into into his green room to which no outsider is allowed access.
    From the time he used to work as a cook in Oman to the day he established his own label, the book is a tell all tale of how he transformed his passion into reality  and how the industry has undergone a stage of metamorphosis in past 25 years.
    "I have neither chronicled my story nor is it a retrospective of fashion shows over the years but a culmination of both. In a way its a story of my evolution and Indian fashion's evolution" Wendell told PTI in an interview.
    However, the designer who hails from Goa believes he has become compassionate to past circumstances and penned down this book.
   

    "The most challenging thing to do was to remember all what I have been through. Recalling all the highs and lows I have developed a new perspective towards those circumstance which I didn't have at the time of their occurrence," he says.
 A green room says Wendell Rodricks is a very strange place to which only few people have access to though the activities and relationships there can not be defined in a set or predictable pattern.What happens in green room after all rarely stays there.
    "Designers showing a collection at a particular time slot colonise the green room for 'their hour'.  However close the friendship between them, the entry of others  into the green room during 'their hour' is frowned upon" he writes.
    The ace designer's dream is to have a green room that is plush and luxurious.
    "Instead of cramped make up area, shoddy racks, dirty floors and black curtain walls, we will have
flowers, champagne, white walls, space...." he says claiming that perhaps that dream will come true someday and perhaps it will change the very nature of the  fashion industry.
    Wendell who has earlier written a book on history of Goan costume 'Moda Goa', Wendell is presently working on a text book called ' Cutting in squares' which he  says will decode and decipher the art of cutting clothes through guidelines of Indian geometry.
    "It is time I believe we need to revamp and revise the current structure of fashion education in our
 country. There are so many fashion graduates every year and they end up being
no where".

"India grows at night...when the government sleeps" 

says a new book by Former CEO of Procter & Gamble

Though governance failure continues to pervade public life yet prosperity is spreading across the country and hence  the need for today is a strong liberal state, says well known author and commentator Gurucharan Das in his new book.
'India grows at night' published by Penguin books  explores the cause of hardships that effect India after twenty years of liberalization and suggests what ordinary citizens can do to make things better.
" India has always been a strong society but weak state. Hence the title 'India grows at night' while the full expression is ' India grows at night..when the government sleeps" says Gurucharan who was the former CEO of CEO of Proctor & Gamble India.
He believes that when despite being governed by a weak and ineffective state India has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies, its time for India to grow during the day as well.
" To deal with the policy paralysis prevailing in the country we need a strong liberal state. India will also be able to grow during the day if public policy is supported by private enterprise" he says.
To explain the model of 'liberal state', Das has cited the examples of growth stories of two cities in Delhi NCR-Faridabad and Gurgaon which he believes triggered the title and his thought process for the book.
" In early 80s experts had estimated Faridabad to be symbol of India' success and hence spent capital and time in its growth. To every body's surprise Gurgaon proved to symbol of rising India three decades later while Faridabad continues to be an impoverished city" says Das.
According to Das, Gurgaon's  disadvantage of having no municipal government turned out to be its advantage as people there didn't have to face any interference in their process of development.
Chapters of the book like ' Middle-class Dignity' and 'Politics of Aspiration' talk about the prevalent situation of politics and governance in the country.
Another chapter, 'Confronting the corruption' also takes into account Anna Hazare's movement against corruption. However Das  believes there is a need for institutional reforms prior to any political reforms.
" To prevent corruption we should reform the institutions of governance, eradicate the ' license raj' and stop the populist policies that create opportunities fro corruption" he says adding, " So, good old-fashioned reforms of the 1991 variety would do far more than sending the hounds of Lokpal after every official who yielded to temptation."
Defining the ' Liberal state' that Das  suggests as the solution of the hour, he says , " We need a ' decisive liberal state' which has three basic qualities which include a government which is bound by the rule of law,  an executive that can act quickly, and civil servants who are accountable to the people."
Comparing the situations between India and China in the same context Das says, " While China has to fix its politics, India has to fix its governance. Whoever will do so first, will win the race".
" In order to win the race another revolution which is needed is Industrial revolution. Lets aim at a manufacturing society too rather than just aiming at institutional and political reforms" he says.

Ruskin Bond pens down the tale of 'indescribable' Maharani

After Handful of Nuts, Bond is back with his next novel for adults 'Maharani', a character which he says he was unable to decide an adjective for.
"I have known Maharani personally for years. She has an extravagant personality who loves to dominate any kind of proceedings. On one hand I found her difficult to handle and on the other hand I found it hard not to like her," Bond told PTI in an interview.
" After brainstorming over adjectives like 'wicked' and 'naughty' for her, I thought it was better to leave it to the readers to decide what actually she can be called. So I kept the title just 'Maharani'." he said.
Ruskin Bond, who is known for his sense of humour says that the novel is different form his previous bestsellers in its own way.

        " Now that I have grown old my writing has also witnessed that change. Unlike my previous novels which were more on a romantic and cynical side, in Maharani the humour has got a sharper edge to it. So I believe I have become a little mature!" said Bond.
Set in the hills, full of humour, a dash of supernatural elements, seductive maharanis and a different story of Jim Corbett, 'Maharani' published by Penguin Books is a tale of H.H. who is the spoilt, selfish, beautiful widow of the Maharajah of Mastipur.
She lives with her dogs and her caretaker, Hans, in an enormous old house in Mussorie, taking lovers and discarding them, drinking too much, and fending off her reckless sons who are waiting hungrily for their inheritance. The seasons come and go, hotels burns down, cinemas shut shop, and people leave the hill station never to return. But H.H. remains constant and indomitable.
Observing her antics, often with disapproval, is her old friend Ruskin, who can never quite cut himself off from her.
Bond says that the story of maharani involves him too. " As I have told the story of Maharani with me in the background. So its kind of my story too which unfolds as Maharani's story progresses over the years." he said.
However he refused to call it completely a true tale or a complete fabrication.
" For almost all the fictitious writers their characters are somewhat based on real life character only. But I combine two or three characters in my creative capacity to come up with one character and the same applies to Maharani too." he said.
The veteran storyteller believes that over the years his love has not changed for short stories.
" I am a story teller first and a writer thereafter. Though the era of telling stories has long gone yet I will continue to do so. Creating a character and building a scene with twists and turns is something I can't resist while writing" said Bond.
Bond who is presently working on two children books and a memoire likely to be published in another three months will also be awarded with Bal Sahitya Puraskar for his contribution to children's literature this November.

(This story of mine was carried by PTI and was picked up at other websites and newspapers. The statement is mentioned to avoid any perception of plagiarism)

Satyamev Jayate: A book written in Jail during emergency era

Emergency, the darkest era of Indian history which has been commemorated since 1975 in different forms be it television sagas or print publications, registered to its existing list, a novel describing the era using fictitious characters on the 37th anniversary of imposition of Emergency.
    Book 'Satyamev Jayate' by Gopal Vyas is first novel to have fictitious characters describing the pain and agony of the Indians during emergency.
    Gopalvyas, former engineer and MP wrote this book while he was in Raipur jail from 1975-77 during emergency. The publishing of the book has been attempted twice since then but failed  due to the misplacement of the diary which was written in jail.
    According to Gopal Vyas , " The youth today is untouched with the efforts made by leaders during the time of emergency and hence is unable to gauge certain informal forms of emergency that are existing in the country. It was the desire of many leaders of that time to have a book on this era and hence I gave shape to it."
    The 'blackest era' has been described in three sections in the book. The first section talks about the pre emergency era where the nation was struggling with certain developmental issues where as the second section describes the transition of the country into the dark phase and its implications.
    "How each one of the leaders struggled to deal with that controversial phase under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi has been described in the book so that no injustice is done to anybody's efforts which contributed to the removal of state of emergency" Goplavyas told in an interview.
    The third section is dedicated to poems written by different poets of the era followed by transcription of different speeches by leaders like JP Narayan, LK Advani, Subramanian Swamy, Morarji Desai and others which were delivered during the struggle to remove emergency.
    Quizzed on the use of fictional characters in the book the author says, "During the time of emergency I used to write my thoughts and then current scenario in my diary. Due to the fear of forfeiture and seizure by the jail authorities I used to write it using fictious names. The characters even the name of the country is fictious. ".
    Gopal Vyas adds that at the time of editing it was discussed whether the fictious names should be replaced with real names or not and finally the committee settled on using the fictious characters to keep the feel intact. However the description of each character has been given in the end.
    The foreword of the book has been written by Janata Party President who played a crucial role during the emergency. "The problem with the youth then, Swamy said, was that they believed that struggling on such issues was an impossible task and the trend still continues. I believe this book will be able to develop understanding and awareness in the youth about the era and motivate them to take up further challenges in the country" said Swamy on the occasion of book release.
    The cover of the book for describing the 'black era' is indeed colourful with shades of tricolour on it. The cover endorses Mother India (Bharat Mata) with photographs of leaders like JP Narayan, Subramanian Swamy, Arun Jaitely, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Morraji desai, Chandrashekhar Azaad and other important leaders of the era in the background.
    At the bottom of the cover there are pictures of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi stretching across the tagline "  Imposition of emergency: Midnight 25 June, 1975".
    The paperback priced at Rs 299 has been published by Sanjeevni Publications and has been dedicated to all the people and families who had to face extreme mental, financial, and unusual physical harassment while struggling for removal of emergency.

          The day SUDHA MURTHY stopped drinking milk..!!!!

The spirit of social service rings true only when an individual feels he is doing it because he wants to do it not because the other person needs it, says Sudha Murthy, Chairperson, Infosys Foundation.
    Sudha has talked about the emotional challenges she faced while helping people at her Foundation in her fourth book "The day I stopped drinking milk," which is based on personal experiences.
    "There were instances when I felt cheated because my feeling of social service was neither acknowledged or reciprocated by the second party," Sudha told  in an interview.
    "It is with growing age and experience that I realised, I was doing it for myself and not for others. Hence, I found my happiness and satisfaction in it," she adds.
    Her recent book  published by Penguin books is a collection of personal experiences that the author describes as "Life stories from here and there".
    "There have been plenty of experiences that I wished to write about but found them to be somewhat similar to each other. Later I realised that though they are of similar nature but each of them has changed me in a different way," says Sudha.
    Though she claims that the book is not just a collection of her stories but also of people who confided their stories in her and few of them even encouraged her to tell their stories.
    "Most of the people I have written about requested me to change their names and use their problems as case studies" she says adding, "Some like Vishnu and Porado encouraged me to tell their stories so that others should not become like them."
    Sudha who has also penned down bestsellers like "Wise and Otherwise" and "The Old Man and his God, doesn't believe in planning books in advance.
    "Planning things is neither my cup of tea nor my choice. Same applies to books too. I write a book when I think I have got enough experiences to share," said Murthy.
    Asked about the choice of title for this book, Murthy said, "The day I stopped drinking milk is a very sensitive story telling the tale of how we forget what is 'normal' for us falls under the category of 'expensive' or 'unaffordable' for middle or poor class."
    Though the author has written books of multiple genres including technical computer science books, short stories, novels, children's books and books on her life experiences, yet she believes writing about personal experiences is the most challenging.

(This story of mine was also carried by PTI on Sep 10 and was picked  up at different websites and newspapers. The statement is mentioned to avoid any perception of plagiarism)

DECODING RAHUL GANDHI

Rahul Gandhi: An inconsistent and opportunistic BRAND of politics

 

Rahul Gandhi's philosophy is a form of corporate-politics where he plays the role of a management consultant representing himself as a 'brand' which has emerged as an inconsistent and opportunist brand over the years, says a new book.

'Decoding Rahul Gandhi ' by Aarthi Ramachandran chronicles his political path which is different from that pursued by his mother Sonia, father Rajiv and grandmother Indira.
" Rahul Gandhi's politics has conveyed a sense of opportunism as issues like the land acquisition bill taken up by him before the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls appear to have been left for another election" says Aarthi who has tracked Rahul Gandhi's political career closely during her career as a political journalist with leading dailies.
Keeping in view the current political scenario in the country and 2014 elections approaching it's the right time to decode and analyse whether 'Brand' Rahul can save the congress and of course the country in longer run or not, believes the author.
In the process of writing the book Aarthi had tried two years to do his interview for the sane and follow him on election trails but failed to do so. " I had to always meet a strong silence and nothing emerged from behind those walls but still I chose to go ahead with this book because he is not a political figure we can wish away with, we like hi or not" says Aarthi.
She adds, " Despite having a huge asset of being from Nehru Family, I believe it has become more of a liability for Rahul. But if he hasn't disappeared from politics till now, he won't be going easily. Hence the need to decode him."
The book published by  Tranquebar Press evaluates  various questions like how did Rahul Gandhi's years abroad as a student and as a management consultant influence his politics? Why have his plans flopped so far? What was his much hyped revamp of the Indian Youth Congress ( IYC)  and NSUI all about and much more such frequently raised questions about his personality and political career.
Thought the author claims to have neutrally examined his role in each of the situations yet she accept that she has been favourable to him at some points in the book.
" With my observation so far, I think  his intentions were never wrong just that he hasn't been able to accomplish them through politics. he doesn't seem to have that sense" says Aarthi.
Talking about his  political career so far, Aarthi says " Rahul is one such personality who wants to have his cake and not eat it. He doesn't want to put much of himself out or may be he is uncomfortable with the existing models".
After all his efforts to prove his himself and his failures, humiliating defeat in UP assembly elections being the major one, Aarthi believes its time he realises that the next phase of his career is begun and he comes out and says that he is done with his learning and ready to take decisions.
" He has done 6-7 years of on job training and field research. It's time for him to present his thesis  and come up with a blue print of what he can do for India and where he wants to take the country" says Aarthi.

Shahnaz Hussain's daughter on her autobiography

No one else could have written Shahnaz Hussain's story like I have done: Nelofar Currimbhoy

Being a witness to well known beauty- expert Shahanaz Hussain's meteoric success and her personal setbacks, no other writer could have done justice to her story, says Hussain's daughter Nelofar Currimbhoy.

Nelofar who had recently penned down her mother's biography, "Flame: The story of mother Shahnaz Hussain" told in an interview, " Considering she had refused several notable authors to write her biography, it was perhaps the greatest honor and symbol of her and faith in me. So, 'Flame' is not just a biographical account but a promise kept."
           "Writing a book is a long experience and quite frankly I began to feel at some point that no one could tell her story like me even though the narrative may be brushed with a daughters affection." said Nelofar adding, " No doubt, there will be many books written on her in the future too but making the debut is a touching moment for me."
            Recalling the day she promised Hussain to pen down her biography Nelofar said, " She gifted me Gulzar’s biography written by his daughter Boski. When I opened the first page I found a note by her saying , "Promise me you will write a book on me someday."
             Nelofar who is the President of Shahnaz Ayurveda said that her passion for writing and establishing her identity as a writer is above all other priorities for her.
             "We all have our own parameters of success and fulfillment and for me it only means being a writer who leaves behind a body of work. The line on my epitaph ? ‘Nelofar Currimbhoy - Writer’"she said.
             Hussain who refused to read the draft of the book before it was published had immense faith in her daughter's writing since her childhood, said Nelofar.
             " She has my poems and scribbles framed on her walls and collected my letters to her which she says she would like to publish. Clearly she  was convinced of my writing abilities but I got convinced after I got the feedback from Hacchett Publications."
              Nelofar believes that writing the book was an effortless experience for her as compared to what she had expected. " It was as though I was spilling the life I saw  as a young girl , as a daughter and as an active participant in the story I was telling . It was her life, it was my life, it was our life. That’s how I viewed it. That's how I wrote it." she said.
               Quizzed about the choice of  title for the biography, Nelofar said, "The book describes my reason when I say 'This is the story of my mother who was born a flame; a Flame so bright that none of life’s storms could douse her intensely free spirit. Every time a wave splashed on her she rose again with an irrepressible energy- the energy of life and passion."
               Citing similar reasons for the choice of cover page she said, " I scanned through uncountable images stocked on the computer and nothing seemed to do justice .  Finally there was this picture that touched the senses immediately. It has a certain iconic quality, the clothes and jewelry convey her aristocratic background,  and somehow the eyes clearly have the look of determination that is the hallmark of her character. "
                Nelofar believes that she relived her childhood and her mother's struggle while writing the book. "There are some very intimate anecdotes in my writing that my mother had to go back in time to remember, ones that had stayed with me as precious moments as a young girl." she said adding, " I remember how we set up the first salon together as a family, I recollect the hours I spent labeling the first products with hand typed strips. "
                Quoting her mother's favourite lines from the book she said, "Let me take you through this place where history was made and dreams came true, while the paint still smelt fresh."

CHETAN BHAGAT ON HIS FIRST 'NON FICTION' BOOK

"Read, write, repeat. There are no other short cuts!!!"

Thats what the youth icon and one of  India's best-selling paperback writer, Chetan Bhagat  has to advice the new writers, though he confesses that he was nervous himself  while experimenting a move from his trademark fiction style to non fiction in his latest book, " What young India wants".

Excerpts form an interview with Gunjan Sharma

Q. How is this book different from your previous bestsellers? 

A. It is a non-fiction compilation of my columns, whereas the other books I have done are stories or  fiction. Hence, it is a new genre. Its an experiment, which now I feel is worth done.
 

Q. Your previous titles have been based on fiction where as the style that you have adopted in your columns in Times of India is more of  editorial style. You wished to experiment or you wanted to keep a difference between novel and column writing? 

A. I wanted to expand my range as a writer. Also I wanted my writing to not just entertain, but also bring about change. The book contains existing columns, but I have also done some new essays and structured the book around themes such as society, politics and youth.
 

Q.Don't you think the title, " What young India wants " is vague to some extent to sum up the desires and aspirations of today's  youth? Please tell about the reason for choosing this title?

A. I think youth are bulk of the population of this country, and we should take into account what they want. Somehow the voice of the youth is not heard. I am trying to change that. There is of course a different issue and hence different message in each column, but overall I want a prosperous India with good values in society.

Q. How much of the book is realistic and based on research of what the youth actually wants?

 
A. I am a motivation speaker too, and have visited over 75 cities in India and interacted with thousands of young people in each city. That became my research. The columns are based on what is happening in the country, particularly issues I feel affect many of us.

Q. How was your experience and what were the challenges you faced while writing a book different  from your trademark style?

A. It is unnerving to get out of your comfort zone. I was nervous how readers will accept me as a non-fiction writer, but the response to the book is good. I am relieved now. The next will be a fiction novel, and should be a love story out in 2013.
 

Q. Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

A. I won't take names as there are too many, but Indian writing has seen wonderful new voices  come out recently. Indian writing has dramatically changed in the past few years, particularly in  English. We have more people reading, and that is good. However, regional literature needs a push.
 

Q. What would you like to advice to the newcomers in the field of writing?    

A. Read. Write. Repeat. There are no short cuts!. I want people to aim high in life, not underrate themselves and learn from mistakes. This goes a long way in life.

Striking off the to do CHECKLIST - Blogging Done..!!!!

One permanent thing that I have always witnessed about myself is a long checklist of the works to be done which no wonder how hard I try keeps on increasing irrespective of the things that I proudly keep striking off each time I accomplish any of those tasks.

In the urge of doing everything I always have a lengthy checklist and then doing each of the tasks on the checklist passionately is the obsession which reflects on the checklist permanently glued on my study table.

Making a checklist is one of the important things that I learn t at my first job where my boss made sure we penned down each task given to us to make sure that we don't forget any of them. I never knew ( for that sake even my boss didn't know) that this checklist habit will become an obsession with time and I will never be able to do without it.

So, as usual today also my checklist is as long as President's or that of any other celebrity. Its not that I don't make efforts to finish those tasks, of course I follow it diligently but its the matter of prioritizing things on the checklist I believe.

Blogging is also one of the tasks on my checklist (highlighted in red since long), something I have been passionate about,I’ve known about them, written about them, followed other’s blogs fervently but to take the plunge myself has taken me a while, or I should say a neighborhood aunt to open my eyes.

The other day while I was waiting for the driver outside my house to leave for office, a neighborhood aunt stopped buy and started a general conversation. From how my office is going to how my dress was looking, she suddenly threw a question which of course I couldn't handle.

With a mischievous smile she said, " Finished with studies, got a good job, so now enjoying surfing profiles on shaadi.com?" . Suddenly the driver honked and I took her leave but her statement kept on bothering me and on back of my mind my checklist of course!

I thought, " I haven't even reached LinkedIn yet and people are talking about Shaadi.com. Funny but true!"

And  with that I decided to revamp and revise my checklist and hence start blogging at least, something which I wanted to do way before the day I would register on any of the matrimonial sites.

Then the next question what to blog about, again went down my checklist and found myself bit confused, probably the same confusion which refrained me from blogging so far.

Yesterday when I saw a post that one of my colleagues had shared on her facebook wall which said, "I buy books like some women buy shoes". And that's where I striked my mind and my heart that books are my first love, something for which I am passionate the most and hence I am here with my BOOK RACK, a blog which talks about books, bookworms, authors and of course obsession with books. Keep Reading!!!