Oct 02 2009
Kite Strings has been out in the bookstores for a few months now and most of my friends and acquaintances have picked it up. I’d love to hear what you think of the book when you read it. Please post your feedback here! I’ll be waiting!:-)
Feb 03 2010
There’s that old cliche that change is the only thing that is constant in our lives. At 16, I didn’t know about it, and I hated visiting school again because of all the different changes that I saw happening there. In my mind, I always wanted Baldwins to stay the same because this was where I’d had the best of my years and of course, some of the not very best too.
I was a regular visitor because my sister was studying there and each time I went there, something was new, and plenty had changed. I hardened my heart and decided to accept change as being inevitable.
Now, 18 years later, I went to Baldwins because one of my most favourite teachers, Mrs. Rozario had asked me to come and speak to the students of 8th, 9th and 10th about Kite Strings.
Montgomery Hall had also fallen prey to the whole ‘change’ scenario and although the new hall is also called by the same name, I sorely missed the old structure. There was so much character in it that the new one seemed to lack for some reason.
Anyway, I sat there, a little apart from the students and watched a 9th standard class take assembly. Their simple skit brought smiles to my face, because I went back to the time when we had to do all this. It was a time of great fun, confusion and even disappointment for some of us if we were not chosen to take part. Nevertheless, the students did a good job and I was a little taken aback when it was followed up by a powerpoint presentation that recapped what had been depicted in the skit. 
Why was I surprised?
Then I was called upon the stage by Mrs. Rozario who had taught me for two years in high school. Those two years had indeed been the foundation for my love of literature.
Only when I went up to the podium, I realised that I was facing such a huge audience for the first time. There were approximately 300 students, looking at me. No time to get nervous!
I spoke a little about Kite Strings but also tried to give a little gyan about something I believe in strongly. I told them about how important it was to nurture and cherish your dream because in the end, if you don’t follow your heart, then there’s little left to be happy about.
So far, I’d spoken to much smaller audiences where I could reasonably gauge the reactions of a couple of people at least. But here, it was quite different. I couldn’t catch the eye of any girl because they seemed to be sitting so far away. I ought to have taken the mike and spoken to them on ground level. Anways, these are all learning lessons for me too. It’s not like I’ve been doing this all my life or anything!
After I finished, I went up and spoke to Mrs. Rao, my physics teacher whom I hadn’t met in many years. A couple of girls came up to me then and wanted to know why I had named my book Kite Strings. This time I was able to give a better explanation.
I hope that my talk today has piqued their interest and also given them something to introspect about.
I’m really thankful to Baldwins for giving me so much love, affection and respect. It means everything to me. And despite the fact that I hated change so much back then, I can see it and accept it and take it as part of life.
Jan 05 2010
There’s something to be said for the overuse of technology. It happened to me last night. I knew that the review of Kite Strings was coming in today’s paper. I knew that after 12 am, the Sunday supplements are updated online. And I was constantly checking the page on my mobile phone to see if it was updated.
However, I fell asleep at 11 pm. For some reason, I woke up at 1 am and in my sleep, fumbled about for the phone, found it, and I opened the Deccan Herald webpage. And voila! There it was
And after reading the review, I couldn’t get back to sleep. I tossed and turned and wondered if I could call anyone at that time to tell them about it.
The next day I read the review in the paper once again and realised a couple of things.
Most friends of mine were not too happy with the Islamic writer tag and I too felt that it was an unnecessary label. Nevertheless, I should learn to take all this in stride.
However, I would like to thank Mrs. Prema Nandakumar for giving her nod of approval to the book, which does mean a lot to me.
As for the technology overload, I am glad I won’t be lurking on the internet through my mobile on Saturday nights waiting for Sunday to come.:-))
Jan 01 2010
….. I want to
These are not resolutions because I never manage to keep those and if they were, losing weight would have occupied the top spot! But just like everyone else, I find that the New Year is a new beginning, another chance, a new leaf. So, here’s to 2010! I wish it brings hope, cheer and lots of joy for everyone! Stay safe and have a great year, everyone!
Love,
Andaleeb
Dec 25 2009
Barely six days left for this year to get over and I get the feeling that this has become common. This feeling that the year slipped by so soon. Everyone is talking of how fast time flies and how quickly the years are rolling on and it’s true!
At times I think about this year and feel sad. I lost two of my uncles and two families will never be the same again. Unfortunately, this is a part of life which is hard to accept and live with.
Coming to friendships and relationships, I realised something important too. Every friendship or relationship doesn’t end with a bang. Some fizzle away in the tedium of day to day life and what seemed impossible years ago, is actually possible today. There is no point in wondering what went wrong because somethings are just the way they are. No amount of analysis or insight can change it.
Enough of the sad although. The happy news is that I made such wonderful new friends. I really do think that my life would have been half as enriched without these new friends I have made. And yes, there are those who have always stayed by my side and these friends, I know, will always be there.
The happiest news this year is that my son got admission into the school I wanted, my younger son stopped being clingy and has become quite the pataka and of course, Kite Strings got published.
When I finished writing Kite Strings, I thought, hey, this would probably get published soon. But as luck would have it, it took all of four years for that to happen. I’m glad and happy that things turned out the way they were meant to and Kite Strings got the launch it deserved.
Just like every year,this one had its ups and downs and good moments as well as bad. It’s been the same for everyone else as well, I’m sure.
I just want to send a prayer of thanks to Allah for making my dreams come true, for watching over me and my family and for giving me courage, self belief and confidence.
May 2010 bring happiness to everyone. Love,
Andaleeb
Dec 23 2009
I’ve always wished I could set an alarm for 4 am, get up when everyone else is sleeping and sit down and write. I’ve heard that a lot of writers do it and they do get a lot of writing done that way.
However, by the time I go to sleep, it’s pretty late, sometimes even1 am. So there’s no chance I can get up at 4 am to write.
Anyway, I’m going to give this a try soon and see if it actually works!
Dec 21 2009
It’s Monday. And I really don’t know where Sunday disappeared. It came and went so fast that before I knew it, it was late Sunday night and I had not written a single word in my new book, More than Just Biryani(MTJB). I had kept the word document open from morning, hoping to write something but it so happened that I had to shut it down and just go to sleep at 11 pm. And the week begins from today. This week before Christmas when schools are out and kids are in, is hardly the right atmosphere to work from home, let alone work on the book you’re writing. But anyway, here’s hoping I get in a word edge ways or sideways somewhere or sometime at least.
Oh, and here’s something I should have written about a long time back and as usual kept procrastinating.
Jyoti Nivas College had invited me to speak to some of the students and Christina and I had gone there, both of us were really happy and thrilled to return to the very place where we had started forging our dreams. It was a wonderful experience and the girls were so inquisitive and they listened to us intently. Both of us felt so proud to be back in college and meet our old teachers and the new lot of students who were just like how we had been when you boiled it down to the basics.
A girl wanted to know why I had named my book Kite Strings. I could have given a more eloquent answer in stead of telling her to read the book and it will make sense! But at the back of my mind, I kept thinking that nothing I say would ever match up to what Ms Wendy said about the title or the book when she spoke about it at the launch. Well, now that I think of it, these girls weren’t there at the launch so they wouldn’t really know what she said. I suppose each time I speak about the book will be a learning experience and the next time I am asked this question, I will be better prepared.
Dec 18 2009
Aal izz indeed well..<grin>
The launch of Kite Strings went superbly, attended by my loved ones and friends whom I care about and who mean a lot to me.Missed my bro Jun, his wife Uroosa and my sweetie pie Zoha there.. 
Ms. Wendy Dickson said the most marvellous things about the book and Christina spoke about her impressions as well. I went up on stage, clueless about what to say, but must thank Allah that I managed pretty well.
Copies of Kite Strings were bought, signed by me and then everyone went home where we celebrated the event with a great deal of happiness and biryani. The next day the trend continued with an impromptu pani puri party thrown by my lovely sister in law and sister and we continued celebrating the coverage of the event in various newspapers for a week.
Thank you everyone who bought Kite Strings. Thank you for reading it and liking it! Life is good. Aal izz well..what more can I say?
Oct 23 2009
Kite Strings has been in book stores for a couple of months already but because it was the festival season and most bookstores had sales, it wasn’t possible to hold a formal launch.
Well, that’s changing now, and Kite Strings will be formally launched on November 5th at Landmark in Jayanagar.
If you’re in Bangalore, then please consider this my personal invitation to visit Landmark on 5th November, 6 pm for the event!