Lovely. Amazingly, a solidly middle grade story about escaping child abuse by running away on the streets of a city in India. Join the friends Viji, Ruku, Muthi and Arul as they create family and provide for each other until tragedy strikes. Ms. Venkatraman is able to convey all this in a child’s voice and at a child’s level. One of the best books I have read in 2019.
Tag: India
The Elusive Promise of Democracy in India and Sri Lanka
February 19, 2016
Coming off one of the world’s most destructive civil wars, Sri Lanka is making a big change in its political landscape as a result of the 2015 election. However, is it democracy in the making? India’s fast growing economy has run into the wall of its own shortcomings. Can the Modi administration deliver on its promises, or is the “shining India” more mirage than reality? On Saturday, February 20th at 3 pm, Derek Monroe – a reporter on international and U.S. foreign policy issues and a columnist at RT.com – visits EPL to discuss his impressions after his recent visits to both countries. In anticipation of his visit, we spoke with Mr. Monroe via email about the echoes of civil war in Sri Lanka, building tension in India and Pakistan, and continuing conflict in Kashmir.
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An Interview with Manvee Vaid
December 13, 2013
Manvee Vaid is a Chicagoland artist and the curator of the newest exhibit in our ongoing Local Art @ EPL series. Comprised of over three dozen stunning samples of contemporary Indian folk art, her exhibit features works from the Madhubani, Gond, Warli, and Bengal regions of India done in acrylics, ink, vegetable colors, red mud, charcoal, and gouache. You can catch her show on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library throughout December, and you can preview additional works by visiting her online gallery Deccan Footprints. What’s more, you can meet Ms. Vaid in person on Saturday, December 14th at 4 p.m. when she visits our Community Meeting Room to discuss the creative processes behind various exhibited pieces. In anticipation of her visit, we recently spoke with Ms. Vaid via email about her artistic origins and inspirations, the distinct regional styles of Indian folk art, and her upcoming collaboration with Now Art India.
Local Art @ EPL
December 6, 2013
We are happy to announce an exciting new exhibit in our ongoing Local Art @ EPL series. Throughout December, we’re proudly featuring over three dozen stunning samples of contemporary folk art from India right here on the 2nd floor of EPL’s Main Library. Curated by Chicagoland artist Manvee Vaid, the exhibit features works from the Madhubani, Gond, Warli, and Bengal Scroll regions of India done in acrylics, ink, vegetable colors, red mud, charcoal, and gouache. You can learn more by visiting Ms. Vaid’s online gallery Deccan Footprints, and you can hear Ms. Vaid discuss the creative processes behind various pieces on December 14th at 4 pm in our Community Meeting Room. Also, make sure to check back with Off the Shelf later next week for an interview with the artist herself. Stay tuned.
Hold on a Minute I’m in the Middle of a Murder
October 26, 2010
That’s the title of one of the hottest pulp fiction offerings today in India, and it’s coming to us soon. Booksellers across the ocean have observed the meteroic success of those Swedish writers who have taken American readers by storm, and are hoping the oh-so popular Tamil pulps–mysteries, thrillers, and romances–translated into English find a similar welcome here. Tamil has always been the language of high culture in India, and since the early 20th century has become the choice of pulp authors influenced by western culture’s dime novels and British penny dreadfuls. NPR’s Morning Edition ran the story today, and to whet our appetites for this new sub-genre, provided some juicy excerpts, too.
Barbara L. , Reader’s Services