Kiran Manral's Blog, page 38
November 5, 2015
My post for @Sheroes: Storytelling in a Digital Age
As a storyteller, who began as a blogger, the infinite possibilities that the digital medium bring to the creative process of storytelling fascinate me. The linear, printed story is almost a relic of an age that is soon to be put behind us, and newer, more interactive mediums, that encompass the visual and the aural are upon us. The thing to be asked first though is, do we have a story to tell, before we begin to tell it.
Because that is where it all begins, as it should. With a story to tell. A story that is true and real and honest, and that wants to reach out and make its way across the minefield of the world wide web.
As humans, we began as storytellers around the fire, where myths were told and retold, tales of valour and love and heroism were recited. We passed the stories on, first orally, through the retelling, then when the language was written and scripts evolved, through stories written on stone, clay and paper, stories moved to the stage, the proscenium, the radio, to cinema, to the small screen. Folk stories, epics, love stories, soap operas, plays, comedies, tragedies, crime thrillers, block busters. There was a story for the audience who needed them. Stories went where people went. Because they needed to be told, and people needed to hear them. We weave our personal narratives into the stories we consume, overlapping their edges, experiencing through them the emotions of joy, sorrow, fear, anger, hatred and more, until we reach the final destination that all good storytelling must provide, that of catharsis.
Why are stories important? Stories are the heartbeat of a culture. Stories have been used as parables, as rousers for a nation, as manifestos, as policy, as coming of age passages. An audience being transfixed by a storyteller, whether the reading of a book or the clicking of a YouTube channel link, is the human consciousness trying to make sense of the who we are and where do we come from, and what’s for lunch.
And now, with the digital age, the medium of storytelling and receiving stories is changing too. So is the democratisation of storytelling. Now everyone can tell their story. And if they are compelling enough, they will be heard. Blogs. Wattpad. E-readers. Kindle. Readers are reaching out to instant access, interactive stories, instant downloads and convenience, web-based stories, hypertexts, and narrative computer games, apps, multiformatted mediums of story telling, vlogging, microblogging sites like twitter, visual blogging sites, instagram, pinterest, vine, etc and so much more are emerging as new ways for anyone with access to content creators and a story to tell. The availability of new accessible media production techniques, software and hardware, digital recorders, camcorders and now even the simple handheld phone with wonderful downloadable apps, can now make everyone a digital storyteller.
Read the rest of the feature here
November 4, 2015
Are you doing what you can to save your family from Dengue?
As I write this, the newspapers tell me a teenager in my city has died from dengue. A couple of years ago, the spouse developed what we thought was a regular fever. As luck would have it, he popped a pill and waited for the fever to subside and went about his regular routine. The offspring and I went off to Lonavla for a couple of days to be spent with his buas on an impromptu holiday. When we got back, the spouse was laid low and not eating a thing. This was most unlike him. To cut a long story short, the next morning he drove himself and dropped the kid to school, we came to office where a concerned friend took one look at him and insisted he get a blood test to check his persistent fever. We owe that friend his life. His platelet count was down to 17,000 and by the time we rushed to the hospital and got him admitted, it had fallen further to 11,000. That was perhaps, the worst day of my life.
He was critical, in the ICU. At one point his body began rejecting the donor platelets and I was scurrying around trying to organise single donor platelets. He is haemophilic. Internal hemorrhaging, if it began, the doctors told me, could be fatal for him.
He pulled through. But it was a lesson learnt for us. A crucial lesson. We are now a family that takes all the precautions we can to prevent it striking again. No collected water anywhere in the house, and we are rather diligent about the application of mosquito repellent on all exposed parts of the body when we step out, we sleep peaceably only after plugging in and switching on the liquid mosquito repellent. More often than not, I insist the offspring wear long track pants and full sleeved tshirts if he is playing down in the compound in the dark. Of course, what is an offspring if not to defy the dictats of a panicking mother. I also have a handy little repellent in my handbag, for the times we find ourselves out of home, and exposed to potential bites by mosquitoes. The offspring can be spotted chasing down the occasional stray mosquito on the premises with a ferocity that would rival early man hunting for his dinner.
It is something that needs to be taken seriously, given how life threatening it is.Ensure that there is regular fogging by the civic authorities in your area, keep a watch out for potential breeding grounds for the dengue mosquito in your building premises, be a proactive parent and check about the situation in the places your child would visit in the course of the day, whether school, classes, tuitions and if you spot potential breeding spots, inform the authorities. We do what we can to the best of our abilities. I suggest you do too.
Save your family from Dengue.
Give a missed call to this number (1800180181818)
http://www.fightdengueforyourfamily.in/
Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbTa4IG9Nww
#SavePayal
(Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.)
November 2, 2015
Our very own homegrown Halloween
The offspring, in the manner patented by him, trotted up to me at the crack of the snoozing hour and demanded, in his imperious manner, to know why I was not making a hullabulloo over Halloween. He’d also made a similar observation about Thanksgiving. Back then I had to do a sit down and explain routine about how Thanksgiving was something that we didn’t celebrate because it was a traditionally American celebration.
Similarly with Halloween. It was a celebration that wasn’t ours to begin with. We had our own celebrations and they had their own wonderful back stories, and they vary across the country. I wondered how many of us are forgetting the beautiful stories behind our own celebrations and festivals and rituals.
I sat him down patiently and explained to him that Halloween, grinning pumpkins and trick and treating, as he read, was not a festival that had its origin in our culture and that we had our own Halloween. His jaw dropped with a clunk to the ground, and had to be snapped back shut. “Our own Halloween?” he asked, wide eyed. “Yes,” I replied, “With our own bhoots and ghouls.”
And, I added, it isn’t very far away. His eyes widened further.
Bhoot Chaturdashi, I told him, is our equivalent of Halloween. This the night before Lakshmi Puja, the night where evil forces are said to prowl the earth. According to the Bengalis, this is the night black magic practitioners or Tantriks perform rituals to increase their powers and this is probably why children are kept indoors after night falls on this day, to prevent them from falling prey to the evil spirits that roam the earth unleashed on this day.
Fourteen lamps are lit on this night to keep the evil forces at bay because the spirits are afraid of fire. A lamp has to be placed under a bel tree on this night, ah well, but where does one find a bel tree in the concrete jungle to have the child go place a lamp under it?
According to the custom, children must eat 14 different types of leafy vegetables on this day, and this was something the brat violently disagreed with and insisted this was part of the custom that could definitely be dispensed with. Given on a regular day, getting him to eat his quota of leafy vegetables is something that mandates much war room level of strategisation.
But how can we make Bhoot Chaturdashi fun, he asked. Eating leafy vegetables and sitting in the house after dark didn’t sound like much fun. We decided to write out our own ghost story. He sat at the computer and keyed it out. He then designed himself a ghost mask on the computer and printed it out using the HP deskjet wireless printer, complete with fiery red eyes and demonic laugh. He cut out the mask and stuck it onto a cardboard and tied strings to the sides in order to tie it to his face.
“Here, mamma,” he said, “I am ready for Bhoot Chaturdashi. I’m the bhoot.”On the agenda is an evening, in the house, lighting the 14 lamps and gathering his friends around for the telling of ghost stories. And yes, a white bed sheet will be pressed into service along with the printed mask to add to character.
*In association with HP
November 1, 2015
October 30, 2015
Life aboard a cruise liner
A review of All Aboard on Kala Kudva’s Blog
Originally posted on Kalakudva's Blog:
Exactly a month ago i had met author Kiran Manral, during the launch of her book ‘All Aboard’. Eversince, I had been waiting for an opportunity to read it in one go . Finally i got the chance that i was looking for today….
The past one month has been very busy as i was moving home. Dealing with Electricians, carpenters, plumbers, painters , movers but most of all packing personal stuff has been a very arduous task. Of course, the effort seemed worthwhile when I finally set up the house and saw the end result. Seeing a house transform into a warm, inviting and cosy home under my very eyes has been very, very fulfilling.
So today I could finally put my feet up, relax and read the book end to end without much interruptions. Believe me the author transported me to another world , a world far away…
View original 123 more words
October 19, 2015
Karmic Kids on First Moms Club
***Writer Mommy***
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Book loving Mommas we have a Brand New feature called #WriterMommy and to kickstart this we have FMC Mommy and a dear friend Kiran Manral , who is out with her 4th book this month!!!
( Kiran has worked as a journalist with The Asian Age and The Times of India before she quit full time work to be a full time mommy smile emoticon One of the leading bloggers in India, her blogs were listed in Labnol’s list of India’s top blogs, and her parenting blog was ranked among the top five parenting blogs in India by Blogadda )
Here is a quick chat with her :
1. How did you begin writing?
I think I was always writing and always reading, ever since I was a child, I remember writing absolutely noxious stories about princesses and dragons and magic stuff that my mother seems to have saved in undisclosed location and will surely unearth at some point to embarrass the bejesus out of me someday. Professionally though, I began my career as a copywriter in an ad agency, went on into journalism and feature writing, and from there came the journey into blogging which led to the first book.
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2. Give us a typical day in your life?
Morning is madness, as most moms know. I wake at 6am, get the tiffin boxes ready, the morning tea done, the little tasks of the morning domesticity settled, get the offspring spit polished and sent off to school. I leave for office after that, am at my desk from 8 am to 2.30 pm and then pick the son up from school and back home. It’s a pretty regular routine, one that revolves around school, tuition and class drops and picks.
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3. What’s the best advice you’ve been given concerning writing and what would you like to tell aspiring bloggers/writers
I haven’t exactly been given any advice concerning writing, I bunged most of it off Stephen King from his wonderful book called On Writing which I heartily recommend to anyone considering writing a book. What I would like to add though is that you need to first be a reader before you dare to attempt being a writer. Unless you have the tools of your trade, which is the ability to work with words, writing will not come easily.
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4. Tell us one thing that no one else knows about you?
I have zero life skills, I can’t swim, drive or cycle.
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5. You are stranded on an island, which is that one book you would like to have with you?
Anything by P G Wodehouse. Perhaps the Jeeves Omnibus.
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6. Tell us briefly about your latest book / books ?
My two latest books are All Aboard which is a lovely romance set on a Mediterranean cruise, published by Penguin and Karmic Kids published by Hay House, which is a take from my very popular blog of the same name, which is basically humorous anecdotes about bringing up my son from age 0 to 10. While All Aboard is more pure romance, Karmic Kids is a hilarious read. Both are quick, easy anytime reads. All my books can be ordered on Amazon here: goo.gl/oQQ5IF
!['Books written by @[702486190:2048:Kiran Manral]'](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1445423823i/16648592._SX540_.jpg)
Karmic Kids on Tara Sharma Saluja’s blog
It’s been about 5 years since I began our show and writing this blog, that is at the crux of it. Along the way I have interacted with and made many wonderful friends. Yes friends. I emphasize that as contrary to what one may think, feedback on our show and interactions on social media have not been with faceless viewers and readers, but most often with people who have gone on to become friends. We support each other in our endeavors, discuss stuff and often feature on each other’s platforms. @kiranmanral is one such friend. An author, former blogger, Mummy, social activist and loads more.
Kiran, it is a pleasure to host a guest blog from you, which is an excerpt from your wonderful new book, #Karmic Kids.
I have had a few discussions on perhaps writing a book, and I have to say as the daughter of an author, #PartapSharma and being from a family of authors and publishers, the thought of writing a book is daunting as in my eyes only Demi Gods actually write books!
So Kiran you took the plunge and have 4 books out, a huge achievement so a huge congrats! At this point as always I say each to their own, as I always do in our show. I say this as each one has their own story and views on parenting and everything for that matter, but sharing with each other and agreeing, disagreeing and perhaps laughing and learning together is what my show is all about. My experiences have similarities and differences to yours, and learning and reading of people’s experiences interests me and I hope will interest all you readers too…
So here goes an excerpt from Kiran’s Karmic Kids – the story of parenting nobody told you!
– See more at: http://tarasharmashow.com/post/131482596746/congrats-on-karmic-kids-kiranmanral-here-is-an#sthash.KdceFFzW.dpuf
October 18, 2015
Karmic Kids In Sakal Times, Pune
Reporters Name | Ambika Shaligram | Saturday, 17 October 2015 AT 10:02 PM IST
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Kiran Manral’s second book of this year Karmic Kids — The Story of Parenting Nobody Told You! is releasing soon. In an email interaction, she says that the non-fiction is a compilation of humorous parenting anecdotes posted on her now-defunct blog Karmickids.Interesting title. Is your Karma passed on to your kids? Or vice-versa?
Both ways. I think children are part of a karmic debt one pays back to one’s parents. And through one’s kids, one resolves one’s own karma.
Is the book and the blog based on your interaction with your 12-year-old son?
Yes, the blog was based on his early years from zero to 10. I shut the blog when he turned 10. I think I have been very honest and straightforward in my blog posts about it being primarily anecdote driven and not a space where I offer any sort of parenting advice. I’ve stopped now because I think he’s old enough to post about himself if he chooses to do so.
How did your son react to the posts?
He knows vaguely that there was a blog on him, but hasn’t read the posts. He had become quite swollen headed in the sense that everyone seemed to know and adore him — even folks he met for the first time. Now that the blog has been stopped, that has thankfully died down.
How did you sift through anecdotes and what finally went into the book?
Actually, I did rework a lot of the content. It wasn’t a straight blog to book transfer because that rarely works. But I maintained the tone and voice of the blog. I read through the entire blog from the start, shortlisted the posts that I enjoyed writing and began from there.
If the book is chronological from zero to 10, then what were the issues or the feelings that were associated with each age group?
It is chronological in that the posts are about what happened in each year, but they might not be exactly chronological within that year in terms of occurrence.
The issues and feelings for each year as with all parenting, you travel the entire spectrum of emotions a million times in a single day — from joy and pride to anger and despair and so much more. Roughly though, each age comes with its own set of challenges — when they’re small it could be sleep, feeding, colic, and such. And, when they’re toddlers it could be food jags, tantrums, learning, curiosity and as they grow older, peer bonding, individuation and such.
Was the humorous tone deliberate?
Always. Life is too trying to not try and find a laugh in the midst of it all.
Read the original here
October 16, 2015
This is classic Manral—though her voice has become more confident over the years.
This is classic Manral—though her voice has become more confident over the years. But the classic Manral staples of aspiration, Indian kahani jis me drama, emotion, action hai hasn’t been abandoned in this new project. The writing is effervescent, the protagonists someone you can’t help falling in love with and an aunt who is definitely not a gentleman. What’s not to like? Sail away.
Order your copy here:
