This year The Hindu invited me to their annual Lit for Life for a dicussion on Panjab: In a Fractured Land. The panelists were Ambassador and writer Navtej Singh Sarna, bureaucrat Ramesh Inder Singh, and the moderator was Deputy Editor The Week Mandira Nayyar.
The video of recording is embedded in the link. Please see here …
I was in Chennai to attend The Hindu Lit for Life and ANI contacted me for an interview. I was a bit sceptical because I did not know how a Tamizh origin interviewer would cue into my thoughts. But it went well. Sadly, the interview was recorded but then transcribed and there are some errors in the piece.
The Print managed to clean it up a bit. Please see transcript here …
Please see ANI transcript here …
Similarly Deccan Herald, Bangalore sought my views.
Please see story here…
End of February, when Amritpal Singh and his group raided the Ajnala Police Station, Resident Editor, Indian Express, Chandigarh, Manraj Grewal Sharma spoke to me about the turn of events and Panjab.
Please see story here…
Dear friends,
Thank you Alaham Anil Kumar and Arundhati, it was lovely meeting Ravish Kumar and gift him a copy of my book.
The response overwhelmed me. As a person, as a writer, we make certain choices in life. Mine was to keep my nose to the ground, keep dealing with the world through my self, use writing to understand what I think/feel and share a bit of my writing with the world. Many of you have liked me, loved me, for my writing. Thank you!
Yesterday, for the first time, a social media influencer, but most importantly, a simple, earnest person who has consistently appealed to our commonsense over the years, chose to highlight my book – PANJAB Journeys Through Fault Lines.
While my own post on Facebook garnered much love from you, on Instagram the likes kept piling up by the minute. So much that at one point I had to put my head in the quilt and stop my heart from exploding.
I was telling Ravish Kumar, I know what to write, I learn how to write, but I do not know marketing. Ravish Kumar said: ‘many people want to read, they just do not know what to read.’
I am hoping he is correct.
800+ likes on Facebook, 65K+ likes on Instagram, is a huge blessing. Can I please hope for a 3-5% conversion of these numbers into sales?
PANJAB Journeys Through Fault Lines is available from Penguin at Rs 599. A discount is on at Amazon.
The Panjabi translation PANJAB Jinha Rahan Di Main Saar Na Jaana is avaiable from Singh Brothers at Rs 750. A discount is at Amazon.
Get your copy.
Dear Friends,
a few days back, on Facebook, I asked why was it that independent writers did not have access to resources – books, journals, articles and so on – to which academics and institutional members access? Often through inter-library networks?
That is a deeper question but many friends suggested free resources, some extended help to find these materials for me. Thank you! I have collated the free resources in this list. Perhaps independent researchers would find this list helpful. You can download it and keep adding to it.
Dear Friends,
I am happy my interview on PANJAB Journeys Through Fault Lines is featured on Sikh Archive run by Sukhraj Singh from Denmark. It is serendipitous that the interview comes just when the revised edition of the book is released by Penguin India.
Some have started buying the book. Thank you. For now it is priced at under Rs 500.
Thank you Sukhraj for your patience. I really made you wait awhile. Thank you Karthik Venkatesh, Kanishka Gupta.
1 hour, 11 minutes. English.
Please listen here …
Please buy book here …
Dear Friends,
A few weeks back Sharanya Deepak from Vittles substack contacted me to write about an iconic song from the Farmers’ Protest that played on many tractors – read almost all – as the march to Delhi began. It continued to play through the protest. To me, ‘Pecha’ was the clarion call of the protest.
I am so glad the piece released today as we mark one year to the day the farmers returned victorious from the protest. Illustration is my Samia Singh.
Thank you Sharanya and Vittles. There are other pieces from both Panjabs – East and West – and music as well, do go to those links from the editor note before my piece. Please read here …
Dear Friends,
Over the last three years, you have richly supported ‘PANJAB Journeys Through Fault Lines’. Thank you!
I am very happy to let you know that Penguin Random House India has now launched the revised edition paperback with an additional chapter on the Farmers Protest which to me was an immense mobilisation and victory of what the people of this country can achieve facing all odds.
Also, the paperback is now priced at Rs 599/-.
I am yet to get copies of the book. When I get them, I will show you how it looks and feels. It will soon be available at local book stores or you can order it from Amazon and other sites.
Thank you Meru Gokhale for loving the book and acquiring it, Karthik Venkatesh for seeing through the new format launch and while editing the book, still asking ‘what do you mean?’, Orijit Sen for allowing us to re-use the cover, Disha Arun Naik for overseeing the marketing of the paperback, and Kanishka Gupta for support throughout.
Readers, please bless, please buy. I am glad PANJAB lives on!