Tales for our times - The Hindu

Tales for our times - The Hindu

  God, Farmer and Spellbound Pambaa

FOLIO's latest offer, God, Farmer and Spellbound Pambaa, a debut novel by  Krishna Kumar, an IT professional, was released by Justice K B Koshy, Chairman of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission,  on October 24, Friday, at the Institution of Engineers Hall, Thiruvananthapuram.Noted physician Dr K V Krishnadas, father of the author, received the first copy. Justice Koshy said he never expected such a book from a project consultant like Krishna Kumar.  On ragging in colleges, which formed part of the theme of the novel in one of its chapters, he said ragging had deleterious effect on both the victims and the perpetrators and their families. Speaking on the occasion K Kunhikrishnan, former Deputy Director General at Doordarshan said “Kumar has captured Pamba in a way that has never been done before. He has succeeded in invoking the poetic nature of Pamba and has immortalised it. It’s a novel about life, journeys and the past. Moreover, it’s a novel about Thiruvananthapuram. The book, a work of great literary merit,  tells the story of three generations of a family from Moncompu, story of transition from the old to the new and beyond, the fun of growing up, the challenge of bringing up, of dreams, careers, tradition and culture. Prof RVG Menon,Prof  Achamma Cherian of CET, Mr Zulfiquar Marikar, MD of Marikar Motors, and Dr Krishnadas spoke on the occasion. Picture shows Justice J B Koshy presenting the first copy of the book to Dr K V Krishnadas. Author Krishna Kumar, K Kunhikrishnan and Prof RVG Menon look on. ---------------------------------------------------------  NIRAVERIYA VAGDANAM Another recent release from FOLIO was Niraveriya Vagdanam, an intimate account of poet K Ayyappa Paniker's life written by his younger sister M Lakshmikkutty Amma. The book, sub-titled as 'Ayyappa Paniker Ente Kochettan, was formally released by Prof M K Sanu at the Ayyappa Paniker Commemoration meeting held at Kanakakkunnu Palace on 12 October 2014. Dr George Onakkor received the first copy.

K M MANI

A Study in Regionalism

On 11th of June 2014, FOLIO brought out a political biography of one of the redoubtable politicians of Kerala, K M Mani. Leader of the Kerala Congress, one of the  prominent constituents of the ruling coalition in the state, Mani has set  many a record that should be the envy of any politician in the country. He has retained the trust of his constituency, Pala, for an unbroken stretch of half a century, winning  all the elections contested there since  the inception of the constituency in 1965. As a Finance Minister too he has a record. He presented the largest number of budgets for any Finance Minister, twelve in all.

                        

Picture shows author K Govindan Kutty presenting the book to Finance and Law Minister K  M Mani. Looking on is P Ravindran Nayar, Editor-Publisher of FOLIO.

CAUSING A FLUTTER AND OTHER TALES

One of FOLIO's recent releases is Causing a Flutter and Other Tales by Dr Pushpa Kurup. It is a collection of short stories that give the readers a better understanding of and appreciation for the big and small animals and other creatures that co-habit the earth with us. The book was formally released by Her Excellency Smt Sheila Dikshit, Governor of Kerala, at a function held in the Raj Bhavan Auditorium at Thiruvananthapuram on May 13, 2014. Dr G Viswanathan, Founder-Chancellor of the VIT University, received the first copy. Noted litterateur Dr Goerge Onakkoor introduced the book and Mr N Balagopal, Head of the P N Panikkar Foundation, presided. FOLIO's P Ravindran Nayar welcomed and author Dr Pushpa Kurup offered a vote of thanks.

Here is a portfolio of pictures of the function in the august precincts of the Raj Bhavan.

Desert Hunt by K S R Menon

Dubai based novel on terrorism released by Shashi Tharoor

Thiruvananthapuram:  'Desert Hunt,' a thriller set in Dubai with terrorism in its backdrop, authored by senior journalist K S R Menon was released at a function at the Press Club,Thiruvananthapuram, on October 14, 2013  by Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor.

Tharoor handed over the first copy of the book to former diplomat T P Sreenivasan at the function.

Speaking at the function, Tharoor said the theme and plot line of the novel were fascinating. "We have mythical stories, love stories and historical works in Indian writing, but thrillers are few," he said.

He commended the author for coming out with an unabashed and straightforward thriller with an Arab as the protagonist fighting terror in the Middle East. "It is interesting to see an Indian writer creating a work in an under-developed and under-exploited genre in Indian writing," he said.

Placing an Arab as the protagonist was a wonderful departure from normal writing as thrillers dealing with terror always had Westerners as heroes. "This creates a shift in empathy on the part of the reader," Tharoor said.

Menon said the novel was a re-look at how terror outfits are changing tactics. The novel attempts to unravel the sensitive geo-political situation in West Asia, where equations in the game of terror were being constantly re-written, he said.

Ambassador Sreenivasan said the novel was so well researched that at times the reader would wonder where facts stopped and fiction began. Ambassador Sreenivasan had featured the book in his television program on foreign policy recently.

Menon was the correspondent in Dubai for Indian news agencies PTI and later UNI for nearly 17 years. For a year, he was also news editor at the Emirates Evening Post, Dubai.

BOOK RELEASES

Poetry at Midnight

Ayyappa Paniker's last anthology Pathumanippookkal, translated as Poetry at Midnight by Folio Editor P Ravindran Nayar, was formally released  at a function by eminent litterateur Prof U R Ananthamurthy. The function, got up by the Ayyappa Paniker Foundation, on September 12, 2010 at the VJT Hall, Thiruvananthapuram, marked the 80th birth anniversary of Ayyappa Paniker.

Picture shows Ambassador (Retd) T P Sreenivasan giving an overview of Poetry at Midnight. On the dais are Foundation President K Satchidanandan,  Chief Guest Prof U R Ananthamurthy and Translator P Ravindran Nayar.

The Scent of Frangipani

by Nayanathara

The Scent of Frangipani,  maiden anthology by Nayanathara, was formally released at a function on July 25, 2010, by Mr G Krishnan, IAS (Retd) former Chief Secretary, Jharkhand.  Ms Bina Paul Venugopal, Deputy Director(Festivals) of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy, received the first copy at the function held at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club. An excellent exposition of the book was made by Dr P Radhika, Reader in English in the FMN College, Kollam. P Ravindran Nayar of Folio and author Nayanathara also spoke. (Picture shows Ms Bina Paul and author Nayanathara holding the book released by Mr Krishnan. Partly seen on the left is Dr Radhika).

What The Night Told Me

by Mary Nirmala

On 22 June 2010 FOLIO released a collection of poems titled What The Night Told Me,written by Dr Mary Nirmala, at another well attended function at the Press Club, Thiruvananthapuram. Mr K Jayakumar, then Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala, formally released the book by handing over a copy to Mrs Vimala Menon, Secretary of the Thiruvananthapuram Centre of Cheshire Homes,India. The book containing fifty poems was introduced by Dr Meena Pillai, Director of the Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Kerala, while Dr Iris Koelo, Reader and Head of the Department of Malayalam and Mass Communication, St Xavier's College, Thiruvananthapuram, compered the function. Mr G N Panikkar, noted writer and former Director of Public Relations, Government of Kerala, offered felicitations. Author Mary Nirmala and Publisher P Ravindran Nayar also spoke. (Picture shows Mr K Jayakumar releasing the book by presenting a copy to Mrs Vimala Menon. Mr G N Panikkar, Dr Mary Nirmala, P Ravindran Nayar and Dr Iris Koelo look on).

Me,My Friend

by Deeya Nayar-Nambiar

Me,My Friend, a collection of poems by Mumbai based Deeya Nayar-Nambiar, was released at a function in the Press Club Hall, Thiruvananthapuram, on September 8, 2009. Ms J Lalithambika, IAS(Rtd), former Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Kerala, formally released the book by presenting a copy to Ms Shoba Koshy, Chief Postmaster General, Kerala Circle. Additional Chief Secretary K Jayakumar,IAS, introduced the book while Prof Sheila Velayudhan offered feclicitations. Folio's P Ravindran Nayar and Dr KBH Nayar, Retrired CPMG, also spoke.

Late Rains

by M Mohankumar

Late Rains was released on March 9, 2009 at a function at Thiruvananthapuram organised under the auspices of the poetry society Kavitha. The venue was the Suryakanthi Art Gallery, which provided the perfect ambience for the function.

The book was released by Mr P G Muralidharan, IAS(Rtd),former Secretary to Government of India, who presented the first copy to Dr Sudha Warrier, the seniormost member of the poetry society. Author M Mohankumar,  former Chief Secretary,Kerala,  and publisher P Ravindran Nayar also spoke at the function.

F O L I O, Thiruvananthapuram,entered the world of book publishing in mid 2008 with two books that stand out for their novelty. F O L I O's maiden venture was The Playback in Malayalam Cinema by journalist- writer Kiran Ravindran. The book is an entertaining history of Malayalam film music from the time of the first talkie, 'Balan' of 1938, to the present. For any reader familiar with Malayalam film music it is an enchanting trip down the memory lane.For one uninitiated it is a work that will inspire a closer look at and deeper understanding of the music of Malayalam cinema.The book has three separate sections profiling all the lyricists, composers and singers who made Malayalam cinema music what it is today. It also has a long list of film songs with identification of the Carnatic Ragas in which they are composed.The book has Foreword by the eminent singer Dr K J Yesudas.

F O L I O's second presentation was ‘Kerala Coast:A Byway in History’ by Dr V Sankaran Nair, a book that can well be described as an etymological treasure trove. Drawing heavily from linguistics, and touching upon history, geography and science, Dr Nair traces the globe trotting of the ubiquitous kindi, the water bearing vessel with spout that has a hoary past and holy present. From kindi and its use as ships’ ballast (called charrack kindi) he goes further to pinpoint a link to Carrack, the ship in which Vasco Da Gama reached Kappad on the Kerala coast in 1498. According to Dr Nair, the book is the biography of a single word carrack which is a transliteration of the word charrack. The book has a Foreword by Dr G Balamohan Thampi, former Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University.

F O L I O's third offering was Three Centuries of Madras by Parvathy Menon, a book that delved into the history of Madras from the colonial period to the present.

On the 9th of March,2009, F O L I O formally released Late Rains, an anthology of poems by M Mohankumar, a familiar name in the world of contemporary Indian poetry in English. Late Rains was Mohankumar's sixth book of poems, a representative volume that transports the reader to a past evoking tender memories and a mood of nostalgia. F O L I O's first book of fiction, Chrysalis, by Subin Gopi, a Bangalore based software engineer, came out in the middle of July 2009.

F O L I O's other titles include  Ayyappa Paniker's last anthology Pathumanippookkal, translated as Poetry at Midnight, 'Me My Friend' by Ms Deeya Nayar-Nambiar, 'What The Night Told Me' by Dr Mary Nirmala,  Slant of Light by M Mohankumar,Writing Again by Siddhartha Menon,, When One Strays into Your Life by G N Panikkar, all anthologies, and short story collections 'Call of the Blue River' by R K Ramachandran Nair and Pappante Kathakal (Malayalam) by Dr K Padmanabhan Nair. Kerala Coast: A Byway in History by Dr V Sankaran Nair and two books on Agriculture,  Elements of Plant Protection and Elements of Agriculture, by  Seena R Subhagan and Dr D Dhalin are among the other books brought out by Folio.