Mr. David Davidar, Penguin Publisher

Penguin Publisher, Mr. David Davidar began his career in journalism and is founder of Penguin Books India. Currently, he is Publisher of Penguin Canada and also is author of the novel, ‘The House of Blue Mangoes’. He was only 26, when Peter Mayer, Chairman of Penguin, world-wide., asked him whether he would be interested in running a new company in India. When he started there were exactly 3 employees in the first year of operations and they invested ten thousand US dollars in the company in 1986 David believes that there is a myth that if you write a novel you’ll become rich, famous, attractive to women, or whatever the case may be, he feels that very few books break out in a way such as ‘God of Small Thing’s and ‘A Suitable Boy’ did, because it is only 1% who get to superstardom, because they won a big prize or it’s an amazing book and enough readers caught on to the fact If we think of the odds, there are about 100,000 books published every year. How can each of those books get to a reader’s attention! If we walk into a bookstore, and we face the first novel that appears and we have no idea what it’s about. There is so much competing for your attention. Most novels sell only about 400 or 500 copies. If it’s a good seller it will sell 5000 copies, if it won an award and got great reviews. He feels that it is only superstars that sell more and superstars are very few and every one knows who they are. The question we need to ask is why are there so few superstars? Why every writer isn’t published famous? There isn’t enough attention available for these writers. So that TV time, radio time, bookstore sales, all mitigate against every writer getting in. People normally approach the publishing house through a literary agent because they are the top filter, and a top agent will go to the publisher and say that he has a wonderful book…he’ll say he’ll read it. But if you approach him directly you probably don’t get through many of the sieves…there are assistants, there are people in the mailroom, and there are book manuscripts at the back because of overflow…everyone thinks they can write a book! His vision for Penguin India is to give India a world-class publishing company which he thinks it has been achieved. His vision of Penguin Canada is to make it the best company of its size anywhere in the world. He feels that we only have only one chance, and we must make the best of it!

Computer advice....

when you run an IT advisory services, you are faced with question that sometimes raise a smile Customer: How do I change channel on my monitor? Advisor: Your monitor won't have channels like a TV. Customer: But I was watching the internet channel the other day and now I just get the word processing channel. Advisor: Can you click on 'My Computer'? Customer: I don't have your computer, just mine. Customer: My 14 year-old son has put a password on my computer and I can't get in. Advisor: Has he forgotten it? Customer: No he just won't tell me it because I've grounded him.

NRIs seek easier process for repatriation of bodies

When you lose some one you dearly love, it is difficult. Especailly if you live abroad and want to bring the body back home. there is so much paper work to do that it can be really frustrating. In Dubai, Indian expatriates have demanded streamlining the process for the transfer of bodies to their home country so that there is no added stress after losing a loved one. Complaining of long and complicated procedures needed to repatriate bodies, the expatriates have demanded that that the authorities set up a single counter in the police department in each emirate to process all necessary documents Residents say they have to go through long, aggravated procedures in several departments, taking up to ten days to repatriate a body. People get frustrated going from one emirate to another to complete the necessary documents. They find the process of issuing death certificate, a difficult one with people having to run from one place to another for completing the documentation and it adds to their stress after losing a loved ones. They are emphasizing the need for a unified centre instead of several departments and ministries, that include The Police Department, The Ministry of Health, Public Prosecutors, Foreign Ministry, Residency Departments. that are involved in the process for repatriating a body.

And now he is dead. Sidney Sheldon

Sidney Sheldon was one of my favorite authors. His novels always inspired me. Every time I read his book, I would live in a different world, for some time at least, I would try to imitate and identify with the protagonist who was talented and capable and retained her femininity. At one time, I almost believed, that I too, would triumph in a hostile world of ruthless men. Such was the influence of his books on me. His character always looked real. He prided himself in the authenticity of his novels. He remarked in 1987: ``If I write about a place, I have been there. If I write about a meal in Indonesia, I have eaten there in that restaurant. I don't think you can fool the reader.'' For ``Windmills of the Mind,'' which dealt with the CIA, he interviewed former CIA chief Richard Helms, traveled to Argentina and Romania and spent a week in Junction City, Kan., where the heroine had lived. I would pride myself with collection of his books and would always recommend my friends to buy their own copy because I hated sharing or lending. ‘Other side of the Midnight’ being one of my favorite ones.

I am bored!

I get up in the morning feeling dull, looking into the mirror I feel my frizzy hair and think should I comb it or let it be, but since I have to answer the doorbell if the milk man come I must look good nah, or else he will deliver all curdy and stale milk for me and then I may not have the fresh milk for the whole day, unless I decide to go to the milk booth and get the fresh supply, but I hate going out early in the morning, taking a walk and falling into the potholes, we have so many pothole in Mumbai that we don’t need to go for trekking man, all we do is just walk down the potholed street and if you fall you can stay at home, just ring up the boss and tell him you are not coming to work if the boss does not believe, you tell him to come at home and see you in plaster, okay you don’t get injured so badly but if you walk carelessly enough there is good chance that you can fall then you can easily blame the BMC, okay you can click the picture of your injured body and take it to the polling booth when they have election man then you can threaten them that if they don’t repair those potholes then you are not going to vote for them, scare them real hard, or maybe they don’t know what is the meaning of smooth road, tell them to make a trip to Chandigrah, I am told that they have smooth roads there, well they could learn to make smooth roads from Chandigarh…otherwise I m not voting for BMC in Mumbai, I am serious, man, I am tired of applying ointment to my fractured bones, nowadays all medicines are so expensive and why must I spend so much money on medicine, let BMC pay me for medicines at least, if they cannot repair the roads then they should distribute medicines like ‘Iodex’ or ‘moove’ or any other medicine at every cross road, I cannot understand how so many people enjoy going for walks, in Mumbai, forget it, there is really no place to walk, you go to park, the path is uneven, I think even if horses were to gallop on these mud tracks they would trip, so uneven, man, and what about linking road, the main shopping lane in Mumbai, there are hawkers sitting in each crater selling their wares, and every shopper is limping while shopping, I ask the people on the road whether they always limp like that and they tell, me that they had their fresh fall recently, everybody proudly declares that they have a injury from a fall on the road, I mean, those who don’t fall on these road feel very useless, I mean, if the roads were smooth then everybody would have no reason to walk, it is because of this uneven roads the people are taking long, long walks and when they meet their friends on the road they don’t greet in their normal ‘Namaste’ mode like they use to in olden days, but instead they show their bruised areas like knees and elbows, some even buttock and compare the size of the bruise. The bigger bruise the better. They, then chat not about the weather but the brand of the medicine which is most recent and most effective. Yesterday I fell on my buttock and bruised it, I will not be able to go out early in the morning to buy the fresh milk, I better comb my hair and give a good smile to the milkman, man, I want to look good nah? Yawn!