Ruskin Bond at the interface with readers on Friday. Picture by Aranya SenPijush Ganguly and Sreela Majumdar at the recording of Natun Bouthan, a tribute to Tagore’s sister-in-law Kadambari Debi, directed by Soumitra Mitra (left) at the HMV studio. Picture by Aranya Sen

He turned 70 this year, but the name’s still Bond, Ruskin Bond. On Friday, the grand young man of Indo-Anglican writing was in the city for a book reading and interaction session at Crossword.

“I was also told that I’ll have to entertain the children, but I’ve forgotten my tap dance routine,” was the opening remark that set the tone for his interaction with readers, mostly comprising his biggest fans, the kids. “I’m not an action man like my famous cousin James,” he quipped to peels of laughter.

At Crossword, quite unusually, Bond read out poems (yes, he writes them, too!) from earlier publications and some from a volume soon to be published. “Publishers don’t want to bring out poems these days since they don’t sell. I’ve blackmailed my publisher and said that unless they bring out my poetry anthology, I won’t write another book for them,” went Bond as the laughter continued.

The question-answer session was equally exciting. “Do you believe in ghosts?” asked a young girl. “No, I only see them,” pat came the reply.

This was Bond’s visit to Calcutta after “two-three years” and for him the city hasn’t changed much. “I think the change is more noticeable in other cities like Bangalore and Mumbai,” he said. “The Maidan, Chowringhee and even Grand Hotel look the same.”

Calcutta holds many connections for the writer — his father was buried in this city, as was his uncle. He has written for city dailies and magazines for decades and was a part of The Writers’ Workshop. But it’s the hills that continue to fascinate him. “Although places like Dehra Dun have changed over time and become congested, my love for the hills has only grown,” added the man who was born in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh and has been living in Mussourie for decades. “The mountains also symbolise permanence. We come and go but they remain,” he reflected.

With age, health has become a concern for Bond, who admits that he’s a bit of a hypochondriac anyway. And he has never liked travelling either.

The India I Love, a collection of autobiographical essays was his last book released in February this year. Future plans include more books, poems and personal articles (“I’m always scribbling”), as well as editing anthologies.

For Crossword, interactions such as this are set to become a regular affair. “It’s not just a bookstore but a community centre where readers can meet their favourite authors,” said Sidharth Pansari, head of the store.

Bond’s praise for the store and the people of the city was reserved for the end. “It’s so nice to see a bookstore full of people --- that too young people,” he signed off.

Debut duo

It’s good news for cartoon lovers and even better news for music freaks tired of the ‘Hinglish’ music played on the Indian avatars of ‘international’ music channels like MTV and Channel V.

Animax, Japan’s premier animation channel, and VH1, one of the world’s most popular music channels, are making an entry into the Indian cable & satellite homes in a few months. Officials of SET Discovery — the bouquet that the two channels would become a part of — are tight-lipped about the debuts. But according to sources, Animax India would be launched in the first week of July, while VH1 “sometime in the beginning of the third financial quarter” (between July and September).

SET Discovery also plans to mark the first simultaneous global launch of a channel in India with a lifestyle channel from the Discovery stable in September. The new channel, tentatively titled Discovery Lifestyle, would have programmes “on the lifestyles of the rich and famous”, sources said.

Animax would try to cash in on the popularity of cartoons in India, with Calcutta and the eastern region being a lucrative market. Zee Turner’s Cartoon Network is one its strongest channels with a dedicated following in the city.

Animax is currently beaming in other parts of Asia as a 24-hour animation channel. The Asian avatar focuses mainly on ‘anime’, the hugely popular form of Japanese animation (Pokemon being one of the better-known examples of the genre). Animax India, according to sources, would have an India-specific feed and would target “kids, teens and young adults”.

The channel, with animation-only content, would be SET Discovery’s answer to rival Zee-Turner’s Cartoon Network. SET Discovery recently acquired Nickelodeon and MTV India, both of which turned pay from free-to-air in the process. Nickelodeon is being positioned to tackle Zee’s POGO. On similar lines, MTV India would continue to focus on the Bollywood and Indipop fare while VH1 would provide “prime international music content”, sources pointed out.

Both channels would be free-to-air initially for sampling purposes and to grab eyeballs.

SET Discovery — home to channels like SET Max, HBO, NDTV and Discovery Channel — is a joint venture between Sony Entertainment Television and Discovery Communications. The company plans to double the number of channels it currently has (10) by acquiring top channels in various genres. It is yet to have sports or regional channels in its kitty.

— Subhajit Banerjee

Plush plus

Design: contemporary. Comfort: luxurious. Functionality: high. Attitude: ample.

Close on the heels of its reclassification as a 'five-star deluxe' hotel by the department of tourism, The Park has launched 36 luxury rooms to add to its bouquet of services. Created specially to “pamper and to provide an intimate experience for the discerning business traveller”, the rooms are minimalist, uncluttered, with no limits to self-indulge.

From the ash wood flooring to the natural raw silk furnishings, the 10-inch thick mattresses to the muted colour scheme, all add up to create the classy ambience. Each room is embellished with a 43-inch flat-screen plasma TV and DVD player, a multi-use oval table, high-back executive chair, high-speed Internet connectivity and all other new-age luxury accoutrements.

Coming up

The Seagull Foundation for the Arts, in association with Alliance Francaise, presents an illustrated talk on May 1, 2004, at 4 pm at the Seagull Arts and Media Resource Centre. French artist Pascal Monteil will show slides of his work and his involvement in the Minimally Invasive Education (MIE) project. Parimala Inamdar, head of the Design Lab, Center for Research in Cognitive Systems from NIIT, Mumbai, will also be present.

2MusicWorld Park Street has organised its weeklong ‘Kabi-pranam’ celebrations, which kick off with a live performance by Indranil Sen on Monday at 11 am. Debarati Shome, Swagatalaxmi Dasgupta, Sraboni Sen and Dwijen Mukhopadhyay will be among the artistes to regale the audience in the evenings through the week.