coffee with a canine: Wendy Orr & Harry

coffee with a canine: Wendy Orr & Harry

My guest post on Marshal Zeringues's great and quirky blogs (Who'd have thought of interviewing people about coffee with their canine? Well, okay, Marshal obviously did...
Writers Read: Wendy Orry

Hanuman puppet at the Khan Market

Squatting by the doorstep of a dress shop in the Khan Market one evening, a little girl had her wares spread out: elephants in various sizes, and puppets. I was being taken shopping by Alison, who teaches at the German school, was volunteering at Bookaroo, and had just kindly added shepherding authors around the bazaar as part of her duties. "I really want to buy a puppet," I told her. The child, and her mother or grandmother squatting watchfully on another doorstep, were probably recent immigrants from Rajistan, and Alison thought the price was fair - we didn't bargain. (I'm not sure why people greet this statement with such horror. I didn't bargain, and the world didn't end.)

Later, showing my purchase to author buddies Lian Tanner and Robert Sabuda in our dinner time Show and Tell, we all started thinking about this child's future, and wished we could jump into a taxi and go and buy more; do something to help her. It was too late; she wasn't there the next day when Lian visited - and we wouldn't have solved her problems by buying up all her stock in one day. Perhaps the most useful thing we can do is support one of the charities that work towards education for poor children, especially girls. There was something so strong and vibrant about this little girl that I can't help believing a little bit of education could take her far.

So a bittersweet memory for this beautiful puppet, and a wish for its maker and vendor. 

New friends and Sikh temples

One of the main things people advise you about India, apart from, ‘Don’t drink the water!’ is not to trust anyone; the taxi drivers will rip you off and make you buy things from their cousin’s store, etc. And I’m sure this happens. We know we paid way too much for a taxi one day because the driver was very sour when we refused to go shopping. The next day Tom bargained much harder with an auto rickshaw driver, before starting the trip – as everyone advises you to do – and get thrown out in the middle of a roundabout, because the driver had felt cheated and worked himself into a rage. People are people wherever you are, but there are always more good people than bad. And sometimes trusting people gives you an experience guide books can’t quantify.

So when we tried to walk back to the hotel one afternoon and got confused on the giant Connaight Place roundabout, another auto rickshaw driver stopped and said, “You look lost!” He took us back to the hotel, accepted very little for it because it was on his way home, and arranged to meet us in front of the hotel on our last day in India. My session didn’t start till 2:45 and so I’d decided to take the morning off. I wanted to go to one of the government run markets to see the tribal handicrafts, especially embroidery, but when our driver asked if we’d like to see his temple on the way home, I said I’d sooner do that anyway. He is a Sikh, and we’d seen this beautiful temple with its great gold roof, from the outside, but hadn’t understood anything about it. Now we were being taken as guests – and when he read the message of the day on the board outside, he laughed as he translated, “When you are lost I will show you the way.”

I didn’t have my camera, but in some ways am glad, because sometimes a camera takes you out of the experience, and sitting in the temple, while our new friend went off for a moment of silent prayer, was one of the more moving experiences of my life. I’m not sure why; sometimes these moments just happen, and all we can do is be grateful. Now we’re home, and though we had to leave behind the sacred marigolds he had blessed for us, we’ve planted marigolds in the garden in front of our bedroom – and we’re both wearing the bangles he bought us. 

Bookaroo: enthusiastic readers & amazing young authors

Bookaroo is like no other festival I've ever been to. Nearly all sessions were in the open air: mine were all either in the shade of the huge old the Kahani Tree, (the storytelling tree) or in the amphitheatre. Colour, atmosphere.... the place was buzzing - and the buzz seemed to increase every day: a little girl from the Sanskriti school where I spoke on Wednesday dragged her parents along to my Sunday session; families came on the Saturday and returned on the Sunday to hear new authors or favourites again.

Opening ceremony with Favourite Book Tree

And who wouldn't love this description of my first event...

"The first day, that is, the school’s day saw 12 events taking place, 6 at a time. WendyOrr, author of “The Nim’s Island Journey” talked to children under the Kahani Tree, alarge tree with countless branches that looked like one of those ancient, wise old treesthat smiled down at you like a crinkly-eyed grandmother. As soon as I saw it, I felt as ifit turned to me and said something like- “Come, my child. Come sit under my branchesas I sway them to call the wind. Listen to stories that my bark has grown old on.” It’s agood thing I know I’m rather strange, have limitless imagination and am rather fond ofgrandmothers. I’m quite sure you’d have scampered off! xD

To come back to the event…the children were so engrossed in the event that duringquestion-answer time, hands shot up in seconds and stayed up for minutes till they wereacknowledged! The sensitivity of the children was admirable. They asked extremelythoughtful questions, considering that they were aged between 8-10! While one little boyasked Miss Orr when and why she started writing, another one asked her what inspirationmeant to her. There were so many hands that in the end, Miss Orr decided to close hereyes and pick a hand. The little girl her hand picked asked her, “Is there any book thatrelates most to your real life?Miss Orr closed her eyes for a few seconds, opened them, took a deep breath andsaid, “One about a car accident, yes…”Children are generally restless and fidgety. I know I was quite a hyper child and Iknow what it takes to captivate a child and hold his/her attention for an hour. Miss Orrpossesses in abundance the noble virtue that is patience. She heard each child. In fact,she let them do most of the talking! Like a wise man once said, “Knowledge speaks, but

wisdom listens…”

to read more: Friday, November 26 – Schools Day � Bookaroo

Storytelling in the amphitheatre

As well as three individual sessions, I did a panel called Acorns to Oaks, with Pancham Yadav (Thanks to his mum Yeena for the photo) who is now 13 but wrote his book The School Ghost at 12; Anshuman Mohan - now 16, and author of ‘Potato Chips’, and Samit Basu, whose funny, insightful (and incredibly fast-paced) sci-fi Turbulence I've just finished. Samit, who also chaired with wit and sensitivity, is positively ancient, possibly even 30. Needless to say, I was the oak. (I think the point was that I started writing at 7 or 8 - but I didn't go off and get published like these two talented boys! I'm trying to remember - I think I did send a manuscript to a publisher when I was 12, but if I did, it was returned. And if by some chance it had been published, I certainly wouldn't have had the poise and balance to do a panel like this. Very impressive - watch out for these names in the future. 

Samit Basu, Wendy Orr, Anshuman Mohan, Pancham Yadav,
Behind: Venkatesh, Bookarooer Extraordinare 

Atmospheres

My favourite of the ancient sites in Delhi was Humayan's Tomb, which was beautiful and peaceful, with quite a different atmosphere to the Red Fort. However parts of it are still wonderfully creepy, and I could feel it seeping into my subconscious for a story that's been germinating for a while...

from the inside, peering out through the grill...

As everywhere in Delhi, there were dogs wandering around. When I've heard of stray dogs in India, I've pictured skinny, slinking curs. Wrong again. I only saw two dogs who were thin and possibly diseased; the rest were happy, healthy (occasionally fat, if they were near a food stall) and totally independent, just wandering around the town, sleeping where they liked, making their way through the traffic... just living their own dog lives in their own dog society, which just happens to share the same space as the human society. The little dog we met here, and the puppy who came to my Nim's Island session under the Kahalni tree, were the only ones I saw who wanted any human interaction.

Though I'm guessing that all the coat-wearing dogs wandering around or sleeping in the streets of the Khan Market, did have owners...

Delhi's Red Fort, and tiny elephants

After a bit of confusion with a message taken the night before by hotel reception, which had left out the words “called off” in the message: “Your film screening at the Australian High Commission is tomorrow,” I spoke to someone and heard that the school coming in to see me had a conflict with Founders’ Day. It was very disappointing not be able to do this for them, but a free day wasn’t all bad!

So we headed off early to explore the Red Fort. It’s huge, imposing – more of a walled city than what I’d pictured as a fort - and much of it is beautiful, but its long and fascinating history is bloody. The next day, discussing it with a journalist, and hearing some of the more recent bloodshed there at the time of the Mutiny, I wondered if that was why, even when I was admiring the intricacy of the stone work and the beautiful marble flowers, I didn’t feel happy there.  I think some places store the energies of the sadness and horror that has happened on their soil. (Or maybe I was still in just too much pain from the rickshaw ride)

One of the many interesting things about it is the covered bazaar street – how could I resist a belled chain of elephants to hang as a Christmas decoration somewhere? (Actually someone else thought I could have resisted, but I didn’t!)

Afternoon in Old Delhi

After a morning in Sanskriti School, we took a taxi to Old Delhi,  and a street crowded with cycle-rickshaws (as well as cars and people), where our driver transferred us to the care of a rickshaw driver. It was end of school time, and the other rickshaws were each crowded with children and toddlers - all beaming and waving.  Police stopped us from going down the famous bazaar street - a political demonstration, we think - but our rickshaw took us on a terrifying ride through the traffic around the Red Fort. Not sure why it was so frightening: he drove perfectly safely through the honking chaos, but I felt precariously perched, and clung so tightly to the bar that my neck and shoulder ached.

The end of the rickshaw ride coincided with the entrance to what the taxi driver assured us was a very good store - and I think it was. Anyway, I ordered a silk kurta suit, which would be made up over night and delivered to the hotel first thing in the morning, and bought some silk for my friend Esther's wonderful felting projects.

Pratham Books: Bookaroo in the City (Day 7) : Enthusiastic Readers Meet an Equally Enthusiastic Author

Up bright and early on my second day in Delhi for a visit to the Sanskriti School, organised by Pratham Books, an inspired and inspiring not-for-profit publishing company committed to "high quality, lost cost books for children in various Indian languages". The books are beautiful, too, as you can see in Sanjeev Saith's book "Ganga".

The school was lovely and welcoming; the kids were great - and their questions and comments reminded me that there's not much difference between kids around the world when they're enjoying a story!


Pratham Books: Bookaroo in the City (Day 7) : Enthusiastic Readers Meet an Equally Enthusiastic Author

Iswarya Subbiah says...

The students of Sanskriti School, Chanakyapuri had the absolute pleasure of starting the day by listening to Australian author Wendy Orr. Author of the beloved children's book 'Nim's Island' , which was later made into a major Hollywood motion picture, Wendy Orr spoke to the children about her own journey as an author. She regaled the children with stories of her own childhood, how she started writing and where she got her inspiration from. She also read out from her book, 'The Princess and The Panther'.

The session was an interactive one with children pitching in with opinions, comments and answers. How much the kids enjoyed the session was evident in the enthusiastic questioning of the author after she finished her talk. Almost every child had something to ask or say. Wendy Orr answered each question patiently and with much joy. The session was everything that Bookaroo is representative of : a fun event with much to learn from. The students at Sanskriti School loved the session and a few even had to be forcibly ushered out of the room at the end of the session. It was a pleasure to see the response Wendy Orr received, for it reflected the interest of the children in books, stories and the world of imagination.

View more images from all the 'Bookaroo in the City' events here.

Arriving in Delhi!

I’m just back from six days in New Delhi for the amazing Bookaroo Festival. I’d never been to India before, and my head is still reeling from the mass of impressions, sensations and memories, as well as the usual conference buzz – not to mention jetlag.
Landing in New Delhi, my first impression was that there was something wrong with the aircraft windows, as they seemed to be stained yellow. Nope: that was the atmosphere.
But not in our scented-air hotel! A true oasis of comfort after braving the streets of Delhi (you’ve got to understand that I don’t even go to my Melbourne, my nearest city, very often.) However there is a downside (apart from unrealistic expectations next time I’m paying for myself): the pictures don’t show the intense security screening of each car entering the gates, and of ourselves, each time we entered the hotel. Sobering.

Figuring that with such a short time, we couldn’t waste any of it, we got a taxi to the Qutub Minar, an ancient tower and surrounding complex: a beautiful and surprisingly serene place. Unfortunately my camera, unimpressed by history, chose this moment to break down.
Resisting our driver’s enticements to go shopping, we then headed off to the home of one of Bookaroo’s co-ordinators: an interesting journey involving many phone calls, stops to ask directions, U turns, more requests for directions, and some angst from the embarrassed taxi driver. Finally, our host running into the middle of the road to wave us down was the clue that we were there; we went in, and our driver went to get his own dinner, and then wait till we were ready to go home. What a luxury!
Tom fell asleep in his chair before dinner, and I don’t think I was terribly coherent, but loved making new friends as we met Cindy Jefferies (author of the Fame School series), Wendy Cooling (having two Wendy’s confused many people over the next few days!) and Alice Burden, the lovely UK Walker Books Publicity manager.
“We landed at the same time!” she said suddenly, pointing to my crumpled but comfily flowing cotton skirt. “Your skirt was the first thing I noticed in India, even before the smog!”
As we were constantly advised, expect the unexpected: even being part of someone else's impression of India.

 Cindy Jefferies, and me with a new 4-legged friend.

following autorickshaws in our taxi