The Blue Skirt had a Magical Effect

We are overwhelmed!

ime's Up via photopin (license)

Though the clock stopped on the midnight of 15th of June, for the short-story writing competition, the entries were still pouring in.   Unfortunately we could not accept them beyond the given time.  Very very sorry. We just had few dozen stories three days before the deadline, and all of a sudden the flood gates of creative fluid opened and our email inbox was ticking constantly with your contributions pouring in like cats and dogs.  

Thanks each one of you. Thanks to all those who also could not make it and missed the deadline.  But we are grateful, nevertheless, to them too. 

Well friends, all of you will have to wait now, as the real work starts for us now...sifting them out, and sending it across to our panel of judges to go through each one of them.  

We are sure this would be a hard task for them to find out as to who this girl in blue skirt was?

But we shall keep you informed as and when we are halfway through as to when we would be able to announce the result.  The result of course would be announced on our facebook account/chandigarhliterarysociety.  So keep logged in.

Passion for writing is like hunger, Vivek Atray

Chandigarh Literary Society and The Bombay Review online magazine organised a workshop for budding writers at Hotel Aroma today in which over 50 young writers participated. 

Mr. Vivek Atray

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vivek Atray, a fiction writer, columnist and Deputy Commissioner of Panchkula and Ambala spoke about the nuances of writing, which he described as an intense desire like hunger, and you feel grumpy if you don't write on a particular day. 

There are more writers coming up in India who might take over the dwindling population of readers, until the writers engage the readers, he said. 

Another young writer, Uday Pratap Singh, whose debut Panjabi movie, Annu Bains' produced and Jatinder Mauhar directed QISSA PANJAB, is due for release soon, shared his journey. 

Mr. Uday Pratap Singh

A St John's passout, Uday studied in USA and bachelors in finance but his heart was in film making and once back in the city, he wrote his debut screenplay in just a fortnight for 'Qissa Panjab', and is eagerly looking forward to release of the movie. 

I had the passion to be different and i dabbled in basketball, skateboarding, and what not, and the heart was not there in the accountancy that I studied abroad, he added. Though this was my first attempt I read all about the process of writing a screenplay, talked to several professionals, and ultimately, challenged myself into writing.

'Follow your dream', he advised the budding writers. 

The workshop was attended by many members of Chandigarh Literary Society, including Madhav Kaushik, Secretary, CLS, Simrit, Simran Kaur, Lalita Jagmohan, JN Vohra, amongst others. 

The energy, enthusiasm and vigour of the youngsters was worth watching as they scripted poems and stories in a jiffy on-the-spot. Garima Pura, Poetry Editor, The Bombay Review magazine and her associate Vidushi, conducted the entire event with aplomb. 

Many participants evinced keen interest in the CLS activities and signed up for membership. 

Young writers had all their stories written on their smart phones.

Engrossed...Enthused...Engaged!!

Simrit and Simran at work....bring young literateurs to CLS fold

We are also not behind the 'anytime, anywhere generation'

To Write Right

Garima Pura,  Poetry Editor, The Bombay Review, inspired by the Short-Story Writing Competition, obliquely shares the art of writing.

The class 7 corridor in the senior wing of the convent school shivered at her arrival and echoed with her voice, “I will dip you in the thickest soup you’ve ever tasted!”, remarked Miss Lucy with anunder-tone as sleek as the blade of the knife, just as lethal too.

Her advent was never heard, it was felt.
A woman of few words, all which escaped her mouth was quotable.

“English Grammar cannot be rote learnt, it can only be understood-
Creative Writing cannot be taught, it can only be practiced”

While students juggled with her question paper that was sure to implant red inked marks on their report cards, she would sneakily elbow them towards the elimination of two options out of four that were offered.

She’d whisper, “Step one to better English, is stop translating it in Hindi to check!”
The classroom could be mistaken for an-equipped-with-sound-absorbing-apparatus studio huddled by mute kittens on her summons for ‘those who want to read their essays aloud’.

“The language is expression. Do not mar the joy of it with fear.
The classroom is to learn, not ace. The language is to express, not impress”.

Three tentative hands and one taut fist could be seen sheepishly half risen, on the horizon where her careful nature reached out, to nurture their frail confidence.

She taught them, to write right.