I had a blast at Landmark the last before Friday.
Vinod (Whom I had met by a chance encounter through his blog.) had extended an invitation to his friend, Hari Mohan’s book launch at Landmark in Banjara Hills. I swiftly relegated everything I was doing to the back of my mind and jumped onto it. Of course, there are numerous reasons for grabbing this opportunity. The foremost being that book launches are so infrequent, you skip it once and you don’t know how long you have to wait for another one. Furthermore, this, I believe, is Hari’s second book launch. Interestingly enough, the first book “The Men Within” has won him rave reviews from diverse quarters.
Besides, Hari seems to have a split personality. While one played cricket at Ranji level. The other seemed to have decided to master the nuances of English to draft fast selling novels. I know this sounds tough. But Hari has done just that. “How could an individual have such diverse interests and still excel in them?” The thought kept gnawing at the back of my mind while I geared up for the event.
A little prior to the launch, I could grab a few minutes to visit the CD & DVD section at Landmark. Boy! The place had a collection that could make a music lover break into cartwheels with joy. Music of diverse genre was bursting forth from the racks. Even Planet M, which actually deceives you into imagining the store to possess a galactic collection of CDs and DVDs stocked in an infinite expanse, doesn’t hold such a fine collection. Right when I thought even wild horses wouldn’t pull me out from there, the fear of missing out on the book launch ran constant stings of apprehension through my veins and I subconsciously scampered upstairs to catch the action.
Upstairs, the hall was smartly decked up with the camera man’s paraphernalia; with the author nowhere to be in sight. At least, I couldn’t locate him. But I was awestruck at the star presence. I knew Gunnam Ganga Raju, a film director was to launch the book, but I didn’t realize a part of Telugu film sorority would be present. The presence of these actors ushered in an air of excitement. Everyone turned conscious of their looks. Sumanth (Of Gowri fame), Swathi (Of Ashta Chemma fame) and Thanikella Bharani, who is a well-known comedian, where all present in flesh and blood looking their devastating best.
I wonder what it is with the actors they are pretty confident even in front of large crowds. Swati’s English was fabulous. The way she went on an extempore addressing the crowd definitely lent an air of exuberance. Sumanth was no less either. After both these actors spoke and read some passages from the book, Hari spoke about the inspiration behind the book.
Probably, taking a cue from the success of “Three Idiots”, Ganga Raju even announced that Hari’s first book “The Men Within” would soon be converted into a movie. A wild applause rang through the hall. After the film director’s brief speech about who would don the roles of hero and heroine, the event came to an end. On the whole the book launch was an impressive success.
Moreover, I was able to steal a few moments with the actress Swati to congratulate her on the impromptu talk. Right when we both were warming up for a good conversation, someone scampered and chipped, “Madam, the director is asking for you.” That slammed shut the conversation. She politely excused herself and I was left wandering looking at the book collection again. For the second time.
In the end, I got to meet Vinod who actually invited me for the launch. Vinod is also writing a book. So, we spent sometime talking over a cup of tea. Discussing this, that, and of course, his book and the book launch. On the whole, the evening turned out to be a pleasant one. With a whirlwind of an activity constantly taking place on the professional front, I guess sometimes one needs to take time to smell the roses. I am glad I attended the launch.
Vinod (Whom I had met by a chance encounter through his blog.) had extended an invitation to his friend, Hari Mohan’s book launch at Landmark in Banjara Hills. I swiftly relegated everything I was doing to the back of my mind and jumped onto it. Of course, there are numerous reasons for grabbing this opportunity. The foremost being that book launches are so infrequent, you skip it once and you don’t know how long you have to wait for another one. Furthermore, this, I believe, is Hari’s second book launch. Interestingly enough, the first book “The Men Within” has won him rave reviews from diverse quarters.
Besides, Hari seems to have a split personality. While one played cricket at Ranji level. The other seemed to have decided to master the nuances of English to draft fast selling novels. I know this sounds tough. But Hari has done just that. “How could an individual have such diverse interests and still excel in them?” The thought kept gnawing at the back of my mind while I geared up for the event.
A little prior to the launch, I could grab a few minutes to visit the CD & DVD section at Landmark. Boy! The place had a collection that could make a music lover break into cartwheels with joy. Music of diverse genre was bursting forth from the racks. Even Planet M, which actually deceives you into imagining the store to possess a galactic collection of CDs and DVDs stocked in an infinite expanse, doesn’t hold such a fine collection. Right when I thought even wild horses wouldn’t pull me out from there, the fear of missing out on the book launch ran constant stings of apprehension through my veins and I subconsciously scampered upstairs to catch the action.
Upstairs, the hall was smartly decked up with the camera man’s paraphernalia; with the author nowhere to be in sight. At least, I couldn’t locate him. But I was awestruck at the star presence. I knew Gunnam Ganga Raju, a film director was to launch the book, but I didn’t realize a part of Telugu film sorority would be present. The presence of these actors ushered in an air of excitement. Everyone turned conscious of their looks. Sumanth (Of Gowri fame), Swathi (Of Ashta Chemma fame) and Thanikella Bharani, who is a well-known comedian, where all present in flesh and blood looking their devastating best.
I wonder what it is with the actors they are pretty confident even in front of large crowds. Swati’s English was fabulous. The way she went on an extempore addressing the crowd definitely lent an air of exuberance. Sumanth was no less either. After both these actors spoke and read some passages from the book, Hari spoke about the inspiration behind the book.
Probably, taking a cue from the success of “Three Idiots”, Ganga Raju even announced that Hari’s first book “The Men Within” would soon be converted into a movie. A wild applause rang through the hall. After the film director’s brief speech about who would don the roles of hero and heroine, the event came to an end. On the whole the book launch was an impressive success.
Moreover, I was able to steal a few moments with the actress Swati to congratulate her on the impromptu talk. Right when we both were warming up for a good conversation, someone scampered and chipped, “Madam, the director is asking for you.” That slammed shut the conversation. She politely excused herself and I was left wandering looking at the book collection again. For the second time.
In the end, I got to meet Vinod who actually invited me for the launch. Vinod is also writing a book. So, we spent sometime talking over a cup of tea. Discussing this, that, and of course, his book and the book launch. On the whole, the evening turned out to be a pleasant one. With a whirlwind of an activity constantly taking place on the professional front, I guess sometimes one needs to take time to smell the roses. I am glad I attended the launch.
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