The book tour for A Thousand Times Before by Asha Thanki was a warm compilation of wonderful reader insights, literary conversations and personalised book signings. The tour began with an exclusive launch party in Mumbai on 5th December, which included a splendid evening of overflowing conversations and interacting with the author, while enjoying delicious food and wine at 3 ART House. The evening concluded with a panel discussion about the book which was moderated by Ekta Bhandari from Read A Kitaab, during which Thanki took the audience on a walk down the memory lane, talking about her experience with writing this stunning novel which is a heartrending family saga following three generations of women connected by a fantastic tapestry through which they inherit the experiences of those that lived before them, sweeping readers from Partition era India to modern day Brooklyn.
The following day, after catching an early morning flight to the capital city, Delhi welcomed the team with a warm sun. The avid readers, Sukaina and Aastha from the reading community, ‘Read With Us’ met Thanki for an intimate discussion at none other than the iconic Kunzum bookstore. After catching up on their morning coffees, thus began our conversations, rich with intellectual insights about the book. On being asked about the inspiration for the book, Thanki spoke about how her moments from her personal life lended themselves to the novel. Her grandfather traveled from Karachi to Gujarat on a steamboat during Partition just like Amla from the novel did. After signing a few books and participating in a rapid fire quiz, the team left for the next stop of the tour: Ahmedabad. Following a breathtaking sunset, the team reached Sports Club Gujarat for an insightful talk by Dr. Madhu Menon, organized in collaboration with Karma Foundation and Ahmedabad Bookclub. The team had a short ‘Chai & Charcha’ with Dr. Menon right before the official event, where they immensely enjoyed conversing on diverse topics. The event that followed was scholarly in nature, and Thanki also gave some really helpful tips for budding authors.
The next day of the tour was spent travelling to Bangalore for another book discussion at the beautiful independent Dragonfly Reads bookstore. Thanki delved deep into her research process while she was working on the novel, and how she explored sources like JSTOR, South Asian Digital Archive. She also recounted how she often relied upon her close friends to give her feedback on the manuscript and how essential it was to the novel. The novel was originally a short story that she had written and it gradually grew into a full fledged novel that has been published and won so many critical accolades. The second day of Bangalore had a jam packed schedule. After a hearty breakfast, the next stop was Christ University, where Thanki interacted with post-graduate students. The workshop involved a nice balance of interactive activities and reflective sessions. The students learnt from Thanki’s personal experience with the publishing industry with deep insights into the machinery of writing, publishing and marketing. After catching up with another amazing coffee at the canteen with the wonderful professors, the team headed on to some of the most beautiful bookstores of the city. Thanki stopped by Beku, Blossoms, The Bookhive, Gangarams Book Bureau, and Bookworm, where she was greeted with welcoming hosts and personalised the copies of the books. And of course, it is impossible to visit Bangalore and not have the delicious benne dosa at the MTR restaurant—nothing like an appetising meal after working so hard! The concluding event was hosted by AG Lit Sisters hosted by Dr. Chhavi. The conversations about the themes of the novel, motherhood and the intimacy of writing such an intricate story didn’t seem to end! All the readers had so many fascinating perspectives that they kept the conversation full of life.
After saying goodbye to another beautiful city, the team headed to the “Pink City” for yet another invigorating discussion. Fortunately there was some time for downtime and exploring the Hawa Mahal of Jaipur. Its stunning architecture stood tall in the bright sunlight and the folk music filled the air with warm melodies. The team thoroughly enjoyed a hearty meal of daal-baati and headed on to the venue for the next book discussion. Read With Us, graciously hosted by Khushbu, led the conversation forward about Thanki’s novel. Paired with amazing coffee, the readers’ curiosity about the novel resulted in a fulfilling literary conversation.
Coming back to Bombay, the team immediately headed off for another session at SIES college, followed by book signings at Happy Book Stall, Title Waves, Fictionary and Book Lovers. The Bombay Circle Press’ team had a wonderful time at the informal team dinner at Bawri. The day concluded with many lively chats full of laughter. On the last day of the tour, Thanki was occupied with conducting workshops and creative writing sessions with the students of KC, Wilson and Xavier’s college.
The book tour holds a special place with the team of TBCP and will always be cherished. The conversations, scrumptious food and sunsets will be fondly remembered. Stay tuned for more such exciting updates from The Bombay Circle Press, keep checking their bulletin.