It was raining, English rain, that first night when he came to England. Thin, fine icicles that fell at a slant and made incisions. Standing outside Victoria Station, waiting for a cab, he felt its needle pricks pierce his skin like markings. This is how England claimed you—through its rain. His hands and face burned and tingled. He felt alive, his senses acutely picking up every impression, from the stone in his shoe to the gaslights rippling through puddles, their slight hiss.
The book tour for The English Problem by Beena Kamlani was a warm compilation of wonderful reader insights, literary conversations and personalised book signings. The tour’s highlight was on 15th February following the exciting launch at The Jaipur Literature Festival, which included a splendid evening of overflowing conversations and interacting with the author, while enjoying delicious food.
This second edition of Chai & Charcha brought together literature, visual art, and soul-searching conversations at the beautiful Rukshaan Art gallery. We were welcomed by the warm and gracious hosts, Rukshaan and Sana without whose support this event wouldn’t have been a success. Attendees were particularly moved by the juxtaposition of the book’s themes with a significant artwork that bridged the gap between the 1930s and modern-day India. The panel discussion between author Beena Kamlani and moderator Anuya Jakatdar was framed by a breathtaking visual narrative: Sanjay Barot’s large-scale masterpiece, Passage Through The Veil. This tribute to unsung heroes provided a profound atmospheric layer to the event.
Kamlani revealed that Shiv’s character was deeply rooted in her own family history, inspired by the real-life experiences of her uncle, Atma Kamlani. She captivated the audience by explaining how the narrative was influenced by Odysseus’ journey and the poignant, often painful concept of the ‘homecoming’.
“By bringing Beena’s narrative into a space filled with contemporary art and historical tribute, we created a conversation where literature, visual art, and history truly spoke to one another,” say Aakriti Patni and Pranika Sharma, co-founders of The Bombay Circle Press.
This wonderful book tour covered nine cities across India, spanning over six weeks—filled with collective love of the readers of literature. Beginning with JLF, this book tour also covered many colleges and universities.
Kamlani visited the SIES college in Mumbai where she talked about her personal journey to becoming an editor, and what the process looks like today—giving the literature students wonderful insights about the publishing industry.
Next on the tour was Kochi and an evening filled with ambitious discussions about the novel with the amazing Cochin Book Club. A creative writing workshop with Kochi Overboard engaged the audience with some really challenging writing exercises that got everyone’s creative juices flowing.
The next stop for the tour was in Pune with Book Bar and Poona Book Club where the author delved deeper into the themes of the novel—location of the word home and where does it belong, emotionally, mentally and physically—with often blurry divisions.
After such rich discussions it was time for another city to be visited—Kolkata. Kamlani was part of a panel discussion where they discussed the literary nuances of writing a historical fiction novel and the research that goes into it.
Bangalore as always, welcomed this novel with open arms where the conversations explored how stories preserve our history, challenge power, and hold a mirror to the present in conversation with Kaustav Bhattacharya at the exquisite hotel, The Den.
The book club meeting with the AG Lit sisters at Atta Galatta was mesmerising! With Kamlani being a senior editor in the publishing industry, her literary thoughts carried layers of nuances that one can only gain with experience.
The novel was described as a masterclass in narration by the founders of the club.
After Bangalore, Mysuru warmly took the novel under its hood. In conversation with Mysuru Readers at the Heritage House, thought-provoking discussions were followed by heartfelt questions from the readers.
In the capital city of Delhi, Kamlani and Eshan Sharma discussed the novel at length at Bahrisons bookstore. From literature and memory to the deep historical layers, everything was dissected in detail.
This book tour brought a lot of new chapters for The Bombay Circle Press, from exploring new cities to interacting with diverse reading communities. We couldn’t have asked for a better author to accompany us and share her valuable industrial insights with us—for that we will always be grateful. Stay tuned for more such exciting updates from The Bombay Circle Press, keep checking our bulletin.
