Menu

Amrita Tripathi

Writer/ Founder/ Former Journalist

header photo

Books by Amrita Tripathi

Blog posts : "General"

Also, photos...

Go Back

(More of the same -PRE-ORDER NOW!)

Go Back

Pre-order now!

This is the best start to the new year! Ok second-best. I got some quality time in with quality people, which is really what it's all about, right?! I do hope you're all enjoying 2015 so far! 

SO new, SO shiny, let's not screw it up too soon... 

AND finally, this patience thing is rewarding me in fits and starts, I suppose:

The Sibius Knot, my second novel, (and a bit of a trip if I do say so myself) is available for pre-order:


The Sibius Knot is on: 
AMAZONINFIBEAMUREAD

 A story about life and loss, a generation that saw too much and understood too little, and a group of young adults who are convinced they're in a battle against the Darkness, itself, this one isn't for the faint of heart. As much about the 90s -- the decade that changed everything -- as about the devastation of adolescence, The Sibius Knot mirrors the fragmented and dysfunctional realities, across our big cities today.

 

Do let me know what you think/ make of it - as always you can leave a comment/ tweet/ email/ FB! 

Go Back

The Sibius Knot

The cover of The Sibius Knot... finally got to check out the HarperCollins India catalogue, where it makes its debut!

 

Go Back

NEW BOOK ALERT... (COMING SOON)

SO, I have (hopefully) the final meeting with our friends at HarperCollins India tomorrow... The cover art has been finalised, the text itself all but finalised. This has been an epic project more than 2-3 years in the making. And I can't wait to see what you make of my second novel, The Sibius Knot.

I'm so pleased people are starting to ask me what the Sibius Knot is -- Well, it's very much a part of the plot itself, so let me see what I can tell you (over the next couple of weeks), and let me know whether you think this sounds interesting.

Here's one description on what The Sibius Knot is about: 

A story about life and loss, a generation that saw too much and understood too little, and a group of young adults who are convinced they're in a battle against the Darkness, itself, this one isn't for the faint of heart. As much about the 90s -- the decade that changed everything -- as about the devastation of adolescence, The Sibius Knot mirrors the fragmented and dysfunctional realities, across our big cities today.

What IS the Knot exactly? (Coming soon...)

Go Back

Ta Da! *Programming note*

Looks like January is shaping up nicely! Excited to take part in the first Crime Writers Festival in Delhi ... Stay tuned for more!

 

Go Back

Coming Soon...To a Bookstore Near You

Here we are, then 2014... Let's wrap this up, this year of Change, and make way for a new 'un!

So FINALLY, the wait is just about over for me... I'm told the second novel will be available for pre-order around Christmas, and should be in book stores in the New Year, so that's something to celebrate! 

Very excited to see what you make of it, because judging by the reactions so far, it's nothing like anything... Which is to say, not predictable, and not what you're expecting!

Soon, perhaps we can explain The Sibius Knot a little better... (It's invented. Or is it?) It has a lot to do with the 90s, Delhi, a group of young adults who don't quite know they're in a cult, and well...I shouldn't give too much away!

We might do a Sibius Walk -- and meanwhile, will be putting up photos that are part of the texture and very much set the mood for the book. It's an adventure, yes, and I hope you'll stick around for the ride, no matter how dark it gets! Till then, will set up the FB page, and have you all on there, answering q's and asking for your photos from the 90s... the decade that changed everything!

On another programming note: In January, I will be speaking at the Jaipur Literature Festival in very august company indeed, as well as hosting a session at the Crime Writers' Festival in Delhi, so stop by and say hi. Hopefully with a book in tow -- Signed copies are the best, right?!

(Shameless plug alert, for the next couple of months)

 

Go Back

IN-BETWEEN TIME

It's the start of a lovely week, I'm sure - something about the lights, the weather, the potential for magic! (Before you ask exactly what I've been smokin' considering this is a Monday, I'm just saying, things are good!) I've never really been one for the festivities but this Diwali feels different... it holds promise! And not just because I get the day off, either! 

Hope you have a fabulous festival (and week!)... 

Meanwhile, in more of the in-between time, over the weekend, I moderated an interesting session on innovations & healthcare, or rather "disruptive innovations" in that space... Will link to the photos once I get them from TiECon Delhi - but there's a lot going on, clearly! 

 

Go Back

75 Days till 2015

Change is very much in the air – That’s the nip of Delhi winter setting in, and yes that invisible but omnipresent, unformed mass of chaos, relief, worry and nerves? That’s Change.  

While laughing off the concern from friends questioning the decision to put an ellipsis (if not full-stop) to a 9 yr career in TV news – and it’s a testament to how high-intensity, sleep-deprived and all-round stressful the job is, that most peers and friends *did* feel it was about time to step on the brakes – I knew I was only postponing the final reckoning.

I knew it would hit home at some point… that it might pinch to think about or see shows / discussions/ stories I’m not part of. But in the euphoria and the bustle, that hadn't sunk in, really. Not fully. Not till, well, this week!

I guess two months is going to be enough to know whether I miss it too much – and let’s not forget it can be a pretty awesome job…The exposure! The people you get to meet! The visibility!

(Sigh)

But then again, the flip side is the way the job itself has changed – and across the industry too. There’s such major upheaval, it can’t hurt to wait to see which way the chips fall.

Waiting, patience, a longer attention span – all things I need to work on. Even as I look to get some balance back. When was the last time I wasn’t rushing around? The last time I had regular weekends? Or time to think? Not to mention, time to write? It feels like I was in a one giant “Pause” of a moment, I don’t even know when / how I forgot to re-set! 

So here is my reminder. When I have those moments of doubt (about this specific decision) let me not forget that it’s also a major project to get my life back on track, in terms of all the other priorities I let slide over the past decade – whether through lack of interest or time (management)… This is it. This one’s on me.

So yeah, I’m looking forward to the next few months, and not rushing … standing quite still for the moment, but if I look closely, there’s progress.

I don’t know how this will go, clearly – it’s an ongoing project. But…learning new skills? Always a good thing, no? How are you challenging yourself in the few months we have left this year?

Go Back

(It's All About) The Journey

THE JOURNEY

It's amazing how much can change in a decade. From my vantage point here towards the end of 2014 – just 100 days left to go in this year, people! – I look back and marvel at that incredible joyride that is life. 

 By December, hopefully, I'll be two books old, there's a magazine column I feel privileged to write, there are speaking engagements here and there, there are the perks of being a reporter and news anchor...and that does bring me to the mainstay of my job for nearly a decade – it was great being an anchor, it really was. You feel connected to the information zeitgeist, you feel you're part of the news in some small way, you get a lovely kick out of someone meeting you at a literary festival in Kerala, and shrugging away an introduction saying “I know you, we have breakfast with you every morning,” – and remember this was a sweeter, kinder era, pre-Twitter! Now there's constant feedback, there's some positives and lots of negatives, the trolling, the objectifying, the sexism, and more. But choose to filter, to block, to hold on to the positive but take the criticism constructively, where possible, and it's a brilliant sort of feedback mechanism, isn't it?

THE TRANSITION

For me, I'm bowing out of the arc-lights, such as they are! (And despite this era of 24/7 news cycles and hundreds of channels, at least in the “English speaking news channel” space , we're still a fairly small tribe). That feeling of belonging – I'm going to hold on to. I know that TV journalists everywhere just “get” each other in terms of the pressures and lifestyle. You relate to that manic pressure, the addiction to that constant buzz, no matter what continent you're on! 9 years in, though, it's time to take a step back. I love the news, and the adrenaline and the insanity and the newsroom, not to mention reporting, but there's also a need for a little space and me-time. A balance. (This is also age kicking in).

But looking back down the corridor of time, I'm amazed at all that I've managed to change, how I managed to grow, and all the wonderful people who helped me, the encounters that shaped me... From a potty-mouth, grungy, under-confident 24 year old to a more grounded, less profane, more evolved and empathetic human bean. It's been a ride! I've gone from thinking that I will change the world (and oh the egotism wrapped up in that thought!!) to thinking that it's such a gift to have a job that changes you. There is great work being done that I hope to add to...and there will always be stories to be told. That won't change.

 I've seen it several times in my own career – It's a profoundly moving and humbling experience to have an encounter / do a profile/ meet someone who changes you. I've seen courageous children, parents, doctors defying all odds, writers spinning great webs of imagination, I have been touched by the humility of some of the great minds and personalities of our time!

The roll call of interviewees has been staggering - that I didn't out and out make a complete idjit of myself is part of the training in the performance art that is anchoring...
I loved reading and interacting with Ramachandra Guha, speaking with Gloria Steinem, reading and chatting with David Remnick...I got to hang out with and interview Amitav Ghosh, listen to Yoko Ono, speed read the final Harry Potter for work! There was the quizzing of Lady Gaga, the Grammys in LA, five to six months in New York! I got to listen to Sting and his band rehearse and play, and then a chance to chat with him, not to mention, my teenage idol Jostein Gaarder, whose masterpiece Sophie's World, changed my life... T
here have been so many mind-bending moments that it more than makes up for the banality of other days. It's not all fake breaking news and stroke-inducing graphics pointers, I'll have you know! I've had my universe enriched and mental horizons expanded by the people I did get to meet... And even by the process of research, the prep work, the buzz of being live and representing a major channel, it's all been a phenomenal experience.

AND THEN...

I have enjoyed interacting with so many of you -- from our sessions at the Jaipur Lit Fest, to travels from Kerala to Mumbai, Delhi to Bhutan, Hanoi to New York! And online, too, right? The world has been at our fingertips – I hope that continues (and for that, we can always thank Twitter!) 

Go Back

Favourite Photo: Behind the Scenes

 Behind The Scenes (The BRAVE) - L to R: Vishal Batra, Mukesh Khetarpal, me, Rachna Bisht, Bana Singh.

Go Back

I-Day Week

For a generation that's all me, my, I, or i- ... It's good to know we can still be shaken out of our self-absorption, every so often. For me, a shoot I went for today did more than that. Ostensibly to shoot with some "faces" as a book on Paramvir Chakra Awardees ("The Brave" By Rachna Bisht) was to be launched... but it was so much more.

I had the chance to meet one of the three living Paramvir Chakra awardees - Bana Singh (after whom the peak in Siachen is named Bana Top, because of his courage and that of his men in re-claiming it from Pakistan), as well as the brave brave brothers of two Paramvir Chakra awardees. Captain Vikram Batra has become a household name and hero in India -- his twin brother Vishal Batra joined us for a special show on CNN-IBN, and shared his memories and thoughts... as did Mukesh Khetarpal, the brother of 2nd Lt Arun Khetarpal, who was post-humously awarded a Paramvir Chakra for his valour in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

It blows me away to realise how young Capt. Batra and 2nd Lt Khetarpal were - 24 and 21, respectively.

I was an idiot at that age. A delinquent, practically. And there they were, fighting for their country, braver than brave. And it's only in interacting with their brothers that I got a sense of what that means. Even as we pay tribute to the martyrs, we should also remember those they've left behind.

The families of the fallen deserve to be saluted, there's no question. They too are braver than brave -- dealing with the haunting loss year after year, day after day. As Mr Khetarpal told me, it doesn't go away. "My parents took it to their graves," he said, even as he grappled with the question as to "what" makes men martyrs - DNA/ their spirit? Their conditioning? Would they make the same choices again if they had a "do-over"? And how devastating that must be, for the family? I can't even imagine. That was something he was keen to highlight -- no one except other families in a similar situation can understand that personal grief. As for the rest of us? Well, the country does come together every so often to remember - Independence Day & Republic Day, like clockwork... 

Individually of course, it's a different story -- in fact Mr Batra shared how he and his late brother ("Luv and Kush") used to lap up stories of the "PVC" heroes... immortalised and now very much a part of our national (and myth-building) narrative. 

I never considered myself a "patriot" as such and am definitely not jingoistic, definitely more peace and love "dove" than hawk, but I also recognise that it's these men guarding the borders, doing these unthinkable things, making unthinkable choices and sacrifices, who give me the liberty to be this way. (It's not just A Few Good Men on screen or off, it's many many more... and more than can be commemorated, probably).

The Brave: Paramvir Chakra Heroes will air on CNN-IBN on Independence Day, August 15, at 8 pm. 

Go Back

Food For Thought

So that last article was definitely an interesting one to write... Much food for thought. And I'm hoping some of you weigh in - right here or on twitter (@amritat) on what you think of the gender balance in your workplace, in the media, and some of the other issues the article highlights.

 

Go Back

Ta DA!

POST-SCRIPT

 

 

I have to say *that* might be the first public space in which the title of Book Two was revealed.

Interested? Interesting? I sure hope so!!

 

Go Back

COMING SOON... BOOK TWO

Now THIS is super-exciting news... We are on track for Book TWO, people.

It's a novel and should be out by the end of the year... so excited!

Waiting on the final edits and then, ta da! It's definitely a darker shade than you'd expect - intense, even, but fundamentally true

Can't wait to share more!!  

Go Back

Live to Fight...(Another Day)

Nothing like being a little unwell to bring out the melodrama in me!'

That and the flux - to put it mildly - but change is a good thing, I'm constantly being told these days... That's a good life lesson right there. (Always harder to learn these through experience than spout second-hand wisdom, though, hey?)

A little loopy on the early morning shift at work, which stretches on, with the new beat now taking up a lot of my time. (Btw this is how you know that time is elastic and relative, even if you're not Einstein - try a little sleep deprivation on the job and that'll do you nicely!)

The new beat -- foreign affairs -- is a super challenge but ... (and there's always a but!) there's a LOT to catch up on, and lots of new ground to cover, people to meet with (or not, as increasingly seems to be the case!). I seem to have missed that point in the last decade that saw journalists become unpopular - ouch! That does hurt.

Here was a calling that went beyond a profession... and to see it besmirched, well that stings. But the subtle shifts, the signs...you gotta wonder, do they speak to you directly? Or your experience?

A decade into this gig, I have to ask, is that the clock calling time? 

 

Go Back

ELECTION-O-RAMA

If you're sitting here in India, you can't be oblivious to the election mania. We are in the middle of the 9 phases, and it's as mammoth a logistical exercise as it seems an emotional one. (Not for nothing is this called the largest democratic exercise in the world). Four phases yet to go, and under a month till counting day.

May 16 is bold, circled in red in many diaries and ... may just be giving some of the key players sleepless nights. Not just political players either.

In the past, it's never seemed like quite such a dire fight. To the finish,  I daresay, but then the joke is truly on us. Because nothing is final in politics, as you know. And having written that, I think, how short *is* collective memory, how short are our attention spans? 

If you look at independent India's chequered history, how can the elections of 1977 not be seen as an epic moment? The imposition of Emergency was a travesty, and as soon as it was lifted, proved to be a/the major issue that election. How was that not a dire moment?

The electoral process is a corrective, in this country.

The elections in December 1984 (after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, and the horrific anti-Sikh riots) which gave Rajiv Gandhi such a massive mandate must have been an epic moment. The 1996 elections didn't give anyone a clear mandate, and resulted in a hung parliament. The country went back to the polls in 1998, and then 1999... Which is when we saw the NDA govt in power, and the Congress then (as now) seeing the urgent need for introspection and re-assessment. In 2004, things had turned right round - which not too many people saw coming. Which is why you see the Congress leaders in public refer to 04,  in 2014, saying... you never can tell. (And you can't - witness Mayawati sweeping the UP polls in 2007, which no one predicted, either, if memory serves).

But what is it about *this* time round that feels so epic? 2014? It's gladiatorial, and we've been told it's a clash of ideologies, (not civilisations!) It's a battle for India's heart and soul, India's spirit and nationalism, You're with us or Against us... (In which case, please head off to Pakistan)... And so it goes!

You're seeing the pithy catch-phrases and slogans, the big sales pitches and you're bombarded day after day with ads so  you can't remain oblivious (which is a good thing)... And yet you're not entirely on solid ground in terms of substantive, tangible issues. Who stands for what, really? Whose agenda is being served by whom? Why is there this fear psychosis? Where is the name-calling and aspersion-casting going to lead us?

When will we in the bubbles and big cities hold off on the mock outrage ("How could he say xxxx?") and realise just how politically manipulative and sharp those making the most vile statements are -- as they appeal to one vote-bank after another. 

And then some.

When will we have our faith restored in certain vital institutions? When will we be able to set aside the cynicism and hold off on the pre-judgement... and believe people again? Where is credibility and why has it been in such short supply? (I did have a conversation just today on "facts" and how you can't believe "facts" being touted as such by anyone, anymore. What *have* we come to?)

India feels like a livewire at this point... And of course the media's part of that feeling. But more importantly, this election is a touchstone for many things. Not least of which is a country's belief in itself, in progress, and in the need to shake up the system. (How many people are voting one way as a way to reject the other? A negative vote is a vote, is a vote, you say, but it says a lot more about the choices at hand).

For too long we've listened to half-truths and outright lies, propaganda masquerading as facts. For too long, it's felt like we stood by, and let other people define our narrative. Voting (on a micro- and macro-  scale) is the way the country re-defines its own. Outright optimism or naivete, you say? It may feel dire for many, but I can't help but note (and hope) that the electoral process is a corrective... and a reality check.

So here's looking past the hyperbole, to May 16.

 

(*This blog appears on ibnlive.com as Election Mania, What's At Stake)

Go Back

Ta Da!

So it's almost March - Bizarre news of the day!

And as I work on my magazine column for Womens' Health India, just to let you know, we are celebrating the two year anniversary! In April! This time, I tell ya, just flying on by...(Young people never say this, as you know. It's only the rapidly aging!)

So I want to be more regular here, and maybe more informative, ahem... Rather than shouting into the void! But it's been a while since I blogged regularly and am getting back in the groove. Just got the chance to see some of my earliest blogs on ibnlive.com -- ha! Youth!

What else is news in Amrita's world? Hmm... Working out my reading list, and there are a whole bunch of books that I need to get to. This Hemingway collection and Dante's Hell have been eyeballing me a while (2 months and 7-odd years, respectively!), but I'm getting to my short-list first. Finally read Tavleen Singh's Durbar (highly recommended), and am looking fwd to reading Sankarshan Thakur's Single Man next. And I'm looking fwd to Sam Miller's A Strange Kind of Paradise as well maybe the Simon Denyer book on India - 'Rogue Elephant'... And then the new Hanif Kureishi.

Between you and me -- and feel free to judge -- you will understand how back-logged the reading list is, when I tell you I just finished Shantaram! (Great fun in bits, and I'm looking fwd to the movie, if they ever make it, but could have been a few hundred pages shorter?)

I guess that's about that for now... But before I go! 

COMING SOON...COMING SOON...COMING SOON...

Will be updating soon on Book #2, fingers crossed! I'm told it's "dark, but ultimately uplifting"... Hope that appeals (but if not, no fear, I'm convinced I will be able to churn out a best-seller... I mean, how hard can that be, right?!)

 

 

Go Back

The New Year

It's already the end of February - what happened to the shiny new year we got 55 odd days ago? Time, slow down!!

Or at least, let us slow down to figure out how to appreciate things more!

 

So I've been remiss about the site ...again. And I'm hoping to have good news to share on the book front this year, so I better get my own act together!!

 

Will do some spring cleaning and updates re other articles/ work... 

Feel free to look around, drop me a line...Whether you're an aspiring writer or journalist or...just stopping by to say hi!!

 

PS Favourite show at the mo' #Houseof Cards (There went a couple of weekends! Though I'm the only person I know who dove straight into S2, without seeing S1. Ah well, more to look fwd to, I suppose!) Between that and Sherlock in December, I'm quite pleased w what telly has to offer, apart from the news, you understand!!

Go Back

One Year On, What (of) Change and Hope?

December 16: It's a date the whole country remembers -- seared into our collective memory. And for once, you can't fault the media for "over-playing" / "over-doing" an incident. A ghastly attack on a young girl, a girl we re-named and claimed, a girl who came to symbolise courage, yes incredible courage, and also all that was wrong with the system.

The nay-sayers say we do not march on India Gate when it's other survivors, when it's other cities, but they're missing the larger point - she triggered that point where we all said, enough! (Even those of us who didn't march on India Gate, who didn't feel comfortable in the massive crowds that gathered). She was also symbolic, larger than life, and marked that watershed moment. We grieve, many of us, in private for the 5 year old girl we read about, for Manorama Devi, for people we know, who've been assaulted, raped, been victims of acid attacks -- not all of whom can find their voices. We grieve for countless, faceless others sometimes. And we must. Because know that when you stop caring, part of your own humanity has died.

But no, grieving isn't enough.

We must stop judging, we must make judgement-free zones, safe spaces, for survivors and victims alike. We must raise our voices when we see harassment around us, we must encourage friends and others to go for counselling, identify resources that can help them, start self-help groups. We must raise better men, we must instill humanity and empathy in those around us, starting with ourselves. Someone tweeted to say we must "start with unity". No, I don't think so. We must start with ourselves. (And no, I'm not saying it will be easy. And no, not even with our nearest and dearest. Sometimes they will feel let down, isolated, in the dark. And sometimes relationships do break down irretrievably. We owe it to ourselves, to retain that humanity, remain compassionate and open to conversations.)

Re-claim our cities, the brave folks at Blank Noise tell us. It's not easy, not when you've been hounded, not when you've feared for your own safety, and not when you've faced attack or assault. But it is imperative that we re-claim our cities, that we re-claim our lives. We are all survivors in a way. And we must keep the fight going.

(I wrote more on Delhi: One Year On here).

 

Go Back

20 blog posts