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What we do Tourism, sports and major events
Explore type
Strategies and initiatives
Grants, awards and scholarships
Divisional owners and entities
The department provides a series of programs and grants to support Victoria's sporting sector and visitor economy.
Sport and Recreation Victoria is dedicated to supporting Victoria's sport and recreation sector, while inspiring Victorians to get active. Sport and Recreation Victoria works collaboratively with the not-for-profit, private and government sectors to improve the health and wellbeing of Victorians, build stronger and more connected communities, deliver economic growth and jobs and enhance liveability for all Victorians.
The Office of Women in Sport and Recreation works alongside Sport and Recreation Victoria to increase the number of women and girls participating in sport and active recreation, from grassroots through to senior leadership roles. The Office of Women in Sport and Recreation is leading the Change Our Game initiative, which encourages the sport and recreation sector to challenge gender stereotypes and help women and girls become leaders.
Racing is an important part of Victoria's sporting sector and is a significant contributor to the state's economy, with racedays driving tourism, economic development and boosting local businesses in metropolitan and regional Victoria throughout the year.
The Office of Racing within the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions is responsible for providing policy and legislative support to the Minister for Racing; delivering the Government's racing agenda; minor licencing such as Calcutta Sweepstakes and mixed sports gatherings; licensing of race clubs and racecourses; and delivering the Victorian Racing Industry Fund (VRIF) grants program.
The Tourism, Events and Visitor Economy (TEVE) branch is responsible for strengthening the profile of tourism and events across government and influencing strategic reforms and economic outcomes for the sector.
TEVE undertakes research and provides policy, strategy and industry development advice to the government and industry on the visitor economy. The branch also provides governance support and advice on a number of entities that market the state, secure events, and manage large scale tourist attractions, precincts, facilities and entertainment venues in Victoria.
Visit Victoria is Victoria's tourism marketing and events company, responsible for marketing the state and securing new business, cultural and sporting events for our world-class events calendar.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation
Emerald Tourist Railway Board (Puffing Billy)
Greyhound Racing Victoria
Harness Racing Victoria
Kardinia Park Stadium Trust
Melbourne Cricket Club
Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust
MCG Trust
Office of Women in Sport and Recreation
Sport and Recreation Victoria
State Sport Centres Trust
Tourism Industry Resources
Victorian Institute of Sport
Visit Victoria
Active Victoria – A strategic framework for sport and recreation in Victoria 2017-21
Active Victoria is our plan to strengthen the sport and recreation sector, boost participation and ensure every Victorian has the chance to be involved.
Download the Active Victoria plan.
Change Our Game
The Victorian Government is committed to increasing the number of women and girls participating in sport and active recreation, from grassroots through to leadership roles.
The Change Our Game initiative aims to increase leadership and participation by women and girls by delivering on the nine recommendations outlined in the Inquiry into Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation outlined nine recommendations
Fair Play Code
The Fair Play Code sends a loud and clear message – that bad behaviour, violence, cheating and intimidation has no place in sport and recreation in our state.
Through the Fair Play Code we are making sure that individuals, clubs, leagues and associations know what to do if they encounter bad behaviour both on and off the sporting field.
Download the Fair Play Code plan.
Home Ground Advantage
The Victorian Government's game plan to assess and determine the future needs of Victoria's sporting stadiums and precincts is outlined in the Home Ground Advantage – Victoria's major stadia strategy.
Download the Home Ground Advantage plan.
Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy
The Victorian Government's objectives for supporting the growth and sustainability of the tourism, events and visitor economy sector are outlined in the Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy (PDF 1427.08 KB)
Download the Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy (DOCX 1928.22 KB) .
Victorian Visitor Economy Action plan
The action plan to implement the Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy over the short to medium term is outlined in the Victorian Visitor Economy Action plan Victorian Visitor Economy Action Plan (PDF 1895.64 KB)
Download the Victorian Visitor Economy Action plan Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy Action Plan 2016-2020 (DOCX 90.63 KB) .
Victorian Visitor Economy Progress Report July 2018
A summary of how the Victorian Government is tracking in delivering on the Strategy's objectives is outlined in the Victorian Visitor Economy Progress Report July 2018 Victorian Visitor Economy Action Plan (PDF 1895.64 KB)
Download the Victorian Visitor Economy Progress Report July 2018 plan Victorian Visitor Economy Strategy Action Plan 2016-2020 (DOCX 90.63 KB) .
The review into Federation Square was announced in April 2019 with the aim to not only improve the visitor experience of everyone enjoying Federation Square, but to also ensure Federation Square continues to grow as an innovative and exciting place for the community.
Industry crisis resources
The department has developed resources for the tourism industry that provide advice on how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a crisis event and help counter negative publicity in the event of a crisis.
Integrity in racing
Integrity is at the core of racing and the Victorian Government is supporting the industry to strengthen its integrity standards.
The Victorian Government has introduced new laws to bolster integrity standards by providing independent oversight and a robust disciplinary framework for the industry, which includes the recent establishment of two new bodies - the Victorian Racing Tribunal and the Victorian Racing Integrity Board.
The Racing Integrity Commissioner also oversees integrity related issues regarding the Victorian racing industry, across the harness, greyhound and thoroughbred racing codes.
Regional Tourism Review
A review has been launched into the state's Regional Tourism Boards with the aim of finding opportunities to better support tourism in the regions, enhance private investment and create more regional jobs.
Response to the Victorian Ombudsman's report into Puffing Billy and other railway bodies
On 25 June 2018, the Victorian Ombudsman tabled a report on her Investigation into child sex offender Robert Whitehead's involvement with Puffing Billy and other railway bodies.
The report can be accessed from the Victorian Ombudsman website.
For more information about the Victorian Government's response to the Ombudsman's report, including the support services available to assist survivors and others affected by the report, please visit our Response to the Victorian Ombudsman's report into Puffing Billy page.
The Tourism, Events and Visitor Economy branch collates and analyses a range of research and statistics relating to tourism in Victoria. Publications include domestic and international visitation and expenditure, the economic contribution of tourism, tourism forecasts and segment and market profiles.
Sporting infrastructure
The department has a number of key infrastructure projects for developing stadiums, grounds and community sports infrastructure throughout Victoria to provide the best facilities for each sport.
This includes community infrastructure projects to support sporting clubs at a grassroots level, as well as major infrastructure projects such as upgrades to Melbourne Park, Marvel Stadium and the State Netball Hockey Centre.
Sporting participation
Sport and Recreation Victoria has a range of resources with information about campaigns and opportunities to get involved in sport and recreation.
This includes the Together More Active program which supports initiatives that improve the operation and sustainability of organisations to create more participation opportunities for Victorians and increase the capacity of the sport and recreation sector.
Premier's Active April is an annual campaign that encourages all Victorians to do 30 minutes of physical activity a day during April. Premier's Active April is free, fun and part of the Victorian Government's commitment to get more people active and healthy.
Ticket scalping legislation
The Major Events Act 2009 protects fans from ticket scalpers by ensuring that tickets to major events are available for everyone. When the government declares an event as a major event, it becomes illegal to sell or advertise for resale tickets for more than 10 per cent above face value.
For more information, please visit www.djpr.com.au/fair-go-for-fans
Tourism excellence
The tourism excellence guides have been designed to help tourism businesses and destinations get the best from their workforce, deliver the best possible visitor experience, grow tourism by working together, and ensure a sustainable industry.
Events funding
The Victorian Government provides funding for a range of business events, major events and regional events, through its tourism marketing and events company, Visit Victoria.
The Significant Sporting Events Program through Sport and Recreation Victoria also provides funding to help sporting, community and event organisations to deliver significant sporting events in Victoria.
Regional Development Victoria (RDV) grant programs
Infrastructure projects under the visitor economy stream of the regional infrastructure fund must attract increased visitors to the region and deliver an improved experience for those who visit and reside in regional Victoria.
Sports grants
Sport and Recreation Victoria provides a wide range of grants and funding programs to increase participation and maximise the economic and social benefits provided by sport and recreation to all Victorians.
Tourism Demand Driver Infrastructure Program
The Australian Government, through the Tourism Demand Driver Infrastructure (TDDI) Program, has allocated funding for the development of tourism infrastructure. The department administers Victoria's allocation. Applications for this year are now closed.
Victorian Racing Industry Fund
The Victorian Racing Industry Fund (VRIF) provides grants to the Victorian racing industry for improvements at racing and training venues and for selected programs designed to further stimulate industry growth and development.
Sport, Recreation and Racing
The Sport, Recreation and Racing branch oversees the work of Sport and Recreation Victoria and the Office of Racing. The branch provides policy, strategy, grants administration, investment development and industry support.
The Office of Women in Sport and Recreation
The Office of Women in Sport and Recreation works alongside the Sport, Recreation and Racing branch. The Office provides policy, strategy and industry support to increase the number of women and girls participating in sport and active recreation, from grassroots through to senior leadership roles.
Tourism, Events and Visitor Economy Branch
The Tourism, Events and Visitor Economy Branch undertakes research and provides policy, strategy and industry development advice to the government and industry on the visitor economy. The branch also provides governance support and advice on a number of entities that market the state, secure events, and manage large scale tourist attractions, precincts, facilities and entertainment venues in Victoria.
Victorian Racing Integrity Commissioner
The Racing Integrity Commissioner is an independent statutory officer, appointed by the Governor in Council, under the Racing Act 1958 (Vic).
Mr Sal Perna was appointed as Victoria's inaugural Racing Integrity Commissioner on 1 March 2010. His appointment has been extended on four occasions with his current appointment expiring in 2021.
The Office of the Racing Integrity Commissioner gathers information on integrity related issues regarding the Victorian Racing Industry, across the harness, greyhound and thoroughbred racing codes.
Entities include:
Emerald Tourist Railway Board
Contact the Australian Grand Prix Corporation
Contact the Emerald Tourist Railway Board (Puffing Billy)
Contact Fed Square Pty Ltd (Federation Square)
Contact Greyhound Racing Victoria
Contact Harness Racing Victoria
Contact the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust
Contact MCG Trust
Contact the Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust
Contact the Melbourne Convention Bureau
Contact the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust
Contact the State Sport Centres Trust
Contact the Victorian Institute of Sport
Contact Visit Victoria


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"You Should Just Always Be Reaching a Little Further than You Think is Actually Possible" – William Powers on Self-Publishing, Raising Your Profile and the Inspiration of Basil Wolverton
ELCAF FORTNIGHT!
William Powers is a newer name on the small press scene in terms of coverage here at Broken Frontier. I first discovered his work last year on Small Press Day at Orbital Comics and since then we've looked at his zines like Never Been Reborn and his ongoing Space Wolf series. What particularly appeals about Powers's work is its DIY culture sensibilities and constant sense of experimentation. Today, as part of our ongoing ELCAF Fortnight coverage, we talk to him about his entry point into self-publishing, how he was inspired by Basil Wolverton and his advice for other small pressers about getting their work out there…
ANDY OLIVER: I first discovered your work at Orbital Comics at Small Press Day last year. How did you first become involved in comics self-publishing and can you tell us about your wider artistic background?
WILLIAM POWERS: When I was doing my Art Foundation course I made a humour zine with some friends called Hum. We made 5 copies using my dad's photocopier and sold them in Orbital Comics for 20p each. It was a very silly project but showed me how easy it could be to make something and then get it sold. I was always into comics but became obsessed with animation as a teenager and then studied film at university. Afterwards I kind of fled back to the solitary world of animation, which led quite easily back to illustration and comics. What I love about self-publishing is that I can create a zine, get it printed with a minimum of cost and actually see a return on that money through selling it. That kind of directness just doesn't feel possible to me with film which is why I've drifted away from it I think.
AO: Your Space Wolf series has a notably retro feel to it. What's the premise of the comic and what would you describe as its inspirations?
POWERS: I used to visit comic shops a lot when I was younger and go through boxes randomly waiting for something to catch my eye. My greatest discovery was an 80s reprint of a 1930s series called Spacehawk by Basil Wolverton and over a decade later that was the inspiration for Space Wolf. Another favourite from that period is Fletcher Hanks who created Stardust the Super Wizard. Both Stardust and Spacehawk are these heroes who don't really have a personality beyond hating crime, and the way they deal with the villains of their stories can be alarmingly brutal. Space Wolf is similarly a lone figure who just turns up to fight crime without any explanation, but I couldn't help making him a little more humane. I'd love to try and replicate just how bizarre those old comics are but I don't think I even came close.
AO: The very first of your comics we reviewed here at Broken Frontier was the zine Never Been Reborn (below). Could you describe how you used the surrealist cut-up writing technique to create that work and how the narrative was constructed?
POWERS: Last year I went to stay with a friend in Yorkshire for a month and decided to create a zine during my stay and the cut-up technique just seemed like the most fun way to do it. I'd made a few poems using Mills & Boon books which I had really liked, and the idea of taking something 'trashy' and refiguring it is very appealing. I found a suitably cheap supernatural romance book in a charity shop and randomly chose pages to cut up. Then I just sat and made little phrases from the words, and out of those phrases grew a whole story which I then illustrated. I enjoy that kind of process because it turns it into more of a game and removes some of the ego from the writing.
AO: Can you talk a little about your artistic process and the mediums you work in?
POWERS: I try to experiment as much as I can in my work so my process changes a lot depending on what I'm doing. I like a challenge, and sometimes I'll create my own. For example with Space Wolf I don't do any digital editing of my original artwork, so the challenge is to make it all for real on the page. I also make a lot of riso prints, and working out what will come out looking best on the machine is a fun puzzle. Sometimes the medium creates its own challenges so you don't have to!
AO: What can attendees expect to see on your table at ELCAF this year? Will you have any new material on offer?
POWERS: I'll have all my usual zines, a whole lot of riso prints, and plenty of badges. I'm going to try and riso print my 'standard' badge designs and then have some unique collaged badges for sale as well. The new stuff should (fingers crossed) include a larger zine of experimental short graphic stories which I've been working on and some handmade pins. I'm slightly nervous about table space as I keep making new riso prints before I've sold through the old ones, so maybe I'll vary what I've got on the different days.
AO: As an upcoming small press creator what advice would you give those first getting into self-publishing about getting their work out there and raising the profile of their comics?
POWERS: I remember when I finally finished making the first Space Wolf I got 10 copies printed and gave them all away to my friends. One of them asked if I was going to try and sell it and I was adamant that it wasn't good enough, I was just pleased to have actually finished it. He said he'd take it into Gosh! Comics in London and ask on my behalf and I said sure, if they agree to stock it then I'll even make an issue 2! Of course they did agree, and since then I've sold more than 200 copies of that first issue, and just finished making a third. All I needed was that person (it was my friend Joe, thanks Joe!) to push me into sharing it beyond my immediate circle. That was very fortunate for me, but I guess my advice is if you can actually get something finished and printed, which is really the hard part, then don't stop there. I only very recently plucked up the courage to start applying to zine fairs, and getting into ELCAF was honestly a shock. You should just always be reaching a little further than you think is actually possible, because you'll probably end up surprising yourself.
What are your plans post-ELCAF? What else can we look to see from them this year and beyond?
I guess my long-term goal is to create longer narrative comics, and maybe even have some published by someone other than myself! But generally speaking I just want to explore different ideas and mediums as much as possible, whilst hopefully making a little money.
William Powers is exhibiting at ELCAF. For more on his work follow him on Twitter here and visit his online store here.
For more on ELCAF 2019 visit the festival site here and follow them on Twitter here.
Tags: elcaf fortnight 2019never been rebornspace wolfwilliam powers
— Andy Oliver
Andy Oliver is Broken Frontier's Editor-in-Chief and site owner. He is also a co-organiser of the annual UK Small Press Day, was a member of the 2015 British Comic Awards Committee and a judge for the 2014 Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition.
ELCAF Spotlight: Jon McNaught – Looking Back on the Comics Practice of this Year's ELCAF Artist-in-Residence
"I'm Always Aiming to Create Work from a Place of Honesty and Tenderness" – Karen Shangguan on Her Inspirations and Creative Process Ahead of this Weekend's ELCAF
Love is Temporary – Holly St Clair's Zine Provides Relatable Symbolism on the Subject of Love
Celebrating ELCAF 2019 – Taking New Creators to New Audiences as Jayde Perkin's 'I'm Not Ready' Debuts and David Biskup is this Year's ELCAF x WeTransfer Award Winner
Six Small Press Creators to Watch in 2020 – Spotlighting the Work of Dominique Duong, Miranda Smart, Nic Mac, Pigeon, Shangomola Edunjobi and Tal BroshJanuary 16, 2020
The King – John Tucker's Eccentrically Amiable Tale Combines the Downright Bizarre with Themes of Family and ResponsibilityJanuary 15, 2020
The Lure of the Flesh – Beatrice Mossman's Horror/Fairy Tale Hybrid Explores the Possibilities of the Page with Its Distinctive Tactile PresentationJanuary 13, 2020
Buuza!! Vol. 1: Good Morning Salwa – Shazleen Khan's Broken Frontier Award-Winning Webcomic About "Found Family, Diaspora and Religion" Comes to PrintJanuary 3, 2020

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


First Minister announces new rate that will benefit thousands of staff in Scotland.
"The new Living Wage of £8.45 will be a welcome pay rise for thousands of Scottish workers and ensures people's basic wage continues to meet the real costs of living.
"For business, paying the Living Wage makes sense - it's an investment in people and all the evidence shows it leads to increased productivity and reduced staff absence and turnover, while sending a strong signal to customers about fairness.
"Today's announcement of the new, increased, Living Wage rates of £8.45 brings a welcome pay rise to thousands of workers across Scotland.
"430,000 people in Scotland still earn less than the wage they need to get by. This is an increase on the number of people struggling since last year's figures. That's why it's more important than ever for leading employers to join the growing movement of businesses and organisations that are going further than the government minimum and making sure their employees earn enough to cover the real cost of living."
"We are delighted to mark becoming an accredited real Living Wage employer to celebrate our Company's renowned commitment to the overall wellbeing of our employees with a visit from the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon today.
"Bell Group today is one of the largest dedicated painting and maintenance contractors in the UK both in terms of our directly employed workforce and geographical coverage. Whilst being market leader, we remain a family-owned and operated business with our foundations being built on a true family ethos.


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Other Funded Programmes
Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre 4 year PhD Programmes
The DTC programmes are structured 4 year DPhil programmes; applications and admissions for the separate themes are handled by the DTC. The awards are generous, and although the fees are covered at the Home rate, International students who are offered places may get additional funding via a Clarendon Scholarship.
The first year of each programme consists of taught courses or laboratory rotations, after which the students are assigned a Department and spend three years of independent research in a single laboratory (in this respect, the programme differs from the NDM Prize Studentships, which are for 4 years in a single laboratory). Supervisors in the NDM participate in the following themes:
Genomic Medicine and Statistics
Structural Biology: from Molecules to Cells
Infection, Immunology and Translational Medicine
Chromosome and Developmental Biology: The Cell in Heredity and Development.
Clinically qualified applicants can apply for an Oxford Wellcome Trust Training Fellowship for Clinicians in Basic Science. These 3 year studentships enable qualified clinicians to study for a D.Phil. in the basic science of the following themes: Neurosciences, Infection & Immunity, Cardiovascular Medicine, Haematology & Haematopoiesis and Metabolic Medicine (which also includes Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nephrology). Alternatively, clinicians can apply directly to the MRC (MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowships), CRUK or other specialist research charities for a Clinical Training Fellowship. You should discuss options with your prospective supervisor. Clinicians in training are counted as University employees.
The Oxford/NIH Graduate Partnership Programme
This scheme provides opportunities for the most promising postgraduate students from the United States to undertake collaborative four-year PhD training based in both Oxford and the intramural campus of the National Institutes of Health at Bethesda (Maryland, USA). It is administered in Oxford by the NDM, though projects and supervisors can be chosen across various departments. Students interested in NDM supervisors should view the list of current projects under individual themes or on the webpages of principal investigators.
More details are available on our page on NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars' Programme.
The Wellcome Trust and NIH Four Year PhD Studentships
This scheme provides opportunities for the most promising postgraduate students from the UK or Republic of Ireland to undertake four-year PhD training based in both a UK academic institution (including Oxford) and the intramural campus of the National Institutes of Health at Bethesda (Maryland, USA).
More details are available on the Wellcome Trust and National Institutes of Health Four-year PhD Studentships website.
A*STAR-University of Oxford DPhil Programme
This scheme provides four-year scholarships consisting of two years of study at the University of Oxford and two years at a A*STAR Research Institute in Singapore. It is open to Singaporeans, Singaporean Permanent Residents and ASEAN Nationals. Applicants interested in NDM projects are welcome to contact the principal investigators.
Novartis Vaccines-Oxford-China Scholarship Programme
The Novartis Vaccines-Oxford-China Scholarship Programme is a four-year doctoral programme based in the Nuffield Department of Medicine's Immunology Unit, which is open to graduate students from two of our partner institutions in China: Tsinghua University and Shanghai Jiaotong University.*
This is a fully-funded programme and, if selected, your University fees and college fees will be covered by the scholarship and you will also receive an annual living stipend. Additional funds may be available for students' and supervisors' international flight costs.
If selected, you will spend two years of the programme in Oxford and two years at Novartis' laboratories in Shanghai or Sienna. You will undertake one of the doctoral projects in the field of Human Immunology under the supervision of one of the supervisors listed below. You will have one Oxford supervisor and one from Novartis Vaccines. This is fully integrated programme and when you are not in Oxford your Novartis Vaccines supervisor will send a termly report to your Oxford supervisor and vice versa. Students and supervisors can consult the NDM website for further details on the process of assessment and support.
Eligible candidates will be nominated by one of the two Universities named above and will have an initial interview in China. Shortlisted candidates will then apply to the Nuffield Department of Medicine's Doctoral (D.Phil.) Programme and must fulfil all of the relevant entrance requirements, as well as meeting the specific criteria for this programme. The final decision will be made by the University Admitting Body (UAB). Final selection by Oxford will not be confirmed until all conditions of admission have been met. Under Oxford's present procedures, acceptance by the admitting body guarantees acceptance by a College.
The support for this programme comes from Novartis Vaccines and the Nuffield Department of Medicine. The programme is led by Visiting Professor Xiaoning Xu.
Eligible Supervisors
Katja Simon
(Please note that some of these supervisors are now based in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine)
If you would like to know more about the doctoral projects which are linked to this programme, please contact the project supervisor, noting that you are interested in this programme and including your CV.
If you meet the criteria and are interested in one of the eligible doctoral projects then please contact the relevant academic at your institution as listed below:
Dr. Ying Wang
Shanghai Institute of Immunology
Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine
Shanghai, 200025, P.R. of China
Email: ywang@sibs.ac.cn
Phone: 86-13003262266 Linqi Zhang, Ph.D
Director/Professor
Comprehensive AIDS Research Center
Beijing, 100084, P.R of China
Email: zhanglinqi@tsinghua.edu.cn
*Please note that all applicants are also eligible to apply for the NDM Prize Studentship.
Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership
We invite interested candidates to apply for ESRC funding to undertake one year of the MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine followed by three years of a doctorate on a social research topic with a PI in the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health. The funding comes from the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership and falls under the Health and Wellbeing Pathway. Successful candidates will be part of a vibrant and multidisciplinary community of scholars across three institutions and benefit from all that the GUDTP has to offer. Interested candidates should first apply to the MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine before the January deadline. Candidates are asked to submit with their MSc IHTM application a brief (no more than two page) proposal for their doctoral research project along with the names of two supervisors who have agreed to supervise the research (at least one from Centre for Global Health and Tropical Medicine). If admitted on the MSc IHTM, your research proposal will be forwarded to the DPhil admission panel for consideration. Candidates will then formally apply to the DPhil once registered on the MSc. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Christelle Kervella-Jones in the first instance.
Please note that due to the remit of the funder, this scholarship is limited to candidates from the UK.
The NDM will occasionally advertise special funding programmes or Studentships linked to New Investigator Awards.
NDM Prize Studentships
NDM Tropical Network Fund
CSC-NDM Studentships
NIH-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars' Programme
NIH-Oxford Scholars Application Instructions
Direct Applications
MSc International Health and Tropical Medicine


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Tag: Anuradha Kumar
Borderless January, 2022
2 Comments on Borderless January, 2022
Painting by Sohana Manzoor
Elephants & Laughter… Click here to read.
Keith Lyons introduces us to Kenny Peavy, an author, adventurer, educator and wilderness first-aider who has travelled far and wide and wishes everyone could connect with the natural world right outside their door. Click here to read.
In Rhys Hughes Unbounded, Hughes, an author and adventurer, tells us about his inclination for comedies. Click here to read
Professor Fakrul Alam translates If Life were Eternal by Jibananada Das from Bengali. Click here to read.
Ratnottama Sengupta translates Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt's Bijoya Doushami. Click here to read.
Korean poet Ihlwha Choi translates his own poem, Sometimes Losing is Winning, from Korean. Click here to read.
On This Auspicious Day is a translation of a Tagore's song, Aaji Shubhodine Pitaar Bhabone, from Bengali by Mitali Chakravarty. Click here to read.
Click on the names to read
Rhys Hughes, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Anasuya Bhar, Jay Nicholls, Anuradha Vijayakrishnan, Vernon Daim, Mathangi Sunderrajan, William Miller, Syam Sudhakar, Mike Smith, Pramod Rastogi, Ivan Peledov, Subzar Ahmed, Michael R Burch
Nature's Musings
In Best Friends, Penny Wilkes takes us for a photographic treat. Click here to read.
Poets, Poetry & Rhys Hughes
In Making Something of Nothing…, Rhys Hughes explores sources of inspirations with a dollop of humour. Click here to read.
Musings/Slices from Life
Wooing Children to School
Munaj Gul writes of how volunteers are engaged in wooing children from poverty stricken backgrounds to school in Turbat, Balochistan. Click here to read.
Ravibala Shenoy ponders over various interpretations of the past in media and through social media. Click here to read.
The Ocean & Me
Meredith Stephens writes of her sailing adventures in South Australia. Click here to read.
Crotons
Kavya RK finds her fascination for plants flourish in the pandemic. Click here to read.
The Great Freeze
P Ravi Shankar trots through winters in different parts of the globe. Click here to read.
Ratnottama Sengupta muses as she translates a Tagore's song. Click here to read.
Musings of a Copywriter
In The New Year's Boon, Devraj Singh gives a glimpse into the projection of a new normal created by God. Click here to read.
Dramatising an Evolving Consciousness: Theatre with Nithari's Children
Sanjay Kumar gives us a glimpse of how theatre has been used to transcend trauma and create bridges. Click here to read.
Potable Water Crisis & the Sunderbans
Camellia Biswas, a visitor to Sunderbans during the cyclone Alia, turns environmentalist and writes about the potable water issue faced by locals. Click here to read.
The Malodorous Mountain: A Contemporary Folklore
Sayantan Sur looks into environmental hazards due to shoddy garbage disposal. Click here to read.
Where Sands Drift Back in Time…
Shernaz Wadia explores Western Australia. Click here to read.
The Observant Immigrant
In The Changing Faces of the Family, Candice Louisa Daquin explores the trends in what is seen as a family now. Click here to read.
Bhaskar's Corner
In Fakir Mohan: A Tribute, Bhaskar Parichha introduces us to Fakir Mohan Senapati, the writer he considers the greatest in Odia literature. Click here to read.
Folklore from Balochistan: The Pearl
Balochi folktales woven into a story and reinvented by Fazal Baloch highlighting the wisdom of a woman. Click here to read.
The American Wonder
Steve Ogah takes us to a village in Nigeria. Click here to read.
Neilay Khasnabish shares a story on migrant labours with a twist. Click here to read.
Sushant Thapa writes of real life in Nepal, which at times is stranger than fiction. Click here to read.
The Solace
Candice Louisa Daquin takes us on a poignant story of longing. Click here to read.
The Doll
Sohana Manzoor tells a story around the awakening of a young woman. Click here to read.
An excerpt from Shazi Zaman's Akbar: A Novel of History detailing his interactions with Surdas and Braj. Click here to read.
Excerpts from A Glimpse Into My Country, An Anthology of International Short Stories edited by Andrée Roby & Dr Sangita Swechcha. Click here to read.
Meenakshi Malhotra reviews Somdatta Mandal's translation of A Bengali Lady in England by Krishnabhabini Das (1885). Click here to read.
Gracy Samjetsabam reviews Anuradha Kumar's The Hottest Summer in Years. Click here to read.
Rakhi Dalal reviews Selma Carvalho's Sisterhood of Swans. Click here to read.
Bhaskar Parichha reviews Amit Ranjan's John Lang; Wanderer of Hindoostan; Slanderer in Hindoostanee; Lawyer for the Ranee. Click here to read.
Tags A Bengali Lady in England by Krishnabhabini Das (1885), A Glimpse Into My Country: An Anthology of International Short Stories, Akbar: A Novel of History, Amit Ranjan, Anasuya Bhar, Andrée Roby, Anuradha Kumar, Anuradha Vijayakrishnan, Balochistan, Bhaskar Parichcha, Bhaskar Parichha, Devraj Singh Kalsi, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Fakrul Alam, Fazal Baloch, Gracy Samjetsabam, Ihlwha Choi, Ivan Peledov, Jay Nicholls, Jibanananda Das, John Lang; Wanderer of Hindoostan; Slanderer in Hindoostanee; Lawyer for the Ranee, Kavya RK, Keith Lyons, Kenny Peavy, Mathangi Sunderrajan, Meenakshi Malhotra, Meredith Stephens, Michael R Burch, Mike Smith, Munaj Gul, Neilay Khasnabish, Penny Wilkes, Pramod Rastogi, Ratnottama Sengupta, Ravibala Shenoy, Rhys Hughes, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Sangita Swechcha, Sanjay Kumar, Selma Carvalho, Shazi Zaman, Shernaz Wadia, Sisterhood of Swans, Sohana Manzoor, Somdatta Mandal, Steve Ogah, Subzar Ahmed, Syam Sudhakar, The Hottest Summer in years, Turbat, Vernon Daim, William Miller
Elephants & Laughter
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Run, Painting by Sybil Pretious
Ideally, I would love to start the New Year with laughter and happiness! Then perhaps, the whole year would be dotted with humour …
Laughter clubs often practice laughing for health benefits. I know the pandemic makes both guffawing outdoors or in a group hard but think of the funniest possible thing and, perhaps, you will start laughing. For me what works other than children's and monkeys' antics, are my trips to the dentist, especially the trip where I wondered on the fringe benefits of 'laughing gas' (as given in the PG Wodehouse novel of the same name), only to be informed that it was used exclusively for young children. For me, an adult, there was only — you have guessed it — the jab that numbs your lip function to lubber. I discovered if I could make light of a dentist drilling by learning from Harry Potter (the spell to get rid of the terrifying boggart, who took the shape of the thing you feared most, was to imagine the funniest thing, focus on the humour in it, and shout 'Riddikulus' with a wand pointed at the creature in the form of your worst nightmare), then I could pretty much get rid of most fears.
The other thing I have been wondering for sometime is can one write an editorial that is humorous when the content is serious? I would have wanted to ask that question to many, including Ruskin Bond, who continues as one of my idols. I would love to touch hearts with the humour and the sensitivity that flavours his writing. It is tough to convey a complex thought with the simplicity and elegance of a writer who can be read and understood easily. I think we have a few of them around and I interviewed one. You all probably know him well— Rhys Hughes. I have given the reasons for the interview in lieu of Mr Bond, who continues a distant star beyond the horizon of online interviews. We discussed humour and its role in literature, leaving out completely in the cold, the fictional Mr Bond who answers to the names of James and 007 and has made entertaining films, which can be seen as serious or non-serious.
Hughes has of course, given some writerly advice not just in the interview but in 'Making Something of Nothing' – pretty much the advice that God had probably been given when he asked an unspecified friend on how to create the universe and multiple realities. Hughes has also added to our galaxy of poets where Michael Burch, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Anasuya Bhar, Vernon Daim, William Miller, Pramod Rastogi, Mike Smith, Jay Nicholls and many more continue to sparkle. Taking up the theme of God's creations, Devraj Singh Kalsi has added to more humour with a dream of divine intervention to make the 'New Normal' in 2022 – a plan for this year. Will it ever be real?
Another major issue in this world currently is climate change. In keeping with the need for acceptance of this reality, Keith Lyons introduced us to a nature lover, author and adventurer Kenny Peavy, who loved the fictional adventurer called Indiana Jones and has been working towards living in harmony with nature. He moved to Indonesia from America and is trying to raise awareness. You can find much, though not elephants, in the interview that encompasses the story of a man who cycled across a continent on a bike made of bamboo. However, you can find some writing on a king who acquired the skill to ride and tame elephants in our book excerpt from Shazi Zaman's Akbar: A Novel of History. The excerpt does not showcase his elephant taming skills as did the Bollywood blockbuster Jodha Akbar but is focussed on bringing out the syncretism in the Mughal monarch's outlook which made him seek out exponents of other religions. Sangita Swechcha's and Andrée Roby's anthology, A Glimpse Into My Country, with excerpts of short stories from Nepal and Zimbabwe, like Kenny Peavy, cycle across multiple borders as does our fiction. We feature stories from within and without the continent with Fazal Baloch recombining a couple of folklores from Balochistan to a single tale. Fiction from young writers highlight compassion and a varied perspective. Steve Ogah has a story from Nigeria which almost rings with overtones of Alex Haley's Roots. Sohana Manzoor has given us a poignant narrative with an inspiring twist at the end, an absolute antithesis of the humorous one she rolled out for us last month. Candice Louisa Daquin has also given us an exceptional short fiction along with her column where she discusses the changing face of families in the current context.
While Daquin's focus is mainly towards the West, we have an essay from Sanjay Kumar on families that live in the greyer zones of big cities, children from an outcropping called Nithari in Delhi, where they or theirs suffered neglect, abuse, carnage and cannibalism in their formative years. Introducing the impacted children, Kumar explains how they transcended the wounds that lacerated their lives. This piece is a precursor to a column called 'Children of Nithari'. Starting February, the abuse victims will give us a story a month which will be translated by young volunteers from pandies', an activist theatre group founded by Kumar, and published in Borderless. Another article from Balochistan reflects on the lack of literacy and efforts to bring children into the folds of schooling. Pakistan ranked 99th out of 132 countries on the literacy survey in 2021. We are privileged to be the voice of the unheard.
Two essays that ring of concerns raised in the Kenny Peavy interview are to do with climate crisis in the Sunderbans and waste disposal in Delhi. Both of these are written by researchers who are working on these issues.
We have travel pieces from Australia – one is a sailing adventure by Meredith Stephens and the other is about a trip to the Sand Dunes of Western Australia by Shernaz Wadia. Ravi Shankar has also taken us through winters from the Everest to New York with his globe-trotting non-fiction. Penny Wilkes takes us on a flight of creativity with beautiful photography.
We have a stellar layout of translations. Professor Fakrul Alam translated another poem by Jibananada Das and Borderless is honoured to publish it to the world for the first time. We have a translation from Korea and another of a Brahmo hymn, Aji Shubho Dine, by Tagore, which is sung often during festivals. The icing in our Tagore section in this issue is Ratnottama Sengupta's translation of the Kobiguru's 'Two Birds' (Khanchar Pakhi Chhilo) along with a musing which reflects on the perspectives of the two contemporaries, Tagore and Saratchandra. She has also translated a well-known Bengali poet, Michael Madhusudan Dutt. Dutt wrote just before the advent of Tagore and had an interesting past which has been vividly depicted by Sunil Gangopadhyay in Those Days (Sei Somoy in Bengali), a novel that has been translated by Aruna Chakravarti. Bhaskar Parichha has given us a tribute on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Fakir Mohan Senapati, who, he claims, has the same standing in Odia literature as Tagore in Bengali or Premchand in Hindi.
Parichha has also reviewed Amit Ranjan's John Lang; Wanderer of Hindoostan; Slanderer in Hindoostanee; Lawyer for the Ranee. It looks like an interesting read where an immigrant Australian came supported Rani of Jhansi in India. Rakhi Dalal has reviewed Selma Carvalho's Sisterhood of Swans, again a story of migrants and their lives. The theme seems to echo among the books that have been reviewed this time, including Gracy Samjetsabam's take on Anuradha Kumar's The Hottest Summer in Years, a story about a German immigrant to India in the twentieth century. Meenakshi Malhotra's review of Somdatta Mandal's translation of A Bengali Lady in England by Krishnabhabini Das (1885) highlights the views of a traveller rather than an immigrant as the lady did return home after a ten-year sojourn in Britain. As Meenakshi contends, "The process of travel offers opportunities for emancipation where exposure to other cultures offers her a way of viewing and of gaining a perspective on her own experiences and that of her sisters in India. Krishnabhabini constantly refers to her Indian sisters and bemoans their sorry state and ignorance when she sees how active British women were in their families and societies…"
I was supposed to try my hand at a humorous editorial, but I realise that is tough when the ground is small. For humour, we need rolling acres where we can etch out each detail till it cannot be milked further for laughter. But I promise you I will keep trying to please the readers till one evolves to write like Ruskin Bond.
I would like to thank my fabulous team who even if not actively contributing to content are always at hand to advise and help. I would especially want to thank both Sohana Manzoor and Sybil for their fantastic artwork, which is as wonderful as their writings. I would like to give heartfelt thanks to all the contributors who have made this journal possible and each reader who comes back to our journal for more every month. Some of the pieces remain unmentioned adding to the mystery of the content, just like, Christmas gifts which need to be unwrapped and continue a reality even in January in some parts of the world – the Russians celebrate on January 7th and the Spaniards extend their festivities to January 6th.
Do take a look at this month's edition for not just the stories mentioned here but for more.
I wish you all a wonderful New Year filled with laughter.
Mitali Chakravarty
Borderless Journal
Tags A Bengali Lady in England by Krishnabhabini Das (1885), Akbar: A Novel of History, Amit Ranjan, Anasuya Bhar, Andrée Roby, Anuradha Kumar, Aruna Chakravarti, Australia, Balochistan, Bhaskar Parichha, Boggart, Borderless Journal, Brahmo hymn, Candice Louisa Daquin, Children of Nithari, Christmas, climate change, Climate crisis, Delhi, Devraj Singh Kalsi, EVEREST, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Fakrul Alam, Fazal Baloch, Gracy Samjetsabam, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, James Bond 007, Jay Nicholls, Jibanananda Das, Jodha Akbar, John Lang; Wanderer of Hindoostan; Slanderer in Hindoostanee; Lawyer for the Ranee, Keith Lyons, Kenny Peavy, Khanchar Pakhi Chhilo, Korea, Laughing Gas, Meenakshi Malhotra, Meredith Stephens, Michael Burch, Mitali Chakravarty, Nepal, New Year, New York, Nigeria, Nithari, Pakistan, Penny Wilkes, PG Wodehouse, Rakhi Dalal, Rani of Jhansi, Ravi Shankar, Rhys Hughes, Ruskin Bond, Ryan Quinn Flanagan, Sangita Swechcha, Sanjay Kumar, Saratchandra, Selma Cavalho, Shazi Zaman, Shernaz Wadia, Sisterhood of Swans, Sohana Manzoor, Steve Ogah, Sunderbans, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Sybil Pretious, The Hottest Summer in years, Vernon Daim, William Miller, Zimbabwe
The Hottest Summer in Years
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Book Review by Gracy Samjetsabam
Title: The Hottest Summer in Years
Author: Anuradha Kumar
Publisher: Yoda Press
The Hottest Summer in Years is just one of the two books published in quick succession by the author, Anuradha Kumar. The other A Sense of Time and Other Stories appeared a month before this one. Kumar has authored a number of books and writes for a number of journals. She has won the Commonwealth Award twice in 2004 and 2010 for her short stories. Earlier in 2021, in an interview, Kumar said that she lives and writes across continents and declared that she was "truly a borderless writer". The Hottest Summer in Years (2021), is a testimony that upholds her declaration.
This novel opens with the protagonist, Hans Gerter, a perplexed young man caught in between dichotomies, in a world alternating between war and peace in the early 1960s, when India too as an independent country was young. The 'Prologue' sets the tone of the story. The protagonist is shown to be part of a German firm setting up the steel industry in a small town in the heart of India, a historical truth fictionalised with skill.
The first chapter starts with the puzzling murder of Ahmed Ali. It encompasses the formal and informal meetings of people, the ploy in the efforts to frame the Raja Sahib, the politics of governance and power play taking shape in a newly born India, the brewing Hindu-Muslim tension with a potential to ignite bigger flames in the future, and amidst all these Gerter's attempt to protect the Raja's family even as he whirls between his two worlds of the past and present. Gerter ruminates through the story and reflects on the heat in Africa of his childhood and the mirage-like images of all that happens after the night of the murder which holds the story together in what was supposedly one of the hottest years recorded in India, thus justifying the title of his novel.
Love, lust, and belonging criss-crosse across borders to amalgamate with the history and politics of the period from the 1940s to the 1960s. Gerter's own history is beautifully linked to the Nazi regime and the German holocaust that followed. Through Gerter's journey from Germany to his displacement in Rourkela and then to Dharamsala, a narrative that spans continents, Kumar brings out the futility of the big wars and their effect on the mental health of people across generations.
Blending facts and fiction, mesmerising scenes of love, abandonment, and mystery make the book an imaginative and compassionate read. Kumar manages to creatively flit through history wherein she props on the landscape people, forests, forest dwellers, animals, Adivasis, seas, the voyage, the call of the wild at night, the train and the railways. Each character and even the vehicles the Blue Daimler, Gerter's constant companion, the green Austin or the ship SS Giovanni are brilliantly placed to add to the wealth of the narrative. Gerter battles with the fear of the inner demons that breed from his past and present. His taking up the role of a protector in the process changed him. Memory, love, and freedom drive the story with history and mystery gelled in.
The cosmopolitanism in the story is starkly evident but subtly worked on. It is interesting to note the nature in which his ideas of home and identity sway with the impact of the places his destiny takes him. Gerter brings out the beauty in being the young edgy global citizen, who is everywhere and yet nowhere, as he describes himself as "always on the margins" and that "no place had been home" despite being in many homes far away from home. With a childhood spent in the west of Africa and, in his early youth having awakened to the truths of war and of his country, Germany in the early 1940s, Gerter sped on greater realisations of people he had met or been with, in different places in time. Despite the despair, madness and gloom, a letter and the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) shines new hope in towards the end of Gerter's narrative.
Kumar's historical novel is a well-packed and well-paced story. It brings forth nightmares, conspiracies, insanity, secrets and fills them with love, hope and aspirations for a better world. The damages of war, the heartbreaks, the longing to mend the wrongs in life and history come together in Kumar's fiction. In a blend of cultures and history, the story blends genres. Noir and mystery meet history in fiction. Indian writer, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, rightly described the novel as "… A noir-ish, brooding read, a book to be savoured delicately…". Kumar, through Gerter in the novel, brings to light how we share different worlds, how multiple people seem to reside in one person and the varied lives we live. A beautiful cover illustration by Sanjhvi Noul rightly speaks to us on the climate of the book. Kumar's The Hottest Summer in Years is definitely an all-season book.
Gracy Samjetsabam is a freelance writer and copy editor. Her interest is in Indian English Writings, Comparative Literature, Gender Studies, Culture Studies, and World Literature.
Tags A Sense of Time &Other stories, Anuradha Kumar, Commonwealth Awards, Gracy Samjetsabam, The Hottest Summer in Year
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"Nothing can be unconditional: consequently, nothing can be free."
"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."
-- George Bernard Shaw,  Maxims for Revolutionists, Man & Superman (1903)
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), a great writer and playwright, used these epigrammatic lines to bring focus on what people thought was liberty or freedom from oppression, from regimes that were dictatorial. While discussing concepts of freedom, one does wonder if political freedom solves all humane issues, occasions we celebrate with great aplomb, like the birth of a nation.
This month started with the observance of July 4th, the date of the American Revolution in 1776 and the publication date of Whitman's Leaves of Grass in 1855. In between these two years, in 1789, ten days down the line, on July 14th, another significant occurrence has been handed down by history to be celebrated as the Bastille Day— the day prisoners were freed from Bastille, a major event that led to the overthrow of the insensitive monarchy in France, a symbolic resurgence of the common, exploited man that has often been seen as an inspiration for later uprisings to reinforce the concept of democracy or liberté, égalité, fraternité.
As we move forward in time, towards August, one wonders if liberty attained by these means was good for all fellow humans? France was part of the Allied Forces that with America taking the lead dropped not one but two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, 1945, to end the Second World War. Did the ends justify the means? Reflecting the cry and suffering of these victims, we have poetry from Suzanne Kamata, a well-known writer from Japan. Michael Burch on the other hand has shared poetry with us which shows how the nuclear programme continued unrepentant despite the devastation it caused. One must give kudos to the descendants of the victims of the nuclear blast that they have forgiven the perpetrators, admitted their own hand in the Second World War and moved ahead. In that spirit, we have an essay on peace by Candice Louisa Daquin, who joins the Borderless team as a writer-in-residence.
We have much happening in poetry this time with an interview of American poet Jared Carter, a recipient of number of awards and fellowships, including the Walt Whitman Award and the Guggenheim fellowship. He walks us through how he created the poem 'Yeti' (first published in the May edition of Borderless) and talks of the impact of artifacts from China and India on his own thought processes, the impact of Du Fu (712-770) and much more. We have a poem in Du Fu's style this time by George Freek and an interesting poem with a Chinese title by Carter, a title that can have multiple connotations and yet each seems to fit the poem perfectly.
Rhys Hughes has brought humour into our pages with both his poetry and essay on William Mcgonagall, who bore the sobriquet of the worst writer in the world through his life and had things thrown at him when he read his poetry in Dundee. Yet, his work survived the beatings, and he lives on known as the 'Scottish Homer'.
More poetry by Singaporean poet Marc Nair gives us a glimpse of the little island as viewed by someone who has grown up on it. Poetry is always multi-hued, and we have Lorraine Caputo transport us to a Garífuna village in Honduras. Penny Wilkes takes us 'Down the Path of Nostalgia' with a mix of old and new photography, prose and poetry on how almost a decade after the end of the Second World War, she started her love affair with photography and nature. It hovers between poetry and musings, and this time we have a rare musing by Jared Carter too. Devraj Singh Kalsi continues cogitating with wry humour while arranging bookshelves. We also have the backpacking granny visiting Indonesia. Post sharing this trip, our granny — Sybil Pretious — plans a little break from publishing to complete her memoirs.
A riveting flash fiction by Kaiyi Tan celebrates the spirit of conquest in these dark times, weaving into the pandemic lore the quest for personal freedom. Stories this time carry a real life one by Jean Kortum on adoption — her own struggle. But then, stories can be real or unreal – draw a bit from both to reflect bigger truths or create alternates that sink into the human mind as a perceived reality and leave an imprint deep inside the heart, like that of Niles Reddick. My conviction is that some lived experiences of writers seep into each story, whether it is from Bangladesh or India or by our literary fictionist, Sunil Sharma. His narrative continues infused by suspense.
We have a complete translated story of Tagore by Radha Chakravarty as our book excerpt this time. 'The Parrot's Tale', ostensibly part of a children's collection, reflects Tagore's response to conventional schooling — a reason for him to start Shanti Niketan perhaps. She has also shared two of her translations of Rabindranath's songs from Bhanusingher Padabali (1884, Bhanusingh's verses). Chakravarty generously consented to an interview and has given us a glimpse of her journey as a translator and critic. We also have translated a long poem by Tagore on our pages, a poem that inspires hope, though it was named Dushomoy (1897, Bad Times) finally. The original name had been Swarga Patthe (On the Path to Heaven) as can be seen from a page in his diary. We have been fortunate in finding a recording of his voice reciting the poem in Bengali and the print of a sample page of the manuscript bearing his signature.
We continue with Akbar Barakzai's poetry translated by Fazal Baloch from Balochi – this time addressed to his daughter reminding for some reason of Nehru's Letters from a Father to his Daughter — a book I read as a child. In addition, we have translations from Korea and Bosnia & Herzegovina, from where the young poet, Maid Corbic, has taken up the concept of freedom of the self and of the nation, both together.
Keith Lyons from New Zealand in his very brief essay has quoted American novelist William Faulkner, "We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it." And perhaps we need to remember this if for no other reason, then, just to maintain our own sanity in these strange, almost unreal times as we attempt to unite as humankind to free ourselves from an unknown and unfathomable virus.
In a more sombre note, last week, untroubled by the virus, a victim of cancer, Bollywood legend Dileep Kumar, aged 98, breathed his last. Ratnottama Sengupta adds an unusual colour to the Borderless Journal with her tribute to this hugely acclaimed actor. In the process, she unfolds for us a brief history of the Indian cinema, and a glimpse of a world that transcends all man made constructs in quest of perfection.
We have an interesting set of reviews this July. Rakhi Dalal has reviewed Anuradha Kumar's riveting short story collection, A Sense of Time. A murder mystery for young readers, Murder at Daisy Apartments by Shabnam Minwalla, has been reviewed by Gracy Samjetsabam. The Third Eye of Governance–Rise of Populism, Decline in Social Research by Dr N Bhaskara Rao, reviewed by Bhaskar Parichha, seems to be a non-fiction that looks forward to bridging gaps between academia and the real world, a truly felt need. Parichha has also given us an essay on a man who inspired Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, to make him a part of his lore, a journalist who moved around all of Asia with equal aplomb and a sense of humour – a truly global citizen called Richard Hughes.
I want to thank all our wonderful contributors for making this edition a reality. And readers, we leave you to explore the unknown… like that place we call outer space. A huge thank you again to not only all our wonderful contributors, our faithful readers but also to the fabulous Borderless team scattered across the world.
Before I wind up, a little bird trills a song of hope in my ear. Business tycoons have started stepping into the mysterious void of space to eventually – let us hope — create affordable travel for common man, though it has started off as an expensive proposition. Will this be an industry that will generate more jobs on and off Earth and find new places for man to inhabit? After all, when George Bernard Shaw wrote his plays and essays, we had yet to cross the frontiers beyond Earth, had never even thought of flying across the world in budget airlines or mining moons!
Will we have a new world, a new outlook and a new set of hopes and aspirations as we stretch the frontiers of our home planet?
Wish you all a wonderful month of reading and thinking.
Tags Akbar Barakzai, Allied Forces, American Revolution, Anuradha Kumar, atom bomb, Bastille Day, Bhanusingher Padabali, Bhaskar Parichha, Borderless Journal, Bosnia &Herzegovina, Candice Louisa Daquin, Devraj Singh Kalsi, Dileep Kumar, Dr N Bhaskara Rao, Du Fu, Dushomoy, Fazal Baloch, Garifuna village, George Bernard Shaw, George Freek, guggenheim Felllowship, Hiroshima, Honduras, Ian Fleming, Indonesia, Jared Carter, Jean Kortum, Kaiyi Tan, Keith Lyons, Korea, Leaves of Grass, Letters from a Father to his Daughter, Lorraine Caputo, Maid Corbic, Man and Superman, Marc Nair, Michael R Burch, Mitali Chakravarty, Nagasaki, Nehru, Niles Reddick, Nuclear programme, Peace, Penny Wilkes, Radha Chakravarty, Rakhi Dalal, Ratnottama Sengupta, Rhys Hughes, Richard Hughes, Scottish Homer, Second World War, Shabnam Minwalla, Shanti Niketan, Sunil Sharma, Suzanne Kamata, Sybil Pretious, Tagore, Walt Whitman Award, Whitman, William Faulkner, William McGonagall
Hurtling through Time
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Book review by Rakhi Dalal
Title: A Sense of Time
Publishers: Weavers Press, 2021
A Sense of Time is a collection of short stories by Anuradha Kumar that stretch across different periods of time, hurtling through the past into the future. A two-time Commonwealth award winner, Kumar has authored thirty-one books, written for Economic and Political Weekly among many other journals and newspapers, woven stories for children under a pseudonym and has released two books almost together in 2021, the other being The Hottest Summer in Years amidst excellent reviews.
Reading Kumar's A Sense of Time is akin to going on an unplanned journey which takes you to places most unexpected, the roads twisting and turning as you march on with bated breath, wondering where or what it might lead you to. You have to remain alert at all times lest you might miss something crucial to a story. The narrative style in each story is crisp, never faltering once. And the most striking thing is Kumar's ability to conjure vivid imagery in the mind of the reader. The spaces that her pen creates might either be real or illusive, the enticement is decidedly palpable.
The story, 'Entomologist at Trial', is a about a small town lawyer trying to make it big at High Court. He fails each time he bases his decisions on idealism. It is essentially a satire on the society which derides integrity and where being successful is far more important than being right. 'Pandemic 2121' is a love story based in an imagined future where the protagonist is separated from her lover, from a different planet, because of the policies of her planet's government. Here the author addresses the innate human longing for things simpler and basic to human nature for sustenance amidst a pandemic like situation similar to that witnessed in 2020.
In some stories, Kumar explores the world of women from distinct backgrounds. Rekha from 'Rekha Crosses the Line' is a bored middle class housewife looking for ways to distract herself from her mundane existence and from the anxieties forced upon her by the familial expectations. It also explores the murky world of Godmans thriving in a society where people flock in the hope to find answers or to while away their time deliberately, knowing exactly what they are entering. 'All the Way to the Twelfth Floor' follows the events of a day in the life of Gauri who works as a house help for different apartments in a society. Kumar focuses upon the perilous circumstances women engage in this work sometimes confront, their apprehensions and the acts they feel obliged to do to for the sake of their livelihoods. It is also a peek into the apathy with which the society treats women working as domestic helps and employers' lack of concern to the vulnerabilities they might be exposed to.
'Dorothy Cries in the Bus' is the story of a journey taken by two women of different nationalities brought together by circumstances and their effort to connect with each other. It essentially focuses on their similarities as women dealing with their marriages and discovering a kinship in unusual circumstances. 'Missing' takes us to the world of a woman married to an army soldier and her efforts to keep the household functioning in the absence of her husband who rarely gets a leave from his posting. The story, however, also turns our attention to the meagre salaries the army soldiers earn and the psychological stress they endure which is seldom focused upon. The heroic welcome that Gudiya's husband receives in the village upon his return on a vacation stands in stark contrast to the reality of his everyday life marred by difficulties to procure even nutritious food for his ailing father.
Some stories are also biting satires on the ways a society acquires and becomes accustomed to. 'The Man Who Played Gandhi' is a story of a man who gets invited to play Mahatma at various events. Das takes great pain to look like Gandhi, wear similar clothes, practice the same kind of gait and the way of spinning the charkha. He also memorizes Bapu's speeches which he delivers to sometimes a rapt audience. As the years after independence progress, he realises people don't really care about the Mahatma or his ways anymore. At one event, he is invited to appear only to be made to disappear again — as a magician's prop. Through the course of this narrative, Kumar highlights the growing indifference of the citizens towards the ideals or edifice upon which India was constructed after a long struggle faced by the independence movement.
'Big Fish' takes us to the world of a refugee family living on the brim of society, its fears and vulnerabilities. It also showcases the apathy of a government towards such people whose sole existence could hang on the whims of officers given charge to identify them.
The titular story, 'A Sense of Time', has elements of supernatural where time gives the impression, of drifting and sometimes advancing, but traps the reader into a delusion with such alacrity so as to leave her mystified by the experience. The disorientation which Kumar manages to entice a reader into is at once intriguing and spell-binding.
Kumar's writing clearly comes out as bold, experimental and confident. The pace with which she commences a story never loses its hold on the reader. Though there are a couple of stories where the ending may leave a reader wondering or wanting for a closure but author's choice to keep them open ended emulates life as sometimes experienced in reality. Instances where you may come across people only passingly and may never come to know everything about them. But then this is how life is. This is the beauty of it, our ability to keep some experiences in memories and identify our own existence as transient, only fleeting for those we unexpectedly meet on our journey.
Rakhi Dalal is an educator by profession. When not working, she can usually be found reading books or writing about reading them. She writes at https://rakhidalal.blogspot.com/ .
PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL.
Tags A Sense of Time &Other stories, Anuradha Kumar, Weavers Press
In Conversation with Anuradha Kumar
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She has a strange mix of oeuvres. She flits between young and adult readers — writes for all ages across borders, across continents and across oceans, in newspaper, journals and in books. She has written thirty-one books in all (a number of them with Hachette India), has won the Commonwealth awards for short stories a couple of times, written under the pseudonym of Aditi Kay, worked in the Economic and Political Weekly for almost 9 years and now lives in USA weaving stories of people around her and the worlds she inhabits. Meet Anuradha Kumar, who has already released two books in 2021. One is called The Hottest Summer in Years and the other that held me mesmerised has been published with Weavers Press San Francisco and is called A Sense of Time and Other Stories.
The unique thing about A Sense of Time is that it stretches through different time zones, the past, the present and the future. It has stories that linger and leave an aftertaste of nostalgia and the past or encapsulate you in the future in a world where living and working in outer space is as much a reality as is the recurrence of pandemics. It carries you into a dimension that Kumar builds with words, a unique space where her perceptions evoke a sense of the unusual, the sensual and the real. A strange story about a bus journey of an American in India which uncovers the commonality of experiences of women across continents, of a man who trains to be Gandhi, of Indians in America, of a strange case in court, of friendship between a child and a wanted man, a murder in the train which travels in a strange way through time — the titular story — and many more.
What makes these stories riveting is they make you feel like you have tasted the manna from the land of Lotus Eaters and for some time, you forget your own reality and live with the characters. They stay in your head even after you finish the stories. Reading her stories was a pleasurable experience and finishing all of them created a longing to read a few more from Kumar's pen. Without more ado, let us plunge into a discussion on Anuradha Kumar's wonderland.
Tell us Anuradha, what spurred the writer in you? When did you start writing and why?
It was quite an accident. I did write when asked for the school magazine, but the more serious kind of writing, like now, came later. I remember being very bored during my time in the corporate world and writing down something. And I found that quite a panacea for boredom. And soon, writing became more than just a panacea, and more than just a response to things other than boredom.
But your 'why' holds so much more, and I feel quite pompous answering that. But the more one writes, and reads, there are just more questions. So, while earlier writing meant getting things like character, plot and narrative arc in place—things a good writing programme can teach you—now it's a bit more about the answers you are seeking to various things, and writing is one way toward that.
How many countries have you lived in and how has this impacted your writing? How long have you been away from India?
For a bit more than a decade. And we have lived in Singapore, and in the US, first in Maryland and now in New Jersey. I guess I must be bothered by questions of identity, and belonging, but also about how the self changes in response to alienation and isolation and movement. Changes that can at times not be visible and emerge years later or in entirely different circumstances.
At a point, you wrote as Aditi Kay. Were these all children's books with Hachette India? Why did you take a pseudonym and what made you drop it?
Adity Kay is how I write historical fiction; for older readers especially the three books on ancient India's three 'big kings' (Chandragupta Maurya, Vikramaditya and Harshavardhana). These have been published by Hachette india and the last of the three came out only last year.
When I began writing these in 2012, I was already writing more children's fiction as Anu Kumar. My editor advised that a different name would help in not bringing up any 'association' with the other name, and the series could be presented as something unique by a new writer.
Recently, you have brought out an unusual collection of short stories, A Sense of Time. What spurred you to write such diverse stories — each one could be seen as a stand-alone that leaves a lingering after taste in one's being?
These were written over the last decade. The oldest was, I think, the first one, 'The Entomologist at the Trial'—I realised I was wackier then—and the most recent ones are the Pandemic love story, and 'Comfort Food' — both these set in worlds different from the ones I had known even a decade ago. I just had them and kept returning to these stories, revising them occasionally, and then early last year, Moazzam, my publisher, suggested I send him some stories, so I revised them again. And this book happened, all thanks to him.
You have a unique story set one hundred years from now. What spurred you to try a sci- fi in the middle of stories rooted in our times or the recent past. Did you research to write the sci-fi or is it fully from your imagination?
It partly rests on a historical coincidence. The influenza epidemic was just a century ago, and I read somewhere that pandemics similar to ours will never really go away. Neither will love, nor will our attempts to find it regardless of the differences that exist between us.
What kind of research goes into writing all these stories?
I hope to learn from what other writers do. But it's always a learning process. Every writing is a way to learning how to write for the first time. I (try and) read a lot of the writers I admire Alice Munro, William Trevor, Yiyun Li, Michael Ondaatje, Yoko Ogawa, and others, and reading must go simultaneous with the writing that one attempts. Looking back, as I gathered up and revised, and at times rewrote all these stories, what I found interesting was trying to remember where I was, what I was reading, when I wrote the initial version. For years and months later, how I looked at this story was different, and I wanted to now rewrite and revise it a different way.
Few of your stories leave the conclusion undefined and the reader wondering about how the aftermath links to the narrative. It is a distinctive style and unique. But what made you do it and why?
The conventional, old-fashioned story had a beginning, middle and end. I still hope that for my reader/s, my stories will linger in some way. That they will remain with the character, the story, for a while, maybe a long while. It's much like what happens in real life. People we encounter, some of them linger on in our memories for various reasons. I'd like my stories to be that way too.
Most of your stories are outside a world caught in the pandemic, how do you see life beyond this virus? Do you think the future will be like the past?
I wish I had a ready answer to that.
I think this long isolation has made us reconsider and rethink various things, especially how we relate to one another. Questions about who and what really matter have always been important, and maybe this time has made us think on these things that much more.
Your stories are rooted in different issues that affect man. Do you see a commonality in the thread that runs through the stories, like you did in Coming Back to the City: Mumbai stories?
I can't say quite so easily. I am curious about how people see the world, in everyone's unique perspective, and also in trying to see the person under the skin. In fact, this latter thing, about trying to get under a person's skin sometimes stopped me from writing a story, because I sort of got knotted up in all the complexities within us, and sometimes not being judgemental isn't a good thing when writing a short story, so I had to work that out too. Am still working this out.
You don multiple hats in writing — switching between young adult and adult fiction and beautiful essays on history in online forums. How do you juggle your time to do all of it?
I just write, I don't know anything else. And the good thing is, if you shut the world out, all the craving for attention, and just focus on what really matters, one does get better at it – at writing.
You moved your publisher from India to US with this book. Is there a reason for it?
I've lived in the US for around 9 years now. And I still am published in India. Am truly a borderless writer, Mitali!
So, your writing spans continents and the Pacific. Isn't that wonderful! Your stories are based mainly in India. And yet you have been away for many years. How does that add up?
I think I answered this above. It's that these stories were written over a decade. And I guess one can never really leave one's country of origin. The more borders one crosses, memories of homes left behind seep in, and these change in texture over time. I found this while reliving my stories. I am still finding this out.
What are your future plans?
To be a better writer, a better person. Oh, and a better cook!
Thank you Anuradha for sharing your fabulous journey with us.
This has been an online interview conducted by Mitali Chakravarty.
Click here to read an excerpt from The Sense of Time and Other Stories.
Tags A Sense of Time &Other stories, Anuradha Kumar, EPW, Weaver Press
A Sense of Time
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Title: A Sense of Time and Other Stories
Publisher: Weavers Press, San Francisco, 2021
Dorothy Cries in the Bus
She spoke for too long on her cell phone. That was the first thing Malati noticed about the foreign lady seated in front of her in the bus. She had brown hair fading at the corners and she spoke English. She sounded American to her ears. All this Malati noticed in degrees, having been too hassled to really look when she'd boarded the bus. There were last minute instructions she had to message her husband, even if she was leaving him and never coming back. Having sent off her last message, she sat disoriented for a while. Her eyes strayed ever so often to the glass fronted dial of her cell phone hoping it would light up. But of course, it didn't. He really didn't care. Even now, when he should rightfully have been worried about her, whether she'd boarded the bus all right, what with the heavy rains all along the Konkan till Goa, he was with that harlot. Malati felt certain that they were at the temple in Mahalaxmi, necking on the steps, offering prayers, all in the vain hope that the gods would not consider them shameless. The hair on Malati's arms stood up in anger and indignation.
Images rushed through her mind, a savage anger that made her long to jump off the bus, hail a rickshaw and rush straight home. But she wouldn't do that, not yet. Let Ashok miss her. He would know how difficult it was to run things in the house without her. Soon he'd be calling her up, begging her to return. Malati smiled at the thought, the anger disappearing into the sunny silver of her changing thoughts. How many days should she stay away, she wondered. Should she wait for him to fetch her?
She sat up straight, adjusting her sari around herself. It was then she gave herself time to take in her surroundings. Was everything as it should be? Perhaps the air conditioner was on too high. When the conductor came around, she would ask for it to be lowered. She paid 500 rupees extra for an air-conditioned seat and she was determined to get her money's worth. She looked around at her neighbors. Some students on her left and an old lady on her right, who was perhaps being shunted off to yet another set of relatives. Would that be her fate too? Malati wondered. And just in front, though she could not see her face yet, was that American. Everyone who moved down the aisle, to their seats behind, bottles of mineral water, groundnut or chikki packets, even bananas, in hand, turned to look at her. It made Malati curious too. But she didn't want to crane her neck or peer over her seat because that might feed the other woman's vanity, make her think she was special. Women were the same everywhere that way, even Malati knew that. In any case from the back of her head visible over the seat Malati could tell she dyed her hair. A golden brown shade that was, as she'd already seen with some gladness, already fading.
She would wait for her to get up. Passengers usually did that, most of them in the minutes just before the bus started. It was an inevitable and uniform act, that after sitting for so long patiently, in the silence that prevailed after the driver had slammed the door to his cabin shut, before the conductor began his sedate traipse down the aisle, to click away at the tickets extended to him, people always remembered some last chore. Minutes before departure, the stench emanating from the public toilets rose unbearably high forcing people to send prayers of relief up to the heavens once they heard the engine revving up. The woman in front though didn't get up and in the silence broken only by the steadily advancing click of the conductor's stapler, Malati heard her voice too. It had to be American, she was sure now. The accent Malati could easily place thanks to the serials she watched.
But then the woman sounded distressed as well. She was on her phone again. Malati tried her best to follow the conversation, but it was short, and she could only make out the bye-bye at the end. Malati did not miss the last sob in her voice. Languages could be diverse, but nothing could hide expression. The American was crying to this person on the other end. Possibly her husband. These Americans were free in their feelings that way. The serials showed them kissing and hugging each other, openly, and always for too long. It really embarrassed Malati, even when she was by herself.
From the gap between the two chairs, she saw the woman move her hands over her face. She wiped her tears away. Poor thing, Malati thought. Such a long way from home, she was. Malati wondered whether she should ask to exchange seats with the woman who sat next to the American woman. But next to her sat someone who looked to be one of those students from the engineering college. They always traveled in groups over the weekend and did not deign to speak to anyone. Just because they were more educated, so fluent in English and rich. Malati sniffed.
The stories in A Sense of Time and Other Stories offer a range of themes and emotions. They speak of the challenges of being human, the unpredictability of the mundane, the strange attractiveness of the unfamiliar, and the constant quest to make connections and find love, even with an alien from another world. In 'An Entomologist at the Trial,' a small town lawyer's ambition turns on his attempt to resolve a thorny case that falls amusingly flat. 'Pandemic 2121: A Love Story' and 'Missing' are stories, varied in theme, that yet speak of the loneliness of keeping love. How does one save a love when everything is conspiring against it, these stories ask. 'All The Way to the Twelfth Floor,' 'The Bus and the Minister,' 'Big Fish, and the title story, 'A Sense of Time,' speak of the alienation and helplessness of the common person when confronted with a faceless, stony-eyed system. A world with rules set in time, where conventions matter more, leaves little room for those at the very bottom who have little choice but to wait endlessly for succour. 'Rekha Crosses the Line' on the other hand, is a more subversive account of a woman who gives in to her desire for some fleeting moments, only to wonder if it was really worth it. 'Alterations' casts a satirical eye on a wannabe scientist's experiments as he craves world recognition. And finally, 'Comfort Food' and 'The Man Who Played Gandhi' speak of our quest to make sense of those long gone, those whom we have lost. Written in the span of a decade and more, these stories will hopefully stay on, linger in the mind, long after being read. These stories might make you see yourself and even others in a different way. It takes only a little empathy to allow the hidden to surface.
Anuradha Kumar is a prolific and established writer. A Sense of Time and Other Stories is collection of short stories after The Girl Who Ran Away in a Washing Machine and Other Stories (Kitaab 2016). She has written several novels, including three works of historical fiction as Adity Kay. Anu also writes pieces on history for Scroll.in. Her stories have received awards from the Commonwealth Foundation, and The Little Magazine India. She was born in Odisha, lived in various parts of India, Singapore, before moving to the US more than a decade ago. She now lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter.
Read here interview by clicking here.
Tags A Sense of Time &Other stories, Adity Kay, Anuradha Kumar, Commonwealth Foundation awards, Little Magazine India, Scroll.in, Weavers Press


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An Ohio jeweler's winding road to success
by Paul Holewa
Moving from construction work to the jewelry industry provided Val with a better outlet for his creative flair.
The path that a person takes to become a retail jeweler says a lot about how they'll one day manage their business. Those coming at it the generational way tend to be more measured and cautious. Then there's the non-family, non-jewelry types that break all conventions and run their jewelry business based on smarts, gut instincts and life experiences that move their ambitions forward then upward.
Val Fawley, owner of Tru Luv Jewelers and CEO of Val Castings, proudly belongs to the latter group. When Val was in his mid-twenties his father brought him into the family's construction business. Val learned the essential trade skills and got to work with his older brother. He liked what he was doing, but construction didn't allow many outlets for his innate creative flair to flourish.
On a chance meeting, Val was hired to do a bathroom re-do for a jewelry making client. Upon completion the client was impressed with the work. It wasn't just the home improvement essentials of plumbing, tile work and electrical – Val's creative approach and finishing touches took a bathroom re-do from good to great.
"The client really liked what I did for his bathroom and asked, for whatever reason, if I was into or interested in jewelry making," says Val. "As much as I wanted to be part of a family business, construction didn't seem to be the path for me, so I took his suggestion and got into jewelry making."
Mainly self-taught in his jewelry making and repair skills, Val sharpened his emerging talents by leading seminars at MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America) shows. He went from learning the basics to learning how to be productive and proficient.
In 1986, Val took his new-found skills to Florida. He enjoyed the Sunshine State's beaches and the leisurely lifestyle that comes with sand and surf. But all play and no work caught up to Val. He decided to work for Melbourne, Florida's well-established Sullivan's Jewelers.
"On my first day at work they gave me 40 blank mountings to set and told me this would be a week's worth of work," says Val. "I had all 40 done in six hours."
Val's jewelry factory background wasn't just "make rate" work. After closely inspecting Val's handiwork on the 40 blank mountings, the owners of Sullivan's were stunned at not just the speed of his work but the attention to detail.
The store owners gave Val the rest of the week off. After three years at Sullivan's Val decided to start his own casting company. He started by doing casting and mold making. Then he moved into repairs, which helped the business quickly prosper.
Val Fawley's philosophy, "make people feel special," has proved to be a winning strategy at Tru Luv Jewelers.
Val was always looking for ways of specializing products and services for his customers. In the late 1990s, he watched with great interest the amount of tanzanite that was entering the market from Africa. He decided to make his casting business known for its fine colored stones set with quality craftsmanship.
"I bought up as much tanzanite as I could get my hands on and set it in a variety of jewelry for the Las Vegas Show in 1997," says Val. "Naysayers thought I'd never sell all of my inventory. By the third day of the five-day event it was sold out with a good chunk of it going to my old bosses from Sullivan's in Melbourne. They were pleased to see my progress."
Being the kind of person that operates best when presented with a challenge outside of their comfort zone, Val returned to Ohio. The resort town of Port Clinton is where he decided to hang his hat. Driving through the tourist town he noticed there wasn't a jewelry store to be found. He decided the resort area needed a jeweler and he was it.
Port Clinton is located near the shores of the Portage River and Lake Erie. The town of 6,000 was established in 1828. It was named after DeWitt Clinton, a governor of New York who was instrumental in creating the Erie Canal, which connected the Midwest along the Great Lakes to the markets of the Hudson River and New York.
Port Clinton remains a small town at heart but its location near Lake Erie and the great lake's islands has made it a resort destination like no other in the Midwest. With its luxurious marinas, PGA-certified golf courses, like the Catawba Country Club, various attractions (including Camp Perry for target and long-range shooters and a variety of wildlife sanctuaries) as well as being the "walleye capitol of the world," Port Clinton attracts thousands of visitors – many wealthy – to this area of the Buckeye State.
Starting with the basics, Val knew he had to build his customer base by creating a solid social media base. Facebook being his social media website of choice, his efforts grew slowly and steadily. Val's start in retail jewelry, and his social media efforts are bound by a similar philosophy.
"Make people feel special and they'll love you and be loyal to your business," says Val.
Giveaways and contests have been huge for Val. In a town of 6,000 residents, he has been able to accrue a fan base of 5,000 Facebook followers in less than four years. Considering the size of his actual market, and the number of out-of-market clients he serves throughout the Midwest as well as many Southern states, Val is quite pleased with the fan base gains over the years.
"When a giveaway or contest is posted it gets hundreds of views," says Val. "I've had great success with these social media events. I do 30 to 40 giveaways each year and it has helped build my following tremendously. A normal posting talking up people or product or both generates as much as 200 to 300 likes, or comments. When these giveaways are posted [on Facebook] they get 2,000 to 3,000 likes, or comments and loads of shares. People love them."
The content that makes people feel "special" are quick snap shots of people visiting Val's jewelry store or sporting their new jewelry purchases. He sprinkles in many homemade product shots and videos of his mainly sea life, nautical and seasonally themed jewelry which sells extremely well in his store.
With a Midwestern coastal town challenge done, Val is thinking of opening a jewelry store in Florida, where he'll need his Midwestern coastal life essentials including a boat at the local marina, a golf cart and Vespa scooters in the garage.
Paul Holewa
Paul Holewa has worked as a gem and jewelry industry trade journalist for more than 20 years. He learned about the gem and jewelry industry firsthand in Bangkok and Chantaburi, Thailand, global hubs for colored stones, diamond cutting, and jewelry production. Paul called Bangkok home for 11 years. He has travelled to remote gemstone mining sites throughout Southeast Asia, as well as major distribution and manufacturing centers in that region. For most of his years as a trade journalist, Paul has specialized in writing small business management articles for retail jewelers. His specialty has been developing magazine news feature stories and online blog content to help jewelry store owners to manage their store more effectively and, more importantly, to sell more jewelry. Paul has written on a wide range of jewelry store management topics from sales training and staffing, to video marketing and social media campaigns.
Retailer Roundtable Q: What do you do to differentiate your store from online and big-box competition?


I knew this one would be a difficult challenge. It's taken me a few attempts of tripping through Harrods perfumery dept and jostling through crowds to try this new collection of exclusive scents courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana. Furtively clutching my notepad and pen and scrawling barely legible notes and then, just post Christmas, I was sent one furtive bottle that had magically escaped its secretive confinement to try.
Beautifully packaged and presented in padded black satin, each of the six new fragrances of The Velvet Collection takes the persuasive softness and seductive skills of one of Dolce & Gabbana's favourite textures as a basis and, lain on top of this, an olfactory influence combining with a sentiment such as raw, seductive Velvet Wood, Decadent Velvet Desire, sweet, woody Velvet Vetiver, luxurious Velvet Patchouli, richly hypnotic Velvet Love and the sensual Velvet Sublime. The velveteen textured perfume caps signify the texture and the colour of the mood of the scent contained in its glass prison, awaiting release.
First of all, the scents are cleaner than I expected. Yes, they have some depth of character but they are lighter and brighter than their moodier tome depicts. Vintage Italian ingredients have been used in each of the perfumes but these may be a triumph of statement, packaging and marketing over the scents themselves. Which isn't to say in any way that they don't deliver. Not at all. They are what we would expect from such a stylish fashion house and make-up brand. Its just that the existing Dolce & Gabbana fragrances are so singularly identifiable and distinctive that this reviewer was expecting a whole lot more punch from these babies when they are actually come fleet of foot, in velvet slippers.
There's no mistaking the sunshine brightness of Velvet Sublime and its mix of sharp bright mandarin, neroli and orangeflower. It's inspiration was the orange groves of Sicily and, as Taormina is one of my favourite holiday spots, I can say that it manages to exude the over arching freshness with a subtle hit of sensuous heat.
Velvet Patchouli is another beast. It's big and round and hits you like a hammer swathed in inky black velvet with it's monotone creamy swathes of refined incense smelling plumes. This character appealed due to its strength. It sits as easy on a man as it does on a women and comforts with its textural depth. This is the star of the collection, like a mean, moody leading man with a heart of gold.
Velvet Love explodes with floral bursts of carnation, ylang ylang and with a liberal dose of pepper for added spice to signify the allure of Lake Como. It's one of the bigger scents of the collection and thrills in its femininity. She's playful and brimming over with energy in her refinement. Velvet Vetiver, on the other hand, is a zesty, fig fuelled vetiver that brims over with Italy's Mediterranean mystique. There are glimpses of the ocean from your winding drive around the mountains, with sheer drops as breathtaking as the first hit of this fragrance.
My main bone of contention is just how quickly the scents seem to fade. Yes, there is a gentle strain that exists after an hour or so, but they would each require a hearty splash should you wish to make a significant impact. As they come in heavy glass flacons made for overt display, I'm not sure whether carting each of these around in a handbag is advisable. It's decant time, ladies, if you wish to keep topping these up throughout your day – which kind of defeats the point of the beautiful original presentation. A quandary if ever there was one.
Dolce & Gabbana's Velvet Collection is available exclusively from Harrods priced at £120 for each 50ml bottle.
Next post: Let the Bath Oils take the Strain.


Hello! I am linking up with Miss Monica at I Heart Grade 3 for her Weekly Summer Link-Up. This week, the topic is, "One Item That Means the World to Me."
How, oh how, can anyone narrow it down to ONE item?? I interpret this as a tangible item. What do I choose? My college degree? Our home? My Bible? My Macbook, which I couldn't do any of my TPT/bloggy stuff without?
I thought and thought on it, and I decided that the one item that means the world to me is my wedding ring. When I thought about it, my ring is a symbol of the things that I hold most dearly to my heart - God, love and family. My ring represents my love and commitment for my husband, our marriage made strong with the help of God, my family who celebrated us as we wed, and my family that was created because of our love.
This was fun! I can't wait to see what the topic is for next week! Thank you Miss Monica!
Thanks for participating in my linky party! I had a hard time narrowing down my item - just like you, I had so much to choose from!
Hopefully you'll be able to link up again throughout the summer!
I noticed several people picked rings to write about this week. Your's is lovely by the way. Mine doesn't fit me anymore. So, even though I still love it, I had to write about something else.
Hi Mindy! I chose to write about my rings too for this week's topic :) Yours are beautiful!


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