Seven years is not too long a time to be writing your memoirs ! But b4 we get too big for our boots (hopefully, we never will) - i need to acknowledge some early support.
I write here about a few ULMs
1. Verghese. He is a marketing man, mainly in telecommunications, now pretty senior travelling the globe all the time. Back in 2002, he had quit one job, had 2 offers on hand and was wondering which one to take up.
He needed a break, came to Pune, stayed with us hoping for a quiet 2 weeks - when i was completely going berserk with bookstore idea. It was 3rd wk jan when he came. Poor guy ! he had no choice ! He postponed his joining date, stayed back, taught me about glow signs, neon, signages, went to visit a few bookstores with me to chk out shelving ideas and store decor ..... he stayed back almost for a month !
It was fun, and i had a bouncing board for all my crazy ideas !
2. Ajay Dasgupta : He walked into the Store yesterday ! He has been part of our journey and then suddenly vanished for 6 years only to re-appear yesterday. It was a complete moment of joy. Ajay was our first mascot for our karadi tales event, sweating it inside a thick bhaalu costume in April heat. He did all our street plays that year. We did quite a few workshops and reading sessions - he was our first Santa too ! Thanks Ajay, for coming back !
3. Vernen : our original vernie pooh ! Through his BSc course in India, Vernen was the South African who was more Indian than some of our guys ! Though initially he walked into the Store for the "airconditioning" on a hot summer afternoon, Vernen soon became part of the tnt family ! His bday comes up in a day, heres to Vernen in Johannesberg, happy bday from tnt.
4. And of course, the original ULM - it can't be said in a blog post.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
We love you guys too !
Dear tnt,
Happy 7th Birthday Tnt!
Like I always say "you changed my life".
Sumitra--
Dr Sumitra Krishnan
Thank you Sumitra, for threatening us with a black flag demonstration everytime we let our spirits down and think it is better to shut ! Your black flag threat works ! Everytime !
Birthday celebrations !
the BIG birthday card from BIG customers !
the SMALL birthday card from our SMALL fans !
What's a budday w/o balloons ?
the SMALL birthday card from our SMALL fans !
What's a budday w/o balloons ?
Saturday, March 28, 2009
i feel like a new mother answering all calls and wishes on behalf of her kid !
chk this : http://www160.123greetings.com/card/03/28/01/52/ZQK80328015246713.html
chk this : http://www160.123greetings.com/card/03/28/01/52/ZQK80328015246713.html
and this :
hey Tnt,
happy birthday
Shama
and this :
Dear Janaki
Heartiest greetings on turning 7. Hope there will be many more birthdays, each happier than the previous. There are bookstores and bookstalls but twistntales has been different. To my mind, the difference has been the personal touch (none of the "Dial 1 for History, Dial 2 for Fiction....") and the interest and investment you have created in people - your customers. This is what makes me come all the way from near the airport to Aundh to pick up books. Not only do I collect my books but I also spend some time with you and the staff and this interaction is something that cannot be quantified or measured. You are doing business all right, but there is a genuineness in the gregariousness you display, which makes twistntales so endearing. My best wishes for this birthday and each birthday. Love.
Ravi
Thanks all of you !!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
The 7-year itch: How tnt crept into our lives, our schedules and our lingo
Who said there can be too much of a good thing? We disagree strongly. There can never be too much chocolate, too many hugs, too much gossip and laughter, shoes....and tnt. Yes, it helps that we're book fiends, that we're happier wandering through literary aisles than malls. But tnt has gone from being workplace to hang-out spot to home to simply a way of life.
Tia says: Tnt pops up in the most unexpected ways. I'm sitting with a glass of hot rasam right now as I write, and my first thought as I sipped was, 'Boss puts more ghee in hers.'
Jahnavi says: My exams are coming up, and full-fledged studying is on. Or at least supposed to be on. (Tia wrote that, Boss, it wasn't me!) Most evenings, after a day of swotting at my books, I would get in the car and drive to the Store, just to spend an hour there. Just because.
Tia says: Spikeyand I are chatting online most of our working hours. Or is it waking hours, Spikey??? Her first question to me when I log on isn't 'Hi', or 'How are you?' it's 'How's the Store?' Ok, maybe sometimes, she starts off with 'What's up?' and THEN says 'how's the Store?' but that's rare.
Jahnavi says: Two days ago, my friend and I were getting Cadbee's in Aundh. Now, everyone knows that you cannot have a Cadbee just anywhere. You can't have it while walking down any old street! A Cadbee has to be had someplace with a buzz, with atmosphere. But, a sign just outside the Store (which I made myself!) says 'No food and drinks allowed inside.' So I figured, what the heck, maybe we can sit on the steps outside the Store and have our Cadbees there. We didn't, ultimately, but it was the first place I thought of!
Tia says: Whenever we want to meet up, or are uncertain about where to meet, or are just generally uncertain, we go to the Store. I don't know if I should have a quiet birthday or invite everybody I know and have a huge bash. Uncertainty - head to the Store! Should I spike my hair today or wear it flat. Uncertainty - head to the Store. In fact, heading to the Store doesn't have to have a reason. We go to look at books, look at new employees (especially if they're male!) and just to feel wanted.
Jahnavi says: There are those who envied Tia and me while we were working at the Store. Some of them managed to edge us out and get our jobs, and now they envy us because they've moved to different citites while we continue to be within driving distance of the Store. They, on the other hand have to get onto trains (sometimes without a ticket) to get here. But they still come back.
Tia says: Initially, when we met Potential Guys, it was all about humour, height and dimples, not necessarily in that order. Now, it's all about 'Ooooh, he bought The Book of Nurturing , he's my type! Of course, in some people's case, it could be all about muscular legs and management books! Or it could be, 'Awwwww, he bought The Diary of Anne Frank, he's our kind of guy!'
Tnt has, in many ways re-affirmed my faith in That Gender Which I Do Not Understand aka men! The acronym ULM was coined at tnt. It stands for Utterly Lovable Man, and we have met quite a few of these, while at the Store.
Jahnavi says: There are umpteen stories and happenings which Tia claims are Insanely Important. But I think the fact that it is 1:08 in the morning and my exams are less than a week away and that Tia has been typing with her cell-phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder for the past hour is testament to how much tnt is a part of us.
And so, from two tireless tnt-ians (with a little help from Spikey in Mumbai) to all you wonderful people who made it happen, to a small slice of joy tucked away in a little pocket in Aundh, a very happy birthday!
Tia says: Tnt pops up in the most unexpected ways. I'm sitting with a glass of hot rasam right now as I write, and my first thought as I sipped was, 'Boss puts more ghee in hers.'
Jahnavi says: My exams are coming up, and full-fledged studying is on. Or at least supposed to be on. (Tia wrote that, Boss, it wasn't me!) Most evenings, after a day of swotting at my books, I would get in the car and drive to the Store, just to spend an hour there. Just because.
Tia says: Spikeyand I are chatting online most of our working hours. Or is it waking hours, Spikey??? Her first question to me when I log on isn't 'Hi', or 'How are you?' it's 'How's the Store?' Ok, maybe sometimes, she starts off with 'What's up?' and THEN says 'how's the Store?' but that's rare.
Jahnavi says: Two days ago, my friend and I were getting Cadbee's in Aundh. Now, everyone knows that you cannot have a Cadbee just anywhere. You can't have it while walking down any old street! A Cadbee has to be had someplace with a buzz, with atmosphere. But, a sign just outside the Store (which I made myself!) says 'No food and drinks allowed inside.' So I figured, what the heck, maybe we can sit on the steps outside the Store and have our Cadbees there. We didn't, ultimately, but it was the first place I thought of!
Tia says: Whenever we want to meet up, or are uncertain about where to meet, or are just generally uncertain, we go to the Store. I don't know if I should have a quiet birthday or invite everybody I know and have a huge bash. Uncertainty - head to the Store! Should I spike my hair today or wear it flat. Uncertainty - head to the Store. In fact, heading to the Store doesn't have to have a reason. We go to look at books, look at new employees (especially if they're male!) and just to feel wanted.
Jahnavi says: There are those who envied Tia and me while we were working at the Store. Some of them managed to edge us out and get our jobs, and now they envy us because they've moved to different citites while we continue to be within driving distance of the Store. They, on the other hand have to get onto trains (sometimes without a ticket) to get here. But they still come back.
Tia says: Initially, when we met Potential Guys, it was all about humour, height and dimples, not necessarily in that order. Now, it's all about 'Ooooh, he bought The Book of Nurturing , he's my type! Of course, in some people's case, it could be all about muscular legs and management books! Or it could be, 'Awwwww, he bought The Diary of Anne Frank, he's our kind of guy!'
Tnt has, in many ways re-affirmed my faith in That Gender Which I Do Not Understand aka men! The acronym ULM was coined at tnt. It stands for Utterly Lovable Man, and we have met quite a few of these, while at the Store.
Jahnavi says: There are umpteen stories and happenings which Tia claims are Insanely Important. But I think the fact that it is 1:08 in the morning and my exams are less than a week away and that Tia has been typing with her cell-phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder for the past hour is testament to how much tnt is a part of us.
And so, from two tireless tnt-ians (with a little help from Spikey in Mumbai) to all you wonderful people who made it happen, to a small slice of joy tucked away in a little pocket in Aundh, a very happy birthday!
Much love, from far away!
When I moved back to Bangalore from Pune, I missed tnt. Like a heartbeat. I wandered into bookstores, through long corridors of dusty books in some and swanky new ones in others. I felt helpless. I pulled books out of their shelves, turned them around to read the blurbs and put them back. I stared vacuously at rows and piles of books waiting to hear J's voice, waiting for inspiration, waiting for counsel. I was spoilt. By J. By everything tnt. Like Shankar said, it's hard to tell them apart.
So, I took to calling J every Monday from the confines of my car. Thanks to tnt being closed on Monday, I actually started looking forward to Monday because it meant I could talk to J. That was a welcome transformation. Monday morning blues? No. Monday morning oranges. And reds. And yellows. And sunshine. Life. Books. Empathy. Love. I got it all.
I went back to visit tnt every year after I moved back. And was comforted. Each time. By its colourful new umbrellas, midnight Happy Potter and magic, J and the elves I wrote of.
In all my travels, every time I walked into a bookstore, I waited to hear J's voice telling me what to do. When I don't hear it, I worry that I may not like the books that I'm buying. I'm almost surprised if I do. Now, in the land of Shakespeare and with bookstores on so many street corners, I still wait. To hear J's voice. Because there's nothing jumping out saying 'read me!'.
It's an addiction. tnt. It is. A happy one. And, one I can't wait to go back to as soon as I possibly can. Happy Birthday, tnt. I love you very much.
So, I took to calling J every Monday from the confines of my car. Thanks to tnt being closed on Monday, I actually started looking forward to Monday because it meant I could talk to J. That was a welcome transformation. Monday morning blues? No. Monday morning oranges. And reds. And yellows. And sunshine. Life. Books. Empathy. Love. I got it all.
I went back to visit tnt every year after I moved back. And was comforted. Each time. By its colourful new umbrellas, midnight Happy Potter and magic, J and the elves I wrote of.
In all my travels, every time I walked into a bookstore, I waited to hear J's voice telling me what to do. When I don't hear it, I worry that I may not like the books that I'm buying. I'm almost surprised if I do. Now, in the land of Shakespeare and with bookstores on so many street corners, I still wait. To hear J's voice. Because there's nothing jumping out saying 'read me!'.
It's an addiction. tnt. It is. A happy one. And, one I can't wait to go back to as soon as I possibly can. Happy Birthday, tnt. I love you very much.
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