Author - Style Hut

NEW DELHI: With the ongoing celebration of Lohri and Makarsankranti, Delhi people got to witness a poetic cultural evening on January 15, 2020, at Shri Ram Centre Auditorium. AAMAD Kathak Dance Center organized Rang-E-Sukhan, a Kathak dance production that highlighted the shades of poetry.
Rang-e-Sukhan, a Kathak dance production was presented by more than 100 dancers including established and young Kathak dancers from AAMAD Dance Centre and disciples of Guru Rani Khanam. The event highlighted the shades of mystical and romantic poetry that were expressed through the enigmatic Kathak dance.
The program started with a Ghazal by Daag Dehlavi “Kyon Churate Ho Dekhkar Aankhein, Kar Chukken Mere Dil Main Ghar Aankhein”. Through this Ghazal, the artists highlighted the essence of Mehfil Andaz Kathak of 19th Century. This was followed by another item on Dama Dum Mast Qalandar, a spiritual Sufi song written in the honour of the most revered Sufi saint of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. He spread his teachings and preached religious tolerance between Hindus and Muslims. The evening continued with Kedar Sargam based on in Raag Kedar and composed in Taal Teentaal 16 Beats.
Later, the artists presented Maalgunji Sargam based on Raag Maalgunji in 16 beats. The abstract syllables are swiftly sung while the dancers bring out the essence of the melody and rhythm through footwork, intricate geometric shapes, and rapid turns. This was followed by a group performance ‘Geet’ by Swastika Dance 24’s young artists. The audience watched the next performance in awe as the youngest students of both AAMAD Dance Centre & Swastika Dance 24 presented the traditional Kathak.
The next presentation was Krishna Bhajan took from Krishnasthakam Strotam: Bhaje Vrajaika Mandanam Samasta Papa Khandanam. The evening came to an end with a group performance on Sufi Bulle Shah’s most famous Sufi Poetry ‘Tere Ishq Nachaya Karke Thaiyya Thaiyya’
Each performance was based on beautiful Farsi and Urdu poems that were focused on the amalgamation of Indian and Persian culture, also known as “Ganga- Jamuni Tehzeeb, which is very much relevant today era.
Guru Rani Khanam who has choreographed all the performances is one of the most renowned Kathak dancers. Not just this, she is also an empanelled artist in “outstanding category” of the Indian Council for Culture Relations and the Director of Aamad. Talking about the success of Rang-E-Sukhan, Guru Rani Khanam said, “Our main objective was to highlight the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb through our performances. The divine power of all the poems reflects the purity of the form. Each performance was a rich amalgamation of dance, music and poetry.”

Finding Audrey follows Audrey, a kind and forgiving 14 year old girl who suffers from a social anxiety disorder after a terrible bullying incident that occurred to her at old school. Audrey is now home-schooled. She wears dark sunglasses all day to prevent making eye contact with any other human being, even her parents and siblings because its just so stressful for her.
She lives with her family in England.
I thought i wasn’t going to relate to her because she is 14 years old but to my surprise, I could. I was able to visualise every scene. I loved the documentary presentation, the script and most of all, the story telling. It is unique in a way that makes the story hilarious and intense, both at once. The opening scene of Finding Audrey was very beautiful.
I love that this book dealt with anxiety at all. I’ve read one other book that deals with anxiety (The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart) and honestly, its heart wrenching to see authors spilling even the harshest and roughest emotions so beautifully.
For the most part, I really enjoyed the writing style and the presentation. It was light-hearted and riddled with humor; it had me cackling several times throughout.
The fact that this book is written in such a light tone makes it so unique. Anyone wanting to read a book about anxiety would expect dark thoughts and dark words. The brother, Frank, is hilarious. She has another brother who is 4 years old and its so adorable to imagine being around him.
Personally, i feel anxiety is nothing to be made fun of, the swaying away process seems to have been taken lightly and that’s why I wasn’t happy with how anxiety and its recovery process was presented-that meeting a new guy will instantly cure the disorder. But for the most part it was overwhelming to see Audrey dealing with her anxiety, living with her family and finding love.
It was only once in the story that i felt a little distracted.Audrey’s mom’s fixation with ridding Frank (the brother) off his computer games almost became the center aspect of the plot instead of Audrey’s healing process which took away from the enjoyment of the novel for a while.
I would recommend this to someone who would like to read a book that deals with a dark issue in a friendly way and a book that will make you laugh despite the issues being intense.
Title: Finding Audrey
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publication: Delacorte Books