Pune launch 34 Bubblegums and Candies.



Saturday evening (4th October 2008) was special. It was the first time I’d be attending a book launch.What made it very special was that it was my own. :-) I did not know what to expect. But I knew what I didn’t want for sure.

I did not want to talk about myself. It was not about me. It was about the book. It was about a journey. It was about a message, to live love and laugh, to dance like no-one was watching, to let go of the insignificant things, to live life fully.


They told me I could do whatever I wanted. I was the star.

“No” I corrected them “My book is the star.”


So what happened at the launch? I think these people who attended it have said it better.

http://godyears.blogspot.com/2008/10/35-bubblegums-and-candies.html

http://blog.prats.co.in/2008/10/34-bubblegums-candies-launch.html

http://sam-memoirs.blogspot.com/2008/10/34-bubblegums-and-candies-book-launch.html

The guest of honour was Anuja Agarwal who is now a friend and also VP and Global head of Communications of Duetsche Bank. She spoke really well and said some wonderful things about me and the book.


The turnout was really good. There was a big crowd. But funnily ‘friends’ whom I expected to be there were not there. They had promised they would come. I did not bother to ask them why they did not come, nor have they bothered to call up and explain. It has ceased to surprise me now. It just validates a few things that I have said in the last chapter of my book. (called ‘How this book came to be’)


I met some wonderful people whom I had been interacting online with. I met Dr.Roshan (whom I have met once before), Akanksha (whom I was looking forward to meet) ,Nishant (whom I knew only through twitter) and Prateek (whom I had interacted with only through my blog) among the bloggers and I met many non-bloggers too. Many people had read the newspaper articles and had turned up for the launch. I was moved that they wanted to click pictures with me. They were treating me like a celebrity and I could see the respect, awe and admiration in their eyes. I felt really humbled.(and honoured too)


I kept signing books after books after books. One person wanted me to sign a book for his wife who was expecting. Another couple wanted me to sign a book for their child, so that she will have it when she grows up. They said they would treasure that book. There were photographers who kept asking me to pose for pictures. Lots of people gave me bouquets and my house now is full of fresh flowers. Each corner I turn, there is a burst of colours reminding me of that special day. I also know that fame like these flowers will fade and so I enjoy it while it lasts.


I do believe with all my heart that that dreams indeed come true. You have to make it happen. It depends on how badly you want it, and how hard you are willing to work for it and what you are willing to give up for it and how deeply you believe in yourself. Paulo Coelho was right. You just have to want something badly enough (as opposed to mere wishful thinking) and act on it. The Universe indeed conspires to give it to you.

That morning a good friend of mine had sent me this video. He wished me luck and he wanted me to watch it before the launch. It moved me and also inspired me a lot. There’s a lovely message in the video—only you have to get it. I loved it. It beautifully illustrated what I have always known. (Incidentally, there is a chapter in the book called ‘Two monsters’ which explains it well)

"Yes, you can be a dreamer and a doer too, if you will remove one word from your vocabulary:Impossible"

----Robert.H.Schulle


True--Nothing is impossible.

___________________________________________________

Note: The Bangalore Book launch of '34 Bubblegums and Candies' is on Friday,10th October, 6:00.p.m at Crossword , Residency road. R.K Misra is the guest of honour. And yes--you are invited. :-)

Comments

  1. Ps,
    I have anyways read Dr.Roshan's and Prateek's posts on the Pune launch.Thanks for one more.
    I am sure you did not have much to write on the launch. :)
    Others wrote before you. :)

    Looking forward to meet you.
    :)
    Best Wishes.

    -Nikhil

    ReplyDelete
  2. the video touched my heart...yes, nothing is impossible...

    and it was nice reading this..it's as close as i can get to what's happening :D

    congrats on a dream fulfilled and here's to many more :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Congrats once again :D

    dun forget to bring my bookmark to bangalore :)

    see u day after!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratssssss P...im so happy for u. waiting to meet u again on friday. i wish u all the best in all u do!! May all ur dreams come true( mine too..for u).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congrats Preeti! :) I tried to order your book online and checked in rediff and IndiaPlaza. I was not able to do that. Can you please help me out?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am very happy for you.
    Brilliant video and great pictures. I plan to click few of them on Friday :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great!!
    Good luck for everything.
    Can't wait to have the book.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Eagerly waiting for your book reading to happen in Delhi. Pls pls plan it soon!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats again PS, and all the best for the Blor launch! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congrats..!!

    Waiting to meet you in Bangalore launch :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. My first time here. Congratulations on your book launch and I wish you success. I do hope that you receive the kind of feedback and response you've wanted.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations for your book launch and Wish you all the Very Best for B'lore launch!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congratulations preeti. Am so glad it went on very well. Good luck for Bangalore launch as well.
    My best as always.

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
  14. missed the event...
    some unforeseen engagements..!!

    got the book, anyways..!!

    congrats for your success..!!

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi PS!

    Wonderful blog I must say ... I cant exactly remember from where I landed up on your blog ... but long story short this has been one of my best finds ... :).

    Life puts a lot of different situations in front of us ... being able to put them in a perspective such that anyone can relate to it is not a usual skill to have. I guess all of us like to hear our stories before going to bed, no matter how old(/young) we are. Somehow for me, I've found myself unable to resist reading from the very first post if I come across a good blog. Its always amazing to see how the blog has taken shape over time, and interestingly, it grows more like a baby ... maturing, making friends, learning new styles, ideas ... yet it has its identity intact by virtue of its author.
    I wont deny it, for the past few evenings ur blog has been my story book :) (PS sorry fr not leaving comments early on ... but some books can be so engrossing). I guess you are right abt leaving behind footprints ... thats why the comment appears :) (In case you have been cheking ur sitemeter, thats me from Raleigh, NC).

    Once again ... loads of congratulations on your book release in Pune ... and all the very best for Bangalore (more so since thats my home town :)). Only thing is ... when does the book come on amazon ... dying to get my hands on it (somehow ... all the posts with the most interesting topics seem to be in the book)

    Best Wishes
    Regards
    Sairam.

    (PS: I havent yet setup a blog, no point following the link in my blogger profile :P)

    ReplyDelete
  16. :) I just love to read the honesty in your writings.
    Good luck for the Bangalore launch and I'm not waiting for the B'bay one anymore coz I'm having the book couriered to me. But do keep my bookmark, I'll still have them collected come what may!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nikhil: Amazed that I post and you comment! Thanks!

    Suma:Thank you so much!Yes, the video is indeed moving.

    Prakhar:Nopes--wont forget.Yes--see you.

    Pai:Waiting to meet you too! Sadly I may not get as much time as i want to with you as there will be many people--but we will surely catch up over a cup od tea another time.

    Anitha: I spoke to my publisher.They say it will come online soon.Meanwhile I found it listed on ebay. Here is the link:

    ReplyDelete
  18. Varun:Thanks! Pls mail me the piucs you click :)

    Life Begins:Thanks! Where are you based?(sorry i forget)

    NM: lets see! lots of people in Delhi I badly want to meet.

    Balu:Thank you!

    Manasa:Will see you there!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Trevor penn:Welcome & Thank you! I hope so too.

    John:Thank you!

    Chitra:thank you.

    Vinz: I am not at all disappointed that you missed the event--that's perfectly okay.But what is making me annoyed is the kids had made a book mark for you and I feel bad for their wasted efforts and the time they put into it.My kids wanted to know why people ask for book marks if they cannot keep a commitment.Thanks for buying my book anyway.

    Systix: wow! What a fabulous compliment you have paid me.Thank you so much for the wishes, and for the note.yes, i do follow my sitemeter :-)I myself do not know when it will come on amazon. It is just four days after the launch in india. if you come to know, do let me know. it is listed on e-bay--scroll up and see the reply I have given to anitha.

    Still thinking:Will do.And thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow Preeti...that seems like a dream book launch I would have loved to attend!!I will buy the book,but one thing is for sure,I need your autograph(and if possible,a snap with You)inside the book.Maybe a book launch in Ekm?;-)Congrats,I feel so happy and proud,just showed the blog and the book to hubby and said its my friends'.We seem to have a lot of mutual friends in Orkut and we studied in the same college..!!I am trying to find reasons..;-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. My sincerest congratulations! This is wonderful. I am glad everything went so well.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I've just read the reviews you have linked to earlier in this post. They all seem to say something similar..that the book is a huge sucess and that what so many have said here in these 'pages' bears true..that your personailty and sharp wit shows through in the book..people warm to that sort of honesty and uplift.The photos of the Pune launch make me even more frustrated not to have been there.

    ReplyDelete
  23. So so bad Trivandrum does not have a Crosswords! Congrats PS good going :-) I can imagine what you must have felt like! And its an inspiration for people like me who are hoping to get thier own books out some day!

    ReplyDelete
  24. When I see the pictures of the books being displayed, it all feels so surreal. But seeing you there signing the books...thats oen memory i'm sure that will be etched for a lifetime. A dream begun and fulfilled.
    Congrats and wishing you lots more such events...

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for the update PS. Am so happy that events turned out the way u wanted them to.

    n yes..it was ur Book's day!YOUR BOOK is/ the star..n all 'coz of u. Remember it won't exist if not for u :)

    i have my fingers corssed that Harish does turn up for the Blr book launch on Friday as he mentioned to u. Have sent him a follow-up email.
    I would hate it to not get the beautiful(which im sure it will be) bookmark ur li'l ones made for me!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Congrats again, Preeti, Read in your interview that you are on your way to writing a new book, I was telling my husband about you, like how you started with writing a blog and now you are launching ur book, He was very impressed too, just like all of us reading your blog...i must say the name of the book is so well thought out...way to go!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Congratulations girl... awesome!! Loved the video.. nothing is impossible really..
    Good luck with Bangalore.. now go rock that!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh the book people are right...you are a celebrity! (To us, anyway)
    I would love the chance to read this book. I must order one!
    I am surprised some of your "friends" neglected to show up. Seriously there is something wrong with that. Clearly you are an inspiration, and someone to look up to. (In my humble opinion.) :)
    Gosh you are photogenic girl!!! I think your "friends" are jealous.
    But it's their loss.
    xox!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi PS,

    Seeing the fotos n reading the reviews in the other blogs made me feel that I was actually present there for the launch..!!Way to go..n Happy for you.

    GeetS.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi PS,

    Heartiest Congratulations on the release of your first book. Savour each & every moment & here's wishing you all the very best.

    Won't you be having a book launch at Mumbai? We have an excellent Crossword at Kemps Corner. Please make it. And, I can't wait to pick up & read your book.

    Cheers,
    Pallavi

    ReplyDelete
  31. will be there morrow at the bangalore launch..been waiting for a longtime:D

    ReplyDelete
  32. ..beautiful book...nd m glad I met you and luvly family before i got the book...can easily visualize the stories :)...

    ...hvn't finished yet...but cudnt resist the temptation to tell you .. I AM LOVIN IT ..ta ta tada! :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Congratulations! By this time, your Bangalore launch would've been over too. One more reason to wish I was in India....I haven't visited your blog in a while so don't know if you've had a launch in Mumbai yet?
    Loved the animation short....Shows the kiwis determination to fly, doesn't it? Didn't get what he was doing with the nailing, though..
    All the best and keep writing...Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Yeah! Sure thing! I'll send you all the snaps. Do email me the Bangalore snaps.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous1:52 PM

    Woowiieee.. it gets better doesn't it? Oct 10th B'lore sigh!! You know I would've made it come what may if I was there.

    How about taking the book launch international?? Umm.. like Malta?? ;)

    Maybe a bit too early to ask, so will there be a few more books coming out??

    And are you gonna have the 34 bubblegums published as an ebook?

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hey Preeti,
    How was the Bangalore launch dear? Fabulous like Pune I'm sure! Do let us know and how you doing? :)

    Do you have the dates for the B'bay launch?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Preeti,

    May you keep shinning more & more. Liked the video which has deep meaning. Impossible should be read as I m possible.

    Take care

    ReplyDelete
  38. write write write...m waitin for the next one

    ReplyDelete
  39. couldnt see the video and couldnt make ir=t for the blore launch iether 'coz left work only at 10pm! :(

    will pick up the book this weekend for sure!! very very proud PS! :)

    hugs

    abha

    ReplyDelete
  40. Many congratulations :)
    n yes..waiting for the Delhi event too :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. n I'm sorry I missed the bookmark comment.:(
    Have been traveling for over a fortnight now!Is there going to be a launch in Delhi/NCR? I thought there might be and that I'd get the book signed and the bookmark there?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Awesome. Congragulations.
    Way to go.
    I am in Canada. How can I get hold of this here?

    ReplyDelete
  43. Shailesh: Try this link and let me know.My publisher tells me that if people place orders, then the online sites contact the publishers and deliver it to the people who have placed orders.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Meira: Not for a month at least! I need to breathe! Yes--there may be one in Delhi.Will let you know.

    Mama-Mia:Thanks :) Yeah lot of bloggers were there--it was great!

    Prakhar:Will do! It was nice meeting you.

    Jack; Thanks! U are right about reading impossible that way!

    Still thinking: nopes--need a breather!

    J:Malta sounds good!;-) No--no e book planned.

    Varun:will do!

    ReplyDelete
  45. RajK:he was nailing the trees horizonatlly so that it feels like flying when he jumps down vertically. he is actaully falling but living his dream of wanting to fly--so much so that he sprouts wings.

    Prakhar: glad and happy!!

    Praveen:It was great to meet you--have put a snap in orkut.

    Palsworld: Yep--dates not fixed.

    Geetha:Thank you!!

    Gillian:Thanks!! I think they are too selfish--not jealous.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Preethi:Thank you!!

    Priya Rajesh: :-)I'm beaming now.

    Prats: Thanks!!

    Cris:Thanks and Good luck!

    Niall:I mentioned you in my speech at both places.You were very much there in my mind and in spirit my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Rayne:Thanks!

    Divya:Sure!! thanks.:-)

    ReplyDelete
  48. It was a very nice meeting and I really enjoyed the lauch.

    The bookmark is very lovely. Thanks to Atul and Purvi.

    Cheers :-)

    ReplyDelete
  49. Karthik:And a thank you to you for coming!

    ReplyDelete
  50. hey congrats!!! im so glad ur book launch was so successful..missed the evnt by days :( wish we had landed in pune earlier.. please do keep a signed copy for me :D

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate your leaving a comment! Okay--I appreciate your leaving a comment if you have something nice to say ;-)