अलिबाबाची खुली गुहा

पुस्तकं –  

लाल बासनात बांधलेली

ऋषींसारखी –

सुरकुतेली, निश्चल, मौनी, ज्ञानी –

शेल्फच्या धुकट काचांमधून

उत्सुकतेने डोळे विस्फारत पाहणारी,

'मला कडेवर घ्या' म्हणत खुणावणारी –

मोबाइलच्या, टॅबच्या, रीडरच्या

गुळगुळीत स्क्रीनवरून

घसरगुंडी खेळल्यासारखी

सरकत जाणारी –

एमपीथ्री होऊन

कानात गुजगोष्टी सांगणारी –

पुस्तकं.

करतात सोबत आपल्याला कुठेही –

ट्रेनमध्ये, बसमध्ये, बसस्टॉपवर, बाइकवर...

प्रवास रटाळ असला तरी

पुस्तकं आपल्याला नेतात

अद्भुत सफरींवर... घनदाट अरण्यात...

किंवा

मनाच्या तळघरात...

आपण आनंदी असो वा दुःखी वा सुखी

ती एेकून घेतात आपलं म्हणणं निमूट.

शोषून घेतात आपले अश्रू

खुलवितात आपलं हास्य.

जपून ठेवतात आपल्या आत –

'ते' खास दिले-घेतलेले गुलाब

किंवा

सुरकुतलेली निरागस चॉकलेटची सोनेरी चांदी...

किंवा

जाळीदार करतात स्मरणांची पिंपळपाने...

पुस्तकांच्या पोटात असते

अलिबाबाची गुहा –

अनेक रत्नांची,

राग, लोभ, मत्सर अशा नवरसांची,

मन विषण्ण करणार्‍या वास्तवाची

आणि कल्पनेपलीकडच्या

अद्भुत विश्वाचीही...

फक्त पुस्तके

'खुल जा सिमसिम' न म्हणताच
उघडी करतात आपली कवाडं

कोणाहीसाठी मुक्तपणे...

फक्त अवकाश

एक पान उलटण्याचा!

....

प्रणव सखदेव

 

Submit your write-ups to be an author !!!!!!

Inviting Entries for Budding Authors Competition

In a bid to encourage writings of the common man, Mehta Publishing House launches a monthly Budding Authors Competition on May 1^st 2013. And for that we invite the entries from our readers all across the globe in the form of short essays, short stories, write ups, memoirs or a biographical write ups for the competition. The entries will be scrutinized by our editorial team and the best 3 write ups  shall be declared winners at the launch of the Competition at Amdavad Book Fair 2013 along with the simultaneous updating on our Facebook account and our website. The winners will be awarded attractive prizes along with a certificate by us.

So put your thoughts into words and send us your entries at hrm@mehtapublishinghouse.com

Last date to submit entries 29^th April 2013

Mehta Publishing House at Amdavad Book Fair 2013

This is to inform you all that Mehta Publishing House is participating in the upcoming Amdavad Book Fair 2013 to be held from May 1^st 2013 to May 7^th 2013 at Gujarat University Convention center,132 road near Helmet cross roads, Ahmedabad. During the course of the fair, we would be organizing two events in relation to our English books the details of which are mentioned as under:

Event on May 1^st 2013

Event : Launch of DEAR Concept for Mehta Publishing House and The Launch of Budding Authors competition (monthly) at Mehta Publishing House.

Venue : Our stall no 166 & 167

Timings : 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Description : DEAR is an abbreviation which means Drop Everything and Read and it is a movement to encourage people from all sects, ages and professions to take time out of their busy schedules to just read a book each day. Budding Authors is a monthly competition which we are beginning from May 2013 post its launch at Amdavad Book Fair where we will ask the young writers to submit us their write-ups each month and based on the reviews by our team, we select 3 best entries who shall be declared not as winners but best among the lot. These three best entries shall be awarded by us.

Event on May 5^th 2013

Event : Book Reading and Readers Interaction Session

Venue : Our stall no 166 & 167

Timings : 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Description: For this event we have called our two authors for a book reading cum readers interaction session. We have also invited the HR's and other staff of reputed international call centers, 5 star hotels, NGO's etc of Ahmedabad to be a part of the event. The two authors are Vikrant Shukla author of Call Centre an Inside Story and The Wrong Chase. These book relate to the kind of invite category mentioned above. The last 45 mins of the event duration will be dedicated to Gayatri Lodha, author of Gayatri’s Maths Mantra where she will teach the audiences any 3 concepts of simple maths logic.

We extend our warm invite to all our beloved readers in and around Gujarat to come and visit our stall during the fair especially for the events for a mesmerizing experience all together.