How do you make cheese cake?

Cheese cake

Ingredient

Graham crackers: 1 cup

Unsalted butter: 4 tbsp

Heavy cream: 1/2 cup

Cream cheese: 8 ounce (1 cup)

Sugar 1/3 cup

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

A few slices of fruits (mango, kiwi, strawberry, black berry. etc.)

Method:

First line a 4x7 inch pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Mix Graham crackers and butter well to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl on medium high speed until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed and gradually add cream and lemon juice.

Now increase the speed to medium high until a stiff peak forms. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the prepared crust, refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Just before serving, top with fruits.

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How do you make coconut bread pudding?

Coconut bread pudding

Ingredients

Bread, toasted and cut into bite-sized pieces: 5 slices

Butter: 1 tbsp

Chopped nuts: 1/4 cup

Coconut milk: 1 can

Eggs: 3

Sugar: 1 cup

Ground cardamom powder: 1 tsp

A pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees C. Butter a baking dish (8x8). Arrange the bread pieces in the dish and evenly sprinkle chopped nuts on top.

In another bowl, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, egg, cardamom powder and salt. Pour the mixture over the spread out bread pieces, pressing down with a spoon to make sure they are soaked.

Bake for 45 minutes or until set. The centre should spring back when touched. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

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How do you make caramelised figs with yoghurt?

Caramelised figs with yoghurt

Ingredients

Plain or lightly sweetened yoghurt: 400 ml

Fresh figs, washed, dried and cut in half: 4

Chopped almonds 2 tbsp

Honey: 2 tbsp

A pinch of cardamom powder

Method:

Spoon the honey into a small pan and heat it over a medium flame. Place the figs cut-side down on the honey and cook until honey starts to bubble and caramelise and the figs are softened lightly.

Sprinkle some cardamom powder and spoon the figs over the yoghurt, drizzling any remaining honey on top.

Sprinkle chopped almonds and eats while the figs are still warm.

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How do you make green tea shake?

Green tea shake

Ingredients

Chilled milk: 1 cup

Brewed green tea cooled: 3/4 cup

Honey (adjust to taste): 1 tbsp

Vanilla ice cream: 1-2 tsp

A handful of ice-cubes

A drop of green food colouring (optional)

Method:

  1. Steep 2 cups of boiling water with two green tea bags. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to make sure tea is very strong. Pour tea into ice cube trays to freeze. Let freeze solid.
  2. Add green tea ice cubes to blender with other ingredients.
  3. Blend until smooth and serve immediately.

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What are books called that are based on true stories?

One of the best ways of learning about people who have made an impact is by reading their biographies or autobiographies. Such books can be inspiring since they are about real people.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

What happens when you return from school? A lovely snack waiting for you? For Malala Yousafzai, 15, a bullet was. She was shot in the head on the bus back home because she had stood up in favour of girls education. Times were bad in the Swat Valley in Pakistan since the Taliban had taken over and banned free movement of women. After that October 9, 2012, attack, not only did Malala survive but she also went on to become the global ambassador of peace and also the world's youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi's memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution has been done entirely in black-and-white comic strip images. It tells the story of a young girl from age six to 14 living in Tehran and contrasts her home life and public life. At home, the atmosphere is committedly Marxist while publicly she is a witness to political regression. It's humorous and satirical, and it will open your eyes to people's struggles across the world.

No Summit Out of Sight by Jordan Romero

Jordan Romero climbed Mount Everest at 13 becoming the youngest person to do so. Well, he didn't just stop there. By 15, he went on to become the youngest person to scale the summits of the highest mountains of every continent! At 17, he wrote his memoir, an inspiring story for not just mountain climbers but also children and adults across the world.

Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings

"Being Jazz: Life as a (Transgender) Teen" is about being bullied, being rejected and discriminated against for the choices you make. Jazz transitioned to being a girl when she was five and was most amply supported by her parents. She freely writes about the physical, social, and emotional issues that she faces. Jazz is a pioneering voice for the trans community.

Like a Girl by Apama Jain

This collection of "Real Stories for Tough Kids" is about 56 different women from across India. You will read about Teesta Setalvad, Dipa Karmakar, Chand Bibi, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, and several more. Each of them has had a unique struggle and has overcome it. Each of them is inspiring.

Steve Jobs by Karen Blumenthal

What could possibly happen to a child who was given up for adoption and had dropped out of college? if he was Steve Jobs, he could, by the age of 20, create Apple in his parents garage along with a friend! We know him for his cutting-edge products, but Steve had not had it easy in life. In this biography, you get to read everything that made the man- his work schedule, his relationship with his family, his perseverance for perfection.

Ugly by Robert Hoge

Robert Hoge was born with short twisted legs and a tumour the size of a tennis ball in the middle of his face. A surgery gave him a new nose made out of one of his toes, but he never looked like any of his friends Stares, bullying, and rejection were part of his life but he refused to be cowed down. He was a prankster and fun lover, and wanted to play sports like the other kids.

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World’s oldest known cave painting found in Indonesia

The oldest known animal cave painting was discovered in Indonesia in the Leang Tedongnge cave in a valley in Sulawesi. The painting is that of a Sulawesi wild pig and is thought to have been painted about 45,000 years ago. Maxime Aubert, a dating specialist, identified a calcite deposit formed over the painting and used Uranium-series isotope dating to determine the age of the painting. The painting provides the earliest evidence of human settlement in the region.

The researchers noted that the Sulawesi warty pig painting, dated to at least 45,500 years ago, is part of a rock art panel located above a high ledge along the rear wall of Leang Tedongnge.

“It shows a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes, a characteristic feature of adult male Sulawesi warty pigs,” Mr. Brumm said.

“Painted using red ochre pigment, the pig appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs,” he added.

The previously oldest dated rock art ‘scene’ at least 43,900 years old, was a depiction of hybrid human-animal beings hunting Sulawesi warty pigs and dwarf bovids.

It was discovered by the same research team at a nearby limestone cave site.

Credit : The Hindu

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Abdulrazak Gurnah wins Nobel Prize for Literature

Tanzanian author and retired British academic Abdulrazak Gurnah won the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021. A Professor of English and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Kent, Canterbury Gurnah was awarded the prize for his work on exploring the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee. Gurnah has written 10 novels and several short stories.

His most famous novel is Paradise , which was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1994

"Gurnah consciously breaks with convention, upending the colonial perspective to highlight that of the indigenous populations. Thus, his novel Desertion (2005) about a love affair becomes a blunt contradiction to what he has called “the imperial romance,” the Nobel Prize added.

The twitter page also shared a recording of a near six-minute telephone interview with the writer. "I was just watching the announcement here on my computer. Who are you please?" Gurnah asks as an official from the Nobel Prize speaks. When the person later introduces himself and asks how he feels, Gurnah, sounding calm and composed, says, "I am still settling in, man. This is such a big prize."

Gurnah becomes the first Tanzanian writer to win the Nobel Prize.

Credit : Business Line

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Who is Herge?

Everyone's favourite cub reporter turned 93 on Monday, January 10. Yes. The Adventures of Tintin first appeared in the year 1929 in Le Petit Vingtieme, a youth supplement of the Belgian newspaper le Vingtieme Siecle. Since then, Tintin's adventures along with his loyal dog Snowy. Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus have entertained children and adults alike.

The Adventures of Tintin is a series of 24 Franco-Belgian comics, created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, popularly known by his pen name Henge Today, the comics have been published in over 70 languages, sold over 200 million copies, and adapted to the screen, radio and theatre

Born on May 22, 1907, Georges Prosper Remi, known by his pen name Herge, was a Belgian cartoonist. He began his career by contributing illustrations to Scouting magazines. He developed his first comic series. The Adventures of Totor, for Le Boy-Scout Belge in 1926. While working with the newspaper Le Vingtieme Siecle in 1929, Herge created The Adventures of Tintin on the advice of the newspapers editor. The comics were domestically successful and were published in a book form after serialisation. Herge continued the series along with creating other comics for the newspaper.

Herge always laid emphasis on doing background research for his works, for which he was widely acclaimed. His work was also known to be meticulous.

Interesting facts

Herge appears in a cameo in pretty much all the Tintin comics and onscreen as well. Want to go back and look for him?

Brussels Airlines has dedicated an entire Airbus A320 in honour of Tintin. Called Rackham, the interior and the exterior of the aircraft is: painted with spectacular Tintin livery. The aircraft is disguised as the famous shark submarine from the Tintin album "Red Rackham's Treasure".

Herge's Museum has a cylindrical room displaying Tintin books in all the languages they have been published in. Since last year, Tintin books published in Bengali and Hindi have been added to the collection here. These were translated by Bidisha, a Bengali and Hindi language Interpreter-Translator with the Michigan Dept. of State, the United States.

You might know Neil Armstrong as the first person to step foot on the Moon. But did you know Tintin got there earlier? He explored the Moon in 1954, 15 years before Armstrong.

There is a museum dedicated to Herge in Belgium. Musee Herge or Herge Museum is located at the address, "Rue Labrador 26" in the town of Louvain-la-Neuve in Wallonia Tintin's first home in the books.

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What is monster mashup?

You might have heard of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and maybe even enjoyed reading it. You might also like novels featuring zombies and vampires and mummies. So, what would you do if these two of your favorite genres were combined together in a monster mashup?

A monster mashup

Monster mashup, or simply mashup is a relatively new type of literature. As the name suggests, this type of literature is usually a work of fiction which combines a pre-existing literature text, mostly a classic, with another genre, mostly horror. Usually, somewhere between 60 to 85 percent of the original text is retained with new plot twists added to it.

The term mashup originated from the music industry where a new song is created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs.

The Jane Austen link

Jane Austen seems to have been the first classic author whose work became a monster mashup Her 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice was mashed up with zombies by author Seth Grahame-Smith in his 2009 novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies The book became popular instantly, giving rise to several other such books, creating the monster mashup genre. While Austen has been credited as co-author in this book, not all monster mashup novels credit the original creator as the co-author.

This isn't the only Austen classic that has been turned into a Monster Mashup. Her other popular classic  Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, too was made a parody and released as Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monster by Ben H Winters. He too credited Jane Austen as co-author. Today, one can find many monster mashup books on the shelves, with some, including pride and Prejudice and Zombies being adapted into movies.

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Which are the group games that are sure to make everyone laugh?

The celebration game

Would you like to make someone's year end special by gifting them something? And in return get gifts? Then this game is for you. In the process, you can have some fun too.

Prep work

Gather your friends and family together virtually for this game that requires pretty much nothing but paper and pen to start with. Before you start the game, make a list of the names of participants and assign numbers to each one of them, say between one and ten based on the number of participants. Tell them that this is a week-long game, and collect their home address.

Rules of the game

Keep the list of friends ready with you. If you are the person in charge of the names and addresses, you have to sit out of the game and be the referee. Now, each person takes their turn and calls out a number between one and ten. The referee secretly tells them the name of the person they have picked as well as their address. Once everyone has called out their numbers, explain the rules to them. The person each one has picked is the one they will have to gift something to. This is their child, and they are the 'Mother. Each day, the mother will secretly assign a fun task such as crying like a baby or snorting like a pig, or dancing like a robot, to the child through the referee. And the child has to perform the task, record the same and send it back to the referee, who will then play it for the group at a particular time each day. The tasks are sure to bring tears of laughter to the participants. Mothers have to ensure their gifts reach their respective children by the end of the week. At the end of the week, everyone gathers together virtually and each child takes a guess as to who their mother is based on the tasks they were assigned and the gift they were sent. The referee can get gifts too for his or her efforts.

Let's share stories

Use your imagination and bring out the storyteller in you with this fun game that can be played by two people, but the more the merrier. A little prep work is required before starting the game.

Prep work

Write down random words in chits of paper. Try and make as many chits as you can to make the game interesting. You could also repeat some of the words if you like.

Rules of the game

If there are more than two players, divide yourselves into as many teams as you like. Next, shuffle the chits and put them on the floor. Each team has to pick up ten chits (change the number based on the number of players and teams). Once everyone has picked the chits, set the timer to five minutes. In these five minutes, each team will have to come up with a story that uses all the words in the chits they have picked up. Sit back and enjoy listening to some funny stories.

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Which are the children’s favourite translated works they have read?

Russian literature

Here is my list of translated works. Written in the Dutch language, "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank has been translated in more than 70 languages and needs no introduction. This beautifully written memoir showcases how difficult life was during the Holocaust. Anne's life in seclusion seems hopeless. Despite this, she always stays cheerful and happy. Unfortunately, this story doesn't have a happy ending, but teaches me to always stay cheerful against the adversities in life. The Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, is best known for his two longest works ("War & Peace" and "Anna Karenina') which are regarded among the finest novels ever written. His stories are extremely powerful. They convey human values and morals in simple words. "War & Peace" is a literary work mixed with chapters on history and philosophy, while "Anna Karenina" is an account of the doomed love affair between Anna and Count Vronsky.

Not lost in translation

I enjoy reading books. The best translated works I have read till now are "The Little Prince", "The Dragon Rider", "The Rainbow Fish", "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", and "The Little Red Riding Hood". "The Rainbow Fish" is really good. It is a fiction translated from German into English by J Ellison James. The book is best known for its message on selfishness and sharing. The characters in this book help each other through thick and thin. The moral of this story is we should always be helpful. I enjoy reading this story because it has a good moral and reading this book also improves my vocabulary.

The Tin Soldier

Originally written by Hans Christian Andersen and retold by Russell Punter. "The Steadfast Tin Soldier' is a beautiful story about a one-legged tin soldier who comes alive at night and falls in love with a paper ballerina. But the jack in the box is jealous and pushes the tin soldier out of the window. He is found by a group of children who make a paper boat and place him on the river. He has to go through a sewage area and even gets eaten up by a fish! But he doesn't give up, and luck comes on his side. The original version had an unfortunate ending: the tin soldier and ballerina melted in a fireplace, but in the retold story, they lived happily ever after, which makes me like the latter one more than the original. The story's moral is whatever happens. if your intentions are good, you will succeed.

Pippi Longstocking

Astrid Lindgren's most famous and loved book, "Pippi Longstocking" was translated to English from Swedish. I enjoyed reading the book. Pippi is the strongest girl in the world. She stays alone with no grown-ups around. She has two pets, a monkey and a horse. Pippi is funny. She eats caramel candy instead of taking vitamins. She cleverly covers her mistakes as facts that others don't know. I like the thing finder game they play as it is similar to my favourite game treasure hunt.

A translation by Satyajit Ray

The best translated work I have ever read is "Braziler Kalo Bagh (The Brazilian Black Tiger), which is a Bengali translation by Satyajit Ray of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story "The Brazilian Cat". It is a great crime adventure story with some interesting plot twists. The protagonist here is Marshall King, nearly bankrupt and the only successor of his uncle Lord Southerton. Due to his financial problems and an invitation from his long lost cousin Everard King, who has returned to England after a long stay in South America, Marshall he goes to his house. There after some days of leisure he falls into a great trap set up by his cousin. Everard has called his cousin to his home and made arrangements to kill him in way that looks like an accident. Everard does this because he finds out that if Marshall dies he will become the next Lord Southerton. Luckily our protagonist escapes and Everard dies in the paws of his pet Tommy, a ferocious Brazilian tiger. The story is a great example of a crime adventure story. And also I have to admit that the great writer Ray has translated the story in his unqine writing style. This is truly the best translated work I have ever read.

A spiritual guide

The best translated work I ever read is "The Alchemist" originally written in Portuguese and later beautifully rewritten in English by Paulo Coelho. Santiago, a shepherd boy, wants to travel the world to collect wonderful treasures. On his way, he meets an alchemist in a life-changing encounter.

Coelho mixes spiritualistic views and magic in his book, which I found was pretty distinctive from all the other books I have read so far. His books will surely have a strong impact on everyone's lives.

This book stimulates and enhances the positive energy in me. I wish to read many similar books.

Scandinavian fiction

These are the best translated works I have ever read - The Martin Beck" series by Maj sjowall and Per Wahloo and The Crow Girl" by Erik Axl Sund. They are both Swedish novels. "Martin Beck" is a series of books collectively titled "The Story of a Crime". I recently started reading translated books and this is the first book I fell in love with. Martin Beck, the protagonist of series, is a fictional Swedish detective. He solves crimes and mysteries. I have read lots of detective and crime novels but this series is my personal favourite. Although it's a bit gory, it has lots of mysteries. Each book has a different storyline which makes it really good.

"The Crow Girl" is a crime and psychological horror novel. It is the Everest of Scandinavian crime fiction. This was my first time reading a psychological thriller and it actually scared me a little. It follows Detective Jeanette Kihlberg as tries to find the answers for the murder of a young boy.

The adventures of Amir Hamza

My favourite translated work is "The Adventures of Amir Hamza". It was originally written in Persian, by Ghalib Lakhnavi and Abdullah Bilgrami and translated in English by Musharraf Ali Farooqi. This is a major Indo-Persian epic. The book. falls under adventure and fairy tale genre. It follows an adventurer, Amir Hamza, who is under the Persian king and fights many campaigns. He goes to the supernatural

"The Pied Piper of Hamelin”

The "Pied Piper of Hamelin" is a book written by Robert Browning in the German language in 1248. The story was later translated into English. This is a superb story and it tells us that we should always keep our promises and never go back on our word and cheat anyone.

In this story, there is a town named Hamelin which ir infested by rats. So, the realm and fights enemies even there, and dies heroically. I love this book because it has a great deal of imagination and we can easily pass our time as this book is highly engrossing. It is like an odyssey of the Middle East. This book involves sages, prophets, spies, demons, mad emperors and so on. This novel reminds me of the story of King Arthur.

A French fairytale

One of the best translated works I have read is "Little Red Riding Hood". The story, a fairytale for children, has been translated from French to English by Sarah Ardizzone. The book has been short listed for UKLA children's book. In the story, Little Red Riding Hood is a girl, who lives with her mother. Once she leaves her house to visit her grandmother. On the way, she meets a big, bad wolf in the forest. She continues walking and reaches the house. Once she is there, she realises that something is different. She sees the wolf, who has dressed up as her grandmother. He tells her has eaten her grandma and now she is scared because she thinks he would eat her, too. In the end, the neighbours come and help her. The moral of the story is we should never talk to strangers. I enjoyed this story because it has good lessons.

"Old Arthur and "The Chess Players"

My most favourite translated works are "Old Arthur (written in English by Liesel Moak Skorpen, and translated to Tamil by Siragini and Athithan), and "The Chess Players (originally written in Hindi by Munshi Premchand and translated by T.C Ghai), "Old Arthur is a story about an old dog named Arthur, who works for a farmer. He helps the farmer, and does all his work skillfully. But as Arthur grows old, he can't work as efficiently as before. The farmer becomes angry with him day by day, and one day, decides to shoot the old dog. He somehow escapes and one day, a boy named William buys Arthur. He washes Arthur, gives him good food, and they soon become friends. The story couls with, "William and Arthur lived happily ever after. I read the translated Tamil version first. Though I later also read the original work in English, I'll never forget the Tamil version.

"The Chess Players is about two best friends Mir Sahib and Mirza, who play chess every day. The English East India Company invades Lucknow. But the friends are not worried. They are interested only in chess, and continue playing, hiding in an old mosque. One day. Mirza loses two consecutive matches and the two friends start arguing. The argument soon turns into a swordfight killing both the men, I like this story very much, and it has deep thoughts, and philosophical ideas.

A little girl with a free mind

The translated works I loved the most are "Totto Chan: The Little Girl at the Window and "Where the Mind is Without Fear.

"Totto Chan" originally written in Japanese by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, has been translated into more than 30 languages. As the title suggests, it is the story of a little girl named Totto Chan. It takes place during WWII. Totto is a really curious girl and is always asking questions, which results in her getting expelled from her school. She has an extremely active mind. For instance, one moment she is thinking of becoming a teacher and just ten minutes later she starts thinking of becoming a musician. This book describes her life and her journey in her new and extraordinary school.

"Where the Mind is Without Fear is a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore. Originally written in Bengali, it was translated into English by Tagore himself. This poem is masterpiece. This poem was written by Tagore during the Indian freedom struggle. It is an indication of what free India should look like.

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What is Metaverse?

The term, first coined by science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in 1992 for his novel 'Snow Crash', is a virtual environment that one can go inside of instead of looking at something on the screen. It is the Internet brought to life. If and when the metaverse becomes a reality, it will be a space where endless interactions can take place between people for meetings, work and play using gadgets such as virtual reality headsets, smartphone apps and augmented reality glasses.

It could also include other aspects of online life such as e-commerce shopping and social media.

What can you do there?

The possibilities are endless as the technology comes to life and evolves. But for starters, you could attend a virtual concert, try on digital clothing, go on a trip with friends and visit the zoo. The metaverse will also take video call interactions to the next level. Instead of meeting each other on the laptop screen, you can meet and interact with each other in a virtual house. It would be like you are all there together, except not physically. The metaverse is the evolution of the Internet. But for it to work, technology giants will have to collaborate to create one giant metaverse.

Which companies are going all in?

We know Facebook, now Meta, is giving everything it has to make this metaverse a reality. But is it the only company making strides? Not really. Nvidia, the chipmaker company, Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, and Microsoft are some of the other companies working towards making the metaverse a reality.

The pros and cons

The idea of a metaverse seems exciting. It could bring people separated by borders together in one virtual space and give them the feeling of being together almost physically. The Metaverse might also aid education and learning as students get to experience abstract concepts, making it easier for them to understand and process such concepts. However, it has its own demerits. With hate on social media getting worse every day, imagine the impact it would have if it is delivered in a virtual room which is meant to feel real?

Similarly, the metaverse might make youngsters lead a second life. very different from who they are in reality. It could entice them into thinking they are more likable in the virtual world, making them get addicted and slowly disconnecting them from the real world happenings.

Over everything else, while the Internet in itself hasn't penetrated into several parts of the world due to high costs of connection, upgrading to the metaverse might be difficult to impossible for a few due to the need for a high-end connection and investment in gadgets such as virtual reality glasses. It could actually further the digital divide.

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What is the JCB Literature Prize?

Literary awards seek to bestow honour and recognition on outstanding pieces of literature. Over the years, Booker and Nobel have emerged as prestigious prizes internationally.

India too has its own brand of literary awards, which have gained international fame and recognition such as the Jnanpith, Sahitya Akademi, and the JCB Prize for Literature. Earlier this month, the long list of the 2021 JCB Prize for Literature was announced. The 10 novels on the long list were selected by a jury comprising author and literary translator Sara Rai, designer and art historian Annapuma Garimella, author and translator Shahnaz Habib, writer podcaster Amit Varma and journalist-editor Prem Panicker.

What is the JCB Prize?

India's richest literary prize, it was established in 2018 by the JCB Literature Foundation, which is run by the global manufacturer of earthmoving and construction equipment. The winner of the coveted award will receive Rs 25 lakh, and if it happens to be a translated work, the translator will get 10 lakh. The shortlisted authors also get Rs 1 lakh each and translators Rs 50,000.

Beginner's luck

This year’s long list consists majorly of debutant works such as "What We Know About Her by Krupa Ge and "Anti-Clock" by VI James. Malayalam writer S Hareesh had won the prize in 2020 for the translation of his novel "Moustache". In 2019, author Madhuri Vijay won for her debut novel The Far Field", while in 2018 the award went to Benyamin for his "Jasmine Days", a novel translated from Malayalam to English.

What's next?

The shortlist of the JCB Prize will be announced on October 4, while the winner will be declared on November 13.

THIS YEAR'S LONGLIST

  • What We Know About Her by Krupa Ge
  • "Anti-Clock" by VJ James (English translation by Ministry S)
  • "Name Place Animal Thing" by Daribha Lyndem
  • "A Death in Sonagachhi" by Rijula Das
  • The Plague Upon Us" by Shabir Ahmed Mir
  • "Gods and Ends" by Lindsay Pereira
  • The Dharma Forest" by Keerthik Sasidharan
  • "Asoca" by Invin Allan Sealy
  • "A Soliloquy" by M Mukunda  translated from Malayalam by Fathima EV and Nandakumar K)
  • “The Man Who Learnt to Fly but Could Not Land" by Thachom Poyil Rajeevan (translated from Malayalam by PJ Mathew).

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What is trilogy?

Trilogy, a series of three dramas or literary or musical compositions that, although each is in one sense complete, have a close mutual relation and form one theme or develop aspects of one basic concept. The term originally referred specifically to a group of three tragedies written by one author for competition. This trilogy constituted the traditional set of plays presented in Athens by a number of competitors at the 5th-century-BC drama festivals known as the Great Dionysia. One of the first authors to present such a trilogy was Aeschylus, whose Oresteia is the only surviving example from that time. Modern examples of trilogies include Robertson Davies’s Deptford Trilogy and Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy.

The term is less often applied to music, such as the Berlin Trilogy of David Bowie which is linked together by musical sound and lyrical themes, all having been recorded at least partly in Berlin, Germany.

The term is seldom applied outside art. One example is the "Marshall Trilogy", a common term for three rulings written by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall from 1823 to 1832 concerning the legal status of Native Americans under U.S. law.

Creators of trilogies may later add more works. In such a case, the original three works may or may not keep the title "trilogy".

The first three novels in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series were dubbed a trilogy, and even after he extended the series, author Douglas Adams continued to use the term for humorous effect - for example, calling Mostly Harmless "the fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named trilogy."

Kevin Smith's films Clerks, Mallrats and Chasing Amy were often marketed as "The New Jersey Trilogy" because they had overlapping characters, events and locations. After the release of a fourth film, Dogma, the series is referred to as "the View Askewniverse".

The Star Wars Trilogy of three films released between 1977 and 1983 has since been expanded into a trilogy of trilogies, including the original trilogy, the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy released between 1999 and 2005 and the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy released between 2015 and 2019.

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What is prequel?

Prequel, a literary or dramatic work whose story precedes that of an earlier-written work. For example, Lillian Hellman’s play Another Part of the Forest (1946) portrays the earlier lives of the characters she first wrote about in The Little Foxes (1939).

Like sequels, prequels may or may not concern the same plot as the work from which they are derived. More often they explain the background that led to the events in the original, but sometimes the connections are not completely explicit. Sometimes prequels play on the audience's knowledge of what will happen next, using deliberate references to create dramatic irony.

Though the word "prequel" is of recent origin, works fitting this concept existed long before. The Cypria, presupposing hearers' acquaintance with the events of the Homeric epic, confined itself to what preceded the Iliad, and thus formed a kind of introduction.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "prequel" first appeared in print in 1958 in an article by Anthony Boucher in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, used to describe James Blish's 1956 story They Shall Have Stars, which expanded on the story introduced in his earlier 1955 work, Earthman Come Home. The term came into general usage in the 1970s and 1980s

Rather than being a concept distinct from that of a sequel, a prequel still adheres to the general principle of serialization, defined only by its internal chronology and publication order. For example, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) is a prequel to Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) but is only a predecessor of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) because of the release order. Likewise, 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a prequel to 1981's Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, in that it is set in 1935, one year before the first film.

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