Meet Anitha, Bengaluru's passionate author who sells her own book on streets, metro stations
Bengaluru: From the busy streets and crowded metro stations to the bustling malls of Bengaluru, Anitha (44), an author by passion rather than profession, has embarked on a unique literary adventure. Her book ‘My Observation of Tension At (Tention)’ delves into the intricacies of tension and attention, and she's taking it to the public in a remarkable way.
Anitha embarks on a tour to metro stations, malls, parks, coffee shops and busy streets of Bengaluru with an intent to reach out and market her book to potential readers directly.
Anitha revisits her journey saying that she started this just with a keen intent on this topic, comprehending it in detail and also mentions about it being her personal requirement to explore tension and attention in detail, simultaneously this exploration results in her finding a way of expressing it through writing.
Anitha started her career as a researcher, following which she pursued to become a course facilitator at a private firm. Upon asking about her inspiration to pen down this book, she reveals that it was her personal expedition into the topic of tension and attention through observation.
Anitha's book, available on the e-commerce site Amazon.com, has received an impressive 4.8-star rating out of 5. To date, she has directly sold over 30 copies of her book to customers.
We met Anitha outside the Konanakunte Cross Metro Station and saw her marketing her book, below are the excerpts from our conversation.
VB: What made you take up to marketing your books on busy streets, malls and metro stations ?
Anitha: For me everything was absolutely very new from writing to publishing, which I had to learn through process. I Am not an author by profession, nor have I learned the process of writing while writing this book. So, I thought that someone would take up this book but to my dismay there was very little progress, marketing would cost me a lot of money, which is why I decided to market using social media and also through Amazon.com however I did not find any satisfying results. Meanwhile, this idea struck my mind that I have a product and let me take that product to the people and connect to them and make the product visible.
VB: How did the customers react to your traditional way of reaching out to them?
Anitha: Even those not interested in buying the book often listen to me. There are also many of them who have liked the idea that an Author is coming down and explaining, expressing about the book and also answering the people. And in the process I am making a lot of friends. Meanwhile this also benefits me in turn to get direct feedback.
VB: You're not a psychologist, and I'd like to ask whether you believe one needs to be a psychologist to write about such experiences. What is your opinion on this?
Anitha: One of the aspects to psychology is behavioural science that is derived through research. Our relationships with life around us evolves with exploring, experiences and navigating ourselves to coexist. For a professional help having a professional degree helps.
VB: What inspired you to write on mental health and address issues relating to tension in particular ?
Anitha: Tension and attention are universal experiences, and we all encounter them. We learn many things in school, but no one teaches us how to manage stress or pay attention effectively. This book aims to fill that gap.
VB: Some people ignored you the moment they saw you marketing a book, mostly youngsters are not interested in reading books, they rather prefer podcasts or video, what is your view on this?
Anitha: To get people to read is a challenge, once even if you get them, for them to stay connected to it is difficult. Many people have lost interest in reading the books and in this process some also suggested that I should do youtube videos on this particular topic. If you ask me what is the difference between YouTube, Podcast and book, I would say that book is like a low flame cooking. What happens with 5 or 10 videos will happen with one book reading.
VB: Keeping in mind the societal dogma, how did your family react to the idea of reaching out to readers in the streets ?
Anitha: Well, honestly my father did not like the idea, because somewhere he feels that they will make fun of me. He always wished for me to work in a corporate environment, instead of roaming around with a bag selling a book. My children and husband were surprised initially, however later they also started giving me ideas about going to church streets and other places to market my book.
VB: What are your plans for the future, what other books are next in the pipeline?
Anitha: Yes, actually the content will remain the same. I am transforming the presentation of this book in order to make it reachable to the younger audience more than that to reach a larger audience. My next book will be a graphic novel, simplifying the content.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
