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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8 children between ages of 1 and 14 dead after mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
