Short Story Competition – The Banyan Trees

The Banyan Trees are holding a Short Story Competition and here are the rules, FAQs from their website. Lets see how good you are at fiction, eh?

What exactly is the theme?

What does ‘Home’ mean to you? Is it your roots? Is it where you are from? Is it the different places life has taken you? Is it the journey itself? Or is it just a place you stay right now? Send in a story, a short writing or even a poem that revolves around this theme. Let us know what ‘Home’ means to you or your fictional character.

Okay, I think I may have some talent- what do I do?

1. Write your story in your blog

2. Send an email to editor@thebanyantrees.com with a link to your blog post

3. Add a link on your blog post to http://www.thebanyantrees.com

I don’t really blog. I use Facebook Notes instead.

No problem. Just make sure you tag TheBanyanTrees page to your note. We’ll come find you.
Hold on, I don’t have a blog and I don’t care for facebook.

You should seriously think about getting a blog at least – it will attract more readers and your stories would never get lost.
Otherwise, simply send your story in an email to the editor@thebanyantrees.com

So who’s judging?

This is the fun part, for us at least. TheBanyanTree’s three editors will first short-list entries. These entries will be put up on our website & on Facebook to gauge popularity and appeal to our readers & fans (through polls, for example). So the winning entry will be the one with both critical & mass appeal. Like I said, fun!

My stories never end. I could go on & on & on…

Okay, we’d really appreciate stories that are short and sweet. Say 1000 words (give or take a few). If you are thinking of an epic saga, hold on for another competition this year, or may be you could make your story more concise.

So what’s in it for me?

Well, besides the opportunity to be promoted on social networking spheres, the winner gets a gift card at Amazon.com or Landmark, India worth $30 (over Rs. 1000). 5 popular entries will receive complimentary ‘The Banyan Trees’ T-shirts.

I can’t complete something till you put a gun on my head…

Ok how about an August 15th deadline for your submission? We will announce the winner at the end of August on our website. FYI, we will take all blog comments and facebook votes made before August 28th into consideration.

Steve’s Naked Rant

Hawkeye’s recent post reminded me of Coupling(a UK TV series). I had seen this series back in my third or fourth year of college. It’s a brilliant TV series, in my opinion. The US TV series was a line by line adaptation and was stopped because it was too sexually explicit(dialogs) for American television. Can you believe that?

So I’ve been ODing on Coupling clips on Youtube. Here’s Steve’s naked rant. For one thing, you can’t help but notice Steve’s(Jack Davenport) thick accent. It sounds so good. He is the guy who played Commodore Norrington in the Pirates of the Carribean movies. And the rant itself, of course. May not be  a politically correct thing to say so, but what the heck. Like Steve himself says, not sure if it’s insulting or offensive. It sure is utterly hilarious, so enjoy ok? Ok.

Oh, But We Don’t Know Football!

Aah, yes! You know, it is that cliched visit to the college football game that every desi grad student checks on his list. And one year late at that.

All the tickets reserved, claimed and printed out, then making sure we own a red T shirt (NCSU Wolfpack is red), there was just one thing left to do. Read the wiki and get to know how the game is played.

So we may not be one of the teams at the top but surely, that leaves no reason to inflate the ego and support our team to the fullest. I cannot help but wonder, how, if India loses four matches in a row, what would the audience reaction be during the fifth game. But here, you have the team getting a grand opening, a huge band, full house stadiums, lot of gimmicks and celebrations. For the home games, of course.

East Carolina is around Top 15 in the rankings and NCSU is not even in the top 25. But we beat them in overtime! See how the Wolfpack pride has been passed on to me despite watching only one game till date, and completely understanding it, only at the end. So much so that, I am going for the next game with South Florida too, with the busy schedule of this semester. That it’s a night game, is a different thing.

It was a noon kickoff and we were famished by the end. Drove to a desi restaurant after the game and we were all dressed in NC State red uniform. Same red T-shirt. I don’t know how many of those desi bloggers saw us, and through clenched teeth, said to themselves, how we were those ignorant FOBs not knowing anything about the game but still going in all splendor just to “put scene”. And went home and blogged about it. Fair enough, gentlemen, we are not complaining. But, please do let us know, if you were born with a green card embedded on your hip a la Jason Bourne?! (Sorry, just been reading such stuff. None of them in my blogroll!) :P

So what does it give? Well, it makes sure next time there is NFL or something on TV, I won’t be changing channels. I still feel soccer has more of that grace though. No, really. But yeah, it was a good game. Not just because it went to overtime. I’ve understood the game well enough for that!