ABOUT AUTHOR

T. Vijayendra (1943 -) was born in Mysore, grew in Indore and went to IIT Kharagpur to get a B. Tech. in Electronics (1966). After a year’s stint at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, he got drawn into the whirlwind times of the late 60s.

Kiki’s Super Duper Explorer 2017

The Bicycle was invented in 1817 by a German, Baron Karl von Drais, a civil servant to the Grand Duke of Baden in Germany. On his first reported ride from Mannheim on June 12, 1817, he covered 13 km in less than an hour. The book is part of the celebration of 2017 as the bicentenary year of the bicycle. The story tells the history of the bicycle, through a story of a girl who rides a time travel bicycle and visits the historical events.

Variety Entertainment 2016

Many friends asked me to write my autobiography. They imagined that a half a century of activism must be full of excitement and inspiring. I know better. Like most lives, it was most of the time boring. This is borne by many extremely boring political autobiographies. So I wondered why these friends got these impressions. On reflection, it appeared that it was a response to some of the anecdotes that I narrated to them. Now, I am a story teller and if there is an audience, I would often weave an entertaining story.

Long Shadows 2016

Preet has studied at the Waldorf School of Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and has been brought up in a non-competitive, nature-loving atmosphere. This and other circumstances in his life have not prepared him to cope in a competitive society. Just before her death, Preet's mother, based in the USA, sends him to Viju in Hyderabad, India, to help Preet settle in life. Viju and Preet travel together to an Arboreal Homestay, at Kesla in Central India, to a bike-share programme and Roma gypsies in Paphos, Cyprus, and finally to a ranch in Montana in the USA.

Requiem for Our Times 2015

Like those in his earlier book, The Losers Shall Inherit the World, these articles too were first published in Frontier and deal with current socio-economic-cultural issues of a diverse range of topics. These include, Sanskrit, Hinduism, Bhimsen Joshi, Education Manifesto, Euthanasia, Small States, Population, Cities, Peak Oil and the Politics of Non-Violence. There are also two small articles dealing with the Passion (Christ’s suffering at the Cross) and the concept of Liberation.

After All It Is Only Him! And Other Stories 2015

These are stories about social issues with contemporary sensibilities. The book begins with a story called Joy about the City of Joy - Kolkata. Then there are three stories which may be called the Requiem series. They deal with alternatives in education, farming and environment issues. They are somewhat satirical and critical about the way these issues have been tackled in the last few decades. Instead of critical essays, they have been presented as stories

An Intelligent Bird's Guide to the Birdwatcher And Other Stories 2013, 2014

Why are monkeys taking over our land?
What does the bird think of the birdwatcher?
Why does man drink so much water?
What can the city give back to the village?
And read adventures of Nora the girl Mowgli!
These are stories about environment for the young readers and for those who are still young at heart.

The Losers Shall Inherit the World 2009, 2010

The U. S. never lost a single battle in Vietnam but lost the war. The book is a series of essays, looking positively, at some of the losing battles that the Indian people have been waging against forces of exploitation and obscurantism. The essays, published in the journal Frontier, from Kolkata, are not written in a polemic or academic style. They are more in the style of ‘education for the activist’.

Regaining Paradise: towards a fossil fuel free society 2009

Global warming and peak oil have posed the imminent crisis in capitalism globally. However, most political activists appear to be unaware of the extent, the inter connectedness and the immediacy of the crisis. There seems to be a vague but definite collective subconscious that all is not well, and that, the system is breaking down.

The Teacher and Child labour 2009

This book contains articles on education and child labour. It is mainly addressed to activists working for elimination of child labour through universalisation of elementary education. The book will also be of interest to all those interested in education of the poor and working people and those involved in alternative education. Originally published in Telugu, the present English edition has been completely revised.

Cuba Without 'isms' (Booklet) 2012, 2016

This little booklet tells the story of Cuba in its 'Special period' (1989-1995) when Cuba faced the end of Soviet support and had a crisis similar to today's world crisis. How Cuba met this crisis successfully is an inspiration all.

Yugant: Capitalism, Global Warming and Peak Oil (Booklet) 2012

If a political activist can be defined as a person who is not only trying to promote the interests of his own particular group or class but trying, generally speaking, to create a better world, then she must first have a good understanding of the state of the present-day world. And then Vijayendra’s booklet ‘Yugant’ is a must-read for her, because it is an excellent short introduction to the subject.’ Saral Sarkar, author of Eco-Socialism

KABIRA KHADA BAZAAR MEIN

This little booklet is primarily a call for local action in the wake of Global Emergency. We are looking at not just the global climate emergency, but a scenario of civilizational collapse unless we take timely action. It is a call for action that requires you to give up everything, in fact, burn your bridges, and work full time for this cause. It is a call, not only to reduce your carbon foot print, but also to earn your livelihood exclusively from Green Jobs.

Vijutopias

This is a companion volume to my booklet, ’Kabira Khada Bazar Mein: Call for Local Action in the Wake of Global Emergency’. There is a lot of difference between the two. ‘Kabira’ was written in 2019 for the SAPACC (South Asian People’s Action for Climate Change) meet, and this is written in 2020 May-June in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. That was critical prose and this is fiction. That was a call for action and this is an inspirational guide for action! Let me give a background for this.

You And Your Bicycle

2017 is the bicentenary year of the bicycle. The bicycle, closest to the current design and functionality was invented in 1817 by a prolific German inventor, Baron Karl von Drais, a civil servant to the then Grand Duke of Baden in Germany. On his first reported ride from Mannheim to halfway to Schwetzingen in Germany on June 12, 1817, he covered a distance of thirteen kilometres (or eight miles) in less than an hour