Mantriji caught in a trial

Ever missed an episode of a television series you diligently watch? Ever felt sad when your favourite serial has been taken off air? The most unfortunate part about TV serials is that they cannot be viewed any time, anywhere, at will. Once over, it's gone. But not so with "Ji Mantriji". The Indian adaptation of the highly-acclaimed BBC serial ``Yes Minister'' has now been immortalised in the form of a book.

Embellished with Laxman's cartoons, the book, like the serial, is a satirical perception of Indian politics laced with the humour of the original ``Yes Minister'' diaries.

Published by Penguin Books India in association with BBC worldwide, "Ji Mantriji" has been translated into English by the BBC worldwide director, Ms. Monisha Shah. In the form of diary entries of a newly-appointed minister -- portrayed by Farooque Shaikh in the TV serial -- each chapter is a translation of a single episode. The final chapter is the episode screened last Saturday.

The publishing agenda lists a total of five books -- the first will be available in bookstores from this Sunday while the remaining four will be published through the year. Also on the agenda is a possible translation of these books to other Indian languages -- Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Malayalam -- subject to market response.

The formulation of "Ji Mantriji" into a book is in accordance with BBC's policy of launching books that are related to TV series. ``People read the books and then see the serials or vice versa. Each corroborates and promotes the other. We try not to publish books that are not related to television serials,'' said Ms. Shah.

But as the serial is aired on Star Plus, this will promote Star viewership. To which she replied, ``BBC is the best and I do not consider Indian channels as competition.''

The release of "Ji Mantriji" also verbalises the collaboration between BBC Worldwide India Pvt Ltd and Penguin Books India. BBC Worldwide has appointed Penguin India as the exclusive distributor for its books in India. The three-year deal covers territories in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. ``The aim is to publish the books in India so that the price suits the local market. Exporting books always increases the price,'' said Ms. Shah explaining the reason behind the collaboration.

As part of this deal, BBC worldwide will also license several books -- ranging from wildlife and natural history to children's bestsellers such as Noddy, Tweenies, Teletubbies -- to Penguin India for publishing in these territories.

By Anjali Malhotra

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Section  : Other States
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