In order to celebrate the Delhi launch of 'Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese', I am proud to present The Dork Challenge. An online contest of such CAT-like intensity, that it will have you scratching your head with befuddlement.

Four secret, mysterious questions stand between you and a plethora of gifts.

STARTDORK

Plethora of gifts details:

1. One signed, personalized copy of Dork
2. Hamper of other books from Penguin
3. Gift vouchers to buy books online
4. Mug shot and short bio on Whatay.com (Awesome!)
5. A chance to appear in Book Two (Awesomer!)
6. A very warm, yet platonic, hug from me at the Delhi launch thingie on 15th March. (If you are there. Obviously.)

But how to play this game? How to win fame, fortune and delectable reading material?

Clues are as follows:

1. There are easier way to reach some websites. Serious.ly.
2. To win you could start by reading between the lines.
3. Use Clue 1. Go there. There you will be asked another question. And you will find another code. And then you will fall back on Clue 1 again.
4. Code. Clue 1. And so on. For four codes. (Including the one hidden in this post.)
5. And then a form.
6. Top 3 Delhi people can come to book launch for prizes.
7. Top 2 non-Delhi people will get bountiful couriers.
8. Out of these 5, one picked at random will make cameo appearance in Book Two.
9. ALL CODES ARE GIVEN IN UPPER CASE FOR EASY IDENTIFICATION. but you must always use them in lower case.

But even if you don't win anything, you must still come for the Delhi launch thingie. And hug me.

Details here: Facebook Event Page.

Now kindly go find the code.

P.S. Don't cheat, share codes and tell everyone how to do this. That will merely create mass panic, wholesale plagiarism and system breakdown.

P.P.S. But then the book will go viral. Please tell everyone how to crack this.

Thanks to a peculiar turn of events, the only bookstore where you can get the book right now is in a Crossword in Jaipur. (Some Jaipur Lit. Fest supply chain outcome.)

But Penguin assures me that copies of Dork will be going out to all retailers, bookstores and online retailers starting tonight. Given that it takes a week to 10 days for the book to sort of propagate in the national wilderness, online pre-bookers need not worry. You should still get a copy, maybe even a signed one, before the local bookstore.

Indeed I spent the better part of a couple of hours at the Penguin office last night signing copious copies for Indiaplaza and Flipkart:

I should have some good news for foreign buyers soon. We all just suddenly realized a few days ago that Dork is not one of those only for sale in Nepal and Burma and Nauru type books. It can be shipped anywhere. We just need to find a shipper. Shortly.

Same for ebooks. The Penguin legal guys are having a look see.

Now for some events:

1. Delhi signings

Date: 30 January 2010
Location: Pragati Maidan, Hall 1, Penguin pavilion
Time: 3 PM onwards
Activity: Buy, sign, chat, hug, hand over cash etc, etc.

The Delhi launch, as in with dhol and gol gappa wala, is still being ideated. Details will be posted. That will have readings and such like. The one above is much more free form and agenda-less. Still come and buy a copy and say hello.

2. Bangalore readings/signings/limited sales

Date: 31 January 2010
Location: CPP Blocks, IIM Bangalore
Time: 12:30 - 13:30 PM
Activity: Discussion, readings, signings, questions, casual banter, stock of 50 books.

I will be in conversation with Praveen Gopal Krishnan who, I was told by him, is:

Praveen Gopal Krishnan is a member of the Student Media Cell in his first year at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Prior to his post-graduation, Praveen has worked as a research engineer, a programmer and as a journalist for the Economic Times. His articles have also appeared in Mint and Khaleej Times. In 2007, he co-founded Merchants of Drama – a theatre entertainment start-up and staged two full-length productions in Bangalore. At Merchants of Drama, Praveen primarily produced, directed and wrote plays for the stage. He also holds a degree in electronics engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Trichy.

Basically he is some form of local stud.

3. FM 104.8 Radio Meow. Shameless plug. Chatter.

Date: 1 February 2010
Location: Inside radio
Time: 5 - 7 PM
Activity: Chatter, phone in questions, intellectual debate

If you are stuck in Delhi traffic as much as I am you have surely heard the mellifluous voice of Ginnie Mahajan on the airwaves. She is the most vigorous and enthu radio jockey of Radio Meow. She will be talking to me, over two hours, about the book and other things. Phone in questions are part of the buffet of amusements. Call in. I am listening. Ahem.

4. Official Fultu JhingBang Mumbai Dork Launch

Date: 12 February 2010
Location: Kala Ghoda Environs
Time: 5 PM
Acitivity: TBD. But I am pushing for belly dancing office goers. Or, to look from another perspective, office going belly dancers.

Come come. This is the first big, star-studded Dork event of the year. We are still busy making sinister plans. But movie stars, celebs, page 3 icons and the odd book buyer is expected. Book sales will happen. And signings and whatnot. I have no idea what will transpire yet. But it will be debauchery indeed.

Otherwise so far things have been good. The few readers seem to like it. Let me put it this way. No one really hates it yet. Everyone has found something to laugh at in the course of the book. And surely there can be nothing as pleasing as that Yellow and Blue? No? No. Ok.

And finally I leave you with the beta version of the Dork poster. This has been despatched to stores and locations. The final 1.0 version has a slightly different text content right on top...

Saw the blurbs? Read them again. Carefully.

And that's all for now. Rest on Twitter, Facebook, etcetera.

Take care da peoples.