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"A mesmerizing account of the well-known story of Matsyagandha ... and her transformation from fisherman’s daughter to Satyavati, Santanu’s royal consort and the Mother/Progenitor of the Kuru clan." - Hindustan Times

"Themes of fate, morality and power overlay a subtle and essential feminism to make this lyrical book a must-read. If this is Madhavan’s first book in the Girls from the Mahabharata series, there is much to look forward to in the months to come." - Open Magazine

"A gleeful dollop of Blytonian magic ... Reddy Madhavan is also able to tackle some fairly sensitive subjects such as identity, the love of and karmic ties with parents, adoption, the first sexual encounter, loneliness, and my favourite, feminist rage." - Scroll



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26 August 2004

It's Party Time And Not A Minute We Can Lose- Part 2

Right, so where was I? Ah yes, Turquiose Cottage.
So we arrived there (time check: 12.15 am) and were promptly told by the bouncers at the door : "Sorry, entry is closed." By this time, tequila shot safely and warmly in me and sending soothing tendrils up my veins, I felt gutsy.
"You can however," said the bouncer, repenting slightly when we asked to speak to the manager, who is a friend of ours, "wait in the restaurant area. But don't go any further because there's another bouncer there who won't let you in if you don't have a stamp on your wrists."
"Let's go home," said Dee.
I signalled furiously at her with my eyebrows, "No I think we should go into the restaurant."
"Oh c'mon, what's the point?"
"I think we should go inside the restaurant," I said eyebrows now working at a furious pace.
Just a bit of back story here. Turquoise Cottage, the pub is below Turquoise Cottage, the restaurant. So all you have to do is get to the back of the restaurant walk down the stairs and there you are. Plus, going there so often and all, I know the bouncer. That always helps.
Luckily, without further argument, Dee agreed and we trooped in. "Now keep walking," I hissed and walk we did, right down the bouncer-less stairs, right into the nightclub.
Immedeatly we all looked at each other and burst into giggles. I love being a girl and giggling. There's such a sense of conspiracy around it!
So Dee led the way and we all followed to a table at the back where we plonked our bags and oursleves down and surveyed our environment. My feet heaved a sigh of relief which my much-put-upon calves echoed. "Oh shut up," I told them, "we're going to go dance."
Sara and I looked at each other over Dee and Amulya.
"Scout for men?" she asked, eyes bright.
I nodded vigorously and stood up, making sure it was stomach in, chest out and not the other way round.
We wandered around the dance floor for a bit, half-heartedly dancing to you drive me cra-yay-zee then I saw him. Kabir. Cute ex-boyfriend of N., okay, someone that made me giggle shyly and look at my toes once upon a time (hey I was 15!). I never had a full-fledged crush on him, but we did do some playful flirting and he was, is, cute. Let me describe him to you. He's short, much shorter than N., who stands a towering 5'11", but he's taller than me, with long curly hair. (What was it Dee desribed him as? "A mixture between Jesus Christ Superstar and someone.. I don't remember) But he has an angelic, if slightly feminine face, and a thin athletic body.
Anyway, cute boy, me alone, you get the picture. I smiled and waved at him from across the dance floor. He did a little double-take at the hair (that is never going to get old!) and waved but showed no signs of coming over and saying hello.
Sara offered to buy me a drink and I joyfully agreed. After we emerged from the bar, much battered and bruised, Kabir waved us over.
"Hi-ii-ii!" he said giving me a huge, nose bumping hug, "I looked for you earlier but you had disappeared!" I blew bubbles into my drink and looked at him from under my eyebrows.
"Hello!" he said next, lurching towards Sara, "I'm Kabir! And you are!" He did have a tendency to speak in exclaimation points.
"I'm Sara," she said, smiling demurely.
"What do you do now Kabir?" I asked him, making polite conversation, while wondering whether that hand he placed on my shoulder in order to lean in and hear me better was lingering or was it just my imagination.
"I'm in acting school! Isn't that marvellous?" he asked while doing a delicate boxer like thing with his legs, shifting the wieght from one foot to the other.
"Wow," I said, smiling at his enthusiasm.
We lingered by his table and by his friends for a bit and then he looked at us. "Um.. guys... my friends are getting pissed off because I'm not spending enough time wiht them."
"Sure. Right. Get rid of us, why don't you?" I said wrinkling my nose at him.
"I'm not getting rid of you. No seriously, just 10 minutes and I'll find you, I promise."
I stuck my tongue out at him and sashayed away. Sara clutched my arm, "And you said you didn't know how to flirt!"
I giggled. "Was I flirting?"
She rolled her eyes at me, and arm-in-arm we set out for the dance floor.

(Okay, I totally meant to wrap this night up in today's post, but it's gotten too long already. I'll probably post part 3 later today, I pwomise! Stay tuned)

EDIT: Jesus Christ Superstar and Josh Groban. Go figure! And part 3, tommorow okay? have to make sure you all come back.. and lots of work and boss looking over shoulder and... you know how it is!

2 comments:

  1. this strange community of turqouise cottag-ions never leaves you even at blogger space...good going babe...! keep writing!!

    ReplyDelete

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