My latest book is The One Who Swam With The Fishes.

"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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28 July 2005

An appetiser-type entry, before we move on to the main course. Think of it as chicken wings, or ooh, chip and dip

Reasons why being a grown-up is so much more fun than they told you it would be

1) Because you can drive. And I'm sorry, anyone who has crossed the age of 18 and has access to a car and who DOES NOT drive is a big fat baby who doesn't know what he/she is missing. It's incredible, driving. I mean it. Never have I felt so in control, never do I feel more like a diva, like someone with sparkles, as when I am driving. Plus, little girls hang out of school buses and vans and look at me with the same look I gave the big glamorous girls who drove when I was a little kid.

2) Because "Because I can" suddenly becomes a viable excuse. I've never had to argue so little in my life! Because I am a grown-up I simply state and no one can take that away from me. State, state-a-tate-tate.

3) Because I can buy my own clothes. And dude, if your mother paid for your clothes all your life, you'd know the agony of this. "Do you really need that?" she'd ask, when I'd look longingly at some creation that would probably look fabulous on me, and "Isn't that a little skimpy?" She'd put doubts in my mind, so even if I fought and bought something I'd have to wear it for the REST OF MY LIFE just to show that I was using it, yes, and I still loved it, and no, it wasn't a waste of money. Now I buy tank tops by the armload and tight t-shirts and fitted jeans and no one says a word because it's my money. Yay, me!

4) Because I can use words like "relationship" and "commitment" without sounding like someone out of Sweet Valley High. Really. You have to be beyond 21 to be able to say that with panache. Before that people just look at you with this "Oh you poor innocent" expression on their faces.

5) And ooh, because suddenly school and college are far enough away in my past for me to say, "Dude, I haven't done that since college" and no one blinks and says, "Um.. didn't you graduate yesterday?" Well, okay, so people still blink, but that's only coz I look younger than I am.


The top five cool things about being ill
1) My skin has cleared up
2) My hair is shiny
3) I look "rested"
4) I am my skinniest, ever
5) I've managed to watch a TON of movies I've been meaning to on TV


As you can no doubt tell, I'm feeling fine. I'm feeling on top of the world. My energy is back with a bang, I have been swamped in social engagements and fun work assignments and I've been for a play so I feel all cultural (even though the play itself was pretty bad. Starring an acquaintance of mine so I had to go) And tonight, baby, tonight I go to TC with Iggy and Seema and Boston Boy and I will claim it and make it my own again.

Even if He Who Shall Not Be Named will be there in all probability and now we are "friends", K and I which means he has the license to weep to me about his New Girl, who is tall and fair and has Lisa Loeb spectacles. Also a reputation for being quite promiscuous, but I'm not saying anything about that. Instead I am the wise, wry ex-girlfriend, with humour and sympathy who he calls with alarming regularity these days. I am the Sphinx, I am the Wise Woman, I am the Spirit Of The Earth... and it's so bloody cool.

21 comments:

  1. Well, I can think of some other things that grownups do that make being a grownup fun :-p

    And I totally agree about the kids/relationship thing. When I hear teenagers gushing about how totally in love they are and how they never want to be with anyone else, I just want to smack them on the head with their schoolbags.

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  2. "... because suddenly school and college are far enough away in my past for me ..."

    >> then imagine the status of people who decide to continue with grad school and have people asking them "you are still studying" :((

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  3. being and adult rocks. i guess. I mean, i dont want to sound all pompous about it and then realise the next minute what all I miss about being young(er).....
    and TC....I never tire of hearing 'it'

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  4. @sagnik: imagine the status of someone who goes on to grad school, then has a job, gives it up to go back to grad school and gets asked "you're still studying?"

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  5. okay, so NOW I know why you looked so much better than the vishnupriya picture at TC's tonight :-)

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  6. jay: Yes, but this is a FAMILY blog, so we don't mention certain things :) And yeah, I've wanted to do the head-bopping thing for AGES now with teens who tell me how in love they are :)

    sagnik: Aww.. but see, grad school is sexy and intellectual, unlike us poor B.A holders :)

    vague; Do you miss stuff about being young? I don't think I do really :)

    he who shall not be flamed: I can imagine, dude! It must suck!

    motheater; How kind, how kind. Esp. AFTER you told me how much I looked like that picture, you cow :P Still, I forgive you.

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  7. Hello and Welcome back!
    Yup, mostly good to be an adult, till the point someone more adult tells you, 'Isn't it time to be an adult?' :)

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  8. and i guess another cool thing 'grown ups' can do is look back and think abt all the sexy things they can actually do now!

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  9. And being post-21 allows you to do (legally) all the things you had to pretend not to have done when you were younger...

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  10. primalsoup: Hehehe.. yes, I HATE it when people say "Grow up" I always feel like saying, "Can't you see I'm TRYING??"

    christine: Hey, you've got to be the youngest person who reads this :) And yeah, 13 is not so bad, but I still prefer 23 :) Talk to me in 10 years!

    lost in trance: And that's EXACTLY what I'm doing :)

    chamique: Heh. I left out the illegal stuff, but yes, it is very nice to be able to do some stuff in the open, no wait, I'm still legally below Delhi's drinking age!

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  11. The funny thing is that when we are 10 years older, we will laugh at what we are now! :(

    And kids 13 years old are blogging these days? Wow!!! I couldn't even spell my name right at that age.

    Anurga

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  12. Heh, you missed the part about how people glare at you out of their car windows if they see woman driving alone in this town.

    About the money bit, I don't think you've gotten around to the part where you end up chasing that moronic piece of paper called Form 16, investment declarations and even more moronic insurance policies! But yeah, being able to splurge on clothes, booze, furniture and footwear is totally divine, just that you can't ever do enough of it.

    Which corner of TC did you occupy yesterday? We were at the farthest end, at the table surrounded by those tall stools feeling quite put off by khan who seemed to ignore us for the more than a couple of REALLY tiny skirted things who were there. He did make up for it though by making the last bits we had on the house :D

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  13. Ahh... good to have you back dear. You forgot one thing though, I spent most of my school days and a significant portion of my college days hearing my mom yell - Get off that PHONE !!!. Now, 5K a month donated to Hutch, Im a happy man.

    Now, who, oh, who shall I call ?!?! :)

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  14. I hate to point this out but you're 'the ex-girlfriend whoMMMMM he calls these days".

    Sorry, I can never resist that one.

    J.A.P.

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  15. LOL. I wanted Lisa Loeb spectacles for the longest time. Finally spent the money for them and ended up looking like a dork.

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  16. who ever said going back to school sucks?? grad school is a habit that, if unchecked, can quickly become an obesession..

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  17. anurag: LOL. Doesn't seem like you can spell your name now either. Unless you did that on purpose?

    codey: We were right next to the bar, hanging on to it for dear life :) Though I think I might've spotted you--are you tall with really short hair and a french beard and were you wearing green?

    tama: Explain that cryptic comment! :)

    vignesh: Ooh yeah, I remember that! My parents yelling at me to get off the phone, screening calls from Boys With Deep Voices, good times :)

    J.A.P: Whom, who, what difference? :) He still calls me, no?

    mint: Me toooooooo! I experimented with a variety of them, and yes, I too looked like a dork. But she looks perfect *sigh* Too bad she's so flat though, innit? :)

    he who shall not etc: Okay, okay so I'm morbidly jealous. So sue me :)

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  18. Glad to hear you are feeling better!

    Being officially grown up is entertaining and only gets more so. Just wait until you find yourself having a conversation with a 20-something that begins on your end with "When I was your age..." without any kind of trace of irony. If you're me, you go home and pour yourself a stiff one. :)

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  19. Girl u r one rockstar, u seem to have everything going for u :)
    First time here, loved ur blog

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  20. @JAP: I know just what you mean....!

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  21. being adult is boring. you can't sing foolishly (la la la) or jump-hop-skip without being told to grow up.

    and it's weird isn't it.. fever and a few days in bed seem to clear skin out.

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