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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2 February 2007

I never promised you a rose garden

Since the new Blogger is being a bitch, I'm emailing this post in the hopes that something will happen. First off, I'd like to acknowledge and thank from the bottom of my heart, the lovely Beks, for this template. We decided on the images for the header together, and she still wants me to do a little tweaking, which I will, I promise, but I've just been so lazy.

The funny thing is, ever since I've moved here, and begun posting out of Bombay, the number of trolls my site has attracted is beginning to alarm me a little. I get comments ranging from "Go home, we don't want you" to the very, very rude (which I just deleted and I'm not even going to bother to replicate--but seriously, people have too much time on their hands). Which means, for the time being, comment moderation is on. I find it a little alarming how unfriendly people can be, and these are like people who are NOT obligated to be nice to me, but perhaps other citizens of this city feel the same way? Yesterday, I was going to meet a couple of friends, and since I was already running a little late, I jumped on the first train I saw, and the first empty compartment. It was something like 9 pm, and the seats were empty, except for two men sitting near the back and another two standing by the door. I was happily chatting to someone on the phone when the dude near the door starts yelling at me in Marathi. I must've blinked or looked confused because then he asked me scornfully in Hindi, "Don't you know any Marathi or Hindi?" Panic stricken thoughts of rightwing Maharashtrians started to run through my head and my friend on the phone started to sound alarmed as well. Finally, after much lipcurling, he told me I was on a handicapped compartment, and that I had to get off at the next station and switch. "Can't you read?" he said, then and meekly, I got off and got on again. I suppose someone had to do that, maybe he was like a train monitor type person or something, but I couldn't help thinking that at 9.30, which is what the time was now, the odds of a flock of handicapped people entering and being short of one seat were slightly slim. Still, he was most imposing, and I did what he said.

But, today's like a big day for me, though. Ladies and gentlemen, ta-dah, ta-DAH, I have successfully made it through a month! It's my first month anniversary, and to celebrate tonight I'm going for the Alan Parsons Project, followed by a birthday party for the tiny but still lovely Five Feet Zero. Although, I realise a little sadly, I can no longer use my "I'm new in the city" excuse--because I think that pretty much expires after you've been here a month. Or three? I could totally milk it for the next three months no? At least till March. And to people who don't know me. Yes, think that is exactly what I will do.

I have shitloads to do all through February though, so I can't return to the city of my birth for at least another month, which SUCKS. I want to go home, I want to put my feet up, and know people on the street and understand what people are saying to me and have no one say,"Go back to where you came from" because I will be LEGITIMATELY from there.

Aargh. Terribly whiny post I know, but I've been feeling a little down.

24 comments:

  1. i really like the new template. seems beks needs to gimme a call :D

    and don't worry darling... delhi's where it's at :D

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  2. I guess some live music would set things right for you.

    Alan Parsons Project is not my type of band, but I will be there for Buddy Guy for sure.

    Whitelight

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  3. Congratulations on completing one month !

    and yes, of course you can milk it for 3 months...

    Nice template...much more you than the earlier one...:)

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  4. RE: Trolls, I am from Bombay, lived in Delhi past two years, and totally enjoyed your airheaded monologues about life in Delhi and TC in particular. Maybe if you gave Bomay an opportunity to sink in, and then wrote?

    Give it time, get in synch, I'll say. It won't aggravate people so much if your totally brainless, chatterhead style is back, it used to be quite fasinating!

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  5. AAAAAH PINNNNNNNNNNKKK!!! *glug glug choke gasp*

    :P

    Heh, kidding. Looks bright and fresh, way better than the old one.

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  6. yes.... its good lookin and all... but i miss the old one!

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  7. nice template

    i always thought delhi was more welcoming for outsiders in comparision to mumbai.

    all the best

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  8. I vote for the new template too (for whatever it is worth given that I am a relatively new visitor). :)

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  9. there are trolls in b'bay??? and here i thought they only lived under bridges....delete and forget,delete and forget, that's all i can say! also, happy one-month-versary!

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  10. Aww... sorry abt tht train incident..
    congrats on the month completion. you have been to more parties in the month than u cud if u were in delhi

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  11. good template! much easier on the eyes. sidebars right where they should be. your blog just got so much better to browse!

    and oh, troll comments are so much fun! don't delete them, please!

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  12. Speaking of Buddy Guy, there are two of them. One is a mind-blowing bluesman who shows up and and simply gets on with melting your face with his outta this world playing. The other is a jaunty idiot who just prances around in the audience, starts songs but breaks off midway, doesn't give you half a chance to get in a groove and leaves you frustrated and perhaps deeply scarred for life. Now it depends which Buddy Guy shows up in Bombay, because, sadly, the first one turned up at Delhi the other day.

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  13. Hey eM,

    I just loved the template. Yep you can carry on saying "I am still new around here" for another more months.

    Yeah it was a whiny blog. but i am not commenting on it - I love to whine in writing too... see mine if you have the time...

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  14. Helloo. First visit, so can't draw comparisions to older template, but this is nice enough.

    Oh, that remark on your last post about gymkhana memberships -- I identify, i do,i do! Tall dark and green card holder is how it goes for me, this inspite of being a member meself:P heh!
    Wellington mention was memories revived.

    Delhi remains unchanged, you hang in there, rude people be damned.

    Will return to your blog.

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  15. Hey CC, I am so sorry that my home town is treating you like that. I had problems when I first shifted to Bangalore - especially at one work place. Just chill and all will be well soon.

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  16. Maybe time to stop. The blog, design, everything are starting to look like just another jaded old blogger trying to soldier on. Notice the distinct change in the tone of comments, and quit while you are almost ahead.

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  17. arrre rambha. teri yaad main to TC ke ludke ek doosre ke lund pakar ke kudte hain

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  18. nice template, very nice indeed. and uber girly
    cheer up a month isnt very long. you'll soon have all the compartments figured out and just stick to the womens

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  19. the template is very sex in the city though now that i thing about it.
    pink and white, cocktail glass, cigarette, a messy writes desk and music and a coffee, all thats missing is a monolo-choo reference

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  20. thank you ALL for positive template feedback, although i feel like a bit of a fraud for saying that considering i had nothing to do with it, except some copy-pasting. although, i rock at the copy pasting bit. beks, you should step up here and take a bow.

    but, yeah, now that you mention it, it does look rather sex and the city. although my chappals are from janpath not manolo, but still. i should have put chappals and a jhola up there too. but can i help it if those happen to be things i love also? :)

    i let some of the trolls through--the lighter ones--for general amusement. still, there are about six comments i DONT approve for each post. most tiresome. i wonder when they'll get bored of this and stop reading?

    i'm going for buddy guy this evening too! look out for short person.

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  21. hmm.. i identify with that... got pushed into a general compartment once on a bombay local and had my clothes RIPPED off me... people in bombay somehow seemed harsher to me in my few years there...

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  22. The fact that someone in Bombay cared to follow, and enforce basic rules when it came to handicapped compartments being for the handicapped (now, don't tell me your handicapped. Should tell you a thing or two about the B v D question. In Delhi, there'd be a 'kya bola?' 'thu kaun hai' 'kaun hai thu' and then either he or you would be lying in a pool of blood because the other one drew their gun out quicker. Mumbaikers are extremely accomodating people, especially when they decide to be that that's what they want to do. Sure they're annoying, they have no sense of personal space (but then, that's cause they grew up in a city where noone has a sense of personal space) and if they're bullying you into doing something its cause they've been bullied by someone that day as well, and they just need to.. even it all out. And now I've just realised that I have way too much time on my hands. Because really what I should be doing, is getting back on in the handcapped compartment for the next time you decide to use it.

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  23. dude,
    bombay is rough but a fab city and girl grow up everyone is not going to say good things to you all the time. I mean when i read that you're coming here I was like this little Delhi Diva will find it hard..lil miss em who is used to so much attention in delhi will drown in bombay where there are REAL celebs! Sorry honey for being harsh..welcome to the real world!

    ReplyDelete
  24. dude,
    bombay is rough but a fab city and girl grow up everyone is not going to say good things to you all the time. I mean when i read that you're coming here I was like this little Delhi Diva will find it hard..lil miss em who is used to so much attention in delhi will drown in bombay where there are REAL celebs! Sorry honey for being harsh..welcome to the real world!

    ReplyDelete

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