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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1 October 2008

Cue tightrope walker music

I have some reasonably exciting news for anyone who's interested in the book (and me!) down South. From the 6th to the 9th of this month, I will be on Kovalam beach, at the Taj actually, as part of a literary festival. If you live in Trivandrum and are interested in book type things, come! After that, I will be heading to Bangalore, where the launch will be on the 10th. I'll let you know where and what time and all that, but still! Isn't this exciting? I've only been to Bangalore once, when I was about fourteen, and I have no friends there, so please meet me and show me the town. I'm dying to go to that steak place I've heard so much about--The Only Place?--and go second hand bookshopping, which I believe is good in Bangalore, and check out the nightlife and so on. And I'm not a stalker type person, I swear. Just ask my mum. (It would help if you weren't a stalker type person also, but hey, beggars can't be choosers, eh?) I'm also super excited about going to Kovalam because I used to go all the time when we lived there, back when I was about seven or eight, and I still remember the beach pretty distinctly. Also, hello, THE TAJ. This author thing rocks more than I thought it would.

We (Lali, Akshay, I) crashed the GQ party at the Four Seasons last Saturday. Oh, it was such a good party. First we stood around outside, all nervous, because there were cameras and pretty people everywhere and it would be rather humiliating to be turned away. But then we discovered the route through the lobby and ambled in, all gleeful and turning to each other with big smiles. Akshay and I have gatecrashed before (it is an art--one of these days I'll do a Quick Guide To Gatecrashing Parties), but this was Lali's first time, and wow, you wouldn't have known it to look at her. I was all morose and single (JC and I broke up briefly, our problems seeming insurmountable, but then on Sunday we had a looooooooooooooooooooong discussion--tearless, I'm proud to say--and yes, another go is happening. We've even set our Facebook statuses to "In a relationship with..." HUGE deal.) and so I drank my vodka Red Bulls, sometimes a glass of wine and watched people. It was also a great party for someone who likes funky clothes, because the stuff people were wearing was totally excellent.

On the 33rd floor was a blues band from L.A, and they did this lovely version of Stand By Me. The three of us were on the little balcony offshooting the lounge and we watched the lights of Bombay sparkle below us, for a minute, I was almost standing outside my body watching me, going, "Wow. Look at me all fancy!" Then we went down to the lobby for dinner--sushi and ostrich barbeque for me--and then to the nightclub to watch a DJ from Ibiza, who was also excellent. Normally, I'm not into electronic music, but this guy was really, really good, he even played a trumpet while he was spinning.

Two high points of the evening: one, going up to Shobhaa De and being all like, "Oh we're going to be in Kovalam together" and her going, "I love your column and I'm really looking forward to your book." And two, standing by the bar, and a random girl coming up to me and going, "Did you write You Are Here?" I nodded and she said, "It was terrific!" Yay for validation. I think that did a lot for my crumbling ego--the entire night, I mean--so I was confident and willing to work things out with JC the next day, but not needy.

How are things now? Oh, a lot better than they were, you'll be happy to know. There's still some fighting--but it feels more like healthy discussions than anything else. It's good. I don't know whether we're going to last forever, but at least we're giving it our best shot. And I am happy when I'm with him, sort of fuzzy around the corners and humming inside and all that.

Okay, I'm out. Happy Eid! And, for all of the rest of us smokers, ONE LAST DAY to enjoy it in public places. Sniff.

EDITED TO ADD: Wow, lot of haters in the comments this time. To delete or not to delete. Ah, what the hell, I'll let them stay. Only please, don't come to my launches. Did I say launches? Yes, I did! Bangalore on the 10th, at a place called Reliance, where they have a bookstore and a cafe, and then (dun dun DA DA) Hyderabad! I'll be at Odyssey on the 11th. And at the lit fest, while I will be at the Taj all three days (6th to 9th) so you're welcome to come on by and say hello at any point, my particular event is on the 8th, at 10 am. I'll be reading from my book followed by a panel discussion with Shobhaa De, Tishani Doshi and Jaishree Mishra.

Sorry, Chennai, no one in your city seems to want me. :( This is how book launches work, some book store or whatever calls the publishers and says, "Hey, we like this author, how do we get him/her down?" and then they work out sponsorship stuff (at a bookstore for instance, the banners would read: Full Circle and Penguin Books India present You Are Here.) They take care of some of the costs, and in return, their bookstore or cafe or nightclub gets publicity. All this I have only recently figured out. So, to do any other cities, I would have to be invited. See?

109 comments:

  1. Blossoms Book Store, Bangalore for all the secondhand shopping :-)

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  2. Happy shopping!!!
    www.MyUnderwearSecrets.blogspot.com

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  3. Good ol' beantown! Check out the sundaes at corner house and if you like chocolaty type things, order the 'death by chocolate'! Your thighs will die, but your soul won't care less! yummo! salivating at the mere thought!

    and have fun at kovalam beach! love watching the waves crash! how's your malayalam?

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  4. Seher gut. So it was 'tales of JC' that have kept you busy all this while. Too bad your not visiting pune, or i would have shown you rare kind of parties. The ones like where the venue is an old british mansion where you sneak in without the cops noticing and THEN partying. Thats real adventure! ;)

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  5. Hey have a great shopping and enjoy ur days in bangalore....

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  6. Bangalore nightlife sucks, thanks to the 11:30 deadline. Don't expect too much.

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  7. I like this post... you sound so chirpy and all that it made me smile.

    I think the second hand bookstore you're looking for is called Blossoms (or Blossom Book shop, more correctly). There's a club near it called Amoeba... and I believe there's a bowling alley as well there, fun it looked.

    You might want to check out 13th floor and Styx. Oh and Opium is good too, they have quiz nights on thursday, we won a bottle of whisky last time we went and also saw Pankaj Advani briefly :D

    Pity I'm not in Banglore else I would have totally taken you up on the offer :)

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  8. Can I please be a moron ? I mean I sound seriously out of fashion to be asking this but what the heck ! Did you write a book? You socialise with Shobha De ? So you must be someone really hot eh ?

    Now I know you don't really don't have to reply to the above since I know I can read the rest of your blog and google and stuff and figure who you are! :( ...

    But curious, what's wrong about being a Stalker ?

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  9. Trivandrumite: Kovalam today is way way differnt from the Kovalam you used to visit as a child and the Taj is really not 'Kovalam' proper. For that old Kovalam beach you need to go to the Leela.

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  10. Ummm I wouldn't recommend styx - mosh pit kinda place. And opus has booze and brain nights on thursday not opium.

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  11. Bully for you, youngster.

    Which Taj in B'luru? Insist on the West End, the Gateway sucks. Except for the appams.

    I second 13th Floor. Followed by dinner on the terrace at Ebony.

    J.A.P.

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  12. i donno whether u watch 'Seinfeld', but seeing ur ON-OFF ( or atleast the first ON-OFF ) relations with JC, i am reminded of the one between Elaine and Puddy throughout season 9..

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  13. now this was like one of ur old chirpy posts
    love reading ur blog, i wish u updated it more often

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  14. Good luck with JC!!!
    Let me know if you're coming down to Hyderabad sometime, 'kay?

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  15. good luck to making things work!
    Chennai still has to wait for you, I guess!

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  16. Bangalore nightlife? Make that an evening life. Unless you find some house party that you can gatecrash :)
    That will be far far away, in some farmhouse or the other, which will take forever to reach because of the weird traffic.
    I love Bangalore.

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  17. Delhi on the itinerary any time soon? (or not so soon?)
    Will we know beforehand?
    i want an autograph. Please? :(

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  18. When are you coming to Pune? I was at ICC Crosswords last weekend and didn't see your book on display, so I deliberately went and asked for it :-)

    Rashmi.

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  19. Ahh finally after a hiatus of lil over a week great to see another post :). I'm still trying t get hold of your book which is proving to be quite a difficult task, but I will keep trying till I get a hold of it. I'm not from Banglore but from what I've heard from friends there is very limited night life there, so hopefully you'll have back up plans!
    Cheers

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  20. Please don't have any expecations from Bangalore night life and when you go back, would you be so kind as to not write about it.

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  21. Welcome to Kerala...
    Hope this journey will also give something to you to write about...

    Happy Eid..

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  22. I think most of the your South bloggers or South Fans from Bangalore..Welcome to Silicon Valley.hang on for your smell of You Are Here..

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  23. "The only place" is bad. The best steak in town is at Millers 46. Its opposite Jain Hospital on Millers Road. A must visit if you love steaks!

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  24. At the risk of sounding like your therapist/grandmother, love thyself. Good luck with JC, girl.

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  25. Bangalore?? Where, though? Wow!! I'll surely be there! The night life sucks here now, btw. Also, you have to check out Peco's, and Queens! Can't wait!!! Though 'The Only Place' does rock! I can go on and on about the places you've to check out!

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  26. Absolutely glad to note that you are not showing up for the Kovalam Literary Festival 6-8'Oct with writers like Namita Devidayal to read from your trash of a novel which would be an insult to our language,MALAYALAM,in which your father is considered to be one of our best.

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  27. Penguin India is proud to be associated with the first Kovalam Literary Festival to be held at the Taj Green Cove, Kovalam from October 6-8. Well known writers like novelist, columnist and former senior official of the UN Shashi Tharoor, historian and author William Dalrymple, biographer and historian Patrick French, bestselling author, columnist and social commentator Shobhaa Dé, acclaimed author Anita Nair, award winning writer Usha KR, prominent Urdu poet and lyricist Gulzar, as well as editor and author Tarun Tejpal, Indian author Namita Devidayal, poetess Tishani Doshi will be among the glittering array of writers coming to Kovalam.
    Legendary Malayalam writers M.T. Vasudevan Nair, M Mukundan, K. Satchidanandan and Zachariah will speak at the festival. The main debate of the session will be 'Writing in a Globalised World'.

    -YOUR NAME IS LEFT OUT.
    HOPE THAT YOU WON'T TURN UP

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  28. In Malayala Manorama Shobhaa Dé
    has already rubbished you.

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  29. So when'll you be coming to Chennai? Tried to get your book @ landmark here but no copies yet... Any formal launches in Chennai?

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  30. Hey eM...i am from hyderabad and have been a lurker on your blog for a long time..but never replied to any of your awesome posts :(

    I am dying to read your book but it hasnt been launched in hyd yet...can u tell me if ur planning a launch here..if you are then please drop me a mail as to when and where @ sunilchoudary815@gmail.com...

    please continue writing and entertain us..waiting in anticipation...sunil

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  31. OK i don't get it, why does Penguin India not want you to come to Chennai and do something at Landmark? Odd they are!

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  32. just got your book and am completely hooked.

    i read on the pot and my schedule is goin totaly haywire. :)

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  33. Do post the details on where the Bangalore launch will occur. Will attend it. Bangalore's night life has reduced in its intensity quite a bit. Traffic sucks big time though.

    Have fun in Tvdm and in B'lore.

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  34. shobha de in her interview to malayala manorama dated sept 21 was asked what she made out of blogger turned writers ex: meenakshi reddy madhavan. her answer was (translated verbatim): " As the personal/ intimate experiences of a teenage girl much was made out of her You are Here. However to be frank, I never felt it was worth the hype. These kind of things are outdated in the West and have been written ages ago".

    for those who follow malayalam the link is

    http://www.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/malayalamContentView.do?contentType=EDITORIAL&programId=1073753770&articleType=Malayalam%20News&contentId=4533890&BV_ID=@@@

    ~ kumar

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  35. how are we on the book sales count? just curious, are you in the same league as chetan bhagat?

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  36. wat guts? wat are these people saying? I read your book and i thought it was crap. I have read parts of your blog, and i think your life is very average, very normal and very boring. You exploited the whole 'indian girls don't talk bout sex bit' and god knows how got a book deal with penguin. You have no intelligence, You CANNOT write for nuts, you don't have any thoughts worth saying out loud, and god knows you are screwed up.

    Horny Indian men look at your blog and jerk off. Indian women who have brains the size of almonds gush over your blog.

    At the end of it, not one smart woman, with an air of actual independence, of real intelligence would ever commend your writing.

    eM I think you have a good life, and you are obviously enjoying your freedom and exploring men and alcohol. But extra ordinary you are not. A good writer, not at all. And the face of the new Indian Woman. Hahahahahahahahhahahahah

    I pity JC. and I pity poor Shobha De who had to lie about that pathetic column of yours.

    Give up writing. Become a whore.

    Enjoy your life. Good luck eM. Put a leash around JC, he won't be around for long.


    And really, You want to be at par with Shashi Tharoor etc. YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING !

    YOu are awful my dear. Just awful. You will only get laid in life. So go do that. Leave this books and writing business to others. Your brain can't handle it.

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  37. Your writing is sheer verbal diarrhea as your head is empty. I wonder whether you paid in cash or kind to get Anand Giridharadas
    write "A feminist revolution in India skips the liberation" in the International Herald Tribune. Your libertaion helps companies like United Spirits and ITC. You are a
    juvenile delinquent.

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  38. Where is the launch here in Bangalore?Damn I'm excited!

    Blossom's is the place for second hand books.

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  39. Too bad Em. I was hopin you'd come to Chennai.

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  40. your book is really good...i need an autograph....so when in delhi??

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  41. just curious... did you trample all over someone recently??

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  42. I have not read your book, but want to read it soon. Shobha De's comment in Malayala Manorama may not do much harm to the book, because a lot more people have come to know you and may want to read it.

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  43. Through some circuitous route I ended up at your garbage ;-) Another comment to your not-praising-you list! But is yours even a life Meenakshi? Are your life's "experiences" even profound to be chronicled and splashed all over the internet? "Confessions of a whore" would have been an apt title for your stinky vomiting! Your life style is taking you down the spiral and will ultimately lead to depression and disgust with yourself! I am no Padre, no saint to preach you. But a bit of introspection will help you to realize where you are heading. Will your book even be discussed or remembered after a while? Only the dumb socialites that frequent your site can identify themselves with your degenerate life! With so many issues around in a country like India, what we have here! You are certainly trying to live in a la-la land which does not exist in reality!

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  44. the book was very nice... and there's a long list of people who want to read it..

    if you're goin book shoppin in b'lore check out select book shop (off brigade road) and blossoms(church street)...

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  45. To all the negative commenters:
    oh for fuck's sake!
    Firstly, why so much hatred? nobody asked you for your critique, just as nobody asked the positive commenters' for their opinions. If you don't like eM, don't bother wasting your own verbal diarrhea on her comments page. I assure you, she has editors who get paid to do this kind of work for her. Your two cents worth will not help anybody, just make this blog negative.

    Secondly, have you noticed that eM's fans simply say things like "i loved your book!" and don't go on about how the narrative was strong, or the characters were well formed or how eM's life is extraordinary? On a similar note, can you please not offer your opinions about what works in her book (or blog or life) and what doesn't? Again, she has editors and critics who tell her this kind of stuff. That is why it took her a year to write the damn book! She went through many iterations (I'm sure) to reach this stage. And she will learn from her mistakes and incorporate her better writing in her next book.

    Thirdly, this is eM's first book. It does not need to be perfect. Find me a writer who's first book was perfect. Bet you can't.

    Fourthly, I don't think eM was set out to write the next great piece of Indian literature. eM wanted to write an entertaining book that would sell. And she did. Masses ARE buying it. Those masses are her target demographic. You (obviously) are not. So don't buy the book, don't read it, and don't hate on it. Go read stuff written for your demographic.
    (continued)

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  46. eM does not claim to be an intellectual. She does not claim to be a great writer. She does not claim to be a virtuous celibate young lady. She does not claim to be beautiful. She does not claim to be any sort of perfect. Therefore, it is okay for her to not be any of those things. You don't have to remind her that she is none of the above things. She already knows, and has consciously chosen to be so.

    She is an average looking girl (sorry eM! I'm on your side) who likes drinking socially, likes dating men, liked parties, likes reading, liked travelling and meeting famous people, likes her cat and her friends. In fact, she also claims to have bad hair, and a bit of the clumsy gene (when drunk). That's all she claims to be. And that's all she writes about. It is totally okay for her to be these things. It's her life. She can live it however she wants to. She does not wish to be a role model to anyone.

    Lastly, I am a PhD student in Canada. A feminist. An intellectual. A couple of years ago, I dropped out of my program and decided to kill myself. But I didn't. Because at that time, eM was going through a breakup as bad as mine. But she did not discuss it in depth on her blog. She kept all the ugly details offline, and chose to share only the most basic details. Her life moved on and she survived. I figured, if she can keep her problems out of the public eye, then I can too. I found a way to move beyond my problems, and get my life together. I relate to eM's mundane, superficial life. I like her when she's happy, or when she's drunk. I like reading about her success stories. It keeps me motivated.

    So please stop hating on her. She is just another Indian girl living a slightly normal life. Only difference is, she chose to share it while thousands of other Indian girls choose not to.

    Whew! Glad to get that off my chest! And eM, I really an on your side. Love your blog.

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  47. LOL LOL LOL you were a feminist and you wanted to kill yourself because you broke up with your boyfren !!!! Hilarious !! Do you even understand the core of feminist theory??

    This is the most hilarious thing i have read. thanks :)

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  48. Exactly my points, anon :-)) The bimbette's bimbo fan claims herself to be an "intellectual"! Whatever that means........Do these weak willed girls even understand what feminism is all about? Gosh....these girls have got it all twisted up!

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  49. hey raja,
    I know. Feminism and attempting suicide because of a break up with a MAN are like exact opposites.

    Miss Intellectual from Canada, please read up on feminism.

    This is so amusing. I am starting a movement againt eM being called the new face of Indian women etc. I already have the support of plenty of people including some very brilliant, accomplished and talented women of India.

    I shall contact you soon with regards to it.

    And eM I have nothing against you journal-ing your life. But please shed the delusions of grandeur and expertise.

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  50. Anonymous and Raja: you guys are gayer than liberachi's pink asshole.

    Gay: the adjective and not the sexual orientation

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  51. For all the PATHETIC commentators who DON'T get invited to metros in India and DON'T get to live at the Taj, ARE NOT famous, and WILL NEVER GET LAID till they're 40 and sleazier, here's a big L for your foreheads. Too much work? Please keep commenting, we'll slap 'em on for you.
    LOSERS.

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  52. LOL shahana!! If only you knew how untrue your assumptions were. Ladies and gentlemen- Another LOser. Shahana her name is. Give way please :)

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  53. anon: spelling my dear, spelling. Liberace!!!

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  54. I really like ur writing and give a fuck to anyone who abuses ur writing style ..

    how abt me taking u out on a visit in and around bangalore ...

    i bet u wud enjoy my company.

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  55. i will miss the Hyd event, i left Hyd...in Mumbai now, and I have already read your and liked it (not loved it, given a chance would have edited it a little more), left a comment too in a previous post. You definitely have talent, and am waiting for your next:-) Have fun at Kovalam, hope to see some good pics posted here, Y R U anti-pics? Not you in profile, maybe where you went, places you are talking about, helps identify better while reading, not entirely up to reader's imagination. Take care, Bangalore is not gonna be all fun, not like old days..Good Luck with JC, ask to join you for Kovalam:D

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  56. Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan is smack on your face. Period.

    Read MRM and you feel like being in a shower cubicle. Strong jets of envy, guilt, loath, and raw unbridled desire assault your senses from all directions. And let me tell you those are not nice things. It leaves you seething with desire, eyeing every woman that walks the corridor as a potential game and you feel guilty as hell just reading that stuff. And you would not want to acknowledge these feelings.

    So does smoking, drinking, and sex make a woman a bad woman? Not really!

    But MRM makes you feel that way. She has this gnawing, revolting shade to her writing where she is almost like a diva writhing with desire, inviting you to fill her, yet you know she is just not that. She has a brain that throbs like a ravenous alien monster (picture “Alien”) – a slime-dripping creature out to snuff your self esteem the second you let down your intellectual guard.

    She is analyzing you, checking you out, sizing you up. Sinful!

    But it really makes me proud to share the same citizenship with MRM. To know that we have women like her who know what they want (most of the time), have an opinion and are not afraid to voice that opinion, and a mind of their own not shrouded and muddied by cultural impositions or stark western influence.

    That we have a generation who are truly representatives of modern India, a nation that does not cow down to self-effacing western idiosycrancies, a nation that commands respect for its human capital, rather than its military might, a nation that sets its own standards, a nation on its way of discovering itself.

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  57. Meenakshi - you can consider yourself as finally having arrived... since you don't really make it until people start hating you!

    What I find particularly amusing is that apart from 'Raja', all the negative comments are by 'anon'. obviously too chicken to come out in the open...

    Good luck with the lit fest and the book! I only recently started reading your blog after catching an interview on NDTV!

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  58. To another "anon", who called the "anon with -ve comments" and me as gays - sorry, straight men don't explore the "ass holes" ;-) You know what I mean...

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  59. Shahana - assumptions are the hallmark of LOSERS! You are one too!!

    Your measures of success - living at TAJ, getting laid and being famous - are so ridiculous, you need to get your bimbo brain checked as to where it is stuck! You have ur head way too up you your, you know what i mean......Pull your head out girl and breathe fresh air ;-)

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  60. What is wrong with all of you? I mean the levels of misogyny in some of these comments is truly breath-taking. "raja", whoever you are, how dare you try explain to sakhmet what is and what is not feminism while saying "confessions of a whore" would be a good title for Meenakshi's book. And how does being a feminist insulate you from the pain of a broken relationship? Actually I don't know why I am even engaging with you on this.

    Your venom has nothing to do with her book or the quality of Meenakshi's writing. It has entirely to do with your misogyny.

    Hi Mina, I dont have a blogger account, so thats why the anon. This is one of the few times I've seen the blog and was compelled to comment having read this trash. Delete them, and block them! No woman needs to listen to this rubbish.

    best
    Aarti

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  61. what kind of lame-o's chose to spend their time writing long, judgemental diatribes on the comments page of a blogger that they apparently despise? and then watch to see the reactions, so they can hate some more on the people who respond. AND THEN proceed to call the bloggers life sad and meaningless and dull! clearly, all the aforementioned actions of these haters point at their own lives being extremely healthy, meaningful and exciting in comparison. all i can say is W.O.W.

    sakhmeth did not contradict herself by calling herself a feminist and also expressing her state of mind in the past. feminism is about economic and social equality of the two genders and a belief in the system of equal rights for both sexes. it has nothing to do with suicidal feeling prompted by a breakup with a man. much in the same way that a man entertaining suicidal thoughts post break up is not reversing any gender imbalances with his self destructive feelings caused by a WOMAN. don't be silly and claim to understand feminism. stop reading blogs you hate and read something that may enhance your understanding of feminism or any of the other topics you claim to have expertise on.

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  62. two things:

    1) WHAT is "joy" smoking, and where can i get some of that myself?

    2) did any of the anons mocking "ms. intellectual" from canada stop for a moment to think that maybe that was a man who wrote that comment? or do we just not know of the idea of male feminists? hmmm?

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  63. To anon who said:
    "Give up writing. Become a whore."
    I think eM is doing just fine making a living as a writer, to not have to resort to taking money from the likes of you whore-visitors who resent people having consensual sex that they don't have to pay for. the kind that you are incapable of ever enjoying, with your misogynous attitudes. please do not think that revering the stereotypical "bharatiya nari" alone qualifies you as respectful of women. ALL women(people) deserve respect, irrespective of their occupations, political beliefs, or, in this case, the topics of their writings (or their quality). Please keep your career counselling to yourself until eM solicits your advice, and limit yourself to expressing your opinion in this free country.

    to raja who said:
    "With so many issues around in a country like India, what we have here!"
    Sadly, one of the important "many issues" in India seems to be intolerance, as is indicated by your post. I think our progress forward as a nation can only truly begin once we start respecting the points of view of other people, and value the diversity offered by lifestyles different from our own, instead of patronizingly dubbing them as "degenerate". I speak of intolerance broadly, for I believe it applies to many of our countries biggest problems today when it comes to diversity of any sort: religion, caste, sexual orientation, skin color... We need to understand and accept every Indian is not a clone of the other. And that especially in a country of 1 billion, that should be okay.

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  64. Wow! U know what eM, the comments part of ur posts sometimes really are far more entertaining than the post in question itself!! (No offence! I do love your confessions!) There can be absolutely no doubt as to ur fame! Look how many people took out time to say a word! ;) .. I particularly liked the feminist argument! Sigh.. some people just have so much free time on their hands! Anyways, u dont need to be told "go girl!". So I wont say it. Have enjoyed your blog for years now. And this is just to say - keep right at it!

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  65. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  66. As a friend of em's
    I feel almost compelled to jump into the fray, but really she doesn't even need the defending, to all the people who come back here to write negative stuff, pray do tell me, why do you return?
    Obviously some of the eM magic is working, akin to road kill in text, the fact remains you're still coming back for more....
    like sakhmeth said, she's not claiming to be anything she is not...maybe she exaggerates a wee bit every once in a while but hey who doesn't?

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  67. Hey eM,

    U din mention the time in Bangalore? Reliance is real close to my place and its a nice place for a launch... do let me know the time.. would love to b there.. :)

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  68. Wow! Wow!! People preaching "tolerance" are coming down on me like a ton of bricks for my one-off comment on Meenakshi's dumps!So not agreeing with one Meenakshi (or possibly women of her ilk) makes me a misogynist? What an absurd generalization by the protagonists of "feminism"!!

    Anupa - I don't certainly have more time on my hands than those who read every one of Meenakshi's memoirs! ;-) Sorry if I have hurt you!

    Chrisann - your usage of the phrase "road kill" implies(I am not being patronizing here ;-)) that you are in US or are familiar with Americanism. But you could have as well used "shit attracts flies....". I didn't mean the comments' section here ;-)

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  69. To all Bangaloreans,the place of Book launch @ Banglore-Cunnningham Road -Reliance with Book Store..We can meet up there????...I think In Indian History has written by coflict between Same Blood in a Same Religions for Wealth or any Province....Any COmmentators consider or relates Em's Blog is the War place to creating Your Own History????

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  70. Raja, please, you are embarassing yourself.

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  71. Shobha De dissed Rushdie in her interview in Malayala Manorama. She said Rushdie made a lot of money by suing for defamation, which is not true; all he got - and demanded - was an apology. Is De's entire ouvre worth one line of Rushdie's? Please don't gush over De. You are a far better writer than she is.

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  72. so i live in the middle east, where your book hasn't come out, and from the sound of things (and from the looks of it above), i'm really missing out! if only your haters knew how much publicity they were giving you, i wonder if they'd kill themselves and thereby do everyone else a huge favour?
    anyway, hope to read your book soon, and wish you a huuuuge amount of success.

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  73. Oh damndamndamn! I would have so loved to meet up with you in Bangalore, but am travelling then. Well, have loads of fun in B'lore!

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  74. When in Bangalore, must, must, must try Death by Chocolate (Corner House). You might also want to try Samarkand for dinner one of the days. If you do, I recommend their ma-ki-dal.
    On another note, although I like your blog more than your book (very well edited BTW), I don't understand this insane display of hatred by some for the book. Dear eM haters, if you hate this girl so much, why are you wasting time reiterating your hatred over and over again? Got nothing else to do in life or what?

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  75. Nobody cares about critics. So they say your an ordinary average person.So you are.How many ordinary average people write so well anyway.I loved your book it was all chicklitty but real life chicklitty and very nice
    Bangalore is lovely.Enjoy it

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  76. welcome back to kerala. well, i cant come to trivandrum. i would really love to. and kovalam is a bit away from taj, i hear.

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  77. let's hope that bangalore displays one of her gorgeous balmy days that make you fall in love with the city. coz there is not much else left now to love: terrible traffic, zero nightlife, dust and concrete everywhere.
    even so, bangaloreans are a chill people, and i would have loved to have you meet a few if i werent using the long break to run away and visit your hometown and nearby spots. oh well... enjoy your trip to the sultry south!

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  78. so, what exzctly did shobha de say about the book? could one of you malayali gentlemen share the quote with us?

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  79. As a nine-months-out-of-twelve Bangalore resident, I hope you enjoy the place, eM. Go to Koshy's for breakfast, or something- it's really nice.

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  80. Oh! Meenakshi it's soo painful dat i cudn't attend the Kovalam Literary Festival 6-8'Oct at Taj even being a Trivandrumite. But, still I am not a fan of u,

    (but just a not so regular visitor o ur blog... )instead proud to confess myself publically dat am a huge fan of ur father's works especially, Higuita.

    Leave it. I don't like comparisons.

    What eva it's being an open apology to myself (a full time home maker n a mom o 4 year old gal) for the absence of the litt. fest. I was being eager to

    meet u if u happened to be here, n am going to miss dat chance just coz of some promises i have made for my closed ones. 8'th is my hubby's b'day

    n am hosting a "sadya" for the whole family that day...otherwise it would have been a must visit from my side...
    ny ways i will try to attend ur press conferences if there any...just want to judge u from my side...only for me...
    best of luck for this trip...
    I have not read your book, but want to read it soon

    horribly weeping inside...
    with love,

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  81. after reading all the comments.. it left me wondering.. no one has anything valid to judge eM... she is who she wants to be... we are who we want to be.. haters.. fans.. watever...who cares? she just writes & provides sum sort of leisure both the haters & fans alike..thumbs up eM.. u managed to create such a stir.. Big Up for you... keep the blog & writing coming on ... just a reader ... not a hater .. best of luck for yr book launch.. will try to get my hands on a copy soon...

    best regards,
    sinclair...

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  82. I did shake your hands last night at Kovalam. You don't know me. I am largely an unknown quantity. No, I haven't read your book yet. I picked it up from a bookstore here but put it back. I am writing my last few chapters of my debut novel "Finally Father Died". I don't want any contemporary writing to influence me. Moreover, I've quit the party world. I will be there today to hear the authors speak.
    One of my favourite writers is your father. I just enjoy his writing.

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  83. I have not read your book yet and am not so-regular a visitor on your blog, but like one of the comments said, sometimes it is more challenging to read the comment section instead of the post itself. I am soooo sooo soo shocked by the vitriolic comments of some people here.... I mean, is there no end to it? How can anyone be so full of shit and that too when they dont even claim to know you persoanlly!! Trust me, it was such a challenge not to pray down curses upon these scumbags! For going out of their way and being absolutely evil! and again why are they even deigning to comment on somebody's blog whom they think is nothing but an ordinary whore!

    Who are these people....why are they being allowed to live in civilized socities at all?? Having said that, I think you have arrived!To garner so much attention...ha ha ha! At least that must make your day... while I go and entertain fantasies of how to make such people die a slow tortous death...oh but no point really, i think their souls are aready dead and rotten!

    You go girl!

    Harshika

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  84. Anonymous and Raja need to get a life! Keep coming back to the blog and commenting about the person they supposedly 'can't stand!'

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  85. i often hit delete on such comments eM - simply because these are freeloaders riding your fame. I know you're aware of it too. keep your face to the sun and ignore them. as someone else said - it must be a truly joyless person who reads through a blog they dont enjoy and then spits venom

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  86. @ Cookiedough: Thanks for correcting me! Brain was too addled to remember correctly, you may tell :)

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  87. These will be final comments here :-)

    I just stumbled upon Meenakshi's monologues and I didn't like it! It is as simple as that!! I have every right to express myself just the way Meenakshi does and if she did not like it, she can delete it!

    Guys/gals, Meenakshi is in public domain and she is bound to attract brickbats and bouquets for anything sh does! She wants it! BTW Meenakshi appears to be more matured than most of her wide eyed fans here as she has not opposed those that oppose her! So get a life you vermins!

    The ridiculous comemnt by one "mad momma" really makes me puke! Why should I or anyone freeload on Meenakshi's "fame"? R u really outta ur mind "mad momma"?

    Harshika - just STFU! Just as you can comment so freely on me, whom you haven't even met or seen, I have every right to comment on someone's public outpourings! What the fuck is your problem lady?

    One final observation though - the enthralled fans of Meenakshi are living their miserable lives through her, vicariously! So when someone critisizes Meenakshi, so many of them are hurt! Ouch!!

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  88. Hey... read your blog. Its good... written in a blog style. Looking forward to the next book... hopefully a sequel to this one.

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  89. Raja, I echo your comments. Meenaskhi is a public and so the people can make the comment what ever the people want to make to her

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  90. Hey Em,

    What time @ odyssey Hyd?? do let me know.. looking fwd to meet ya

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  91. Haters! Haters! Haters!
    Seriously, you can be a FEMINIST and be distraught with life.
    For all you dimwits out there being a feminist does not mean that one is completely incapable of having heart wrenching relationships and passionate affairs with yes, brace yourself the opposite sex and feel like your world has come to a crashing end.
    Secondly being an intellectual is not always independent of having fun, wanting a normal life and being you’re confused, convoluted adult self full of imperfections and none the less be OKAY with it.

    At least M is honest and true to herself as well as the rest of the world does what she feels like without shame, guilt or remorse.
    This is most admirable.
    Everyone else that thinks she is a pea-brained bimbo, really now, no one has put a gun to your head and has forced you to read her blog, jeez, get a life.

    It's so easy to be mean and hateful, it takes a lot more concrete and concentrated effort not to mention courage to really follow ones dreams and actually do something about it to make it a reality.

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  92. Hey eM,

    I called up the Odyssesy store in Panjagutta, hyderabad and they informed me that there was no launch on the 11th at their branch. By the way they have sold the entire stock of ur novel they received last month CONGRATULATIONS :)
    They ahve a new branch coming up at jubilee hills on the 10th, will u be visiting that branch???..please let us know...waiting eagerly to meet u.

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  93. ermm for those of us who're not down south and maybe interested in the book (written by u?) watz the name and genre???

    good luck wid the launch...happy kovalming...

    didnt nobody tell u...the bangalore fun quotient has really gone down after the no dancin in bars regulation!!!

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  94. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  95. I'll probably be there at your book launch in b'lore. Can't wait have my copy of your book signed. B'lore is a great place apart from the early deadlines. The people never cease to amaze u and Only Place is my fav. steak house. u have got to try out the boston steak if u do get a chance. Hope you have fun in the city!

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  96. i did read about you being in kovalam...most of the newspapers even had a snap of yours in a pink top and black shorts:-)...you looked cute on those pics...

    http://nfornymph.blogspot.com/

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  97. Hey, I noticed that there are vitriolic comments in here. That's sad.

    I enjoy your blog, though I discovered it recently. I read excerpts of your book at rediff. I got to your blog from there. I liked it so much that I bought your book.

    About the book, I would be lying if I gush about it too much. But its ok, its not bad. Perhaps I expected more. I could email you in detail if you want. I certainly don't want to write in this space, some of the scathing comments anger me.

    No matter what you write or blog about, no one has right to critique your way or outlook of life. Mad Momma is right they are little piggy-riders. :(

    I hope you do nt let your spirit affect by them. Delete them without reading, I hope.

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  98. Hey EM, All these negative comments just prove that you and your blog are popular...Way to go...:)

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  99. Ahh! No Chennai event! I am a bit surprised tho not completely. Nothing ever gets publicised in Chennai (unless if its something notorious!). Be it books, arts, sports or parties, everything is word of mouth! You gotta be part of the inner circle to get anywhere in Chennai. Why else do you think outsiders are so frustrated about the city and complain about nothing happening here? :) Poor devils don't realise that snide remarks and condescending comments on 'South Indians' will not get anyone into the inner circle.
    Keep the faith tho. Knowing that Chennai has a very high percentage of literary circle, it won't be long before you get invited. Watch out for Landmark, Odyssey and Crossword.
    Keep writing!

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  100. Lol.. This Raja and his friend - this sarci anon can really have a knack for being a pair of funny trolls.

    Its hard to believe that someone can be that stupid. Plainly hilarious.

    Berry.

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  101. i havnt read much of minakshi's blog but i did not like whatever i read so far. but i found the comments section v interesting.

    being a modern liberated proffnl woman living independently and in touch with lot of women who have guts brains n long list of real achievements (sorry bedding max men attending v chanel parties n going high on addictives dont count) i dont find her blog interesting or her life fascinating or her writing creative or intelligent.

    having said tht i defintely object to comments calling her a whore or degenerate. those type of hate comments show either u r just jealous of her fame (!!) as a blogger/writer or you r still a rep of avg chauvinist Indian man who would like to believe any woman having sex with more than one partner is a whore!! haa haa cavemen welcome to 21st century! hope u will learn enuf from ur daughters in good time!

    minakshi has a right to blog wht she feels what she wants. last time i checked we lived in a democratic country. ofcourse u've right to criticize her but dont sound abusive n plain resentful abt her fame.

    i've only one question for her supporters - if she never wrote about sex so uninhibited in her blog how many of u would've been here???! - i wonder!

    only one comment for minakshi - pl read some serious literature including ur father's - may b it will improve ur writing n make it a little above ordinary.

    btw it was real comedy to read shobha de's opinion on minakshi's blog - pot calling kettle black?!! this is the woman who wrote pure sleaze, made her money out of desperate-for-sex crowd, had her 15 mts of fame but will never have a permanent place in the hallways of anglo indian literature.

    though i can imagine minakshi being thrilled abt meeting shobha de - bcoz as of now unfortunately she seems to be the only role model in writing u've!!

    sorry to say but N S Madhavn is still the most brilliant mal writer i've ever read but the genes clearly did not pass.......... not your fault.

    pl use ur break up time with BFs to read some good authors.........
    all the best
    athira

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  102. yes, oo bad... pune is a lovely place with people coming to party from 200kms away... i ahve never partied theremyself, but i can vouch that its a lot of fun!

    lights, music, action and a similar trail..

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  103. HAHA!
    All, please welcome famous Miss Author/Blogger with her two pence entertainment angle!
    eM: Just what the hell is your problem in life?? Just how twisted are you to publish explicit details of your romp sessions on the net like this??
    The fact that someone can actually call you the voice of the new liberated Indian woman makes me cringe.
    What exactly is your achievement? I do hope you realize Indian women are capable of a lot more than the shit you can write. So you turn into some Cruella/Bambi thingy when you don't get sex??? LOL!
    Woman - all I can say is that I pity you. You can conveniently ignore comments where there is no praise for you (you delete them, don't you?) but the fact is that anyone with a brain the size of a peanut will see through your sozzled endeavor. Please don't get me wrong. I am not 'jealous' of your so called fame and success. You see if I want to get the success you have, I wouldn't have to try hard at all!

    Tch Tch.

    Btw, I watched you on that Barkha Dutta's show where she rubbished you on National television and you look like you would've gladly killed yourself after that. (The video is on Youtube for anyone that's interested)

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  104. See this response to Anand Giridharadas's stupid piece, A feminist liberation skips the revolution:
    http://youngfeminists.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/indian-feminism-101/

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