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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16 December 2008

Another year, another number

Twe-henty seven, dahlinks, is really not very different from being twenty six.

Except I feel the urge to make resolutions.

Like be kinder to people, for instance. Make up old grudges. (Not forgive and forget, entirely, I'm not quite Mother Teresa yet.) Maybe, less with the judgements.

It's been three days since I turned 27, the late twenties now (26 SHOULD count as mid twenties, otherwise it would be just mid-twenty.) That much closer to thirty. Full blown adulthood (I've been fighting it for a while.) No one to say, "You're too young to.." anymore. I'm not "too young" for anything. Even plastic surgery. Perhaps Alzheimers. I might still be too young for that. Funnily enough, that thought doesn't depress me so much anymore. I'm quite happy being a grown up.

Last night at Zenzi, we were talking about how old you had to be before someone could start calling you Aunty or Uncle. I declared that if ten years ago, you were old enough to have a kid, then you shouldn't really be resisting the label. At seventeen (I learned the truth at seventeen, that love was made for beauty queens, sorry, couldn't resist a little song intervention) I guess I was old enough to have babies. But, technically, I only became active in the baby making process when I was twenty, so I still have another three years, right?

I had a lovely birthday though. It was calm and drunken, even though my brilliant hire-a-projector-and-have-karaoke-on-the-roof was shut down by the cops around midnight. But still, after that, the karaoke might have been over but the party moved down to my flat and went on till the wee hours. Not much of an overlap with last years list though, which is something I found quite odd. Maybe, say five (?) of the same people. Wow. And here I thought I had barely made any new friends at all this year.

Although, ONE thing I haven't yet grown out of. I still had my little pre-party meltdown, right on schedule this year, where I got all weepy and felt unloved and unappreciated. It's nice to know that some things aren't probably ever going to change.

December has got to be my absolutely favourite month. I know I've said this before, but really, I'm in such a good mood through all 31 days, that I amaze myself. Even though I'm losing JC to the charms of a family Christmas for him back in England (HMPH), I know I have plenty of things to look forward to. Although Bombay--Bandra anyway--will start to look a lot emptier soon, with everyone going off on their holidays. Not to forget, me and Ira are taking off for the sunny shores of Goa in TWO! SHORT! WEEKS! Yay! And when I get back, there'll be all the excitement of Chrisann's wedding, and THEN, I guess I can get around to missing my boyfriend. (Only joking, darling, you'll be in my thoughts constantly! Kisses!)

Things on the work front have been a little slow recently. I got laid-off, downsized, whatever fancy lingo they're using these days from one of my columns, and though there are other interested parties, things are moving v e r y s l o w l y. Sigh. Luckily, I have some back up cash, but soon I will be seriously broke if it continues at this pace. Being a freelance writer isn't easy. I'm tempted to stand in the middle of the road with a sign saying: WILL WRITE FOR FOOD. And if I want to meet my next-book-in-2010 goal, I need to get cracking on that as well. So far I have 2000 words each of two possible books, and I'm stuck. Maybe I should start selling advertising space on this blog, because the Google Adsense thing I installed has earned me a grand total of thirty dollars in oh, eight months. I know I should be placing it in more visible areas, but it's just sooooooo UGLY, you know? And my beautiful snazzy template will be completely ruined. But, if it's a choice between that and a) winding up homeless or b) having to move back into my parents house in Delhi or c) getting a *gasp* full time job again, I seem to be pretty screwed. No, no, don't panic, things aren't quite so bad yet, but you know, the older you get (heh) the more these things matter.

To end on a less depressing note, I recommend you all go out and get Curtis Sittenfeld's latest, American Wife, the fictitious life of an American First Lady, loosely based on Laura Bush. I read it for two days straight and now I'm feeling the weird disorientation that comes when you emerge from a good book you've been so wrapped up in, unable to make coherent sentences.

Must run now, Wonder Years is on, and I'm in a nostalgiac mood. Expect high frequency blogging this month.

26 comments:

  1. Happy belated birthday!

    December is a good month to do high-frequency blogging. People are not in the mood to work any more - Christmas, end of the year etc. Many, many distractions are needed. :o)

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  2. Don't try to fight the aging process. It will be more difficult if you do. Just age gracefully. Good luck and belated Happy Birthday!

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  3. belated happy b'day! my bday also comes sometime here.

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  4. belated happy returns em!

    hope u hd a great tym.btw,recession took its toll on u too??ayyo!!sad...december is good for u eh?great..not for me though.. :(

    agin is prolly unstoppable..but ur blog is gettin pleasurable to read na?and u go wiser too with the age(i am told).,,so y worry??

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  5. Just turned 27 meself. Almost there towards uncledom.
    Happy belated b'day!
    (Save up on that Goa trip :))

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  6. Happy belated birthday! Welcome to the 27 club :)... I have to agree with you on the fact that December truly rocks, for that matter for me November does too (it's the only month of the year that I get 4 days off for thanksgiving!)and the holiday season truly is on now!

    Have a rocking time in Goa! sun, sand, sea, beaches, alcohol, friends and seafood(if you love it) is probably difficult to top!

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  7. 27 is definitely grown up. Just as much as 28! :P

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  8. look, 11 pm is the time you stop making a racket. it's really bloody irritating that people in this city pay no regard to this. it's a nuisance for everyone around you. dammit. one day I am going to blow up every noisemaking bastard around me.

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  9. "the older you get, the more these things matter."

    So true. I am turning 28. You scared me with this post.

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  10. Ah Many Many Happy Returns of the day! belated happy bday :-)

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  11. Aging has not begun to be a painful process for you as yet. I am 41, in the height of the most painful midlife blues. Twenties, the years of jobs and joblessness. Cash is hard to come by. Keep working hars. 30s will make you rich along with with rising flesh around your waist.

    www.georgiandreams.blogspot.com

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  12. Happy belated birthday. Enjoyed reading your blog.

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  13. Tell you what, i have posted quite a lot of nasty comments before, but ever since i have started writing a blog myself, i donno why, i have started admiring your writing. Keep up, great going.....iam pretty regretful about those comments and turn the table to have become your admirer.....
    cheers.....would read every one of your posts....

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  14. Age like wine, you are more intoxicating than you were a year ago. And let 2010 approach, like reaallly fast then we can read another of ur book.

    I dont regret aging but i sure do regret the recession. Why do we have to spend the prime of our lives in a cashless world ,
    But i guess this too shall pass.

    Happy b'day Meenakshi

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  15. aww... dont worry abt the cash flows... it does grow on trees... (sometimes...)
    And just to make your life a little bit easier... i am gonna click on every ad that google sends your way :D
    Heppy heppy belated bday!
    Njoy goa!! :)

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  16. la..la..la.laaa 27. The Bin-Lated Happy-Birth-Day.....Just start writing for another Book-Era?....Do not forget I informed you before Alwaysopen my shells to refill your Pen that I have Enough Ink as certainly not a CuttleFish...Best of Luck....How is Christmas?

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  17. dude! what are goa dateS? im there 29th - 2nd on candolim.

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  18. Belated Happy Birthday! Just ran into your blog. Interesting.

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  19. Belated Happy Birthday ..

    I absolutely love reading your posts. Keep posting more frequently.

    Cheers,

    DeeP.

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  20. Hi, Belated Happy birthday
    This is how I hit your blog: Googled how to get my short stories published, Reached the Penguin site, Checked our your book and profile, must say I really liked the excerpt, and here I am, gatecrashing your online birthday party a few days too late.
    BTW, I crossed the big three oh some time back..but the "aunty" calling had begun long long before that

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  21. Happy birthday, meenakshi! Hope you had a blast! Hope not the wrong kind of blast tho :P

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  22. Hbirthday - yes be kinder to everyone it seems to come back in good things.

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