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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18 June 2011

eM’s House O’ Dreams

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Oh, dream house, I love you so. I swear it. I only moved on Tuesday of this week, but never has a place felt so quickly like home. I thought my Bandra flat was the Flat Of My Life, so to speak, I didn’t think I’d form another attachment to a place as strong as my one was there, but oh my god, this place has my Bandra flat pinned to the floor and begging for mercy.

 

Not least because of the vast amounts of space. Dudes, I live all over the house and I still can change it up a bit. In the mornings I spend my time with a cup of coffee and the morning papers in my large drawing room. Then I switch over to my study, where I usually spend most of the day. I put music on, around the late afternoon, early evening, some jazz, when I’m feeling fancy, some Ke$ha on a weekend, like today, some 90s, when I’m just feeling silly. The guest room, sadly, hasn’t been used properly yet (as you can see from the picture below, it also took me the longest time to set up), but I’m calling it the Room Of Requirement and letting its uses evolve organically. One such use will probably be a yoga room, I’m looking for a reasonably priced yoga instructor to come home on weekday evenings (so that I don’t have an excuse to bunk the class) and I will use that room just for my exercise.

 

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The first day I moved in, one of the first things I did was call the electrician and get him to hang up all my pictures. So, in the midst of unpacking, I kinda felt homey already, with all the art work that I love already on the wall. If you remember, what it takes for me to feel “settled” in a sense is making my bed, and over the years, hanging up my pictures. (Yes, I know I spelt “independent” wrong. Also, my god, looking at my gushing ness over… toilet brushes? makes me feel very old and wise.)

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This as you can see, is my designated TC potty area. It’s actually not so bad, because it forces me to clean out his litter every morning, instead of ignoring it and letting it get all gross and manky (which is easy to do if you can’t see it or smell it). TC, by the way, is such a pro at the moving now. First he sulked under a cupboard for a bit, but now he’s his usual self, meowing randomly to himself, stalking around the house. I think like me, he’s also a bit “WHEEEEEEEEEEEE THE SPACE!” and so every evening, he goes a bit mad and leaps around and hides behind curtains. Psycho.

 

The only drawback to this house is that the loo is actually outside the front door on the landing, which is okay, but when you really have to pee in the middle of the night and you’re a lazy person anyway, it takes a lot of effort to get out, walk across the WHOLE house and open the door and then pee and then come back in and lock the door again. Well, okay, it doesn’t sound so bad, but I’d have liked it if there was an en suite bathroom. Which would have also meant that the price would’ve doubled, so I guess I’m lucky for old school planning. There’s another tenant I believe, on the second floor, but she’s out of town at the moment. When she’s back, I’m going to have to carry a bathrobe when I have a shower, but now I’m just throwing on a towel and walking around.

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My study (photo below) is perhaps my favourite room in the whole house. The windows alone make it any writers dream. Unfortunately, for the first time in my life, I have more bookshelves than books. (But, oh, I have SO MUCH CUPBOARD SPACE! I now have a cupboard just for dresses, one just for casual everyday clothes, a SHOE CABINET, a linen closet, winterwear storage and I STILL HAVE EMPTY SPACE. Worry not, fair reader, I will soon work on filling them all up.)

 

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I also managed to get a good maid and cook, but as luck would have it, she turned out to be vegetarian. So, she cooks pretty good veggie food, but I’m thinking of getting another cook just for Sundays (which is her day off) to do my meat and things. Or, you know, just cooking meat myself. The picture is taken through one of my absolute favourite features in the house (a couple of friends came over last night and had great fun with it too), a cubbyhole thing, between the dining room and the kitchen, to pass out plates and things. I’m going to be getting a dining table soon (this is a house that deserves a dining table) and start my cooking parties anew, and this should be the fun bit: pass out plates through the hole. Which is so much more fun than just carrying them out the regular way.

It’s one of those old, old Delhi houses, built in the 50s or the 60s, and probably has more personality than I do, to be honest. Even though my little bits and pieces of furniture look nice and comfy, in the end it is the house, not my things that is the main attraction.

 

 

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So, yes. That’s my thing now, my house. Also, my substitute for a boyfriend. Delhi’s not doing so badly on that front though, loads of interesting people, so who knows? Maybe I’ll get lucky in love soon, seeing as I have luck everywhere else. *touch wood* *spit to ward off the evil eye* etc etc.

21 comments:

  1. i love it! :D

    lovely photographs. yes!
    even the feeling of character is there in the photographs themselves.. the whole idea that it was built in 50s /60s is so beautiful..
    :)

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  2. Wow. What an awesome place. You deserve it! :o)

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  3. Been a reader on your blog for a long time! High time I dropped in a comment.
    It's a beautiful house. and so much space! Seems like you'll be having a lot of fun pottering around :)

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  4. nice beautiful hose ,so spacious and looks very cool!

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  5. Nice house, eM! It does have that 50's and 60's charm. I'm hoping to move out soon and hope my new house would be as good too :)

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  6. Wow. The place is truly awesome! Love the living space. The best thing is how uncluttered teh entire space looks generally.Nice going eM.

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  7. I have no clue after how many months (years?) I visited your blog again. I did recall you had a cat, which is how I had landed up here in the first place and I am glad TC is doing well.

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  8. Boy.. what a palace you have found.. so much of space and too in Delhi.. From the pictures, it looks to be a very very nice house.. The house seems to have so much character in it.. Plus it has that old old house feeling, which is simply great.. Enjoy living like a Queen in this King Size house.. :-)

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  9. This place look amazing....my bet is Safdarjung

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  10. i loveeee the windows! I'm kinda in a dilemma right now as i'm shifting houses too and have this one house that's got an aMAZing floor to ceiling-way-up-over-there "window" that I instantly fell in love with, but is a smaller house that all the other houses in the building. So I'm trying to figure out what to do!

    Although I'm mentally already furnishing the house, so I think I know what's going to happen.

    *sigh*

    But yay! Kudos on your house! :D

    Congrats!

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  11. @Pesto Sauce : dude, it's nizamuddin

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  12. Where in Delhi have you found a place with a hearth? Looking at those photos, anybody will feel at home right away. By the way, would it be too much to ask what part of Delhi would your house be?

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  13. just moved to Delhi too. been swimming as well. Was about to blog about it till I heard you would be the next person to get a Diana mini F+ just after me. this asked for a celestial contact through the modes of the internet.

    Parallel lives.

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  14. just discovered your blog and i'm already taken with it. btw your house looks very intriguing. almost like the back of a canvas painting, like its got its own personality and still has space for yours.

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  15. Toshiba Laptops Price List
    It's a beautiful house. and so much space! Seems like you'll be having a lot of fun pottering around.

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