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



Sign up for my newsletter: The Internet Personified

30 August 2011

M to the I to the S-C-E-L-L-A-N-Y

>  Since my last post on  the subject, I've gone actively in search of the Sunday morning. And, I'm happy to tell you guys that it does exist. No one person in particular, at the moment, but potential abounds, and that's  better than  nothing. Man, I love dating. I know I said I hated it, but woman is a fickle creature, and there's something about the thrill of a text message in the wee hours, or a Facebook friend request, or just thinking about something you said to the other person and it making you smile. I'm steeling myself against inevitable heartbreak, because there is always heartbreak at the end of these things, and trying to just enjoy the moment. I'm not much of an Enjoy The Moment kinda gal, but hey, it's a useful skill to have. I don't know if it's the yoga I've been doing, or the company I've been keeping, but I have never felt so confident in  my ENTIRE LIFE. It's brilliant. I think the only thing that kept me from enjoying dating-dating in the past, when you're not sure, and no one is your "boyfriend", is that I used to keep fast forwarding, reaching the point of no return vis a vis expectations, and then there is always disappointment. Potential is good, it keeps my stomach a-flutter and my evenings interesting. I'm allowing myself to admit that I don't have the answers; maybe no one does, but it doesn't mean I can't have fun.

>In all this, I had a minor epiphany the other day. I've actually forgotten JC's face. I'm sure if I tried hard enough, I could conjure it up, but he is no longer the person I think about with wistful longing, suddenly recalling an expression that would bring me, in the midst of a crowded party, almost to tears. "We almost had it all", yeah, but, we didn't. And I guess my healing process is complete.

>Reclaiming Delhi like the Brits did Bandra, I've been eM Fancypants this last weekend, swishing about to trendy art openings and even trendier night clubs. Shalom is still going strong, did you know? They have one floor which is smoking, always a comfort to me, and is always packed on the weekends. Wonderfully serendipitous weekend as well, when I turned up at Shalom and found my "gang" from college all there, all happy, and we hadn't managed to get it together and hang out for so long, all four of us were just lost in the wonder of it all. "We're all here!" we kept saying, there were hugs and exclamations, and it was nice. The night prior, I went to a club I hadn't even heard about before*, something called Circa 1193 (Circa to regulars) and there too, I bumped into a bunch of random people. I don't know if Delhi nightlife is the nightlife for me, to be honest,  but it was nice to get out of my comfort zone for a bit. Staggered home after SEVEN glasses of red wine and TEQUILA, oh god, why do I ever drink tequila? Why is it always such a good idea at two in the morning? And the next day, of course, I paid the price, but it was still quite nice to be drunk in a place where the music was loud and my heels reduced my feet to numb blobs. Nothing like that to make you feel young and stupid again , even though I'm pretty sure I prefer being old and wise.

*ever since I've moved to Delhi, weekends have been all house party all the time, so it's what I've gotten used to. Small gatherings, usually BYOB, and usually the same people. It means heels are optional, and there's always a couch for me to sit on, and always a cab just a phone call away. Clubs, for this older Confessor, have ceased to be a thing, unless I'm in Bombay. Then, all bets are off.

> This has also been a week of goodbyes, BB has departed for another hemisphere, and even though we're  no longer in the same city, we were online usually at the same time, so we managed to keep an all day long chat session going. Now that we're in different time zones, however, I'm lucky I have my insomnia to keep me awake while she's up and about too. We've also committed to a Skype date every now and then, so yes,  goodbyes aren't as painful as they used to be. It's a small world, and everything is just a plane trip away.

> I've just found out another dear friend ties the knot in November, bringing the grand total for weddings in that month up to THREE, and none being weddings I can skip. The universe has aligned magically though, because none of the dates are clashing. I foresee a month long hangover in November and mehendi hands probably all the way till January.

> Since moving to Delhi, I had to restructure and reshape my social circle a little bit, and a lot of it was starting from scratch. But now, I'm happy to announce, I've finally got the "new friends" bit sorted and organised and I have GIRL FRIENDS, you guys! Thanks to growing up here, I don't lack for good, close, girlfriends, but making new ones is always tough, so I'm happy that I found a few I really like, and meet regularly. Also, at parties, I'm the girl who flirts with other girls, and exchanges numbers and arranges to meet within the week, and it's awesome, it really is. Boys may come and boys may go, but a good support system (much like a bra) is forever. It's odd though, because if you put me in a room with a mixed group of strangers, I'd probably get along better with the boys, but when it comes to close friendships, I usually prefer the company of women.

7 comments:

  1. "Boys may come and boys may go, but a good support system (much like a bra) is forever."

    Couldnt agree more. and enjoy the dating phase; it's the best as long as you can stay away from the bitch called "overcommitting yourself" which is why i no longer date :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. :) This is such a feel good post! :)

    I love my Girlfriends too. They're always there when you want to do something crazy! Mine are the kind who'd go dancing if one of us is low, and make sure we have the best time ever!

    Also, you've one new place to visit, now that BB has gone somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's surprising that you prefer the company of women, most dont...they feel its too competitive.

    Also, as I'm growing older, I'm hating the marriage season!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I prefer to be with the guys (who are not interested in anything else but friendship), though coz they are less judgmental about...well, almost everything. =)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your blog is very good. I will return often to visit!

    Andrew.

    www.andrewmagalhaes.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Please write more frequently eM. You are one very important source of gossip for me ;)

    http://shveta-pollyanna.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Meenakshi, I have to say that I'm hooked! Your blog is fantastic (and this is not empty flattering). You write about so many things that I also think of way too much. It was very nice meeting you yesterday and I hope to see you soon!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your feedback! It'll be published once I approve it. Inflammatory/abusive comments will not be posted. Please play nice.