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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29 December 2012

Eulogy for Girl X

Feminism is not a dirty word.

Feminism means you either have a vagina and believe that doesn't make you inferior or you know someone with a vagina and believe they're not inferior.

A vagina is not an invitation.

Your body is not an invitation. In fact, it's members-only and the members are whoever you'd like them to be.

That means you can still take pride in your long legs, your shapely calves.

You can love your high breasts, your slightly low but large ones. You can wear flattering necklines. You can accentuate your waist, or your butt, or your boobs. All totally your call.

You can choose to let the person who gives you tingles rest their hand on your knee. You can let them make love to you or make love to them. You can kiss them in the back of an auto rickshaw till you're both cross eyed with desire.

People might look at you. Chances are, that they will. Don't let that stop you. Looks can't hurt you.

Wear your body like a banner. Let your vagina be a badge of merit. Sure, you can only pee sitting down, but you have magical things going on over there.

The human body is a wonderful thing. All of it. Innies or outies.

If someone grabs you, don't go along with them because you don't want to make a scene. Make sure everyone knows your body is YOUR body. You give it pleasure, you feed it, you nurture it. Your body belongs to you.

If someone grabs you, yell. If someone lays a hand on your beautiful members-only breasts, tell them your breasts are your own. It might need a little knee to the groin to get this message across, but you are only to be admired from a distance.

You are a feminist, not because you hate men, but because you love women. You are a woman who believes in equal rights--including walking down the street in that fuck-off red dress--you are a man who thinks women can walk down the street doing whatever they like, as long as they're not harming anyone else.

You will not be raped today.

14 comments:

  1. No means no and yes means yes. Feminism apart, how hard is that for people to understand?

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  2. Kind of relieved reading this.It's been noticed sometimes now we women find it accusing to be called as 'feminists'.Which means the cliched labels of 'men haters' and 'spoiled ones' would have affected many.I am so PROUD Em,I am a feminist and a woman who execute my right to 'select' who is the eligible partner for me..

    Fail to understand why many who consider women as an object of pleasure still 'write','tweet','act' tactfully to please the crowd.Be yourself,think for yourself ,since all of them have a mask..

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  3. Every boy should grow up reading this, so he doesn't even have the slightest tendency to turn into a monster!

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  4. Feminism is a joke. Feminism produces disgruntled women who do not have happy families or men who love them.

    Your post isn't in line with the original feminist agenda though, so I'm not sure you know what a feminist it.

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  5. I love vagina, but only the kind that's warm and welcoming!

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  6. @Anon who thinks Feminism is a joke:

    Get a life.

    @eM:
    That's a beautiful eulogy.


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  7. Yes. Yes. Yes. We should have an anthem, even being able to say the word "vagina" without having to look around will be a form of empowerment.

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  8. You know I must confess I don't know what feminism really is about and what it means but your using the word vagina is so off-putting that I just wouldn't trust you to know what feminism is if at all it is something and something good

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