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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17 November 2008

And the skies are not cloudy all day-ay-ay

Wow, I so need a hobby. Painting? Sculpture? Kickboxing? The freelance world is excellent, but it means I have a lot of extra time on my hands and not much to do with it, except, well, write. And when you write for a living, it kinda stops being a hobby.

Today's post is for BB, who sits far away in the United States, after abandoning me to wander the streets of Bombay all on my own. Sigh. I have nothing to doooooooooo anymore. Technically, and on paper, I have a fabulous life. I have no worries on a Monday morning, I just got my first royalty cheque, so I have quite a bit of money, I have a steady boyfriend who is lovely and sweet AND I have access to all the Babysitter's Club books, so I've been doing plenty of reading. It's just, I dunno, I feel the need to make some new friends, meet some new people, be excited a little more. Why is it so hard to make new friends these days? There was a time when it came so easily to me.

JC and I are going to be making our first trip together (if you don't count the distastorous trip to Manori, which I certainly don't.) We're going to Delhi on Saturday, and I'm over the moon with excitement. For one thing, I love, love, LOVE Delhi in the winter time. I love the idea of wearing jackets and feeling the nip in the air and smelling familiar winter smells. I'm always so homesick this time of the year. Somehow, though, when I imagine Delhi in the winter, I'm taken back to college, where I can just see the four of us pouring out of the gate, faces upturned towards winter sunshine, some of us with our sweaters taken off and tied around our waists, the weekend stretching gloriously in front of us. I know it's been close to six years since I got out of college, but that's the image that always stays with me. There used to be this place, very close to college, called Cals By The Bay, a low calorie joint which was trying (unsuccesfully) to be competition for the Big Chill, across the road. One winter morning, me and Pieces and Puja went there for breakfast, right after our nine am class and I ordered some kind of lemon grass soup. (This next bit is kinda gross, so if you're squeamish, you should skip ahead) Anyhoo, so we got back to campus, and I really had to pee, and all I had eaten was this soup and I kid you not, my pee smelled exactly like lemons. And it was so cold, steam started coming out of it. Ick. I don't know why that's the memory I chose to (over)share with you today, but it was a funny moment.

Another reason I'm really looking forward to JC coming home with me, is that I really want him to know what "my" city is like. Give him some context. Introduce him to people I have known for years and years. Show him where I went to school and make him sleep in my adolescent bedroom where the pillows still make you dream yearning adolescent dreams. Of course, I'm going to have to sleep in a separate bedroom (sigh), but I think we can manage to have minimal contact for a week or so. Plus, I'm taking him up to Agra to see the Taj. I've been there so often, I think I could do the guidebook patter on my own now.

I don't think he's tremendously excited about it--he's heard bad things about Delhi, plus a couple of weeks of knowing only me is making him a little bit nervous--but he's willing to try the city out. Which is why I'm also glad we're going now, when it's at its best. And he's also quite kicked that he gets to take along his leather jacket which he's barely worn. I'll wear my lipstick red leather jacket too, and then we can be all biker couple-y. Come Friday, and we've been dating six months. Can you believe it? I certainly can't. It either seems like we've only known each other a week or two or that we've been dating FOREVER. But six months is a nice, respectable amount of time, and a conservative amount to meet the fam. (And by 'fam' I also mean Leela and Hobo and Samit and Iggy and all the rest of my circle of friends.)

Yesterday, we went to this guy's house to watch people spinning fire. There's apparently this Facebook group called 'Poi Mumbai', and people get together every week to work on their skills. Here are a couple of links which will explain it better than I can. JC is into the fire spinning, but he prefers to do it with a staff, lighted on both ends rather than a ball. You know who else was into the whole thing? Volt, that's who. Whose house we went to the other day and where I had an epiphany. I do indeed have a type. They both liked the same music, both had crazy-ish hair, both did the fire spinning, I was quite surprised. JC is quite good at twirling around the staff (that DOES sound suggestive, no?), leaving me amazed. I'm not only terrified of fire, I'm also hugely uncoordinated. Well, still, it was quite a turn on to watch. I love my men all skillful!

After the spinning, we went next door to a restaurant called Penne for dinner (and as I'm writing this, I remember I have some left over pasta in the fridge and instead I had a fried egg with roti for lunch. Damn.) My royalty cheque just came in, so I thought we'd celebrate our anniversary a week early. We had a lovely dinner, it's nice to know you can still make conversation with someone even if you do see them all day, every day. I guess it's the sign of a healthy relationship and if we are going to be together forever, as I suspect we might, it's nice to know we can still make each other laugh.

Anyway, BB and all the rest of you, that's all the updates that I can think of, this week. Ira and I have done our Goa bookings for New Years, we're going to be there for a whole week! And our resort has a pool! And wifi! (Which I am very geekily super excited about). Plus it's my birthday soon (Sagittarius, NOT Capricorn or Cancer, sorry to the readers who attempted a guess!) and I'm planning a very fun party. It's on a Saturday this year, so I can do a full on weekend celebration. No deets till I figure out how I'm going to manage it, but I'd really, really like to have a karaoke party. Thoughts? Suggestions? I'd love your help.

36 comments:

  1. First, congrats on you semi-versary.. er.. you get what I mean.
    And as if I wasn't jealous enough of this whole freelancing world of yours(I'm an enslaved techie BTW), you go ahead and inform us about your ONE week Goa trip during the New Year's!
    And guess what, I'm a Sagi too with my Birthday on a Sunday, so I guess that endears you more to me now.. I'm VERY partial to Sagis!
    Heheh.. yenjoy your trip and keep us posted.

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  2. Wow.. I just realized I'm the first one to comment! It's never happened to me before, so I'll say what others usually do when they come first in commenting-
    'Gold!'
    :D

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  3. tooooo much info with the steaming lemon pee, but then again... isn't that what the world loves? (the TMI, not the pee)
    Karaoke at soulfry (which is a good idea if u like seafood), jazz, merlin (at the orchid i think).
    6 months is awesome... congrats.

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  4. P.S. ask Sammy about kickboxing. she used to go somewhere in Bandra.

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  5. the cheapest would be to download the a kareoke player and some .midi or .kar tracks..there are lots of oldies and 80's stuff available and play it on your laptop. Either hire or borrow an amp and a mike and hook it up to the laptop, if you have a projector, great or else you could just connect it to your tv, whatever works for you!

    i could send you some links if u want, let me know

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  6. you should have a 'whores and priests costume party'..! i saw it in briget jone's diary n it looks like super fun!

    i had given the idea to my best friend for his party.. but he being the prude that he is, my humble request lay unfulfilled.. please to be doing whores n persist! whoaa.. that sound wrong.. but u get my drift don't u?

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  7. Goa should be full on fun for New Years...although it will be overcrowded...I'm there too this year finally after making plans for like 4 years finally I am going to be in Goa for New Years!!

    Have a wonderful trip to 'you city' :P with JC

    There's a karaoke place somewhere in Juhu which is also good...although I don't recollect the name now...sorry not too helpful!

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  8. happy half-anniversary. :P to you and JC.
    the steaming lemon pee was hilarious!

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  9. You should have a pyjama party..ie., dress code is pyjamas..its very nice and cosy..plus..u dont have to worry about getting dressed up..u know the usual confusion of what to wear and what not to! Get some music that would be gentle for the ears, some booze and food thats not too heavy..and Lo! u have a nice, quite and enjoyable bday party :)
    And my Bday wishes to u..saggi..

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  10. congrats on the 6-month anniversary! im a long time lurker around ur blog...love reading it...

    delurking to ask you: where did u find the entire babysitters club online?? i remember you mentioning it in some post earlier but cant find which one...pls help!

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  11. oh have your birthday year dictate the 'theme'...dress code, music, what was 'the' thing to eat, the drink of the year...

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  12. Congrats on the 6 month anniversary! And i also have the same question - where did u find the BSC books online? Pl share the link. Thanks!

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  13. "steaming lemon pee" - hahahahaha... hahahahaha :D
    @beatnik - ditto on the enslaved techie :(
    me a saggi too... and guess where I will be celebrating my bday??
    ???
    .
    .
    .
    JAKARTA!!!
    err..... lemme clarify.... (at office in ) JAKARTA!!! :(


    Wish all of you saggis a happy hic-y bday!!

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  14. I used to wonder what Cals By The Bay meant.Thanx for clarifying after 5 years...Btw Its Closed Now..

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  15. Btw you're not the only one who is finding it not very easy to make new friends!!! Suddenly after being out of school (grad school i.e.), and moving to a new city it's the same feeling i have too :)

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  16. BB gets all the love and adulation cause she is away!

    You will miss me when I am gone :P

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  17. advance wishes for both -anniver....and birthday-

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  18. hey...

    I agree with beatnik..on being partial to fellow sagittarians and well my birthday is falling on a saturday too this year...
    This is the first time ve commented on ur blog...

    btw 6 months in quite a thing :-) wishes for ya

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  19. Have been following your blog after i read your book ... which was nice... I agree when you say its difficult to make friends after a certain age... im going through that and completely understand... infact after a certain age you kind of again become closer to people who knew when you were young !!!

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  20. Dear Em,

    I read an excerptor from your book, unfortunately couldn't get the book itself as the day it was out I was flying out of India and desperately searched for it at the airport bookstalls unsuceedingly!

    But I must say this- the bit about having sex with someone...doesn't mean you are connected..' -
    its so bloody true! Reading it was like facing my denials on paper!

    .....meanwhile have fun in Goa!

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  21. hey EM...
    how can I contact u??
    This is regarding an inter-collegiate event, coming really soon and I was wondering if u could judge a literary event for us...
    The way u write is superb! U dont see me typing in a lot here, but eh, I am reading stuff!
    Let me know if u can help me with it.
    Thanks. Keep coming up with more...


    www.nainsm.blogspot.com

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  22. hey there!!!

    I'm a regular reader of ur post, but I nthink m posting a comment for the first time. U have an awesome blog up here. I went back and read ALL of ur posts. And read ur book too.A really cool one it is. Very sweet and candid. I tend to think m a lot like u too:), juts that I dont belong to a big city, so yeah there are differences too. U keep working girl! Great show :)

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  23. that bit of friends is sooo true... u cant make them after a certain age.. First of all u need to invest a lotta time n energy into relationships.. and nobody seems to have it.. Priorities chamge as u grow older!!

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  24. so primarily you just want to show off the new boy to old people foes gal pals ! very satc

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  25. FINALLY got round to reading your blog and love it :)

    Cheers !

    Pranaadhika

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  26. in the whole blog, I could make jst 2 things...u r from Delhi...U r in love...

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  27. Hey there. I'm a long time reader. Hope you and your friends are ok - I've been watching reports of the terrorism casualties as they unfold and I've been freaking out. This is fucking insane.

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  28. hey... no posts in such a looooong time!! where r u???
    have u been watching the news? all ok?

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  29. hey. just delurking to ask whether you are okay and all? you ARE, right?

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  30. hello all, in delhi and NO internet access except limited time cyber cafe experiences. yes, i'm safe and so are my friends, and i hope you've been as lucky. long update as soon as the mtnl guys get off their asses and fix my internet connection!
    love
    eM

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  31. hey eM, good to know u are safe in Delhi.
    Was wondering if u would be interested to judge a literary event in an inter collegiate fest in Mumbai, the first week of december?>
    please do try and reply!

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  32. glad ur okay and far far away..stay there until the dust settles..is JC with u?

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