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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12 April 2021

What I'm Reading


Yes, yes, Kipling is super colonial and there's a certain amount of 🙄 when he talks about the "natives" vs the "good white men" who took over this country. Kipling supported the British rule of India like someone who truly believed in it, mixed into his mother's milk or something. But, but. In these stories, mostly stories of love, there's a point of view given to the Indians who waited on the British, a sympathy, an idea of them as people that I find lacking in his contemporaries. Also this is an India I seldom read about, the days of the Raj, that isn't just beautiful women and soldiers against the background of India as it were. India is in these stories as alive as any of its characters, which I think is his great gift. Have you read The Jungle Books? Actually read them, not just watched the Disney versions? They're among my favourite books of all time, and while some of these stories are a little trite, they still offer the same joy of sharp observation and keen wit. #bookstagram #mrmbookclub #121in2021 #rudyardkipling #plaintalesfromthehills

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