My experience with the story that's writing itself

Okay so I was writing Smitten when one day the Anjana Aaron story formed completely. When i started Smitten i first discovered that a story really writes itself, like many writers have said. In this story that does not have a title yet, I see how it works and am enjoying every bit of it. Apart from the fact that my in laws have hidden my papers now, I've never stopped writing. I do not know what a writer's block is, yet. Because every time I finish a scene and wonder what happens I notice I continue writing another one without realising it. My poems might have deserted me and I'm taking it for good. Because if not, I would not have started writing stories or wanted to publish. I'm so deep into Anjana's life now, I know I'm not going to stop.

The Romantic Who Thought She Hated Romance Part II

Well, I loved Pride and Prejudice and Little Women - if they could be called romance novellas. I loved Medieval European customs and costumes and everything so I liked romances set in that period. I loved romance movies too, but I simply thought that was because of the colors, dresses and music (think Jeans). After I moved to Chennai, I kind of realised that I can't judge people by their likes and dislikes because every individual is unique in a unique way. So I accepted that romance is not a bad thing though I still could not believe in love at first sight. Life continued with me falling in love with one movie or the other, all of them invariably romances, like Jab We Met and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Post marriage, my few ambitions came down to buying a full set of Harry Potter, seriously. Shakthi and her friends were deep into Forks,WA. Yeah, Twilight. I never read them so I was like, 'uh?' when they, especially Shakthi, went, 'aaaahh, Edward'.  A year after college, I happened to see Vinnaithandi Varuvaya. I was not very keen about that movie because I kind of hated Trisha and Simbu (I'm NOT calling him STR, tell him to go break his head somewhere) and Minnale was the only Gautham Menon movie I had liked. But how could I possibly miss the chance of listening to A.R.Rahman once again in all his glory? 

After watching VTV which was not your typical feel good romance with a happy ending, I totally fell in love with the movie - no pun intended - and the genre beyond hope. By luck or the lack of it, I happened to watch the television premiere of Twilight. I never found the Pattinson kid or the Stewart kid that, you know, hot like many people seem to think but that movie got me thinking whether I really hated romance. I was still postponing the confrontation with myself in that matter though, till I laid my hands on a copy of the first book in the neigbourhood library. And yeah, I fell in love with the story too, so much for rolling my eyes at Stephenie Meyer fans. I don't remember how many days I was secretly crying before I controlled myself to read the remaining three. And the I read New Moon and my envy for Bella grew more than I'd've liked. Well, I did want to hang out at the Leaky Cauldron and shop at Diagon Alley but jealousy, for a fictional character! My pretense of hatred for romance was lost within the first few chapters of Twilight and guess what genre I'm writing now? Romance! Yeah, I only wrote stories inspired by my dreams and nightmares but I was never serious about my writings. Now I'm in deep into Smitten, fighting writers' block, lazyness and lack of information. Rereading the finished parts of the story and the notes, I tell myself, 'And I thought I hated romance?' 

If ever I manage to get this five part novel published, I'm thinking of hiding in the closet on the launching till atleast a year is over. So thus ends the story of the romantic who thought she hated romance. Alright, go sleep and forget I ever wrote this.

The Romantic Who Thought She Hated Romance Part 1

Yeah, that's me all right. In the town I come from, what we call child marriage and bigotry are very common. When i say common, i mean that they are part of life that no one thinks of them as wrong or illegal. More often than not, the girl's consent or opinion is never asked. The parents decide and she marries. Thirteen year old mothers, Twelve year old marrying a fifty year old man, widower remarrying a girl who is two-three years older/younger to his oldest grandchild are very common. Well, things are changing for good now, though people say that the girls have gone mad. Why am I giving this intro? Oh yeah.

Now to the story. So in that town like in any other place in this world girls dream of marrying and having children. I have no idea what influenced me, but i was dead against marriages. Those days i was one of the brilliant students in class (mother promise), so the girls who failed would tell me that i was lucky to be a genius (not true, i never mugged, i learnt what i understood and my english was exceptionally good, compared to them) and i haughtily would tell my friends that devouting some time to studying instead of dreaming of marrying rich men would be good for them. After puberty, people invariably asked when i was getting married. My mind was fully in poetry, music, drawing, flying.... you know the kind of things we can only dream about. And when my classmates discussed about their dreams of most fashionable weddings i would bore them by narrating my dream of living in a beautiful island away from civilisation. Slowly i decided that i hated romance and no such thing as love at first sight and soul mate ever existed in real life. Yes, i enjoyed that kind of stuff in books but waiting for my prince charming was insane i thought. I was so sure that i was a non romantic. Boy, did i think wrong!

Hero Worship

Posted on: Aug 16, '07

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Hero Worship!

I was one of the cricket freaks who worshipped Tendulkar and Zaheer.I was one of those who cried their lives out when Kalpana Chawla died.I was one of those who screamed with joy when Sunita Williams went to space. Then I sobered up last week and thought 'OMYGOSH! What's the matter with me?' And after observing people for a week now I think 'OMYGOSH! What's the matter with the nation?' Because I found a billion people hero worship almost everybody in random.Excusing our cricketers (coz that can't be helped) lets move on to the other two people I've mentioned above(just like examples and illustrations in our text books?Sorry can't help it).

Well, Kalpana Chawla-Harrison was an American citizen who worked in 'her' country's most important institution.I wonder what that has to do with India's pride.I don't find the fact that she was Indian-born amazing. Of course, the loss of seven unsuspecting lives is pathetic but it is equally disgusting to find people, even the government, making one of them a hero because they died the way they did.

As for Sunita's case I felt more irritated.Atleast Kalpana was born and brought-up in India. But Sunita is completely American.Ethnicaly she is part Slovenian.She was not too desi.Her mother says that RAM was the only hindi word Sunita could ever write. Sunita was a patriotic American child. She worked in the Defense as she had dreamed. She married a patriotic collegue.What among these made India proud? Nothing, right? So what is the point of "Hail-all-sunita-the-pride-of-india"-ing?

Er...I'm exhausted and forgot all my points so this is it.An incomplete blog.

This also is from fropper

Examz

Posted on: Aug 01, '07

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Examz

It is drizzling here in Chennai and its a really cool climate, except the fact that internal exams are starting tomorrow. I can't understand how things change so drastically. We had just celebrated the Ethnic Day of our college - and had a lot of fun (obviously) - and now when we had just settled down to concentrate on the 'stuff' our lecturers had taught - which we didn't care to concetrate on, (again obviously) - we were told that our internals are on August 2. My God! How can such things happen? Though I'm a second year, I feel like an innocent fresher who finds out that fun is not the only thing in college when she is shocked with the announcement of internal exams. I wonder, when we have only'' three years to enjoy the status of a grown-up adult,why are exams there? They spoil the fun!

This post is from my blog in fropper

My Cricket Connection

DISCLAIMER
ALL THE CHARACTERS AND INCIDENTS IN THIS POST ARE EITHER TRUE OR BASED ON TRUTH. ANY RESEMBLENCE TO PERSONS LIVING OR DEAD IS PURELY INTENTIONAL

I was thinking about this today march 30, 2009 after a brief brush with Jeseena at the NCC grounds. So I decided to post my rather vague thoughts here.

Okay first I’ll be honest with this. I’m a normal Indian, so I’m crazy about this stupid sport, though, half the time I don’t understand how it works (silly point, mid point blah, blah, blah…and what is Power play by the way? They play powerfully only during the power play is it?) And I like Sachin Tendulkar, the great cricketing genius apart from all the others, even though I don’t know half their names. People may talk about Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Vivian Richards and others with or without a ‘Sir’ prefixing their names and even the master blaster is Bradman’s fan it seems. Whatever! But for me, cricket is my religion and Sachin the God. Yes, I love Dhoni too and all the others, right from Javagal Sreenath to the nobody who joined the team a week or so ago. I just can’t hate any cricketer but I’ve had these silly quarrels and frustrations regarding them.

I’ll write about the four cricketers who kept my teenage…well, lively.

The thing is, I guess, I –the silent, innocent, calm, goody-goody girl, am provoked by some stupid fans or a\c’s. It’s one thing liking Chow Chow Ganguly, but how can they say that, that rasagulla gulping stupid prince of Kolkatta is a better cricketer than Sachin? The ‘war’ between us the die hard Sachin Tendulkar fans and Sourav Ganguly’s fans was at its peak during my 10th standard.

I still remember those days. I had just started talking that my classmates said that they had finally got to hear my voice and, believe it or not, I was still sincere in learning – I mean, I actually loved learning. Students appearing for board exams are allowed to sit anywhere around the classroom and learn. So I always chose the pillar outside the classroom because that particular spot is visible from three of the five staff rooms which would be a strong factor against my urge to watch the volleyball and throw ball practices. (Heart attacks anyone?) And always that’s where this bully gang of Ganguly fans comes to confront me. They’d say that Sachin lives in past glory, Sachin is stuck to hospitals, Sachin is not handsome, and Sachin is not consistent. And… Ganguly is handsome (excuse me?!!?!!), Ganguly is the captain; Ganguly is healthy and so on. And I’d be thinking, ‘Captain? My foot! He scored less than the 12th man of the team did okay?’
If India went to the 2003 WC finals it’s because of enga thalaivar’s explosive centuries okay? And anyone who’s sitting idle won’t be hurt enough to go to a doctor. Duh! Of course his wife Dona is chaaaaaaaaaaaarming and his daughter Sana is cuuuuute and his house is biiiiiiiiig but that doesn’t mean you can say that Rasagulla Gulper is greater than the Master Blaster.

Forget cold wars. Do you know which is more exasperating than that? Listening to the love lorn fans’ gibberish. Jam Dabba Dravid is a superb player, The Wall, plays for the team than himself, very sincere – yeah, whatever, and yes I’m happy that he’s ethnically Tamilian. But his fans! Gosh! They are just impossible! He was already 30 when obviously worried Flowery Autumn (O.K I tried to be funny. I meant Jammy’s mommy and daddy) decided to get him married to Dr. Vijeta Pandarkar. I don’t know how she looks or anything else but I, a non-Dravid fan, love her. (C’mon yaar! She’s a cricketer’s wife! How can I not like her?) So when he gets married you’re happy for him, congratulate him through a fan club or something but do you curse him, especially if you had been his hard core fan? Sneha did. You should’ve seen her crying and tearing his blow ups and the album full of ‘Dravid’ian stuff she’s been collecting. Guess what she said? “I was in love with him, I prayed he should play well, I bunked school to watch him play and he marries a stupid doctor from Nagpur?” I was like ,” what?! Hello, he won’t even be aware that you exist!”

This started in my 9th std actually. Look, I love milk okay? I dunno why but I just love milk, curd, lassi, butter I mean I love everything milk. But almost the whole of my class hates milk. Every lunch hour thay come to me and say, ‘you realy like milk? YUCK!” Bust it! I mean, you hate milk? Fine, but I looove milk okay? I almost forgot the incident when three of my friends came to my pillar in 10th std. We were talking about filmi gossip and cricket *surprise*surprise* when suddenly Shammu said, ‘I want to drink milk now’. I was like ‘what?you?milk?’ and Suppu and R said, ‘Me toooooo’
I was sure I had gone mad. I mean these three liking milk? And suddenly Shammu blurts out, ‘No wonder Viru(excuse me?) is soooo handsome (coff, coff) Then they started talking about ‘Viru’ the great. Sehwag should thank his lucky stars that he was not near me then. God, I hate ‘em.

Everything was over when I came to college. Atlest that’s what I thought.

I have no idea how or when Zoo-Abscond-Singh Dhoni came into the picture. I was not much impressed by his 183 and was busy with +2 andcollege admission. Also I had tpld myself that I’m a grown up and should act like one. And my cousin Sudev and Jeseena started ooooDhooooni oooo – ing. And my headache started. Again.

I just have one thing to say, ‘LEAVE ME ALONE, DUDE’

Why I hate IPL

Basically I love sports, even though I don’t understand any of them – including cricket. But I can jump up and down happily if I read about some team or the other (especially Indian) doing well in a tournament. And like all cricket fans – I mean crazily-in-love-with-cricket fans – I too wanted to be the captain of the MEN’S team and “lead them to greater heights”. Ahem. Well, I had so many crazy dreams when I was in school.

My favorite football team used to be Real Madrid. So having read about those highly exciting football matches in Europe and about the County cricket mela in Britain, I thought I’ll up soon (*cough#cough#cough*) and start a big “Bharatiya Sports Mela” (BSM) which will be a perennial tourney with all zonal sports teams competing for the most coveted titles in their respective sport.

I had even decided the names for the zonal teams; Nico Ninjas from Andaman and Nicobar, D(w)eep Sea Devils from Lakshadweep, Saffron Soldiers from Kashmir, The Rajputs from Rajasthan, The Laughing Sardars from Punjab (they’ll have the last laugh it seems aarrghhh), The Assamese Ulfas (rumba overla?) and the Naga Cobras for the whole of North East. I actually have no idea how I came up with these names. I also had named the BSM trophies you know, most of them after my favorite sportspersons. The BSM Sachin Tendulkar Cup for men’s cricket, The BSM Mithali Raj Cup for women’s cricket, The BSM Dhyan Chand Cup for hockey, The BSM Bhaichang Bhutia Cup for football, The BSM K.T.DharmaRaja (my chittappa) Cup for basketball, The BSM Vishwanathan Anand Title for chess, The BSM Leander Paes Cup for tennis, The BSM Jhansi Ki Rani Trophy for women’s fencing, The BSM Prithviraj Chauhan Trophy for men’s fencing, The Raja Raja Chola Cup for water sports and…okay enough. I myself feel like saying, “onakku rumba than di”.

I had such big dreams even before I could finish my 10th std. A couple of years later suddenly some old men came up with this ICL thingy with teams throughout the subcontinent, from Chennai Superstars to Lahore Lions. I was like, “Hello?” The format was my idea okay and these old men simply copy it. Well, yeah, I copied it from the Europeans, but that’s not the problem now. KAPIL DEV STOLE MY IDEA. But then, ICL being a cricket tourney (the sport I love the most) a rebel one at that (I hate the BCCI) I started following it as much as I can (newspapers didn’t give much importance to it) even before the matches started. By the time they did, BCCI endorsed IPL was ready to go. I was like, “What the hell?” I create the BSM in my mind, Kapil Dev comes up with ICL and I accept it because its cricket then immediately this Lalit Modi guy brings in IPL? Hello? But then again IPL being cricket I started singing, “S-U-P-E-R-K-I-N-G-S Idhu Chennai Chennai Super Kings, Namma yellow jersey end rum wins” (Should add more salt in my food)

Actually I loooooooooooooooove the CSK (count the o’s) but I hate IPL. The first edition last year got over with Rajasthan Royals winning and me fuming (Chennai? Runner? Dude, are you kidding me?) This year I’ve decided I’ll hate UPL all my life. We have general elections this summer which is more important than cricket even for me. These BCCI b*****ds take IPL out of the nation because they won’t get the amount of security they want. I’m sure this sent out a very clear message to the world, “India can’t afford a high level security to ‘anyone’. Mumbai incident is because of India’s poor defense mechanism. South Africa had their elections too. In three phases and all of them started after the IPL inaugural. Forget the ‘democracy’ there. Whatever is the case they would’ve provided more security to voting booths than hotels and stadiums. Adha BCCI pothindu ethukkuma? Jharkand took the elections in two phases both of which began after IPL did. So did MSDhoni, the superhero of the nation’s youth vote? Did the others vote? Will they? What about the iconic Dravid and Kumble? Karnataka elections got over when they were in SA.

They chose to ignore their fundamental democratic right. Will they do the same with their other rights? NO! They’ll scream, “As I am a citizen of India…” I know you feel like saying shut up Sahithya, but I have one final thing to say. I HATE IPL.