Some Mistakes that…

On a Saturday afternoon, kids are asleep(finally!), better half is resting and woohoo! i am finally free to do my stuff. That’s where it all started, my stuff always means read a book or watch a movie or snooze. Strictly in that order. So there i want to read a book, the hunt begins in my house and i finally get my hand on this book ‘Mistakes like Love and Sex’ by an Indian author Madhuri Banerjee.

The book cover is pretty enticing and promises all kinds of things inside. Well truly speaking the first two pages is all that…sex. It is pretty graphic and not all that enamoring.

However braving those i read on hoping that there is a story or some interesting character within the pages. The story is a slow start and is all about this woman called Kaveri. Kaveri is in her thirties and is looking for that one relationship which would anchor her and give her a direction in her life.

In the process of finding that love she encounters many men, the story is all about her relationships with these men. Thankfully (detailed) love-making scenes are limited and the story progresses well. The character is woven in such a manner that all woman in their thirties would probably relate to her experiences, joys and difficulties at some level. The dialogues are witty at times and we, the womenfolk would have heard certain punch lines at some point in our lives.

So Kaveri is unsure of her career path, unsure of the men in her lives, and is under pressure from within and without to settle down. Her journey starts from Barcelona, stays stationed in Mumbai and at some points travels to Bangalore.

The synopsis given at the back of the book more or less tells the entire story so there is not much element of discovery in the plot. However the story is lucid, free-flowing and at times funny.

I won’t say the book is gripping it is however an easy read and is a good entertainer. The characters have their specific traits but all are kith and kin to the Bollywood world. The best part of the book is that it is more or less like a narration and does not create characters to judge the protagonist and her actions. However at times the mistakes that Kaveri indulges in, seems quite senseless considering her experiences and her maturity level. Like making out with an acclaimed actor and then going and blabbering that to his co-star. I think the author should not take the reader to be so shallow.

So there enough said, if you want some quiet, inexpensive, entertainment grab a copy of this book and relax on your couch.

I am a Girl!

I live in India!One of the biggest democracies of the world, a cultural melting pot and a country bursting with population. I am educated and financially independent. However i am a woman! Now, you may wonder what is the need to state that?

India as of today stands to be one of the most unsafe places for the girl, child or woman. The current sex ratio pegs 940 girls to every 1000 boys. The crime bureau states that among all the crimes happening in the country, violent crimes against women is on the rise.

Grim, wouldn’t you agree. But who cares? No one, we pay taxes, elect our leaders, choose to educate ourselves, make ourselves financially independent, contribute to the society but our safety is not of any importance to anyone, people in power or the society at large.

The thinking of the masses, the media and people all around you evoke the need for the girl to be ‘settled’ and by that it means to ‘get married’. people believe that is the only way to ensure security of the girl. What is the substance behind it? There you have got a man, a bodyguard to take care of you 24 by 7. You have also become someone else’s sex object so you’re not available. Wow!

Interesting don’t you think, that a woman does not even have the right to decide when she should get married? We girls i believe, have all passed through the stages when nosy neighbors and over powering relatives constantly prod to know the ‘date for your marriage’.

As rape cases, eve-teasing, domestic violence does not abate we the girls live in constant fear.

The television channels these days are replete with crime series whether it’s ‘Crime Patrol’ on Sony or ‘ India fights back’ on Life Ok or ‘Shaitaan-the criminal mind’ on Colors. The episodes , and i have not watched a lot, but whichever i see is mostly crime perpetrated towards a girl.

Today as a mother of another girl, i fear for her safety, i fear for her future in this country. I do not want her to be forced to make a decision because we could not ensure her modesty and her freedom, in every sense.

We are fighting garbage issues, lokpal bill and everything under the sun i guess the battle to ensure the safety of the girl is now in our hands.

Come on girls let us be strong, and fight back as nobody there is going to guarantee you the basic choice of life ……the choice to be YOU.

Inside the walls

Myrah yearned for a house of her own. After spending a lifetime in rented accommodations, she desired to have a place of her own.

Leafing through the weekly property supplements that arrived with the daily newspaper she would visualize her house done up with similar interiors. Myrah would spend her time browsing through furniture and lifestyle stores.

Then the day arrived when Myrah was finally able to buy a house of her own. It was all that she wanted but on a smaller scale. Myrah had a large family. However she was very happy and within her limited budget she did up her new place.

After a big housewarming party Myrah and her family moved in. Days flew by and soon it was 5 years since she had moved into her own house. The house was inside a big gated community and she could get all her basic household goods without stepping outside the community. With a large family to look after she hardly had the time to step out.

After the housewarming party, Myrah and her family had never celebrated that special day but Myrah always remembered it and never missed to do something special on that day.

So the fifth anniversary was approaching and Myrah was keen to celebrate it in style with her entire family. She made grand plans and conveyed the same to her family, her children were excited and everyone eagerly awaited that day.

The day dawned bright and clear and being a weekday everybody went their own way, office and school. The dinner was planned at a famous restaurant and the timing was such that it was expected that everyone would be at home by then.

In the evening everybody got into their best and nicest clothes to celebrate the day. The dinner was scheduled at 8 in the evening. All ready, Myrah and her children awaited the return of her husband. The clock ticked away and there was no sign of him. Finally Myrah called up and after a few tries when she got through, all she received was that he was tied up in meetings and had clearly forgotten about the dinner.

Frustration flickered past Myrah’s face as she realized that not only was dinner cancelled, she also had to face her children who were still unaware.

Her memory raced past to a previous event. She was newly married and had got out from her office one day to find her husband parked outside the building holding a big bouquet of flowers and balancing a cake in his other hand. She was overwhelmed. Those days they lived in a dreary, rented apartment, had no car but yes had lots of time for each other.

The house came with its price. The price was their time with each other. The price was a list of cancelled family outings.The price was the children’s disappointment, for the moment. However the biggest price was loneliness, confined within the walls of the house.

Myrah recalled words of wisdom said many years ago by her husband as she had hankered for a house of her own ‘Everything comes for a price, there are no free lunches, baby!’