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A month into Iran

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

One month ago, on the dark, cold, wintry morning of 8th November, I reached Tehran. It's been three weeks since I returned to India, but even today, when I'm in the middle of something else, my mind flashes images of my trip to Iran. Like the green cotton stole I used as a hijab to cover my head. Those few days after returning to India when my hand would automatically reach the back of my head to pull my sliding hijab back up. Walking around the bus stop in Yazd, wondering what to eat or drink: ...

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Remember this week

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

For how suddenly winter set in in Delhi. The smog, the chills, the fans being switched off.  For the awkward coexistence of high-pitched excitement about Iran and the sense that it's still distant (although it's not!) For being 30 for a month (and it doesn't feel any different)  For discovering that the Mt. Fuji puzzle that I'd thought had gone for recycling with newspapers was, in fact, safe at home - enough to make me jump with joy  For some promises that I will get to do something ...

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How I've listened to music: From the 90s to today

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

After reading a tweet from @_curses mentioning Tu Bin Bataye, I suddenly craved to listen to Rang De Basanti. Searched on iTunes, wondering if I'd saved the songs on my system - they were on a CD that I'd bought at Landmark - my first with my own money from a research stipend or something. I dumped the CDs (Rang De Basanti, Yuvraaj and many others) last year after holding on to them for years, moving house to house - there is something dear to cassettes and CDs that mp3s just don't give. Anyway, ...

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My 90s memory and other embarrassing things

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

Out of sheer nostalgia, I played 'Poovukkul Olinthirukkum' from Jeans on YouTube while having dinner. I nearly choked on the dry roti when I realised I remembered every step, every outfit, every change of scene in the song. And then went on to 'Hai Ra Hai Rabba'. Repeat. By the time I came to 'Anbe Anbe Kollathey', I knew I wouldn't be surprised. Of course I remembered it all - her clothes, the colours, the steps, the way Prashanth bloody lip-syncs along. It was hilarious... and embarrassing. ...

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On beauty – 1

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

 During my university years, someone said “Beauty X brains is a constant.” That is, you (a woman) can’t be both exceedingly beautiful and super intelligent. While we can get into discussions on what these two terms mean, I can tell the person who made this statement that beauty – at least in the sense of dressing up – requires intelligence. A LOT of it. Having spent the last twenty minutes of my time trying to force a stud into one of my ear piercings (only to realize I was turning ...

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Amma said I can go by myself

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

This morning, I woke up convinced that I was going on a much-awaited trip... until I realized that it was a dream and my much-awaited trip was cancelled last week due to the Jat agitations and road/railway blocks. For a few disoriented moments, I sat up on the bed staring at the bag I had packed for this trip (that I still haven't had the heart to unpack). This would have been my second solo trip, and the month of February has gone by without me stepping out of Delhi/NCR (blasphemy, in the ...

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On baring it all

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

Managed my 'Pakkathaathu Ponnu' post-of-the-week on the last day of the week! I also wonder if  I should rethink the 500-word limit. I always seem to have a lot to say and cutting down on my typical way of writing doesn't seem fair. Let's see what next week brings!  Yesterday, I chanced upon The Guilty Feminist podcasts, in which the first episode was on a ‘nu6ity challenge’ that the hosts took up, where they went in the nu#e someplace and posed for people to sketch or photograph. As ...

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Not-in-the-house

posted on , by Vani Viswanathan

For some background to what Pakkathaathu Ponnu means, see this. Growing up, nothing quite infuriated me more than the words “aathula illa”, literally “she’s out”, an annoying euphemism for being on your period. My grandma would generously “warn” folks visiting us about my "condition", lest they unknowingly touch me, while I would be quietly seething with anger in a corner of the house. In case you’re lucky enough to not know what I’m talking about, many families believe that menstruating ...

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