I caught the viral this week and had been feeling quite under the weather. In the time that was spent predominantly in hiding, I resurfaced to meet the world in anger twice. Once when I heard actor Khushboo in an interview defending stalking in films, going on to say that heroes only pursue women in nice, positive ways. The second time was after reading about actor Geetha who humiliated and threatened to thrash a transman on her Telugu reality show.
Realising that enough was being said about the effects of portraying stalking on cinema, and that scores of people were meting out a deserving response to Geetha and the television channel, I decided to drop the flag for the time being and find solace in self-care.
My idea of self-care is reading and watching things that I’ve been putting off, and getting some sisterhood love. I’m going to admit here that I’m reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the nth time, but this time it’s the newly published edition illustrated by Jim Kay. I don’t need to tell you how great it is.
But on a more important note, I started reading a book that I intended to gift my niece. Gender Talk: Big Hero, Size Zero by Anusha Hariharan and Sowmya Rajendran, beautifully illustrated by Niveditha Subramaniam. It is a refresher on the gender conundrum for some and a quick course on the subject for the uninitiated. It’s a book targeted at teenagers, but we adults will benefit just as much if we lay our hands on it. So yes, I got that done and have Mayil will not be Quiet lined up. Recommended sick-reading list upped by two books.
I also saw the movie inspired from the book, Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It’s a rare film that addresses gaslighting but I won’t suggest it if you are already feeling blue. But Pava by Vaishnavi Sundar more than made up for it. A mere 10-minute watch, it tells the poignant coming-of-age story of a little girl and how the relationship between her and her barber changes as she grows into a young woman. Helmed by a woman, understated in messaging, sensible and subtle — I was so proud of my long time Facebook friend. The film worked better than my mom’s incredibly effective kashayam on my fever.
A convulsive cough was keeping me up at night, and I feebly jumped up in joy when an impromptu Skype conversation was scheduled with a bunch of ‘outspoken women’. A friend recently received flak for an article she wrote, and what started off as a thread on the different outcomes of being an outspoken woman went on to be an honest heart-to-heart talk into the wee hours of the morning. I hadn’t even met most of these women before the session but the stories and experiences brought out how alike we all are. The cough didn’t get out much of my phlegm, but this one conversation definitely lightened up my chest.
To conquer the negativity caused by aforementioned yesteryear actors, I have been shadowing news from the other side of the world. The ‘I Voted’ stickers on Susan B Anthony’s grave and the stories of women born before the 19th Amendment all getting out to vote for Hillary Clinton are the nicest things I’ve heard about the US Presidential Election. By the time you read this, I hope to be back at the grind, thanks to some fabulous feministing and sisterhood solidarity. And yes, America would’ve voted. More on that when I’m my ‘normal flag-waving’ self next week!
(The writer is a Chennai-based activist,in-your-face feminist and a media glutton)