Confessions of a Tall Indian Woman

Disclaimer: I am not an advocate for feminism or women's rights and this post is only a lighter take on Tamil Cinema's treatment of women characters. The definition of feminism is quite clear and if I may quote" The advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes". While this has been misconstrued in so many ways and there is always a false sense of ownership on this subject, my pet peeve is how Tamil movies in general assume they can advocate this in a most bizarre fashion. This post is just my top of my mind recall on few sterotypes of women in Tamil cinema . I had written on corporate stereotyping in movies and this forms a close second in terms of how women are  portrayed in Tamil movies.  Let's play a game of guess who? Long kadhi kurtas or torn jeans with tattoos and nose ring/maybe tongue pierced and most probably riding a bike and sporting a dark almost black lipstick. In most tamil movies, this will be a women  in a media agen...

How many of you have seen this movie in Tamil called 12 B? This movie had an interesting concept of two different ways a situation can evolve? Not always we have the luxury of deciding the outcome but more than once , you can control at least your reaction to the outcome. Sounds like too much gyaan? Here is a simple situation that I faced recently and my reaction to the same. Disclaimer 1: I realized that I had worked on this draft BC ( Before Corona) .It was just interesting to edit , remind myself and post.  I utilize all modes of transport to get back from work. Uber/ola/auto/metro. You name it, I will have the app downloaded and ready to book. Unfortunately not all of these are fool proof and there are certain days when booking a cab is a test of patience. I recently had this experience where multiple cabs were cancelled and finally when I thought this is the one, that cab booked miraculously disappeared from the screen.Just this one time (as you can see am gloating about i...

Farewell and goodbyes are hard. They make you think about the happy times and memories you have created with the people and organization you have been associated with. One thing that got me thinking was this common thread from my high school farewell to my current work one. It was only about the happy moments, the fun, the learning and whatever it is that created an impact. From my school and college farewell I have note books filled with special words outlining the impact I had on others. At work, recently it's been emails and calls with your colleagues and friends and leaders in the organization who definitely will have something nice to say about you. Even if slightly exaggerated it is still a feel good factor. Isn't that what relationships are? Whether it's 12 years or 3 years you have spent, in your own way there is always a positive impact you would have created. Why am I saying this? Because only when there is a goodbye we are able to let go take a step back look at ...

  I am there everyday in your lives. You wake up, smell the coffee and you have to say good morning to me. You have a good day I know, a bad one I know, you want to plan your next holiday I definitely will know. Your schedules appointment's personal commitments are discussed through me and I listen quietly. You have kids then I am even more indispensable for the sanity in your lives. I love it when you share these funny memes and jokes that not all are privy too! Oh yes and I also am super thrilled when you plan that big surprise for someone and I play an integral part of it. It's also nice when you get mushy and send some lovely lines to someone you care about. It's sometimes sad to hear the non stop rant of something that went. wrong. Oh and it's absolutely lovely that I see your most important moments through the pictures you take.   I am your almost permanent connection between everyone in your life. You wanna stay in touch with your family then you turn...

Collaboration is an often quoted word across many situations. Why doesn't the team collaborate? It's an important skill in today's world. Learn from the other team, see how seamless they make this look.  Sounds familiar ?  I couldn't help but notice the similarity and effortless collaboration that starts at our  homes.  Picture this. Our family of four  have our own schedules to run and classes and work meetings to attend. The older daughter is passionate about baking and by the time it's weekend she would have shortlisted the menu for the week. Typically between Monday to Wednesday she will look up recipes and links and ensure,I keep all the ingredients ready.  She very well knows that I  won't like last minute surprises or requests and it obviously becomes difficult to accommodate.Thursday or Friday is usually the baking day. The schedule is such there are small breaks for the kids between classes. She breaks down the baking to smaller portions. Inst...