Revathy Rupakula

I just completed watching Paava Kadhaigal. I am in awe, thinking how Kollywood had progressed overtime and trying to bring a change through its stories. It was Raw, Intense and strong. How naturally people blended to their characters. You have to watch it. They were 4 epsiodes of 30 mins each. FABULOUS

Feminist Rani by Shaili Chopra and Meghna Pant I thoroughly enjoyed reading this books. It's an epitome of how Feminism as a perception must be in instilled in our minds. 14 thought provoking conversations revolved around 14 beautiful, boisterous and strong personalities about Feminism. Taught me a lot and indeed provided me a different perception. I learned a lot from this book. Heart touching story was the of Shree Gauri Sawanth , a Transgender activist, she says, "How does it feel for a woman who wears a burquah and gets called Terrorist, that's how it is when a transgender is called a man instead of woman" ~ Amazing conversations, every story and every conversation was beautifully crafted and written to the point. It was lovely to see people from different field coming over and sharing their viewpoints. ~ I feel, There's not a requirement for us to stress on the word "Feminism" actually the right word is "Equalism" unfortunately we live in a patriarchal society and in order to counter the word Patriarchy the word Feminism came up. It's a fight against Men and Women VS The Unfair system. Not Men VS Women. ~ Feminists can also get dresses up and be polite, men can cry, women can laugh harder and dress how they want to, men can also cook, women can also lift weights, men can also dance, women can also ride motorcycles. ~ We cannot be gender specific. Feminism is not a fight for not putting women on pedestal it's a fight for equal access,voice and freedom. ~ Let's take an oath, And stop saying things even as joke to a man when he cries, countering or consoling him by saying, "Don't cry like a girl" or whenever a woman talks loud or sleeps on sofa with cross legged saying "Don't behave like a boy" ~ We need to stop this, it begins from Household, then your Social environment finally the Ecosystem which you are part of, You change, educate others and keep spreading the word. ~ At the end of the day, it is not a Man's world. It's a world where all kinds of gender live with freedom of speech and rights.

Satire and Historical Fiction. I must say it's an honest attempt, trying to blend in the religion,caste, social beliefs and addictions with an added element of satire was great. I did have moments where I was amazed by the writing and how the author tried to craft his sentences for big issues in a very light hearted manner. ~ Story begins off by how a British Gum Company sets up a Chewing Gum Company and is all set to brand it's product by choosing a Cow as it's brand ambassador (to hit the sentiments of the hindus) and attempts to wean off the pan eaters in the city. All set in Calcutta under British Raj System. How the company managed to convince and fell into a big trap is what the story is about. ~ We will eventually discover how Tobacco and Paan products got taxable and how did that impact, as well. A bit drag, maybe a short story was fine, honestly felt it got a bit boring in the middle, but the satire was on point.

I loved this book, when the story started with few of the couplets written by Paul Coelho, I thought this is just another "The Alchemist" but it turned out way too different, I always wondered what's the hippe culture and what makes someone a hippie, this book gave me a complete picture, and what prejudices we hold about certain people and how we end up misunderstanding people just because they don't follow the mainstream culture and way of living. ~ The way author pens down his experiences is laudable, many were taken aback when they got to know this side of Paul Coelho but, I really loved the way he was honest with his writing and how he actually lived, Just because we don't like a certain culture/way of living/gender/sexual orientation that doesn't mean the rest are wrong and bad. If we can't love a certain way of living/culture/gender/sexual orientation we can at least accept it and not think much, You either love it or accept it, but you just don't have any kind of right to criticise or hate it. ~ The same I would like to put out for those who face constant bullying because of their Body, Gender, Religion, Status, Culture, Fashion or anything. It's always easy to judge people, instead of judging, this time try thinking what's good about them and accept it. If you can't make someone's day it's okay, but don't ruin someone's day. ~ The quote that moved me, "May God give you, For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, A faithful friend to share, For every sigh, a sweet song, And an answer for each prayer" Everything and everybody is the same; this is the mystery and the end