Dipali and Pallavi tagged me to list at least ten things I have wanted or done which my gender is not supposed to. Being not just A woman, but an Indian woman, seriously influenced by Hindi cinema, I thought that I am:
sadly none of this, whatsoever, no grace, no dancing skills, no utterly, utterly breath-taking beauty.
but maybe, a little bit of this – a little oomph, a bit of a pout, and lots of twists. Also not afraid of dancing in a crowd.
I’d like to claim I’m none of this, but the truth is I can be quite weepy, and clingy, and self-pitying, on a gloomy day.
but I can also be brazen, and tough, and intelligent
And shrewish, and demanding, and spoilt
Flirtatious, and a tease
And while I’m nowhere near physically as strong or able like her, this is what I’d like most to be.
I’m certainly not this – angry at the world, and very, very male chauvinistic
But yes, a little bit of this – a drifter and a dreamer
and a little bit of this – stoic and dignified
and a lot of that – envious, mean, bad, and can go a long way to get what I want. Though what I want is not necessarily good for me, or the universe.
I tag Memsaab, Shweta, Rum, Filmi Geek, Dusted Off, Antara, Shankari, Bollyviewer, Indie Quill, Priya, Aquatic Static and Sharmi
Fantastic take on this subject, Batul :))
🙂 thanks, pushpee
Ooh this is a tough, but good tag. This is going to take some thinking- thanks for the challange! You post is so perfect though-and its rather super to have a Bindu/Nadira/Dev/Pran inner self I think- SO fun!
Shweta, can’t wait to see your post.
Thanks Banno. The post is quite unique too. 🙂
thanks, Sharmi.
Love love love this post. (incidentally, I started working on a blog post last night about what it means to be woman in this country, with my privileges, notions of feminism etc. It was turning out to be rubbish so I didn’t publish it…now you have given me lots to think about).
🙂 good.
Banno, this was just fabulous! What an awesome take this is:) Can’t stop grinning:):):):):)
Thanks, Dipali. 🙂
Loved your take on that, Banno! (and it got me thinking, too…)
rubbing my hands in anticipation of your post, dustedoff. 🙂
banno badi hai mast mast….
:), surabhi
Lovely Post, i love the way you’ve aligned the pictures to each of your points
No, no, bollywooddeewana, cannot claim to be clever. It’s just the setting on my template, and I liked the way it came up in the preview. 🙂
Dear lord, I don’t even know where to begin in my lack of womanly arts 😀 But I will try.
It’s going to be fun reading, Memsaab. 🙂
Don’t know how fun it is, but it’s up!!!!!
thanks, Memsaab. will go look.
There! Mine is up! Yours is so much more elegant and feminine than mine 😦
Your list is cool, I like strides, and firm handshakes, broad smiles and loud laughters. And I like women who break age-old traditional rules that make no human sense. 🙂
Love your post! And I am SO GLAD that there is no AB in you but there is Balraj Sahni! 🙂
Off to think about my choices, now.
Bollyviewer, want to see your choices. 🙂 No, definitely no AB. I wanted to add Balraj Sahni’s smile too, but that would be presumptuous. 🙂
WOW! Loved the way you have done this!!
“angry at the world, and very, very male chauvinistic” I agree and I have blogged about Amitabh Bachchan too, in one movie he is a police officer and tells Zeenat Aman, who complains against an eve teaser (street sexual molester) “If you wear such clothes, what else do you expect to hear if not whistles? Temple bells?”
She asks, “What’s wrong with these clothes?”
And he says, “Bahut kam hain” I am sure any street sexual molester who hears this dialogue must think Taliban is doing a service to the society by protecting it from such badly dressed women.
Yes, I remember that. In ‘Laawaris’, I think. Done just for ceetis, but so, so base.
It’s from Dostaana! I luv that conversation. I blew a ceeti myself while watching the movie 🙂
Yes, you’re right. It’s from ‘Dostana’, but I think something similar happened in ‘Lawaris’ too with the same actors. 🙂
VERY well done! Succinct and evocative and thought-provoking!
thanks, Beth. 🙂
LOL Such a fun take! Love the idea of you as Hunterwali. 🙂
I love the idea too. Wish it had the remotest possibility of being true. 😦
My confessions are up too, finally!
Good, good. Will go look.
somehow as i read each word I realised that is exactly what I imagine you as being
:), mad momma
Came here through bollyviewer’s post…I luv ur take on it. After reading bollyviewer’s post and urs, I’m getting inspired too 🙂