Female Characters in Marathi Theatre

 Saw a program that had excerpts from 4 plays on the theme of Women in Marathi Theatre, called Tee (She in Marathi). Plays written by the likes of Vijay Tendulkar, Sai Paranjpye and Ratnakar Matkari. Pic from one of them, below. Starred Suhita Thatte-

There was also a lively performance of Mulgi Jhaali Ho, a freestyle street play about why the girl child is important, intended to spread awareness in a society that favoured the Male Child, written many years ago, and performed in all corners of Maharashtra, and translated as well. The highlight was the writer, 75 or so, performing on stage!

Here's are 2 pics from their act- 

The author of Mulgi Jhaali Ho is in green, with her troupe.

Women's Day- Women in the Family

 I have so many women in the family that I may have lost count. Cousins, sister, daughters, wife and spouses of cousins, nieces.. you get the picture. Here are some of them, remembered again for Women's Day..

Beauties From Chikhaldara

 Saw some lovely paintings on the wall at the VRK resorts, Chikhaldara- near Amravati. Looks like they are adivasi women. Here they are-

Research Shows- 3

Third in the series of research findings. This one's about sports. India happens to be crazy about Cricket, to the exclusion of almost every other sport. 

Yes, we have had Badminton greats, from Padukone to Sindhu, and Chess grandmasters and champs like Anand and Gukesh, and Billiards champions and a couple of Athletes who were World rankers.

But even a struggling Kohli or Sharma or a bowler, will always be in the limelight, for many years, whether we like it or not.

Occasionally, we talk about other sports. But even within Cricket, it's Men's cricket that counts, not Women's cricket. 

Even for cricketers at the State level, it's an uphill battle, to get into a national squad. Maybe it was better a few decades ago, when the money (and therefore, politics) was less, and it was mostly for pride that national teams played. IPL has changed all that for the worse. 

Globally, we don't pull our weight in most competitive sports. And exceptions only prove what is evident, if we open our eyes.

 

Coming Up - Holi and Women's Day

 Two unconnected events falling on the same day. Holi, there's enough said and done each year, so I'll concentrate on the other.

I already did a facebook album with women golfers' pics from my archives. Why I like this subject is because even among Men, Golf is a game only a few people play! These are markers of where women can go. Already, women pilots in commercial airline companies are many in number. Proving yet again, if proof was ever needed, that they can do as well or better than men.

Rakshita, a student at NMIMS Bangalore, tries out Golf.. above.

Continuing on the Golf theme, I found most women-students, faculty or staff colleagues- open to learning Golf, when assured that they didn't need to buy any equipment! I used an old kit that I still use, to train whoever wished to get trained in the basics. And I am happy that all students-male and female- of at least one batch of MBA at NMIMS, and at least two at IMT Nagpur- were given an orientation to the game, and a lot of them enjoyed it and were good at it!

A tiny friend we made at Kodaikanal Golf course was the youngest kid I saw on a Golf course. She was with her Mom, and was sporting enough to try adult-sized clubs to play a few shots! Three cheers to Women in Golf! I also went to my first amateur golf tournament in Thailand thanks to Jogeswari, a former student who was a part of Golftripz, an Indian startup. So there!

Are Men Boring?

 This is a question that if answered- or at least satisfactorily researched- can get someone their Ph.D. A very useful study for humanity it would be, too-particularly if it suggested ways to make men less boring, and more interesting (assuming the answer they found was in the affirmative).

But really, if you contrast men with women, it's obvious who is the more interesting of the two. This is based on observational research, if there is such a thing. Men seem like they are least interested in anything happening around them, except global football, or politics. But try drawing them into a conversation about mundane things that affect their lives everyday (or anything else at all), and they clam up. 

Why men are boring is a topic worth exploring. Is it that they miss their hunting-gathering days of bravery in the jungles or wherever they lived? Is it the burden of office work that they carried home (now the twain have merged, so there's no carrying involved)? Could it be too much education of the wrong kind, that precludes enjoyment of life? 

On the contrary, what makes women more interested in everything, and therefore more interesting? I will leave you to ponder an answer to this important question.

International Men's Day

Men think they rule the world..maybe they do, in office. But homes are mostly unruled by them, because they are never there, mostly. The race for a promotion, or meeting targets, or just sending money home (for migrant workers) keeps them busy.

It is the women who do the bulk of the work back home even today, which makes it a comfort zone for all who live there - a bit of nagging is a small price to pay for it! This is not to celebrate the unequal partnership, but to express gratefulness for women who do what it takes, in spite of many challenges. Hopefully, one day, men will return the favour in larger numbers.

If men can at least understand the situation, it is half the battle won. Thanks to the women in our lives. It is not one, but several women who are usually behind a successful man.

Names That I Like

Not sure why, I like the sound of these names. Not to be confused with people...I may like them too, of course. Also, does not mean I don't like all other names-maybe I didn't think of them. I think I have written elsewhere about all the people I like, this is only about some names (in other words, don't unfriend me coz your name is missing here  😂)

First, names of the female gender- Arundhati, Meghna, Shobhna, Shahida, Shalini, Tosha, Sirisha, Sanjana, Srishti, Vidisha, Tanaya, Shrunga, Roshni, Kalaivani, Damini, Priya, Tabassum, Irawati, Shruti, Bhawana, Shilpashree, Rajashree, Asmita, Yamini, Chhaya, Lauren, Gauri, Shreyasi, Isha, Nisha, Miskil, Jyotsna, Nidhi, Manjari, Nikita, Neha, Samudrika, Urmi, Urvashi, Shayari, Gunjan, Amulyaa, Divya, Anam, Sneha, Jui, Juhi, Grafila, Vhosky, Shefali, Kavya, Henna, Saumya,..


The Male Gender: Narendra, Vishesh, Raghav, Mohan, Alok, Tanmay, Prabhakar, Vinay, Dave, Zargar, Milind, Mark, Srinivas, Kalpak, Mihir, Kiran, Yuvaraj, Pavan, Arvind, Amlan, Parikshit, Kaavish, Vivek, ...

We Are Multidimensional

Women more so than men I think, but we all are to some extent, multidimensional. I think the tendency to look at a human being as only one thing (or two) is extremely myopic.

We all function for about 60-70 years in ways that require many skills at work, and even more of them outside it. We might pursue a hobby (or many of these-photography and writing, in my case), maybe play a sport (I have played Golf, Badminton, Tennis and cricket at various points, apart from Table Tennis), travel alone or otherwise, interact with a variety of people from all walks of life (maids, drivers, assistants at work, bosses,...you get the picture), and some of these are not easy things to do.

We communicate, handle emotions of great variety, from anger, frustration, joy, hope, in ourselves and others too, and handle mundane tasks like cooking, cleaning, setting up a home, bringing up kids, buying a vehicle, and need various life skills to do that.

Did I mention academics? It is deliberately left to bring up the rear, because I want to make a point.

The End of the short lecture.

Chup- Book Review

This is one of the best books about Indian society and the values it propagates, that I have read. It lays bare our attitudes towards women in the starkest possible words. I think it is a must-read for women and men both, because we may just realise what we are doing to our women.

Conditioning has little to do with being urban or rural, poor or rich, educated or otherwise. Treating women badly or as a lesser human is all-pervasive, if this author's research is any indication. And her research is disturbing, to say the least. The very high percentage of women who are molested in their homes or outside it (the commute on public transport being one regular place for it) is shameful. And we are not even talking of the godman-rapist here.

But even worse is their being asked to shut up and not speak up (the title of the book, in Hindi). Not existing (virtually), not recognising their bodies, being ashamed of their opinions/desires, are some things women are trained for, apart from always pleasing others-men included, but ma-in-laws and others too. Of course, there would be exceptions, but these are a small percentage.

Devastating stuff that forces you to think, about where we are headed as a society. Ancient India with its Khajuraho and Kamasutra is a far cry from the mentality that we have now grown into, where even basic education about bodily functions and drives is not discussed. Women feel like unwanted beings (from the foetal stage onwards) or insignificant and unacknowledged workers in many homes, and carry that inferiority complex throughout their lives in many cases. Including the workplace, where they are often not asked for an opinion, or taken seriously when they express one.

Hopefully, we will change one day. An important book, I would say.

Women Entrepreneurs

Had a chance to speak to a group of women entrepreneurs about Digital Marketing recently. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and it was great to see them trying their hand at every conceivable kind of business-from furniture to fashion, and hi-tech businesses. I think in general, women have more energy and passion, and can pull off a lot of things if they get a chance.

More opportunities to them automatically have a positive spinoff on the family. From what I have observed of women in the professional space (starting with my mother who was a doctor and also an administrator later), most of them are highly dedicated, and bring in some intangible plus points to a workplace.

Most of my women students are doing well for themselves too, in their workplaces or in entrepreneurial ventures- including some in digital marketing!

Sridevi Passes Away

An unfortunate accident took her away at 54, it seems. I was not exactly a big fan, but I enjoyed quite a few of her roles. She had star power, and a great screen presence. I particularly liked her in the exuberant roles such as Chaalbaaz and Mr. India, than in the serious ones.

Along with Rekha and Hema Malini, she was one of the South Indian actresses who held their own in the otherwise male-dominated film industry for many years. I think that-being a strong woman- was itself a contribution she made to films in Mumbai.

Her return in the film English Vinglish was noteworthy because she played a character her age, and played it well. This was written and directed by Gauri Shinde, a good woman director of recent times. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari is another woman director whose work I liked a lot- Bareilly ki Barfi and Nil Battey Sannata were her films.

Anyway, she is now one with the stars above, and I hope she is doing well someplace.

What I Learnt and From Whom

Ok, let me get this off my chest..I haven't learnt how to dress elegantly, though some women constantly tried teaching me..bad learner. But I did learn the following,..

From Alok, a classmate- what GRE was, how to apply for M.S. to the U.S., and what an MBA was and how to apply for CAT. Later, how to live in the U.S. too.

From Vijayakumar, a friend and colleague- Applied SPSS, the difficult parts. The easy ones I learnt from Profs. at Clemson.

Basics of marketing from my marketing profs. JD Singh and Thirunarayana, and Bhaskaran (advertising, my favourite course) at IIMB. Stats from Dr. Cantrell and Dr. McNichols, at Clemson.

Human behaviour from two profs. and observation. I am eternally grateful to Profs. Valecha and SK Roy of IIMB.

Mischief, from all my friends over the years, and the million students I have had since I changed sides.

Being sensible, from my wife. And parents. and Father-in-law.

How to facebook, from my daughters. And some complex manoeuvres on my phone too.

How to blog, from my BIL Hari.

How to appreciate others? Comes naturally :)

English, from reading authors like Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Arthur Conan Doyle, Alistair Maclean,..

Intelligent Comedy by Women

Happened to watch a nice comedy show on TLC the name of which I forget. The name is immaterial. I was impressed by the female artists (this was a show for them)- comediennes. Why do we have male-dominated comedy shows, mostly? Stand-up is where equal opportunity should come in fairly easily. Why doesn't it?

On another note, I attended an Economic Times event-again the name of which I forget (proving that I deserve to be a prof.). It was a leadership contest for B-school students. There was only one female judge among a dozen- they were mostly CEOs or Business Leaders of some kind.

These shows/public events do send a message, even if symbolic. The first is a good attempt to showcase talent for comedy.The second is a reminder that corporates remain unequal for genders at the highest level. IIMs, incidentally, also have had few women directors. Just one currently and one long ago at IIM Lucknow that I know of. I am sure that's not due to lack of talent.

Here's hoping that more women show up when opportunities are made available at least- like driving in Saudi.

Harvey Weinstein

There has been a lot of positive spinoff from the Weinstein scandal, and we are at least more aware of the extent to which females are routinely harassed by male colleagues, friends or relatives. This could be step one. If we were under the illusion that it was an emerging market phenomenon, it now stands corrected. Some of Hollywood's most known were targeted. And in the Clinton era, the vulnerable interns who worked for him.

The reasons why women who are harassed don't complain are also generally similar. They are afraid that they will not be taken seriously in a  male-dominated society. The fight usually gets ugly if it gets to a court, with lawyers raking up unrelated issues. In a country like ours, unfortunately, the woman if single, may not be able to find a husband-again, the same patriarchal problems.

Hopefully, the opening up of near and dear ones will at least give courage to more women to oppose unwanted attention (or worse), and stop many attempts in their tracks (and men to support them when they speak up). In a Utopian world, molestation should not happen. But then, we don't live in one.

Lipstick Under my Burkha- Film Review

It's an important film, about a very important topic, which is usually kept under the carpet- love and sexuality from a woman's perspective. Full marks for dealing with the subject, and some of its real ramifications. The difficulty of breaking out of traditions, and societal expectations, and hypocrisy. For instance, that women of a certain age should not have expectations of physical love. Ratna Pathak Shah's character is probably the one that draws the most empathy. She is also the best actress in the film (actor, actually), with no exceptions.

The film could have done with a bit of drama, though. It feels like it's going through the motions, too quickly. Some twists in the story, maybe a few light moments, would have made it that much more moving and powerful. It does make its points about the search for love in and out of marriage -and a search for the liberation that all young people look for. But I found better expressions of it in films like Masaan or Life in a Metro, compared with this one.

It is worth a watch, for bringing up issues that need to be, but as a film, it could have been a lot better. Maybe better actors would have done the trick-barring Ratna Pathak Shah, who is perfect.

Things Which Keep Us Awake

Things which keep us awake -in my view, after extensive research- are the following.

Kids

Will I get batting tomorrow in the game we play every day?

Will my teacher ask for the home work or forget it?

Teens

How many Likes will my selfie get?

Women

What do I wear?

Housewives

What do I cook tomorrow?

Gentlemen (gentle is just a figure of speech)

Where will my next beer come from?

Will I get to watch India play XYZ undisturbed?

Initial Impressions- Sri Lanka

Went for a family (destination) wedding to Sri Lanka and stayed in Negombo beach. First impressions-

It is expensive compared to many similar Indian destinations. Particularly, entry fees for foreigners are high in many sight-seeing spots. Some may be worth the price, some not.

The people are nice and friendly. Mostly, laid-back. The cleanliness is a lesson to us. They also obey traffic signals.

The women wear sarees, but in a slightly different way.

The towns resemble Kerala in colour of store-fronts, and appams are available everywhere. The greenery is similar too.

So are lunch buffets with prices varying from 250 Sri-Lankan Rupees to 500 or more. Lots of women entrepreneurs in this business.

Tea, gemstones, cashews are some specialities.

It would take a week to see all the sights. We did a couple, along with the wedding.

E-visas are very easy to get online.

Hair and There

I am propagating a new theory about people and hair-styles.

My theory is that -

People with straight hair are simple and untwisted human beings.

Those with curls want to be different, like their tattoed counterparts.

Women with short hair are more career-minded and professional.

Those with long hair (women) are dedicated and persevere in their chosen task, whatever may be the effort.

Those with fancy hair styles (men and women) are unpredictable, could be be fun, or dangerous, depending on your perspective.

Balding gentlemen are mostly gentle, because they are conscious that their best hair days are behind them.

Pleats in hair (women) indicate they are comple(a)te women, and not afraid to do what they like.

Funky hair styles and tattoes are a heady mix..rocking? May be.

Anopheles and Trump- 2017

Anopheles was always perceptive about goings-on in the human world, though she was a mosquito, and I enjoyed my conversations with her. We had become friends ever since we had debated the merits of her tribe biting humans, a few years ago (she convinced me it wasn't such a big deal).

She was looking serious this time when she asked, "Who's this Trump character? And what's he known for?"

I am a follower of Gandhiji's maxim to speak the truth, so I replied, "He's known for groping, and running businesses into bankruptcy. And building walls between man and man."

She was aghast. "And he got elected to a high office?"
So I spoke what I thought was the truth again. "Women don't really count. We mostly treat them as an accessory in a man's life. Tell me, how is it in mosquito-land?"

She was thoughtful. "We don't discriminate among males and females. Everyone has equal rights and opportunities. All adults have to earn their own blood. Kids are brought up by both parents participating equally. There are no crimes against female mosquitoes, like you humans seem to have, if your news channels are to be believed." That stunned (Trumped?) me. One, she was even more aware than I had imagined, and two, they were a more advanced civilization than ours- on this count at least.

I muttered something about our race having lost the race, ..or something to that effect, and bid her goodnight- we had a gentle(wo)manly pact that she wouldn't bite, if I talked to her.