Words that I enjoyed writing and reading in this bizarre, extraordinary year. Wish you a new year that takes forward your learnings from this year and gives you joy, health and memorable experiences!
Writing – mine
Being a committed fan: In which I try to pack together my disoriented feelings about being a Rahman fan in an age where he’s ‘out there’ a lot more than I’ve ever known. And what his music means to me, and therefore, what it means to be a ‘committed’ fan of someone who changes over time, as do you.
A call that keeps me grounded: Early on in the lockdown, when we thought that we’d be out in a few months, a special sound used to put a smile on my face. Even as we grappled with the upheaval of life as we knew it, and felt fear, guilt, and a deep sadness at the anguish around us, this sound used to regularly remind me that life goes on. This was written as part of a workshop with the lovely folks at Story Center.
Puruppu usili for peace: Or how, like millions across the planet, I learnt to cook better during the lockdown and it actually brought me (and continues to bring) a quiet happiness.
“What Covid-19 Means To Us”: Voices from the Indian Hinterland: A ‘serious’ piece of writing, but this year – true to my wishes – I got the opportunity to ‘byline’ several articles around COVID-19 as part of my work with Gram Vaani. This was the first of them, tracing how the narrative around the pandemic changed from January to April, based on voice reports shared on Gram Vaani’s communication platforms.
Sign language, language, sexuality and innovation: I love learning new languages because they give a peek into culture and ways of being of communities. Learning the basics of Indian Sign Language was revelatory and gave me much to introspect about language itself – how do new words make their way into a language? For a language that is essentially visual, how does one talk about gender and sexuality without getting stereotypical?
Writing – others’
A Gentleman in Moscow: I loved it so much that I cried when it was done and dedicated an entire blog to it. Read it for hope and renewal, fall in love with Count Rostov’s charming way of handling whatever life throws at him (but not in a preachy way)
Girl, Woman, Other: Captivating stories of black women of different ages, from different ages. From the radical feminist lesbian theatre director Amma to gritty farmer-at-93 Hattie to ‘boring’ school teacher Shirley to raging-to-prove-herself Carole. A book that illustrates intersectionality, internalised patriarchy, explores sexuality and power, race, and class, and so much more. My first read that touched upon black lives in the UK.
What’s Wrong with you, Karthik?: A light, beautiful, and relatable read following the life of Karthik, a teenager in Bangalore of the 90s. Light because the author successfully managed to stay away from getting into too many topics and sticking close to following the tumultuous first year of a studious fellow in a ‘tough’ school. Relatable because the socioeconomic background of Karthik and his family was so similar to mine, a fellow child of the 90s.
Poonacchi: My first Tamil read in many years (probably the first one as an adult!), and one that, like Perumal Murugan’s other books that I have read, successfully drew me into the lives of the characters – a bunch of goats and two old people! – and gently guided me to its end that would leave me unsettled for a few days. I struggled through the Tamil in the initial days, wanting to consult a dictionary every now and then, but eventually gave up and went with the flow, and realised I could gather meanings for new words with the context.
Mohanaswamy: A lovely collection of stories about Mohanaswamy and his efforts to make sense of, accept, and experience his sexuality, and his caste and class locations.