The Women Behind Women’s Web: Padma Ramachandran

Posted: August 4, 2011

In a series of posts called ‘The Women Behind Women’s Web’, we present to you the people involved in bringing you this website – some who’ve been there from the very beginning, and some who joined in enthusiastically during the first year. Hope you enjoy reading more about the team that contributes to Women’s Web. Presented in a Q&A format, this one is with popular blogger, Padma Ramachandran a.k.a. Hip Grandma. You can view her posts at Women’s Web here.

Intro: Tell us about yourself in a few lines.

I am just the aunt next door like the ones you would see in your neighbourhood. I’ve lived in an industrial town in Jharkhand called Jamshedpur. The multi-cultural nature of the place suits my temperament and I am glad to have interacted with people from different states of India.

Q1. Why do you blog/write? What attracts you to it?

I had been often complimented on my non judgemental attitude and my capacity of expressing myself without hurting anyone’s sentiments in a big way. I have always tried to analyze human nature and to understand the other side of things. I do it on a regular basis and I have like minded friends and we have regular discussions.

Blogging enables me to to put in words issues of social/psychological relevance and gives me immense satisfaction. It also draws out comments from my readers and I look forward to their inputs like a student waiting for his grades.

Q2. What do you like best about writing for Women’s Web? Of all the pieces you’ve written here, which is your favourite?

Women’s Web caters not only to blogging but to interesting pieces on health, home, parenting etc. The book review section is of special interest to me. It gives me immense satisfaction to contribute to a magazine that is different and serious.

My favourite piece among those written by me is the one on ‘Unusual relationships‘ perhaps because it deals with a topic that is not openly discussed at least not in India. There is a strong need to address issues that we would like to believe do not exist.

Q3. What do you think Women’s Web can do better/do differently?

Women’s Web should do something to promote inputs from its readers. A section that addresses problems faced by senior citizens in their day to day life would be helpful. I feel that people need to be made more sensitive to their needs.

Q4. What are the things that trigger you to write, that make you go, “I have to write about this!”?

Socially relevant issues attract me and I feel inclined to write about them. I would not want to merely remain a silent spectator to issues that do not directly affect me. I always feel that this could be me in his/her place and I feel the urge to write about it.

Q5. Who are your favourite women writers/bloggers? What do you admire about them/their work?

Usha Vaidyanathan of Ageless Bonding and Suranga Date of Gappa are my all time favourites. Both of them write with such ease on any given topic and deal with them from all angles.

Among women writers I like Shivani and Maitrayee Pushpa who are contemporary writers in Hindi. Idannah Mamaha by Maitrayee Pushpa is an all time favourite. Shivashankari who writes in Tamil addresses social issues and I’ve been her fan from my college days. Urvashi Butalia’s The other side of silence and Manju Kapoor’s Difficult Daughters are a few favourites. Here again I think it is the theme that appeals to me and any one dealing with topics close to my heart becomes an automatic favourite.

Q6. What would you like to say to people who are interested in writing/blogging but are hesitant to start?

The first step is the most difficult but once you take it the rest becomes easy. If you have something to say/share putting it in words helps not only in organizing your own thought process but also gives one an insight to it. So why wait? Just get going.

Previous interviews with the Women behind Women’s Web:

Freelance Writer and Blogger, Kiran Manral.

Founder-Editor of Women’s Web, Aparna V. Singh