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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 a little later . Hope you enjoy reading more about the team that contributes to Women’s Web. Presented in a Q&A format, this one is with our food columnist, Lavanya Donthamshetty, who through Eatopia, tantalises us with delicious recipes and foodie gyan!
Intro: Tell us about yourself in a few lines.
Mother, writer, foodie, margarita lover…. I am the exception to the rule that women are multi-taskers. I HATE mobile phones. I love watching movies and my favourite movie experience ever was watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I all by myself, with no distractions or interruptions whatsoever.
Q1. Why do you blog/write? What attracts you to it?
I write because it gives me joy. I was an average student at school and I still remember the day in Standard 7, when my English teacher praised my answers to high heavens and awarded her highest marks ever! I think that was the moment I thought I was good at something and ever since, I have tried to recapture that feeling by writing more and more.
I like how you can transport a person by creating something magical with words. It is an art and the constant battle to make myself a better writer is what attracts me to it. Writing is not a job, it is a vocation. You have to feel it inside you to be any good at it.
Q2. What do you like best about writing for Women’s Web?
Writing for Women’s Web makes me write better! Seriously!
Q3. What do you think Women’s Web can do better/do differently?
Nothing really. I think WW and Aparna are onto the right track – solid content, undiluted by fluff. Just keep on doing the great work!
Q4. What are the things that trigger you to write, that make you go, “I have to write about this!”?
Many things. Random ones like the title of a book as I walk past it in a bookstore, something my children tell me, a scene from a TV show, what happens when I walk my daughter to school, a stray word from a conversation…. the list is endless! A good piece of writing is like a forest fire – all it needs is a tiny spark to get going!
Q5. Who are your favourite women bloggers? What do you admire about them/their work?
I am in awe of anyone that can write – whenever I read something of theirs I wish I could have written that. One of my favourite bloggers / writers is Sujatha Bagal, of Blogpourri fame. She has a fantastic way with words and as I am fond of saying, when I grow up, I’d like to write like her! I especially love her travel writing – I read an article and I feel like I have visited the place!
Another favourite is the blogger Poppins Mom. She is so logical in her thinking and writing; I am always in awe of how well she constructs her arguments and puts her viewpoints across. For all those who view ‘mommy bloggers’ disdainfully, I’d like to point them towards writers like her and watch them eat their words.
I am so glad to know her away from her blog but blogger Mom Gone Mad’s blog is one I keep going back to for more. Her sharp wit shines through every post and when she takes one of her breaks, I wait impatiently for her to start writing again. Sheer brilliance is how I’d term her writing.
Q6. What would you like to say to people who are interested in writing/blogging but are hesitant to start?
I’d say just open a free blog today and get started. If writing interests you, don’t hesitate! Jump right in and give free rein to your imagination.
Previous interviews with the Women behind Women’s Web:
Gender Issues Enthusiast, Preethi Krishnan
Blogger, R’s Mom
Freelance Writer, Melanie Lobo
Blogger, Hip Grandma
Freelance Writer and Blogger, Kiran Manral
Founder-Editor of Women’s Web, Aparna V. Singh
Women's Web is an alternative magazine covering real issues for real women. This blog handle usually includes posts about happenings at Women's Web, interesting contests/events, people working on the website and so read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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