A humming word

Sita and Rama are the most unfortunate couple in the Hindu mythology. When I was growing up, my mother would often tell me, one must never name their daughters Sita or Janaki. Their fate and life was deplorable.  Volga, the pen name of Lalitha Kumari, is a noted feminist writer and is a stalwart in the Telugu Literature. And hence, this fictional account is written with its ink dipped in feminism. The right kind, ofcourse.  This book is set in Valmiki's ashram and Lava and Kusa are now grown up and explore the forest. Sita, along with the mothers in and around the ashram, performs the duties of a mother. However, nudged by fate, she begins her internal journey by meeting Ravana's disfigured sister, Surpanakha, who is now tending to a beautiful garden, Parsurama's abandoned mother, Renuka, the wronged Ahalya, and lastly Urmila. The book ends with the chapter on Rama, who was equally wronged, wrapped in the ethos and pathos of Arya Dharma. Also, my favourite chapter.  What ...

Writer's fest Definition: an exhibition of art and artists of the written word where pearls of wisdom are strewn into discussions and panels. Women's Writer's Fest - First edition- was a fest focussing on women literature and feminism. Not the feminazi kind but the kind which is elegant and strong. The free for all event was hosted Ficci Flo and Shepeople.Tv at The Park, Somajiguda from 11 am to 4:30 pm, today. Albeit it stretched to an hour and a half, people were not complaining. I attended the session from 2 pm onwards. The fest was an amalgam of strength, simplicity, style, and panache. The physical strength was the session by Mickey Mehta, who hosted the session "Reverse your Universe" spoke about the myths about healthy eating. Should we really eat six eggs a day? Is industrialized milk really healthy? He is a solo-prenuer and his marketing skills prove that. His focus on fruit and vegetables than powders and pills was refreshing. Volga's session...