I Just Wanna Be A Girl!

My professor discussed Shakespeare's Sonnet 131 today. This is part of the dark lady sonnets. There was something about it that hit me. There was something my professor mentioned when he was teaching. It was something related to a wedding. A groom was asked a question that I honestly hope no woman every has to hear. It was something along the lines of 'how do you find her (the bride) beautiful?' The groom's reply was perfect. He said that it didn't matter who found her (his wife) beautiful or not. All that mattered was that he thought she was beautiful and perfect. The narrator in the sonnet says that the lady's beauty is captivating, even though she is tyrannical and cruel. She knows she holds power over him, but she still does so. The speaker doesn't mind because he thinks she is the most precious jewel. He doesn't want to lose her by speaking out. He goes on to say that the society doesn't share his thoughts. They don't find her beautiful. He ...

Today was the first day of my department's Service Learning Program. My staff in charge said a prayer to inaugurate the session. The session was scheduled to start at 2 pm and go on for an hour. However, we started the session a little late, since we had trouble splitting the school children into groups. The teachers of the RSL school were gracious and helped us settle the students.  The students were split into groups at random. Each group had students from grades 1-5. Once the students were split into groups, it made things easier for us to handle them. We had stories ready to tell them and jumped into action. Some of the older children already knew the stories we were going to tell, but the younger ones were captivated and paid close attention. Once I finished telling my story, I asked one of the children to narrate it. When she got it right, I felt something warm in my chest. It showed me that they had listened to what I was saying.  After the stories, we had a set of voca...

I had my first interview today, and it ended before I even realized it was an interview. I had just applied for an internship with a publishing house the previous day and honestly wasn't expecting a call for a few days.  I was in the middle of interviewing the CEO of the same company when I got the call. I returned the HR team's call after speaking to the CEO - now, that's not a sentence you hear very often is it?  I didn't know I was being interviewed when I spoke to the HR manager. I answered her questions easily. They were things I tell people regularly. She asked about my passion for writing and why I love reading and writing. I didn't think twice before answering - as these answers were second nature to me. I don't know how well I performed or if my answers were what they wanted to hear. All I know is that I was honest and true to myself - which is all I can really ask for.  Only after the call ended did I realize that I just gave my first interview. It was...

The day started with the inauguration of the MCC MRF Innovation Park's Writer's Nook. This venue has already been used before, but it was finally time to officially inaugurate this magnificent place. I say magnificent because of the decor of the room. Firstly, there are couches and divans for speakers to use. Secondly, the wall is covered in papers - pages of books, stuck to them. The yellowing paper is very aesthetic and really serves the name of the room.  I had the honor of presenting my books to Ms. Meenakshi Ahamed, a reputed journalist and author. My ideation was also mentioned. I felt pride rushing through me as my professor mentioned my work. After the presentation, the whole party moved to the Anderson Hall for a fireside chat with Ms. Ahamed. I had the privilege of addressing her directly and asking her a question about her book "Indian Genius - The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America," which I read about a week prior.  I enjoyed conversing with her. Her swe...

A few weeks ago, my Music and Literature teacher gave us a super cool assignment. We were supposed to write a short song on our own and compose a tune to go with it. We were supposed to form groups, record ourselves singing, and send it to her.  At first, I was pretty apprehensive. How were we supposed to write songs? None of us had experience with songwriting, even though there were a few professional singers in the group. As we wondered what to do, we decided that we could ask one of our seniors for help with the composition. But we still needed to provide lyrics in order to add music.  That's when inspiration struck. I had a pretty good poem - in my opinion - that we could use. I volunteered my work and we sent it to a friend for some help with the music.  When we sang our brand new song, I felt really proud. It felt magical to hear my words - the child of the height of my emotions - with music. The sound of my teammates harmonizing brought back the emotions I fel...

I went to the Chennai book fair again - on the last day. This time, I was amazed to see people lining the sidewalk, with books spread out on tarps in front of them. There were books for just 30 rupees. I saw a few books that I remembered reading when I was little and was immediately drawn in. I couldn't resist picking up one of my favorites.  I then ventured inside. I went straight to the Scholastic book stall, where I practiced my storytelling skills. I beelined for the children's books. I picked one up and lost myself in the magic. I was so pleased to see multiple children around me pausing to listen to me reading. It showed me that what I was doing served its purpose. I was able to engage the children.  When I was done there, I went to a few second-hand book stalls, where a new author caught my eye - new to me. Sylvia Day. I found 4 of her first 5 books in the same place. There was an amazing deal at the stall, 6 books for 500 rupees. My friend and I started hunting for the...

Crash! Wait! Why is there a crash? What's going on?  Where am I? There's something on the ground Pain flashes over my arm Growing in intensity Unbearable Tears welling up Crash! Thud! Why is something banging? How did I get on my feet? Why is the world shaking? Why are my cheeks wet? Why am I hurting? Why can't I move my arm!? Where am I?  What just happened? 

My most recent read is a book called "Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Americans in India" by Meenakshi Ahamed. This book was published by Harper Collins. I was instantly captivated by the introduction to this book.  As most of you know, I grew up in the US. I was pleased to see a lot of the differences I noticed between the Indian and American cultures and cities mentioned in the book. These are things I have seen for myself, which helped me visualize what the author was talking about.  The author picked 15 prominent Indian Americans to discuss in her book. She also included riveting exclusive interviews.  I enjoyed reading about each individual, but found the information overloading my brain. It felt like there was a lot in there that I couldn't remember. For example, where each individual was born and what their parents did for a living. I really liked reading, but this book had a lot of information. I persevered through the book and found certain parts that grabbed...

Everyone knows how much I love books. I wanted to go to the book fair as soon as it started, but I just got the opportunity to go a few days ago.  It was - to start out - huge. I accidentally looked at the wrong building at first and it was underwhelming. I wasn't sure how 900 stalls could fit in that small space. It was only when I walked in that I realized that that building was for handicrafts and things like that. The book stalls were in a whole other place. My friend and I sped through it and hightailed it to the books.  I had an amazing time browsing each stall. I think I covered at least half of the stalls there, which is saying a lot. I especially liked the offers on the second-hand book stalls. They were selling 3 books for 300 rupees, which was a steal. The only problem for me was the quality of the books. I am someone who has very high standards. I treat my books very well and it physically hurts when I see a book all dirty and crumpled. The most popular books were ...

This is my 200th blog post. I am delighted to have been writing for that long. Today, I wanted to talk about my blogging journey. When I started blogging, I didn't think I would get this far. I just started as a response to my professor's challenge. It soon became something more. It became a means of expression. It helped me let go of things that were bothering me.  Looking at the title of this blog... I started writing at a time when I felt disconnected from my feminity. I lacked female companionship and I found myself yearning for that. I may not have written much about girlhood, but the title of this blog is a reminder that every woman has the inherent right to feel feminine. She needs to know that it's okay to let herself feel small and petite and femme. She might have other interests and she might enjoy things that aren't traditionally feminine, but in the end, she always reconnects to her womanhood. This blog is a reminder of that idea.  Apart from that, it let me...

Can you hear the scream? No How could you when I supress it  Refusing to let myself feel emotions My soul screams  With the pain of holding it all in  Nowhere to turn  My mind does not quiet down  Emotions fighting to break free I keep them to myself Fear of judgement  Rejection and abandonment Keep them in  Keep them in so they will love you Keep your screams quiet  Even as your soul shatters 

I'm trapped No escape I need a miracle  Someone hear my pleas It's eternally midnight here Everywhere I look...  Darkness surrounds  I long for light It's a new moon day Not even the moon  Wants to bear witness To my despair The stars have hidden  Themselves from my view Is my despair that horrid I need a witness Someone to bear the brunt of my emotion Some other soul or being In this Eternal Midnight

On the 28th and 29th of December, Katha Publishers conducted a workshop in the MRF Innovation Park at MCC. As soon as I knew this workshop was coming up, I knew I wanted to go. My professor told me how prestigious this workshop was. I didn't totally believe him until I saw the crowds that arrived at MCC.  This workshop was intended for schoolchildren, but we MCCians had a special session since we were hosting it. I was also a volunteer for the workshop. My Saturday morning started pretty early. I rushed to campus by 7:30 and sprung into action. The day started out with decorating the venue. Soon after, parents and their children started arriving. There were people from out of state. They had come just for the workshop. I sprung into action with the rest of the team, guiding children and their parents around the building.  Once everyone was settled, it was time for our session. I loved the sessions. I compared my writing to what the mentor taught us and I was pleased to find th...

"Look where we are now. When we met, did you ever imagine we'd be in a place like this?" Afrid said, looking at Annalise.  All around them, battle raged. A bomb had just dropped in the middle of the city and people were trembling with fear, worried about the enemy's next move. The cries of the wounded echo in their ears, promising to haunt them forever.  "Blueberry cupcake!" The store owner announced, "it's ready. Come and get it!" Two little children immediately perked up at the mention of their favourite treat. Their heads turned in unison to face the shopkeeper  The children bolted up from their seats and started running to the counter. The little girl, Annalise, slipped on a patch of water that an irresponsible customer spilled. The little boy, Afrid, was raised to be a gentleman. He immediately stopped in his tracks to help the little girl to her feet. As soon as she was on her feet, Afrid darted off to the counter again. Little did he kno...