The Idea-Smithy – an Indian feminist blog by Ramya Pandyan

Poetry

Lovers
June 19, 2013September 17, 2023
3 Comments

So many lovers. So many lessons.

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Poetry

Memories
June 15, 2013March 26, 2023
0 Comments

Memories. His,thunder through her mindjust like his footstepswhen she was asleep. Hers,splash onto his eyes,making them water.

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Books | Politics & Feminism | Pop Culture | Relationships

Book Review: Love Rehab by Jo Piazza
June 14, 2013March 26, 2023
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Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps by Jo PiazzaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars Since ChickLit, there’s been a host of books in a new genre I’m going to call ‘This is not ChickLit’. Love Rehab is one of this type. It is about relationships and there is romance,…

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Body & Sex | Politics & Feminism | Pop Culture

Let’s Not Go Bollywood On Jiah Khan
June 14, 2013September 23, 2023
1 Comment

Last week, Jiah Khan was found hanging in her apartment. The story continues to unravel like a formulaic film, complete with villains and plot turns.

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Home & Identity | Map Of Emotion | Politics & Feminism | Relationships

My Inner Madonna
June 9, 2013March 25, 2023
2 Comments

I almost said no and called this post ‘Not A Party Girl’. Instead, today I chose my Inner Madonna.

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Map Of Emotion | Poetry

Adrenalin Roller-Coaster
June 6, 2013September 17, 2023
1 Comment

The past is a drunk ex-husband.
The future is a mysterious, smiling stranger.

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City | Map Of Emotion | Relationships | Roving I

A New June
June 4, 2013March 29, 2025
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The first week of June spells pre-monsoon showers in Mumbai.

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Books | Pop Culture

The Devil, The Lovers & Me – Kimberlee Auerbach
June 4, 2013March 25, 2023
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The Devil, the Lovers, and Me: My Life in Tarot by Kimberlee AuerbachMy rating: 3 of 5 stars A nice story, Chick Lit with a twist, since the heroine’s story is told in associations that emerge in a tarot reading. It feels more like light fiction than the autobiography that…

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Fiction

#SixWordStory: Shopping List
June 1, 2013September 16, 2023
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Fiction

MayShortReads20: Admirer
May 31, 2013March 25, 2023
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A short story about an admirer and the object of their adulation

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IdeaSmith on A Post-40 Primer On Friendship With Men: Hope & Betrayal: “@Soumya: Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes, I’ve had a good male role model. Unfortunately for me, I’ve encountered…”
IdeaSmith on Trusting My Judgement Again: Thanks Meena Kandasamy & The Rookie: “@krist0ph3r: ‘Judgement as mental shorthand’ is a great way to look at it. It’s narrow to think of judgementalism as…”
Soumya on A Post-40 Primer On Friendship With Men: Hope & Betrayal: “Hi Ramya, Firstly, my congratulations on a well written post. It didn’t pull its punches. Secondly, it was lovely to…”
krist0ph3r on Trusting My Judgement Again: Thanks Meena Kandasamy & The Rookie: “Wow, that was a lot to process and at some point it got too much for me to handle reading.…”
IdeaSmith on When Did Reading Become Performance?: “@Sid: Oh god, you’re right.”
Sid on When Did Reading Become Performance?: “I think the Poser Reader sentiment also comes from the branding reading as a hobby has had. Successful people say…”
Topher on Lit Crush: Gabrielle Zevin ‘s Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow, The Storied Life of A.J.Fikry: “I too struggle greatly with problematic people who make great things. As a child Bill Cosby brought YEARS of joy…”
IdeaSmith on A Non-Medical View Of The Uterus: Blood, Babies & Hysteria: “@XXfan: Yes, it appears to be a legal requirement for the hospital to show the removed parts to kin, probably…”
Xxfan on A Non-Medical View Of The Uterus: Blood, Babies & Hysteria: “I experience with hysterectomy made me more mature.my mom had to have a hysterectomy.this was my first experience handling everything…”
IdeaSmith on When Did Reading Become Performance?: “@Slogan Murugan: Indeed. Books were always fascinating but this year has been about the people and spaces around books as…”