Kiran Manral's Blog, page 36
December 9, 2015
December 7, 2015
In Verve’s December issue, albeit in 140
And in superb company.
At No 5 on Hot New Releases on Amazon today…
…and in the top 100 Bestsellers in the Family, Health and Personal Development category. *mops tears of joy*
December 6, 2015
December 3, 2015
All Aboard: a simple read that will touch the right chord with readers with its good plot and apt story telling
A review of All Aboard on Rohan Kachalia’s blog.
Review: I have read one of Kiran’s books and upon reading All Aboard, the first thing that I noticed is the simpler tone of the vocabulary as well as English, as compared to her previous books. I feel it as a welcome move for majority of the readers. But having said that, there is not a shadow of having a tone down when it comes to the story and romance. It is perfect to put it in a simple way.[image error]>>
If you are like me who has always dreamt of going on a cruise, but for some reasons the journey has still not materialized, then All Aboard will be an exciting read – For it gives you an in-depth view of the cruise liner, the locations, which made me feel as if I am visualizing it on a wide screen and the sort of characters that you would probably bump into. So a round of applause for the research the author has done for a romance novel is commendable.[image error]>>
Now coming to the plot, the plot is pretty simple. Two strangers bump across each other, with a blow hot blow cold vibes between them and finally they realize they are made for each other. But, the thing is the witty narration, the superb character of Rina Massi, the vulnerable Rhea, simple and straight forward Kamal and the self doubts and misconceptions that is actually keeping the plot exciting to read. [image error]>>
Overall: All Aboard is a simple read that will touch the right chord with readers with its good plot and apt story telling.[image error]>>
Read the original here:
November 29, 2015
Can We Get the Sanitary Napkin Without the Newspaper Wrapping, Please?
I got my first period when I was nine years old. Yes. I was still a child and back then, many decades ago, the average age at which girls first menstruated was around 13 or 14. Needless to say, my parents were very worried and took me to a lady doctor to figure out if all was well with my reproductive organs. It was, she assured them. I was just an early bloomer. It also had to do with the fact that I was, err, as they politely put it back then, very healthy.
My mother sat me down and explained to me that once a month, every month, blood would come out of my private parts for a few days, and it might be a trifle inconvenient and uncomfortable. My dad brought me my first packet of sanitary napkins. Covered in a newspaper. My dad died a few months later.
I grew up without a dad. But it took me many decades to realise that my father was unique, a man who had absolutely no qualms about going to a chemist and asking for a pack of sanitary napkins. Even if it came wrapped in a newspaper.
Now many years later, when I ask for a pack of sanitary napkins at the chemist’s, they continue to be stealthy about it. Wrapping it in newspaper, burying it beneath the pile of whatever else one has bought in the carry bag. Handing it across to you, almost embarrassed to be associated with this evidence that you are in the reproductive bracket. And that you bleed.
It was only a few years ago that we got supermarkets and we could pick up our choice of sanitary napkins from shelves stacked with various options. Extra-large, with wings, dry gel… you name it. And we could toss them on the shopping trolley in full public view and not feel embarrassed about it. Because, yes, that is how nature created us. We bleed as women. Because we bleed, we can carry babies within us. And because we carry babies within us, the human race continues. Is that an aberration to be embarrassed and ashamed of?
Yet, across cultures and religions, the female menstrual cycle has been viewed as ritually unclean. Barring a few religions, most religions mandate that a menstruating woman is unclean, and bars her from certain activities. Most religions have their own menstrual taboos; much of it was based on the lack of understanding of why it occurred. Depending on the degree of orthodoxy, a menstruating woman might be even segregated until she completes her menstrual cycle.
Read the rest of the article here
November 26, 2015
#FeministRani
So, the very fabulous Rega Jha, Meghna Pant and me at #FeministRani organised by SheThePeople.tv the other day. Here are some pics and a video.
It’s okay to name a movement after a half that needs it the most says Buzzfeed’s Rega Jha on Feminism. In a no holds bar conversation, along with Author Kiran Manral the second edition of Feminist Rani picked up on ‘everyday feminism’ as its focus. “Why are women defined by what they don’t do?” asked Manral. The candid conversation had experiences from the speakers and the audience. “Feminism to me,” said Jha “is not having to think of a toss between male gaze & comfort while picking clothes for office every morning.” Manral added to that saying men are threatened often and how they need to get to terms with that. She especially dismissed silly assumption people make about women. “It’s okay to have a cleavage and a brain at the same time,” Manral contended. Women at Feminist Rani expressed they weren’t taken in by certain feminist concepts of not shaving your body hair or unabashedly being anti-men. That men are a part of the big picture even in finding gender balance is something most agreed upon. Jha asserted how Feminism as a word is far more controversial than the movement itself.
http://shethepeople.tv/why-is-a-woman-defined-by-what-she-doesnt-do-passionate-chat-feminist-rani/
#IBleedDealWithIt
Wednesday, 25 November 2015 – 1:37pm IST | Agency: dna web team
Today, some women have taken on this taboo, and those propagating it in the country, on social media.
Menstrual taboos continue to exist in India despite the efforts of many activists and campaigns to dispel the myths around a natural feminine physical phenomenon. Talking about periods or menstruation still is taboo for many people and there are many don’ts associated with it. Women are not allowed to enter the kitchen, visit places of worship and even touch food items like pickles while they are on their periods. They are considered ‘impure’ during their menstruation and hence the rules.
Today, some women have taken on this taboo, and those propagating it in the country, on social media. Nikita Azad, a 20-year-old girl has taken on the keepers of the Sabarimala Temple after a decision was taken by them to scan women to see if it was the ‘right time’ for them to enter the temple. Author Kiran Manral, who initiated the online volunteer network India Helps after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, has also started a similar online campaign. And it’s not just women who extending their support to these campaigns but men too.
The #HappytoBleed Campaign
On November 20, Nikita Azad wrote an open letter to Prayar Gopalakrishnan, the Devaswom chief of the Sabarimala temple after he told media about this on November 13. She also started a #HappyToBleed campaign on social media.
In the #HappyToBleed Facebook page which she started with some friends, it reads, “Devaswom chief of Sabrimala temple, Kerala has given a sexist statement that once purity checking machines are invented, that check whether it is “right time” or not, (whether women are menstruating or not), he will think about letting women enter.
By this statement, he has reinforced misogyny and strengthened myths that revolve around menstruation. Although this has become the immediate reason of our campaign, our focus is identifying all forms of patriarchy and preparing ourselves for struggle.” Nikita Azad’s campign also urges women to hold up “placards/sanitary napkins/charts saying Happy To Bleed, take their pictures, upload it to their profiles, and send it to us, in order to oppose the shame game played by patriarchal society since ages.” (Read her letter here)
The #IBleedDealWithIt Campaign
Meanwhile, author Kiran Manral has also launched an online campaign called #IBleedDealWithIt against the taboos and myths that surround menstruation. “I grew up knowing absolutely no menstrual taboos. I guess I was lucky. When I was older, I realised there were a host of things women were not supposed to do during their menstrual cycle and it quite flummoxed me, because if anything menstruating is a natural process and is part of being fertile as a woman,” Kiran said.
“I began this campaign #IBleedDealWithIt in response to the realisation that we are still carrying a lot of myths and taboos about menstruation with us, even though we might be educated women of the 21st century. The change must come from us, we must realise that if we refuse to follow menstrual taboos which are restrictive and discriminatory, and counter superstition with rational explanation, we could initiate change,” she explains.
People took to social media to extend their support to these campaigns by tweeting and posting pictures.
Read the original here
November 23, 2015
A weekend away at Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa, Mahabaleshwar #UnlockDestination
The good people from Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa called in the middle of last week. Would I like to go to check out their property in Mahabaleshwar, they asked. Given that I’d spent the better part of the past two months travelling in and out of the city for various book related events, the last thing I really wanted to do was travel. But the offspring had been whining incessantly about how it was not fair, and how he was stuck at home while I travelled all over the place. And perhaps this would be a good break for him before school reopened and he got back into the grind. And so I accepted.
He packed his own bag, one with his clothes and a smaller one, for his toys. His WWE action figures. “In case I get boredt.”
We set off on Friday morning at the crack of dawn from Mumbai, the pitstop at Lonavala food court to refuel had me cautioning him to stick to the idli sambar given I knew his propensity to become a projectile hurling device when confronted with mountain roads. When we finally reached Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa, in an Avomine induced sleep haze (the offspring’s, not mine) the hunger pangs were striking, and striking hard at that.
The first thought as we turned in from the road into the neatly paved path leading to the reception was the number of buggies that were parked along. So many buggies, asked the offspring. Bud wai? We would soon find out, we realised. A smooth check in later, we were directly off to the restaurant Latest Recipe for lunch. Latest Recipe and the Indian dining restaurant, Chingari, are situated in a building a little away from the reception, reached by an imposing stairway. The best thing about the stairway I realised, is that it has been thoughtfully designed, so part of the stairs morph cleverly into a zig zag ramp way for either prams or wheelchairs, enabling access to everyone.
The cafe, cheerful done up in white and pastels, had interesting steel thermos flasks set in niches in the wall, wall murals of plated settings, mixed seating that ranged from six seaters to intimate armchair seatings for two and three, was just what hungry souls wanted after a long drive.
The offspring discovered on offer his personal all time favourite Rogan Gosht and having confirmed plain steamed rice was available, he got down to the task of dingle handedly demolishing the contents of the chafing dishes.
After lunch, we discovered exactly why those buggies were so omnipresent, we needed them to get around in the property, because all the food we’d just eaten had put us into a complete food coma.
Villa 5 was ours, a lovely room done in greys and purple and metallics, with a lovely little sitout shaded by trees, looking onto a path. The bathroom had a huge bathtub and that was invitation enough for the offspring, who has to normally be sent in for his daily bath at gunpoint to state that he was very dirty after the journey and needed a proper bath.
Post which, we were off to High Tea where Brian Povinelli,Global Brand leader for Westin and Le Meridien hotels and resorts, spoke about the ethos of the brand world and their expansion in this region. “Families are somewhat forgotten in this industry,” he said, “What we wanted to create is a multigenerational experience, where the entire family can find something to interest them.” Their programme is called #UnlockDestination, that aims at helping an entire family holiday together, and discover a destination. All their properties are based on the basic premise that people want to feel that they’ve been somewhere. Elements of the local culture find their way into every element of the hotels designed, whether through the decor, the cuisine or the various elements that make up the property. For instance, at Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa, the ubiquitous local strawberry finds its way into the dessert tray, the signature éclairs and even into light crisp sandwiches.
A tour of the property was called for and we went walking through the infinite paths that comprised the property, stopping to see the little touches at the corners, a thoughtful gnome in a garden somewhere, a man sitting on the stairs at another.
The evening was a lovely sit down dinner at the Henry Lawns, with Samantha Edwards performing some fabulous jazz vocals. The nip in the air was just right to be pleasant without being chilly. The next morning, after a lovely breakfast, we set off again to explore the property. We discovered the Kids Club, where the offspring had a blast.
The Kahaani festival was also on, with storytelling workshops by children’s authors Shabnam Minwalla and Jerry Pinto and a theatre session for children by Tom Alter which had the offspring quite enchanted. There was puppetry, dance, music, baking and what have you to keep the offspring completely busy –allowing me to take time out for a Swedish massage at the Explore Spa. An hour long massage with a blend of rose and lavender had me relaxed, refreshed and completely de-stressed.
There was also strawberry picking at a strawberry farm, a visit to the ‘Unlock Art’ Partner, Devrai Art Village, which made the most divine brass and wood artifacts, and a visit to an ancient temple. 
Dinner that night was at the Indian restaurant, Chingari, which had the offspring completely bowled over by their mutton biryani and the seekh kababs which he declared were the best he’d ever tasted, and trust me he’s tasted a lot of them.
We left the next morning, most reluctantly. In fact, the child was insistent he would stay back, all I needed to do was to leave my debit card behind with him. But alas, school was reopening the next day and he was led away, very very reluctantly from the resort, promising himself he would come back again, and very soon at that.
Thank you Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa, for a lovely weekend.
(Disclaimer: We visited this property on invitation from Le Meridien)
