An award and a Jhakaas talk
Issue #96: It's official - I am funny.
Hello ji,
Checking in this week with two happy updates.
One, it’s official - I am funny.
Well, runner-up funny anyway.
The piece that won the award is a sequel to this piece I wrote in 2021:
In the piece above, I wrote about how men are raised in such a protected manner that Indian parents often forget that their pampered prince - their Raja Beta - has to grow up and take on adult responsibilities at some point, especially at home.
In the 2022 sequel, I wrote about how – when adult Raja Betas take on minor chores at home – the praise and laurels that come their way are disproportionately high. We heap ridiculous amounts of praise on men who do small and occasional tasks around the house, while the endless invisible labour of women goes unnoticed and unappreciated.
Here is the (now-award-winning) piece:
I hope you enjoy reading / re-reading both the pieces.
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Two, can women be “Jhakaas”?
I was invited as a panelist for a conversation last week with the good folks behind Agents of Ishq and POV Mumbai.
In this Instagram-Live, we talk about what “being jhakaas” means to each one of us, how we have tried to embody it in our personal lives so far, and whether we think being Jhakaas is an option available to everyone, especially gender and sexual minorities.
(Hint: We think Yes!)
We also ended up talking about being creators who are trying to bring about a positive change, and how we can stay jhakaas doing it.
My favourite part of the conversation was about the importance of having a sense of humour and being kind - especially in these times when we are so prompt to demand that everyone who disagrees with us be burnt at the stake.
Or worse, canceled on Twitter.
You can behold my award-winning face (runner-up) and listen to the full conversation here:
By the way, heads-up for Mumbai peeps: POV Mumbai is hosting the Jhakaas Mela in Mumbai all day, every day till the coming Wednesday. The Mela is a congregation of 75 grassroots creators - writers, painters, dancers, etc. - from 13 States of India. The creators are cis-women, trans-persons, gender minorities, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized social groups.
The entry is free so if you are in Mumbai and would like to see the work of some dazzling creators, head on there!
Yours Officially-Funny,
Mahima
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Hello-ji,
Heartiest congratulations, and as others have said before me, "ye toh sirf shuruwat hai
.." The raja-beta trope hits hard every time I read it. Wish there will be a time, when someone digs it up, and says incredulously, "... उस ज़माने में ऐसा भी होता था???"
May the bridges you burn light the way.
Wishes and prayers to all those who contribute and share their POVs to give us a view of how easy we have it.
Keep writing, keep inspiring.💖
Congratulations Mahima! Ye toh shuruat hai :)