In this pathbreaking work, Shrayana Bhattacharya maps the economic and personal trajectories–the jobs, desires, prayers, love affairs and rivalries–of a diverse group of women. Divided by class but united in fandom, they remain steadfast in their search for intimacy, independence and fun. Embracing Hindi film idol Shah Rukh Khan allows them a small respite from an oppressive culture, a fillip to their fantasies of a friendlier masculinity in Indian men. Most struggle to find the freedom-or income-to follow their favourite actor.
Bobbing along in this stream of multiple lives for more than a decade-from Manju’s boredom in ‘rurban’ Rampur and Gold’s anger at having to compete with Western women for male attention in Delhi’s nightclubs, to Zahira’s break from domestic abuse in Ahmedabad-Bhattacharya gleans the details on what Indian women think about men, money, movies, beauty, helplessness, agency and love. A most unusual and compelling book on the female gaze, this is the story of how women have experienced post-liberalization India.
Yaksha: What is the greatest wonder?Yudhisthir: Every man knows that death is the ultimate truth…
What is your purpose, your Dharma, your innate tendency? Your only path to freedom is…
The key to making the best vegetarian Tamil food is cooking it at home. Prema…
'This is the food my parents ate and their parents ate ... It is an…
From the internationally bestselling author of The Heartfulness Way comes a journey to the center…
From the internationally bestselling author of The Heartfulness Way comes a journey to the center…