Latest news with #Nandan
Scroll.in
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
‘The Legend of Meneka': A fun and feminist retelling of a mythological heroine's story
The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H Rao is a tale of a celestial seduction artist, an apsara who finds herself torn between the chains of duty and the pull of love as she must seduce a sage, Kaushika, who threatens the influence of Indra over common people. Meneka answers to Indra (a Hindu deity who presides over the heavenly city of Amaravati and wields a vajra) and must conquer the heart of this prince-turned-maharishi, who is on a mission to make Indra right all his wrongs and mend his ways. Meneka must not only win his heart but also render him apathetic to his tapasya and mission, leaving him obsessed and seduced by her ethereal beauty. This sage, if you happen to have picked up one or two Amar Chitra Katha or Nandan in your childhood, is none other than Vishwamitra. Meneka's story Years ago, I pored over countless Hindi storybooks during summer vacations (and the rest of the year as well), and the story of Meneka and Vishwamitra always featured in a slightly patriarchal way, subtly degrading Meneka for being an instrument of lust. Her seduction of a rishi is also shown with a comedic tint in skits and movies. The sage is made to bow to his 'base instinct' and thereby jeopardise his tapasya. Of course, when I was a kid, I had no inkling there could be another side to this mythic legend. Rao, with a swooping flourish, rights these wrongs, restoring the grace of Meneka and the respect of the rishi. Meneka is quite reluctant to this seduction mission. The more time she spends in the mortal world, the more she finds fault with her demeanour. Her devotion to Indra (he is described as 'the first of all devas, ancient and impenetrable. He is a power that formed and became sentient at the dawn of creation') begins to dwindle. Rao writes: 'My sari belt constricts around my waist. The necklaces tighten, and my hand rises to skim against my collarbone, trying to loosen their leash. What will Rambha say if I tell her this is how the jewels have felt for so long? That wearing them has been no blessing but a prison sentence? The boon I intend to ask of the lord today will surely catch her unaware-but the lord himself will see that it comes from a desire to be more pious. The jewels are wondrous, but they take me away from him each time I leave Amaravati. All I want is to be untainted in my devotion, close to him, worshipping him.' In addition to being quite racy, this is also a 'queernormative' (found this quote in a Goodreads review) world where a man can love a man and a woman can have affection for another woman without having to explain the whys behind their nature or behaviour. In the ashram of Kaushika, there are such pairs who freely express their love. It was brief but a refreshing change nonetheless. Meneka, too, is smitten with Rambha, who is her mentor and handler. A headstrong woman Rao's Meneka is headstrong and doesn't shy away from arguing with an angry sage. Rambha says about her, 'She is unique. She prides herself on never becoming involved with a mark, a failing I have tried to stamp out, yet it has only made her more creative with her missions. Her wits and resourcefulness cannot be denied, and it is because of those that she accomplishes her missions so successfully. While her illusions are rawer than other apsaras, she has been successful so far because she has learnt not to rely only on her magic and beauty. Instead, she studies her enemy deeply, carving her illusions based on who they are and what they fear. In a few years, I would have her seduce more challenging marks, and with more training, she could one day become heaven's greatest weapon.' The profuse use of Hindi words is delightful, but I felt some words (adrenaline, handler) were alien to the story. 'Adrenaline' is a common word in the novel's vocabulary but 'vagina' is alluded to as an 'opening'. It was a bit frustrating to see the author skirting around it. But these are minor issues and who am I to object to a woman writing about a woman? Rao has normalised what is described as 'amorous behaviour' in Hindi storybooks. I have read countless stories where humans or celestial beings are cursed with shraap because they were either indulging in lovemaking or going skinny-dipping in the lake. Meneka says, 'One time I arrive at the small pool near the hut to bathe, and Kaushika is already there. He is submerged to the waist, his dark skin glistening, performing prayers while in the water. I hesitate, then remove my clothes to enter the same pool. So what if he is praying? The pool is mine as much as his.'
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Economic Times
Bengaluru techie flees to US days before wedding after alleged sexual exploitation: Even did a pre-wedding shoot, says woman
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A 22-year-old engineering student from South Bengaluru has filed a police complaint against her former partner, accusing him of sexually exploiting her under the false promise of marriage before fleeing the to a TOI report, the woman, Shreya (name changed), said she met the man, Nandan (name changed), on Instagram in 2023. He later became close to her, proposed marriage in early 2024, and even put a ring on her finger, calling it an claimed that after promising to marry her, Nandan began visiting her house frequently and even introduced her to his apartment in R R Nagar, saying it would be their future home. He gained the trust of her family, especially her mother, by assuring them of her complaint, Shreya alleged that Nandan forcibly had a physical relationship with her in September 2024, saying they were going to get married anyway. Their physical relationship continued thereafter, and their formal engagement was scheduled for this month, with the wedding planned for June. A pre-wedding photoshoot had also been Nandan suddenly changed his stance and began citing their caste difference as a reason to delay marriage. On April 23, he sent her a message saying he had fled to Dubai and was arrested there due to issues with authorities in Russia and China. After this message, he switched off his grew suspicious and tracked him using his passport number. She discovered that he was actually in Austin, Texas, not and her father went to confront Nandan's parents with the pre-wedding photos, but they were turned away. Shreya said Nandan's father insulted them over their caste and admitted his son had been sent abroad to avoid marrying her.A senior police officer told TOI that a case has been registered against Nandan and his parents under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). 'We are issuing a lookout notice. Nandan will be detained at any Indian airport he lands in,' the officer from TOI
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru techie flees to US days before wedding after alleged sexual exploitation: Even did a pre-wedding shoot, says woman
A 22-year-old engineering student from South Bengaluru has filed a police complaint against her former partner, accusing him of sexually exploiting her under the false promise of marriage before fleeing the country. According to a TOI report, the woman, Shreya (name changed), said she met the man, Nandan (name changed), on Instagram in 2023. He later became close to her, proposed marriage in early 2024, and even put a ring on her finger, calling it an engagement. Shreya claimed that after promising to marry her, Nandan began visiting her house frequently and even introduced her to his apartment in R R Nagar, saying it would be their future home. He gained the trust of her family, especially her mother, by assuring them of marriage. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Iraq: New Small Electric Car For Seniors. Prices Might Surprise You. Electric Cars | Search Ads Undo In her complaint, Shreya alleged that Nandan forcibly had a physical relationship with her in September 2024, saying they were going to get married anyway. Their physical relationship continued thereafter, and their formal engagement was scheduled for this month, with the wedding planned for June. A pre-wedding photoshoot had also been done. Live Events However, Nandan suddenly changed his stance and began citing their caste difference as a reason to delay marriage. On April 23, he sent her a message saying he had fled to Dubai and was arrested there due to issues with authorities in Russia and China. After this message, he switched off his phone. Shreya grew suspicious and tracked him using his passport number. She discovered that he was actually in Austin, Texas, not Dubai. She and her father went to confront Nandan's parents with the pre-wedding photos, but they were turned away. Shreya said Nandan's father insulted them over their caste and admitted his son had been sent abroad to avoid marrying her. A senior police officer told TOI that a case has been registered against Nandan and his parents under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). 'We are issuing a lookout notice. Nandan will be detained at any Indian airport he lands in,' the officer added. Inputs from TOI
Hans India
6 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Join as partners in P4
Nellore: Nellore Municipal Commissioner YO Nandan has appealed philanthropists to extend their cooperation to the government by joining as partners in P-4 programme of State government's prestigious Vision 2047. In response to the call given by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on P4 programme, representatives from corporate organisations met Municipal Commissioner Nandan on Wednesday. Nandan said that the government is proposed to construct parks, schools, public toilets, arranging streetlights, establishing Solar Panels at the areas of which poor people living in slum areas in the city. Representatives from SEEL Company, Simhapuri Estate Developers, Reliance Jio Kameswara Rao, Chennareddy, Vishnu respectively, City Planner Hima Bindhu and others were present.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Time of India
Engineering student sexually exploited over false promise of marriage in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: A 22-year-old engineering student in the city has filed a police complaint against her former male partner whem she had met on Instagram, accusing him of sexually exploiting her under a false promise of marriage, before quietly slipping out of the country. After moving out of India, accused Nandan (name changed) concocted a story about him getting arrested in Dubai. However, his bluff was called when the victim, Shreya (name changed), using his passport number, tracked him down to Austin, United States. A senior police officer said a case was registered against the accused and his parents under multiple sections of BNS. "We will be issuing a lookout notice against Nandan. When he lands at any of the airports in India, he will be detained," the officer added. Shreya, a final-year college student and resident of South Bengaluru, said in her police complaint that Nandan, 28, a software engineer, had befriended her on Instagram in 2023. Later, in Jan 2024, they met near her house. A month later, when Nandan proposed to her, Shreya told him she won't be able to accept his proposal as she was from the Scheduled Caste, while he was a Brahmin. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Don't Bother With An Expensive Will (Do This Instead) Local Will Finder Undo However, claiming he was madly in love with her, Nandan said he already knew about her caste and it mattered little to him. He then put an "engagement" ring on her. In July 2024, Nandan visited Shreya's house on her birthday and got introduced to her mother. He assured her that he would marry Shreya, and the mother accepted their relationship. Thereafter, Nandan was a frequent visitor to their house. He also claimed to have bought an apartment in R R Nagar, which, according to Nandan, would be the couple's home post-wedding. Often, he used to take Shreya to his house in Banashankari, while his parents were away, and also to his R R Nagar apartment. Last September, Nandan forcibly had sex with the victim, saying they were getting married anyway. Thereafter, he had sex with her on multiple occasions. A formal engagement was scheduled at Shreya's house earlier this month, with the wedding slated for June. A pre-wedding photoshoot was also done. Meanwhile, Nandan suddenly started singing to a different tune, telling Shreya that they both ought to give the caste issue a serious thought. On April 23, he messaged her, saying he had landed in Dubai to hide from the authorities he worked for in Russia and China, but got caught. Thereafter, his phone was switched off. Realising that something in Nandan's tale wasn't quite adding up, Shreya used his passport number and found out that he was in Austin, Texas, in the United States, and not in Dubai. She and her father then confronted Nandan's parents with the pre-wedding photos, but Nandan's father didn't let them into his house and allegedly insulted them over their caste. He even told them in as many words that Nandan was sent to the US to avoid getting married to Shreya.
