of souls

Okay, I think it’s time I cleared out the cobwebs on this blog. How long has it been? Two? Three weeks?

I’ve been suffering from a bout of the crazies (which is when I turn into Crankenstein and snap at everything that moves and knock over everything that doesn’t) and thought it would be best to stay away, until I got an email a few days ago with the subject: “Anawnimiss” has been Selected as one of the top 15 Love and Relationship blogs in India.

I was obviously elated – but when the write-up finally appeared, I was underwhelmed to say the least. The post was very carelessly written, in an attempt to quickly summarize the last few posts I’ve written. See for yourself.

This anonymous female tries to explain a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter which looks like a rude behaviour to others, horrifying experience of driving on roads, unwanted advices of people to a pregnant girl, and the happiness spread in the home on the birth of a baby boy. If you want to read her experiences please come over to this blog.

Needless to say, the review doesn’t even begin to capture the essence of this blog, its soul.

And that brings me to the question that has been plaguing me for three days, bothering me enough to step out of the shadows – what is the essence of this blog? Where does its soul lie?

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anawnimiss

Blogger. Crazy bitch. Stalkee. Weirdo magnet. Wannabe housewife. Corporate Slave. Find me at anawnimiss.wordpress.com!

58 thoughts on “of souls”

  1. Well, for me, it’s that you go places, very unlike the starship enterprise, where bloggers generally don’t go in fear of losing sensitive readers. Plus, the funnies. Lots of that here.

    Congrats and keep blogging!

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  2. I’ll have to think more than a moment (unlike the person who nominated your blog ha ha!) to capture the essence of your writing, however, I can say right away, you had me in stitches reading the summary they wrote. Whilst it probably fuelled “the crazies”- I can certainly relate (I say ” I want to kick the cat” lol but obviously, being a cat-lover, that is strictly metaphoric!), it provided me with a much needed laugh tonight as I am crook in bed.

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  3. Been a lurker for some time now. Congratulations and do keep blogging!

    Refreshing honesty is a much used term, but I think it fits perfectly when describing your blog. And I have a feeling, you as a person are not much different from this blog.

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    1. Hey Sushma, nice to finally meet you!
      I was always the person you think I am – just never had the courage to openly admit it. I guess honesty comes more naturally when you’re “an anonymous female” 😉
      I hope you’ll stop lurking – would love to hear what you have to say!

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  4. Bad ass introspection into what it means to be a human in delhi. Will not necessarily be your mother’s cup of tea, unless your mother is also a bad ass. Well worth the read, regardless of whether it sometimes grates against your sensitivities, because in truth life grates, and Anawnimiss keeps it real.

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  7. For Me… this blog has been about standing for your thoughts and views and not caring about the pre formed customs. When I read this blog I feel empowered as a women. The kind of bond and understanding you have with your husband I hope every girl has that. And my favourite post on your blog has been about how marriage in India is not fair for the girls.. its what I always felt… but it was blurr untill I read it here… thanks for bringing clarity into my life.
    For me the essence is being who you are and NOT giving a damm..
    Love reading your blog.

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    1. Wow, Kalyani! This is very flattering. Even in my wildest dreams I dared not imagine that I’d be helping someone feel empowered. I’m so glad you feel this way!

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  8. The essence is YOU. It’s where you were yesterday, where you are today, and where you’ll be tomorrow. Don’t let a simple, and uninformed review of your blog categorize or pigeon hole you. Your blog gives me incredible insight to what it’s like to be a woman in India. Mind you, I don’t want to be a woman as I am quite happy being a man. Oh my, where am I going with this. Just be you, Ana, and we’ll all be happy.

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  10. Interesting question Ana. There is something unique about your blog and it is your perspective. You write as a young woman who could be from any culture. Many people are Indians or Americans or Canadians first and then people. You are a young woman first and just happen to have been born in India. The anger and happiness and trials and triumphs you describe could as easily be written by a young woman in any culture. This is important because when we find commonness between our countries we eradicate prejudice. And then we can rejoice at our diversity.

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    1. I love your description Paul.
      when we strip away the layers that define us and bare our souls we are all the same. And Ana could as well be a girl living in any culture, the child abuse is simply just that, whether it takes place in India, Africa or the suburbs of Detroit or Timbuktu, the pain is real and the same.
      To talk about it takes courage, Ana and I applaud you for that.
      In India and every where in the world, we tend to sweep these under the rug, because we feel uncomfortable to confront these issues.
      The collateral damage to the kids who have no voice is silenced and we just move on.

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  11. Congratulations, Ana! Glad to see your blog get recognized. Though the description was far from accurate! I think, your blog captures the things many of us think about but don’t ever talk about? If that makes sense… 😛

    You’re not afraid to explore the darker side of humanity, and call society out on it’s BS. That’s how I see it, anyway. 🙂 So keep rocking, mama-to-be.

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  12. Your writing is very honest. You are not afraid to explore topics that many Indians shy away from. There is also an element of unexpectedness to it. As if you yourself are not quite sure what you might discover about yourself, as you write. I like the way you approach things without a plan – it makes the writing a better hook. I think honesty and courage form the soul of your blog.
    Nice that she recognized your blog but oh boy, what a foolish, mixed-up, messed up description of your blog 😦

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    1. Ha! You got me! I don’t think I’ve ever written something with an outline in mind. I am just as surprised at the outcome, and I like it that way.
      I’d ascribe all honesty to my anonymity. Not really that sure about courage, but I guess I’m getting there. I hope that one day there will be no need to hide behind my invisibility cloak!

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  16. I think it’s in your refreshing honesty. And you can express yourself that way partly due to the anonymity. That first sentence of the review/intro to your blog (written by whoever) is so stupid, I can’t believe someone would come to that conclusion even after reading your well written posts! Gah. Pliss to ignore and continue doing what you do. You know who understands and appreciates you, and I think that is enough to go on without having to have other forms of acceptance/appreciation… like whatever that award is!

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    1. I don’t think that the writer actually read anything – it seems like a ploy to get me to host a badge that links to their site. They sent this email out to me the other day:

      “…we have received requests from a few bloggers that they would like to showcase this achievement on their blog and have asked us for a badge. Please let us know in case you would be interested in such a badge; we would send the same to you once it gets ready at our end.”

      So I know this whole “award” business is a scam (why do you think there’s no link to the write-up) and I ignored it. I found this description really amusing, except that it made me wonder what the essence of this blog is, and I gave up after wracking my brains for 10 min and decided to throw the question out into the universe and see what happens.

      I like what happened.

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  17. There is an element of surprise in each of your posts which reveals your unique perspective on the things happening to you and around you. Also you take great care in replying to the people who comment on your blog and making them feel welcome, even if some of them are harsh to you.

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      1. You know what, I’ve had that experience. It baffles me that our attempts at making conversation or initiating discussions go by unnoticed – it’s almost like the blogger(s) in question don’t really care what we think. And on a few blogs a different point of view is not welcome at all, and that really sucks, too.

        But know that you’re always welcome to say what you like here – because I love you right back!

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  18. Hi Anawnimiss! I consider your anonymity to be the soul of your blog. Anawnimiss could literally be anyone,the modest woman who conforms to the rules set by the society,The timid woman or the woman who wants to question authority every single time, but couldn’t. You represent the face of a modern Indian woman.As the saying goes, “give a man a mask and he will show his true face”. You show who you really are( who we really want to be) with the the mask of anonymity. You can’t really put a face to the name Anawnimiss, which would really make this , just another personal blog. 🙂

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  19. Hmmm…interesting question. Your soul is out there in every word you write. I find what you write refreshing and honest. You deal with difficult issues everyday. Your cultural and societal constraints are not few and yet you address them and in a sometimes humorous, but never dishonest way. I love the descriptions of your dangerous road trips. It isn’t just about the physical trip itself, but you put into your story the description of your own “trip” spiritually and emotionally. Something I appreciate in your writing. Your soul is on every page.

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  22. I have to say this: I was really sad and down thinking about the bad day I had. But don’t know from where I found this post. And now I feel much better. I am so relieved to know that there are worse things in the world than the bad day I had. I mean your blog, basically your life, god! so depressing. No, I am serious. I feel a lot better now that my life is lot better in quality than yours. I mean you seem so clingy and depression-loving person.
    I know it’s not fair to compare like this but it feels good right now. Thanks so much for writing. Really made my day, made me feel a lot better.

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    1. Glad that my writing brought you some peace. And it’s absolutely okay to compare – in fact, it is human. What I don’t understand is why someone would judge people based on the one post they’ve read.

      Either way, if you find me clingy and depression-loving, you are free to maintain your distance, you know. I’m definitely not going to drag you out of your fancy depression-free life to be party to what you think is my sulkfest. Do whatever works for you!

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      1. Nope. It’s not one post. I read a few more. I couldn’t read any more..seriously. That’s how I already maintained the distance:) But I will think about this blog when I am in a terrible situation, just to feel some gratitude for my quality of life. Thanks!

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          1. You can’t even understand simple statements. I don’t know how you think yourself as a ‘good-writer’.. haha.. I feel sorry for you. And yes I am happy about my life being better in quality because of some simple reasons- that I am not a depression-loving person and don’t cling to my past, whatever it was. I take pride in moving on, I feel better that I am not doing self-loathing, not having self-pity, not blaming anyone but simply moving on and I definitely take pride in not telling personal tales of “suffering” to gather empathy from the world.
            Now that I’d say is a better state of mind and quality of life than getting addicited to self-pity. Yes. 🙂

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          2. Wait a minute, I’m trying to reason things out with someone who
            (a) is smug about how good his/her life is,
            (b) has strong opinions about how people should feel/talk about their lives,
            (c) is dismissive of other people’s opinions,
            (d) thinks he/she is a mind reader
            (e) uses the word “depression” so carelessly without realizing that it is not something one chooses and is a serious medical condition, and
            (f) is generally a disrespectful know-it-all.

            (I stopped my list at F for a reason.)

            So you have a problem with me talking about my life in public? Too bad. I’m still going to do it. You can troll me as much as you like, it’s not going to change a thing.

            Your move.

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