#who is richest indian woman

[blueshistorysims]

October 31st, 1923, London, England

Out of the parties the Porters were known for, it was their Halloween party they were infamous for, and anyone who was anybody was invited, not just friends and acquaintances. Byron thought it amusing, seeing everyone dressed up in elegant costumes that likely cost a pretty penny. They ranged from cute, like Wilhelmina’s ladybug ensemble, to well, his sister’s extremely accurate gown of Empress Elisabeth of Austria she’d made herself. He had not a clue where she’d gotten such a fine wig, nor did he want to know. 

Of course, Byron was less focused on the party, but rather the two women who were talking near his sister and her paramour. He’d never seen them before, but the woman dressed as a Greek god looked rather familiar, though he couldn’t place why.

“I wonder who those lovely ladies are.”

Montgomery, who’d been in a sour mood for most of the night, turned his head and looked generally surprised. “Oh, don’t ya even think ‘bout it.”

“What? You know Miss Dionysus?”

“That’s Miss Eleora Balass.”

“...Like the Richer-Than-God Baghdadi Jew Balasses?”

“Aye. I’m her father’s personal physician.”

“You? Salim Balass’ personal doctor? He’s everything you are politically against.”

“I think he likes havin’ someone who isn’t afraid to speak their mind. We get into such arguments, and I’m afraid I’ve pushed too far, and he’ll fire me, but then the next day he’ll invite me to lunch and we’ll laugh over it.”

The Balass family were one of the wealthiest families in the world—Salim Balass being the fourth richest man in Europe, and listed as one of the top twenty wealthiest men in the world. They had made their fortune as merchant and traders, rising to power in the Mughal Empire before moving their base of operations to India after being forced to flee Baghdad in the early 19th century, where they established control over the Indian cotton industry, moving to Great Britain as their home in the late 1880s. 

“Well, what’s Miss Balass like?”

Montgomery sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No.”

Byron couldn’t help but smirk. “Introduce me. I’ll force you if I must.”

Almost on cue, Miss Balass and her friend turned around, her face lighting up upon recognizing the Scotman’s face, and she waved. “Oh, Dr. MacGregor!”

“Well, I suppose you’ll have to introduce us now, Montgomery.”

“Fuck off.”

“You know the Porters, Dr. MacGregor?” Miss Balass asked.

“Aye, Mr. Porter and I were flatmates many years ago.” He sighed, turning to Byron reluctantly. “May I introduce his grace the Duke of Feldsbury?”

Byron smiled and nodded his head. “A pleasure.”

“A duke? My, my, I wasn’t aware you knew such people.”

The other woman turned to her friend. “I thought you said he was socialist.”

“Oh, he is, don’t worry. Dr. MacGregor is my late sister’s widower. We knew each other far before I was even aware of the Feldsbury title.”

“Oh, Feldsbury! You’re the former army captain one who married the Gardenhouse girl… and well, divorced her too.”

The way she said it was so amusing that Byron couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, I am unwed now.” He turned to Miss Balass’ friend, dressed as Anne Boleyn. “I’m sorry, we haven’t been properly introduced, Miss Boleyn.”

She laughed as Miss Balass blushed. 

“This is Miss Samira Patel. Our fathers were business partners when we were in India, and they still are today. Miss Patel is one of my closest friends. Dr. MacGregor you know is my father’s physician.”

Montgomery smiled at Miss Patel. “Lovely to meet ya.”

Once they moved past pleasantries, the conversation grew much more lively, and as Byron grew enamored with Miss Balass, he could tell Montgomery was quickly warming up to Miss Patel.

In fact, when the quartet took their leave, Byron looked over to Montgomery, Miss Patel holding his arm, and said he planned to spend the night with Miss Balass—in Gaelic of course so the women wouldn’t understand.

The doctor smirked and replied in English, “I think so too.”

“You speak Gaelic, duke?”

He smiled at her. “Would you like to find out what else I speak, Miss Balass?”

She rolled her eyes as she waved for a taxi.   

beginning/previous/next

[helmort]

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑬𝒍𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒌⭐(Friday's Tale)

On the frigid morning of January 1, 2024, an ungodly hour past midnight, Elon Musk found himself knee-deep in the ultimate glitch. Picture this: London on the horizon, a pivotal conference at the ungodly hour of 6 a.m., and an unforeseen digestive apocalypse curtesy of some dodgy sushi. His plush ride turned into a war zone, and the richest, most powerful man on Earth discovered a new definition of rock bottom – he'd shitted himself.

The streets teemed with life, paparazzi sniffing for their next scoop. A crisis unfolded. Hotels, no refuge. Commerce, on pause. Jammed phone lines condemned him to the clutches of a dilemma only a laundromat could remedy. In the city's underbelly, he stumbled upon a humble establishment run by an Indian family. The scent of spices and incense masked the scent of Musk's misfortune, but a crowd of over twenty had already gathered.

Clad in a jacket disguising the wreckage below, Musk attempted to navigate the disapproving glares. Asserting his identity became the only way out. "I'm Elon Musk, and I need immediate assistance!" he proclaimed. The Indian proprietor, undeterred by celebrity, retorted, "I don't care who you are; you wait!" Musk cranked up the volume, "I'm Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter, and it's of vital importance that you…" the Indian, cut him off, "I'm Jagdish Patel, I don't give a bloody bloody who you are! You wait!" An air of tension thickened. Musk persisted, "It's crucial; I have a conference with the most important people on Earth about…" Patel interrupted again, "I don't bloody care! We're working since morning, and nobody on Earth cares about us, so we don't care about them!" Unyielding, Musk continued, "I can give you $1000 if you…" Patel shot back, "You can give me all the money in world, but you wait! This old woman is here for hours!" Anger boiling, Musk threatened, "You know!? I can pay somebody to kill you if you don't help me!" Patel, indifferent and powerful like Shiva in person, replied, "I don't care! I'm Indian; if you kill me, I reincarnate and kick your ass in another life!"

The dialogue hit a crescendo when two towering, Jamaican-accented men intervened, "Yo, yuh haffi wait like everybody else, or we mek yuh shit dat second time inna row!"

At the stroke of 5 o'clock, wearied by the relentless standoff, Patel apologized, "We're closing. Come back tomorrow, Sir." slamming the door on Elon Musk's face.

In the heart of London, the man who could launch rockets to space and redefine social media was defeated by a humble Indian and a touch of poop, a stark reminder that money can't buy everything.

💀

[dweemeister]

NOTE: This write-up contains full spoilers after the fifth paragraph.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Leading up to the theatrical release of Killers of the Flower Moon, director Martin Scorsese went on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) to present an evening of films that inspired his approach to his latest work. The first film of that evening's primetime schedule was the short silent film The Last of the Line (1914), directed by Jay Hunt. That Western short film starred a cast of almost entirely composed of Oglala Lakota actors alongside Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa (a major silent film star) playing the chief's son, Tsuru Aoki as an American Indian woman, and various white actors as U.S. Cavalrymen. It is an unusual piece, as it is presented almost entirely from the Lakota chief's (Joe Goodboy) perspective. Both Killers of the Flower Moon and The Last of the Line tell tales in which the ways of white Americans subsume the traditions of and irrevocably traumatize American Indians.

Unlike The Last of the Line, Killers of the Flower Moon, distributed by Paramount and Apple, is based on actual events. Adapting David Grann’s nonfiction book of the same name, Killers of the Flower Moon concentrates on the Osage Reign of Terror – a series of murders of Osage tribespeople, relations, and allies in 1920s Oklahoma. In addition to the lives of the Osage and the perpetrators of these crimes, much of Grann’s book also documents the rise of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI, which became the FBI), as they were instrumental in the investigation in a fraction of these murders. By his admission, Martin Scorsese said that his and Eric Roth’s (1995’s Forrest Gump, 2021’s Dune) initial drafts of the screenplay concentrated too largely on its white characters. Recalling his viewing of The Last of the Line back in his university days, Scorsese thought it wise to consult with members of the Osage Nation (Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear was especially helpful) over how he might better depict Osage perspectives, and empower their voices.

Scorsese is not entirely successful in this respect, and I think he would be the first to agree that he could have highlighted the Osage characters with greater attention, despite the commercial and executive constraints on this production. Scorsese would also probably be the first to agree that he is not the most appropriate person to tell the story of the Osage Reign of Terror, as he all but acknowledges in the film’s closing moments. In spite of this, Killers of the Flower Moon represents extraordinary moral and personal growth from Scorsese in how he depicts criminals and their victims. It is a delicately made film that interrogates how avarice and casual racism can lead to unconscionably serial violence – a saga not exclusive to any one American Indian tribe.

For generations before Europeans sailed to the New World, the Osage people roamed the southern Great Plains, in what are now the states of Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The annihilation of the American bison and the Indian Wars led to the Osage’s removal to a reservation on land that the U.S. federal government considered worthless (that reservation is coterminous with Osage County, Oklahoma). The discovery of oil on Osage territory in 1894 saw the Osage, by the 1920s, become some of the richest people per capita in the United States. After that historical context, we find World War I veteran Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returning stateside to take a job with his uncle, William King Hale (Robert De Niro), on Hale’s vast ranch. Hale, an important force in local affairs, is a friend to the Osage – he even haltingly speaks their language. Some time after, Ernest begins courting Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), a full-blooded Osage who, along with her family members, owns various oil headrights. Ernest and Mollie marry. Following their marriage, a rash of homicides of wealthy Osage sends torrents of fear through the tribal community – attracting the federal government’s attention after only far too much death.

The sizable ensemble cast also includes Jesse Plemons as Tom White, a former Texas Ranger turned BOI Agent; Tantoo Cardinal as Lizzie, Mollie’s mother; John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser as the competing attorneys in the murder trials; Cara Jade Myers, Janae Collins, and Jillian Dion as Mollie’s sisters Anna, Rita, and Minnie. Only Indigenous Americans played the indigenous roles, speaking or not – also including William Belleau, Tatanka Means, Everett Waller, and the late Larry Sellers.

It is not often that I cite a film for a lack of exposition, but that is a concern early on here. Scorsese and Roth’s screenplay poorly explains a mechanism contributing to the motivations of these murders. In response to sensationalized reporting from white-owned news media about the Osage’s wealth, the federal government forced full-blooded (and some partial-blooded) Osage to enter into financial guardianships – effectively deeming them a second-class citizen or an “incompetent”, unable to spend a certain amount of money without their white guardian’s permission. In a film that progressively unfolds the plotting of its perpetrators, this is among the most malignant practices in asserting white control over the Osage. The lack of much explanation here is an unnecessary complication for non-readers already attempting to keep track of the dramatis personae and digest the various subplots of the film’s sprawling 206 minutes.

Additionally, the film does not concentrate on its Osage characters to the extent some would prefer. As various Indigenous Americans have commented, such an approach by Scorsese and Roth ensures that the film’s intended audience are all those who are not indigenous. We see little of Osage life outside of moments of racial abuse, violence, and funerals. Killers of the Flower Moon makes no attempt to explain how the formally educated Osage of Mollie’s generation (including Mollie herself) were taught in schools that forbade the speaking of the Osage language, attempting to “reform” American Indian children to fit into white society.

Yet the audience glimpses other moments: naming ceremonies, the merger of Catholic and Osage traditions in significant life events (such as marriage), and even the ritual dance in the film’s final moments. In these fragments of Osage customs, it is also noticeable how much these naming ceremonies, marriages, funerals, and other more mundane moments become less grounded in the old practices over time. The bittersweet moment where Mollie’s mother, Lizzie, meets and walks away with her departed ancestors is the moment where, for this film’s purposes, the Osage’s disconnection to the past becomes pronounced. Mollie and her fellow Osage attempt to adhere to those customs, but, with the passing of elders like her mother, the Osage ways from time immemorial are all but consigned to the history books. The depiction of the Osage is always respectful, avoiding damaging and noble stereotypes.

Despite the lack of deeper Osage representation, this is not to say the filmmakers waste an excellent Lily Gladstone as Mollie (the film’s moral center). As Mollie, who has diabetes, begins to suffer from the effects of intentionally tarnished batches of insulin, Gladstone’s involvement with the narrative recedes in the film’s closing act. But before that, Gladstone plays Mollie wonderfully with self-assured posture and gait, sly and understated humor, and a piercing silent glance at critical moments. Juxtaposed with DiCaprio’s portrayal of Ernest, one has to wonder how Mollie falls for him. If Gladstone’s performance reminds some of Olivia de Havilland’s in The Heiress (1949), that is no coincidence (Gladstone also physically resembles de Havilland somewhat). Scorsese’s portrayal of Mollie and Ernest’s relationship contains revelations and moments similar to that found in The Heiress, and that film was an invaluable reference for Scorsese and his lead actors during production.

This is not so much a glimpse into the Osage way of life in 1920s Oklahoma as it is an interrogation of how white American racism (the perpetrators, at least in this treatment, are all white) led to a series of murders committed and discussed nonchalantly. Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is more concerned with how Ernest Burkhart’s and William Hale’s obsession for wealth leads them to conspire to kill Osage tribespeople for their oil headrights. Hale is the ringleader in the murders of at least two dozen Osage (De Niro is appropriately loathsome despite playing someone who should be middle-aged); the easily-manipulated Ernest (a solid outing by DiCaprio) one of many conspirators abiding by Hale’s orders.

Scorsese has long depicted American organized crime in films like Mean Streets (1973), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Irishman (2019). Since The Departed (2006), there has been a noticeable evolution in how Scorsese frames his criminal protagonists. All of these films, to some extent, concern themselves with how unchecked male egos – rife with delusions of self-grandeur and sexual gratification – descend into violence and moral depravity. Yet over the last decade and a half in films like The Departed and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), but especially The Irishman, Scorsese has leaned into his Catholic upbringing to express his characters’ sense of profound guilt. Whether or not there is true repentance in the face of their actions stirs open questions and vociferous debates about the morality of these characters or, sometimes, Scorsese’s filmmaking itself.

As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Ecclesiastes 10:1

It does not happen often in the film, but Scorsese shows both De Niro’s Hale, DiCaprio’s Ernest, and their fellow conspirators swatting away flies multiple times in Killers of the Flower Moon – usually just after or before committing or discussing a murder or some other heinous action. Flies appear to indicate the corrupted souls of this film, a Biblical personification of sin and lack of remorse. The white characters' casual conversations about violence against the Osage and their refusal to take responsibility for all of their misdeeds – including Ernest, despite testifying against his uncle at the federal trial – suggests that such attitudes towards American Indians were widely-held. Though the U.S. government is no longer engaging in a formal war against Indigenous Americans and Klansmen no longer parade down the streets of Osage County without anyone blinking an eye, a violent epidemic against Indigenous Americans still persists.

The tremendous efforts of BOI Agent Tom White and the federal prosecutors to bring Hale, Ernest, and their associates to justice were a drop in the bucket in respect to sheer amount of suspicious deaths among the Osage from the late 1910s to the early 1930s. Scores, perhaps hundreds, of other murders or Osage tribespeople were never investigated or listed inaccurately as accidents, suicide, or reasons unknown. One aspect of the narrative that Scorsese holds over the book’s original author, David Grann, is that Scorsese’s treatment repudiates any notion of a white savior. Scorsese downplays White’s role, in comparison to his treatment in Grann’s book (which, because it is also a chronicle of the rise of what would become the FBI, reads almost like a procedural). It is the Osage who save themselves – they are the ones who gather the money to lobby and pay for the federal investigation.

Scorsese’s collaborators behind the camera provide incredible artistry. Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (2000’s Amores perros, The Irishman) has had a banner year, alongside his work on Barbie (2023). Prieto demonstrates a visual mastery in a variety of scenarios: widescreen landscapes of the prairies with oil derricks far in the background, sweeping crane and dolly shots in scenes teeming with activity, and tense closeups of white and Osage faces. But what would Prieto’s work be without editor Thelma Schoonmaker (1980’s Raging Bull, 2011’s Hugo)? Schoonmaker, a Scorsese regular, can take what, on paper, should be a meandering narrative and turn it into a movie with a distinctive rhythm and storytelling efficiency – even if it runs almost three-and-a-half hours. To keep Killers of the Flower Moon’s 206 minutes (without intermission, which I find ableist even though I never left my seat in the cinema) comprehensible and never tedious is among Schoonmaker’s crowning achievements an editor.

Meanwhile, costume designer Jacqueline West (2001’s Quills, 2022’s Dune) asked Julie O’Keefe, an Osage Nation member, to serve as a costume cultural adviser. Together, the two called upon the Osage Nation to help in researching what the Osage would have worn in the 1920s. West, for her work in The Revenant (2015), had previously undertaken research on the clothing of Plains Indians. But collaborating with O’Keefe made West realize how the costume design in Killers of the Flower Moon needed to be specifically Osage. Osage artisans sewed together all the Osage blankets, garments, and shawls seen in this film. The unusual collaboration between West and O’Keefe lends to Killers of the Flower Moon a visual authenticity magnificent to behold.

When it comes to music in a Martin Scorsese movie, Scorsese tends to rely on preexisting music to establish the setting. Noteworthy original scores are not a given in Scorsese films (Bernard Herrmann’s score to 1976’s Taxi Driver and Howard Shore’s for Hugo the outliers). Robbie Robertson (guitarist/songwriter for The Band, in addition to his solo Americana music and rock career) is the composer here, but his score barely warrants notice. Like O’Keefe, Robertson also collaborated with Osage musicians to implement their musical traditions with his blues-influenced electric guitar. The electric guitar and Hammond organ lines might, in other hands, be glaringly anachronistic and inappropriate for the purposes of a project like Killers of the Flower Moon. However, Scorsese elects for minimal use of music, relegating Robertson’s score as nothing but aural wallpaper to fit a scene – without narrative or thematic development, in service of “vibes”. Most modern film critics might consider this “effective” composing; I deem it uninteresting in the context of the movie and otherwise. If anything, the music that stands out most in this film was composed and performed by the Osage themselves.

The criminals inhabiting a Scorsese movie used to, despite their deeds, possess a swagger to their criminality. Since The Irishman, that criminal swagger is no longer. With the depiction of the Osage characters and their loved ones, Scorsese offers the viewpoints of the victim’s survivors to a substantial degree for the first time. Though perhaps not as developed as one might wish, to include these views is a sort of personal artistic penitence for Scorsese.

In the penultimate scene of Killers of the Flower Moon, we find ourselves in a production of the radio show The Lucky Strike Hour, with the performers wrapping up an episode covering the Osage Reign of Terror. The Lucky Strike Hour was produced in conjunction with the BOI/FBI to dramatize real-life cases. The program lionized J. Edgar Hoover (who headed the BOI/FBI from 1924-1972) and glorified the processes of the Bureau and policing at-large. One by one, the performers read off the fates of the main figures to wind down the epilogue: the Shoun brothers; Byron Burkhart (Ernest’s younger brother); Ernest; Hale. Finally, up steps Martin Scorsese to the microphone, breaking the fourth wall. He reads a few sentences about Mollie. Mollie Burkhart remarried after divorcing Ernest and died of diabetes in 1937. Despite the murders of her sisters, potential murder her mother, and Ernest’s confession, her obituary made no mention of the Osage murders.

Scorsese looks at the audience.

Cut to a modern-day Osage ceremony. So they remain.

For more than a century, Hollywood films concerning American Indians like The Last of the Line and Killers of the Flower Moon have been told by non-indigenous storytellers. Similar situations exist in other narrative artforms. These works have almost always been narratives about the damage done to Indigenous Americans’ lives due to the encroachment of non-indigenous people. As honestly and nobly as Jay Hunt and Martin Scorsese attempted to make a movie about American Indians, there is a moral dilemma in presenting Indian suffering as a form of entertainment. Scorsese acknowledges this in his reading of Mollie’s epilogue, reclaiming that space from the radio show away from J. Edgar Hoover and the BOI/FBI.

In a film industry so rife with performative nods to diversity without due action, he also must have intuited this dilemma of depicting Indigenous American suffering when he first approached the Osage Nation for assistance on this movie. So why bother to make Killers of the Flower Moon if he is not the most suitable person to tell a story that concerns the Osage?

My answer might not be the one you wish to read. The environment that fosters narrative art, in any medium, prefers dramatic obligations over moral ones. Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is an attempt to bend that dynamic – to expose, in harsh lighting, the complicity of those who facilitated these murders and those who, even to the slightest degree, benefitted from these tragic events. Those beneficiaries include Martin Scorsese and his non-indigenous cast and crew for making this film. Perhaps this sort of moralism is too absolute for you, the reader. Yet, with those final moments of Killers of the Flower Moon, such questions were certainly on the filmmakers’ minds. It is a perilously risky ending that I found deserved and poignant.

The Osage of Reign of Terror was once an American media sensation. Before the publication of Grann’s book and in the century since, it has largely been forgotten outside members of the Osage Nation. It is valuable to debate who should author something like Killers of the Flower Moon (the book and the movie) and how they do so. The greater good is that we learn about the inhumanity of these murders and the humanity of the victims and those who tried to stop these killings. The winds across the Oklahoma prairie whisper in remembrance, and the least we should do is listen.

My rating: 9.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog. Half-points are always rounded down.

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

[thenewzzy]

Top 10 Richest Women in the World 2025: Indian Billionaire is in The List

Top 10 richest women in the world: People get viewed primarily as numbers in net worth measurements but their worth extends to powerful influence statements and creative innovation along with creating meaningful impact. Women lead the modern world by founding their way to billionaire status.

Top 10 richest women in the world 2025

Forbes Billionaire List 2024 indicates that women compose 13.3% of billionaires world-wide last year. Forbes has recognized ten women who lead diverse sectors while accumulating combined assets that exceed half a trillion dollars (approximately).

These influential women challenge male-based leadership norms while breaking traditional thinking and create fundamental transformative changes in financial leadership traditions.

The list contains ten wealthy businesswomen including heiresses alongside self-made entrepreneurs who constructed billion-dollar businesses according to Forbes' records from February 2025.

The ten wealthiest female individuals throughout the world maintain their positions for February 2025 according to Forbes.

Read About: Richest Woman in the World 2025

[womeninspiringnetwork1]

Need to Know About Inspiring Women in India

India has a rich history of strong, intelligent, and pioneering women who have made immense contributions to society. As we celebrate women around the world on International Women’s Day, let’s take a look at some inspiring women in India across different fields.

The Fearless Politicians

Politics in India has long been a male-dominated space. However, these women proved everyone wrong by not only entering politics but also excelling at it with their fierce yet compassionate leadership styles. 

Sushma Swaraj: As India’s External Affairs Minister from 2014 to 2019, Sushma Swaraj dedicated herself to helping Indians abroad in distress. She was also the youngest cabinet minister at age 25.

Nirmala Sitharaman: She made history in 2019 by becoming India's first full-time female Finance Minister, responsible for the country's economic growth. 

The Ground-breaking Business Women

These innovative women in Business not only found business success but their ventures also drive social change.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: She pioneered India's biotechnology industry by founding Biocon in 1978. Today Biocon is worth billions, making Shaw one of India's richest self-made women.

Anita Dongre: Starting out by selling dresses out of a Mumbai boutique, Dongre now presides over a fashion empire valued at over $100 million. Her sustainable fashion brand "AND" promotes local craft and empowers female artisans in rural areas. She sets an example for empowering women through fashion.

The Inspiring Sport Stars  

These athletic women put India on the global map with their record-shattering achievements in sports and by this they are Inspiring women in India to grow in every field.

P V Sindhu: As the first-ever Indian badminton player to become a World Champion, the Olympic silver medalist is an icon for aspiring female players across the country.

Mithali Raj: As captain of the Indian women’s national cricket team since 2005, she is widely regarded as one of the greatest batters ever. She also brought home India's first-ever silver medal in women's cricket at the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Empowering Women from All Walks  

Beyond politicians, CEOs, and athletes, thousands of ordinary Indian women display inspiring courage and compassion daily, uplifting their communities.

Laxmi Agarwal: An acid attack survivor at age 15, Laxmi turned a horrific experience into an opportunity to help other victims of such attacks. She went on to become an activist and TV host, using her platform to campaign for regulation of acid sales. 

Arunima Sinha: Despite losing her leg at age 24 when a train robbed her of her dreams to be a national volleyball player, she bounced back. In 2013 she became the first female amputee to reach Mount Everest.

The Arts & Media Mavens

Indian women have made great strides in arts, media, and entertainment while shattering stereotypes. 

Priyanka Chopra Jonas: This former Miss World became a leading Bollywood star before making waves in Hollywood. Named one of Time's most influential people, Chopra Jonas uses her celebrity power to highlight social issues like the education of girls.

Smashing STEM Stereotypes

We can't talk about inspiring women in India without mentioning those excelling in science, tech, engineering, and math—fields where women are still underrepresented.

Kalpana Chawla: She etched her name in history books as the first Indian woman to travel to space aboard the Columbia space shuttle in 1997. Her tragic death years later only strengthened her legacy as an inspiration for women in STEM.

Anandibai Gopal Joshi: More than a century ago when few women pursued medicine, Joshi became one of India’s first female doctors after graduating in 1886. She paved the way for women in healthcare.

Drivers of Social Progress

Some incredible women have dedicated their lives to uplift oppressed communities through social reform.

Savitribai Phule: A radical 19th-century activist, she revolutionized girls’ education by opening one of India’s first schools to educate female students in Pune in 1848.

Ela Bhatt: Founder of the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Bhatt has helped mobilize millions of poor, self-employed women workers since 1972 to gain labor rights and socio-economic independence.

Achievers across Industries

Indra Nooyi: Her business prowess was legendary in her role as CEO of PepsiCo from 2006-2018 - one of the few female heads of global corporations. Under her leadership, PepsiCo’s revenues grew exponentially as she steered the company towards healthier products. 

Arundhati Roy: This author and activist gained instant fame by winning the prestigious Man Booker Prize for her 1997 debut novel “The God of Small Things”. Outspoken on politics and social justice, her prolific writing highlights issues like environmental protection and India’s marginalized tribal communities.

Key Takeaway

From overcoming adversity to beating barriers in male spaces, achieving world-firsts for India, or driving social change—these are just some of the many inspiring women in India. Their stories reveal that courage, hope, and service to others can help women rise far above limitations imposed by gender or circumstance. 

[eton75]

Rishi Sunak: The Unelected Indian Prime Minister of the UK

I knew that Rishi Sunak, the unelected Indian Prime Minister of the UK, would never get elected if a general election took place, and it seems that I am going to be more than just right. Why would he think that the British public, who he says are not racist, would ever elect a brown man with Indian ties? Why did he think that just because the system allowed him to become stinking rich and made him Chancellor, the indigenous people of the UK would accept him as one of their own and let him stay in office? He should have known better and taken the free ride and split for California.

He is as charismatic as an old pair of boots. The man tries too hard to be English, to be white, just like Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Suella Braverman—all of them a bunch of sellouts to their own race, desperately trying to get that elusive country club membership that never comes their way. He’s a geek, a very short one at that, and what makes him a joke is that he is not as clever as he thinks he is. He’s that guy at school who is always putting his hand up in class to answer questions and desperate to be part of the club. Mistake after mistake has not helped the man, the worst of his mistakes being his early departure from the 80th anniversary of Normandy, which did not go down well with the British public. He did not learn the importance of British history at Winchester—that the past is a very important part of the British makeup. It’s their power base, the ability to look you in the eye and tell you it has taken 500 years to get their garden right. Five hundred years of living in the same castle—never mind the roof is leaking and they have sold all the silver and famous paintings. They have history; they came over with William the Conqueror. “You pleb, who are your people?” That is the phrase they love to establish their superiority. “Who are you? Where do you come from? Who are your people?” Telling them your people are in the Punjab and used to serve tea to their grandparents is not going to win you votes.

He also forgot the power of the Eton Mafia, the most powerful political bloc in Parliament, and when he ousted their main man Boris Johnson, he made a grave mistake and a lot of unnecessary enemies. The likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg, David Cameron, and the rest of the gang—all Old Etonians, all from the shires, all very powerful and very English. I know them well, and what they are willing to do for you as an honorary member of their club. You, the brown friend, will never become a full-blooded member. No way, not even if you marry one of their women. You will always be that Nice Chap who speaks good English. Look at the cabinet and senior positions held by black and brown conservatives. Each and every one of them, except Rishi, married outside their race—Braverman, the Foreign Minister, the Business Secretary, Patel, the former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng—all of them married white people thinking this was the best path to improve their careers. Rishi went for the bank balance and married a billionaire’s daughter, the richest woman in the UK, and Indian.

Am I being harsh? No, I am being realistic. I have been around the block. I know how these people, the shire people, think and act. Rishi should have known that he was allowed to go only so far, not further. Because he has been a bad boy, they are going to take his seat away from him, make him the first and only sitting Prime Minister to lose his parliamentary seat. They are going to disgrace him. It’s a cruel world out there. Kwasi Kwarteng learnt to his embarrassment, ending up looking stupid and becoming the shortest-serving Chancellor of the Exchequer, falling for the setup to be the fall guy. You do not challenge or defy these people, and when they finish with Rishi, he will be an example of what not to do with the Eton Mafia. Yes, they will lose badly in July, but you know what? They like it that way because it’s high time to regroup and rebrand the Conservative Party. Let that boring cockney become the target with the rest of his Labour plebs, watch them fail miserably, try to kick them out of office, and Jacob, Boris, and David—the three Old Etonian Musketeers—will unleash a new generation of Old Etonian capos onto the British public and increase the record Eton holds for having the most Prime Ministers . They have it all planned, that it will be one of the Old School Tie, a younger and fresher next-generation upper class leader. The first thing he will do is give Boris his seat in the House of Lords, which already has more Old Etonians than any other school in the UK, sitting there looking down on everyone else.

# Hashtags

#RishiSunak #UKPolitics #GeneralElection2024 #ConservativeParty #BritishPolitics #LeadershipChallenges #MulticulturalBritain #PoliticalAnalysis #EtonMafia #ElectionStrategy

[rehanbhati]

Be a trendsetter with glamorous Kanjeevaram sarees

Last Updated on July 23, 2022 by

Kanjeevaram sarees are one of the most popular sarees in the world, coming from a small town named Kanchipuram in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Kanjeevaram sarees are widely worn by women of all age groups and on any occasion. It is a perfect ensemble for all kinds of important events, festivities and occasions.

The beauty of Kanjivaram silk saree is in the eye of the beholder, who can’t help but be mesmerised by its royal appeal, spectacular essence and impeccable craftsmanship. Even if you have no interest in fashion, cotton caftan is often made heirloom by generations to be passed among as avid gifts of love. You can never go wrong with such a timeless design.

Made from pure silk, composed of beautiful floral and stripe patterns, these exquisite Kanjivaram Silk Sarees are a treat for your eyes.  Decorated with beautiful ornamental motifs like peacocks, kalash and leaves, these Kanjeevaram sarees online are made available at an affordable price in a rainbow of hues, so that you can make use of them as appropriate for different seasons. It is the rich and vibrant colours that stand out in the Kanjivaram Silk Sarees. With its scintillating borders, even the plain variants make for a stunning outfit.

Kanjeevaram sarees are the most popular type of silk saree in India. Kanjivaram silk sarees are all the rage this season. Check out the gorgeous varieties of Kanjeevaram Silk Sarees online shopping for your next big event!

Table of Contents

Types of Kanjeevaram Sarees

Plain Kanjeevaram saree with a gold border –

Temple Border Kanjeevaram sarees –

Modern Kanjeevaram saree Weaves –

Traditional Kanjivaram silk saree –

Bottom line

Types of Kanjeevaram Sarees

Plain Kanjeevaram saree with a gold border –

A beautiful simple design that is perfect for your engagement ceremony. The gold border adds an elegant touch to the pure golden Kanjeevaram.

Temple Border Kanjeevaram sarees –

The temple border kanjeevaram sarees are perfect for an anniversary party, or even if you’re looking to make your own. The zigzag temple border design, known as chevron peaks�� design has been crafted with a rich, multi-tonal palette of whites and blues, which is sure to add a touch of glamour to any event.

Modern Kanjeevaram saree Weaves –

Modern Kanjeevaram saree weaves have been designed to be worn by the newly-wed woman. This is the perfect choice for the modern bride who is looking to be at the front of a wedding party. The contrast between natural and artificial fibers gives this luxury silk fabric a one-of-a-kind look, as well as its traditional comfort.

Traditional Kanjivaram silk saree –

Kanjivaram silk sarees are the most traditional of all South Indian sarees that are worn on festive occasions like weddings and ceremonies. These auspicious silk sarees offer a rich look that signifies luxury, style, power and wealth. The coin, chakra or checked motifs are symbolic of traditional kanjivaram silk sarees, and these surely are the richest weaves among others. It is a perfect blend of hand-woven lace and embroidery.

Bottom line

We live to create beauty, through every inch of our fabrics. We are inspired by the wildness of nature and the authentic expressions of culture, creating clothes that let you express yourself with personality.

If you love Indian art and culture, you probably already know the importance of a kanjeevaram saree. It’s an anachronistic peace that transcends time, while staying true to its origin and several generations. A trusted place is always going to offer you the right kanjivaram silk saree for your occasions. From variety in colours to the border designs and various motif placements, there’s everything available for you to choose from online stores and markets. You can also go through online saree websites like Taneira to choose your favourite styles.

Once you pick the perfect one for yourself, then you can look at the prices and finally make a choice that covers all aspects – quality, material, craftsmanship, price.

Read More: How to Complete Your Look With Moonstone Jewelry?

[myauditionfordrphil]

I love how cricket beings out a new side of people especially those 'celebs'. Nita Ambani the bloody richest woman of India... Yeah she was screaming with all her life when Shami took the wicket. Vicky, Kiara, Ranbir, Sidharth who? Bollywood actors? No I only know the fans who jumped and cheered with a red face among thousands of Indians. Like no one cares about the camera for once, Rajnikant fucking jumped out of his sear and that's because every fucking person wants only one thing and that is for India to win this thing and that's the power of cricket in our nation 👀

[kamana-mishra]

Top 12 Women Entrepreneurs In India

The startup storm in India has been fairly gender-neutral. While men have easier access to the infrastructural necessities when it comes to establishing startups, the women of India have taken a swing at starting up their own startups.

All of the 80.5 establishments mentioned above are part of the revolution that the Indian startup environment is about to experience. Here is a list of the 12 women entrepreneurs who have made a significant splash in the female startup space, in no particular order.

1. Falguni Nayar – Nykaa 

Everyone was awestruck when the managing director of Kotak Mahindra Bank quit her lucrative job to launch her startup. It was April 2012 when 50-year-old Falguni Nayar decided to launch Nykaa—a homegrown beauty and wellness brand—with ₹10.68 crore from her pocket. Cut to 2022, Nykaa is now a public-listed company and a remarkable success story. The company grew 345% last year.

Nykaa also proves that entrepreneurship is not as much about age as it is about the state of mind. When most people her age started taking things slow and looking for retirement options, Falguni decided to venture into a new world and became a billionaire with a net worth of $1.1 billion. As per Hindustan Times, Falguni is the richest woman in India, with a net worth of ₹38,700 crore.

2. Aditi Gupta – Menstrupedia

Aditi Gupta started Menstrupedia in November 2012 to change the beliefs around menstruation. Menstrupedia designs comic books that make menstruation simpler to understand.

Appalled by the lack of information and awareness around such a natural biological process and the taboos and beliefs associated with it, Aditi took it upon herself to create awareness. She herself faced these prejudices that affect the lives of girls and women across India. She decided to take charge and started Menstrupedia with her husband, Tuhin Patel. The comics also discuss sanitation and the well-being of women.

3. Radhika Ghai Aggarwal – ShopClues.com

Radhika Ghai Aggarwal is the chief business officer of ShopClues.com, which she co-founded in 2011 with Sanjay Sethi and her husband, Sandeep Aggarwal. She is the first woman co-founder in India whose company entered the coveted unicorn club in 2016.

Radhika pursued her MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, US, and started her career in marketing at Goldman Sachs in 2001. She left the company within a year to join Nordstrom. After a few more changes, she founded ShopClues.com with her husband and Sanjay.

Sandeep left the company in 2013, and Sanjay became the CEO. The company went on to become India's fourth unicorn in 2016. ShopClues.com was planning an IPO, but it couldn't materialise due to disputes among the co-founders. Qoo10 finally acquired the company in an all-stock deal. Radhika then started the online marketplace Kindlife in September 2021.

To know more about other Top Women Entrepreneurs in India, please read the full article on Insider by Finology.

[door-no-1]

"Tiger! Tiger!"

Now we must go back to the first tale. When Mowgli left the wolf’s cave after the fight with the Pack at the Council Rock, he went down to the plowed lands where the villagers lived, but he would not stop there because it was too near to the jungle, and he knew that he had made at least one bad enemy at the Council. So he hurried on, keeping to the rough road that ran down the valley, and followed it at a steady jog-trot for nearly twenty miles, till he came to a country that he did not know. The valley opened out into a great plain dotted over with rocks and cut up by ravines. At one end stood a little village, and at the other the thick jungle came down in a sweep to the grazing-grounds, and stopped there as though it had been cut off with a hoe. All over the plain, cattle and buffaloes were grazing, and when the little boys in charge of the herds saw Mowgli they shouted and ran away, and the yellow pariah dogs that hang about every Indian village barked. Mowgli walked on, for he was feeling hungry, and when he came to the village gate he saw the big thorn-bush that was drawn up before the gate at twilight, pushed to one side.

“Umph!” he said, for he had come across more than one such barricade in his night rambles after things to eat. “So men are afraid of the People of the Jungle here also.” He sat down by the gate, and when a man came out he stood up, opened his mouth, and pointed down it to show that he wanted food. The man stared, and ran back up the one street of the village shouting for the priest, who was a big, fat man dressed in white, with a red and yellow mark on his forehead. The priest came to the gate, and with him at least a hundred people, who stared and talked and shouted and pointed at Mowgli.

“They have no manners, these Men Folk,” said Mowgli to himself. “Only the gray ape would behave as they do.” So he threw back his long hair and frowned at the crowd.

“What is there to be afraid of?” said the priest. “Look at the marks on his arms and legs. They are the bites of wolves. He is but a wolf-child run away from the jungle.”

Of course, in playing together, the cubs had often nipped Mowgli harder than they intended, and there were white scars all over his arms and legs. But he would have been the last person in the world to call these bites, for he knew what real biting meant.

“Arre! Arre!” said two or three women together. “To be bitten by wolves, poor child! He is a handsome boy. He has eyes like red fire. By my honor, Messua, he is not unlike thy boy that was taken by the tiger.”

“Let me look,” said a woman with heavy copper rings on her wrists and ankles, and she peered at Mowgli under the palm of her hand. “Indeed he is not. He is thinner, but he has the very look of my boy.”

The priest was a clever man, and he knew that Messua was wife to the richest villager in the place. So he looked up at the sky for a minute and said solemnly: “What the jungle has taken the jungle has restored. Take the boy into thy house, my sister, and forget not to honor the priest who sees so far into the lives of men.”

“By the Bull that bought me,” said Mowgli to himself, “but all this talking is like another looking-over by the Pack! Well, if I am a man, a man I must become.”

[doonitedin]

Richest Indian Women: ये हैं देश की पांच सबसे अमीर महिलाएं, देखिए उनकी संपत्ति और कारोबार

Richest Indian Women: ये हैं देश की पांच सबसे अमीर महिलाएं, देखिए उनकी संपत्ति और कारोबार

नई दिल्ली: Richest Indian Women: हम हमेशा दुनिया में सबसे अमीर भारतीय पुरुषों की बात करते हैं, लेकिन समय है उन महिलाओं के बारे में बात करने का जिन्होंने अपने कठिन परिश्रम से अपनी जिंदगी में एक मुकाम बनाया है और अब दुनिया या हिंदुस्तान की सबसे अमीर महिलाओं में शुमार हैं. तो चलिए जानते हैं कि Hurun Global Rich List 2021 के मुताबिक कौन हैं देश की सबसे अमीर पांच महिला आंत्रप्रेन्योर्स.   किरन मजूमदार…

[daphnedauphinoise]

Asian Heritage Month Book Reccomendations

Fiction 

Its events take place in the fifth century AD between Upper Egypt, Alexandria  and northern Syria, following the adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire, and the ensuing internal sectarian conflict between the church fathers on the one hand, and the new believers on the other hand, declining paganism.

The Museum of Innocence - set in Istanbul between 1975 and today - tells the story of Kemal, the son of one of Istanbul's richest families, and of his obsessive love for a poor and distant relation, the beautiful Fusun, who is a shop-girl in a small boutique.

In his romantic pursuit of Fusun over the next eight years, Kemal compulsively amasses a collection of objects that chronicles his lovelorn progress-a museum that is both a map of a society and of his heart. The novel depicts a panoramic view of life in Istanbul as it chronicles this long, obsessive love affair; and Pamuk beautifully captures the identity crisis experienced by Istanbul's upper classes that find themselves caught between traditional and westernised ways of being.

On the night of the Tiananmen Square massacre, a woman gives birth alone in a Beijing hospital. So begins the slow unravelling of Su Lan: a woman determined to remake herself, an ambitious physicist and ambivalent mother who becomes consumed by her research into disproving the irreversibility of time. Following Su Lan's sudden death, her daughter Liya travels from the US to China to try to understand the silences and ghosts her mother left behind. Adrift in a country she doesn't know, Liya begins to piece together how her mother's obsessive desire to erase her own past has marked the lives of those around her, and Liya's own.

his is the story of Rahel and Estha, twins growing up among the banana vats and peppercorns of their blind grandmother's factory, and amid scenes of political turbulence in Kerala. Armed only with the innocence of youth, they fashion a childhood in the shade of the wreck that is their family: their lonely, lovely mother, their beloved Uncle Chacko (pickle baron, radical Marxist, bottom-pincher) and their sworn enemy, Baby Kochamma (ex-nun, incumbent grand-aunt).

Non-Fiction 

Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of women from the ganglands is an Indian 2011 non-fiction crime novel written by Hussain Zaidi with original research by reporter Jane Borges. It tells 13 true stories of women who were involved in criminal activities in Mumbai. 

 I highly reccomend watching Gangubai which follows the story of Gangubai Kothewali who fought for the rights of orphans and sex workers in Mumbai during the 60s. It is on Netflix.

This is a comprehensive history of Asians from the Indian subcontinent in Britain. Spanning four centuries, it tells the history of the Indian community in Britain from the servants, ayahs and sailors of the seventeenth century, to the students, princes, soldiers, professionals and entrepreneurs of the 19th and 20th centuries. Rozina Visram examines the nature and pattern of Asian migration; official attitudes to Asian settlement; the reactions and perceptions of the British people; the responses of the Asians themselves and their social, cultural and political lives in Britain. This imaginative and detailed investigation asks what it would have been like for Asians to live in Britain, in the heart of an imperial metropolis, and documents the anti-colonial struggle by Asians and their allies in the UK. It is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the origins of the many different communities that make up contemporary Britain.

Japan 1945. In one of the defining moments of the twentieth century, more than 100,000 people were killed instantly by two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by US Air Force B29s. Hundreds of thousands more succumbed to their horrific injuries, or slowly perished of radiation-related sickness. Hiroshima Nagasaki tells the story of the tragedy through the eyes of the survivors, from the twelve-year-olds forced to work in war factories to the wives and children who faced it alone. Through their harrowing personal testimonies, we are reminded that these were ordinary people, given no warning and no chance to escape the horror.

For centuries, fame and fortune was to be found in the west in the New World of the Americas. Today, it is the east which calls out to those in search of adventure and riches. The region stretching from eastern Europe and sweeping right across Central Asia deep into China and India, is taking centre stage in international politics, commerce and culture and is shaping the modern world. This region, the true centre of the earth, is obscure to many in the English-speaking world. Yet this is where civilization itself began, where the world's great religions were born and took root. The Silk Roads were no exotic series of connections, but networks that linked continents and oceans together. Along them flowed ideas, goods, disease and death. This was where empires were won and where they were lost. As a new era emerges, the patterns of exchange are mirroring those that have criss-crossed Asia for millennia. The Silk Roads are rising again.

I am not going to lie, I had all the books and reviews written but I deleted that post when I went to post it so here are the books with synopsis I got from Waterstones because I am too lazy to rewrite. 😃👍

[ireadyabooks]

Share Black Stories 2023!

Celebrate Black History Month this February with these incredible books by Black authors centering Black characters! 

The Witchery by S. Isabelle 

The Haunting Season is here and the Wolves are awake. When students start turning up dead, four young witches realize they’ll have to harness their powers and stop the Wolves themselves. The cost to break the curse may be greater than any witch or human could ever know... Start reading! 

The Getaway by Lamar Giles

Masterfully breaking down themes of climate change, race in America, privilege, and capitalism, The Getaway is an unputdownable thriller, perfect for fans of Jordan Peele’s Us and The Twilight Zone! Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world’s most famous resorts. Then, the richest and most powerful families start arriving, only... they aren’t leaving. In order to deliver the top-notch customer service the wealthy clientele paid for, the employees will be at their beck and call. Whether they like it, or not... Start reading! 

Monarch Rising by Harper Glenn 

Monarch Rising is an unflinching meditation on whether love can save us from ourselves, and what it takes to be born anew. Set in a chilling near-future New United States of America, Jo Monarch has grown up in the impoverished borderlands of New Georgia. She’s given one chance to change her fate... if she can survive a boy trained to break hearts. Start reading! 

Things We Couldn’t Say by Jay Coles 

In Things We Couldn’t Say, just as Gio is owning his bisexual identity, he must also face the return of the mother who abandoned his preacher family when he was nine. He’ll soon find that there are no easy answers to love — whether it’s family love, friend love, or romantic love. Start reading! 

A Girl’s Guide to Love & Magic by Debbie Rigaud 

Perfect for fans of The Sun is Also a Star and Blackout, A Girl’s Guide to Love & Magic is a celebration of Haitian and Caribbean culture, all set against the backdrop of the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn. A story of first love, vodou, and finding yourself, bestselling author Debbie Rigaud infuses this novel with sparkling wit and romance. Start reading! 

Muted by Tami Charles 

Muted by Tami Charles is a ripped-from-the-headlines novel of ambition, music, and innocence lost. When Denver sings her way into stardom, the painful sacrifices and lies she has to tell are all worth it... until they’re not. Denver begins to realize that she’s trapped in this world, struggling to hold on to her own voice. As the dream turns into a nightmare, she must make a choice: lose her big break, or get broken. Start reading! 

The Life I’m In by Sharon G. Flake

The Life I’m In by Sharon G. Flake is the powerful and long-anticipated companion to The Skin I’m In. It presents the unflinching story of Char, a young woman trapped in the underworld of human trafficking. Flake offers readers another timely and radical story of a girl on the brink and how her choices will lead her to either fall, or fly. Start reading! 

[forkaround]

Top 3 Personal Favorite BLs of 2022

I would like to start by thanking everyone who replied to my 'What's the appeal of BL?' post. A friend had asked and I felt I hadn't given a satisfying answer but seeing all the reblogs and comments made my heart grow three sizes. These were things I knew to be true. These were things around me, abstract and translucent. And every answer made me so fucking happy. I could see hope. Thank You.

I got into BL this year and I can say, with ease that I've never been happier.

I am a writer. At 15 I had the idea for an epic fantasy. But things changed once I realized the female lead could end up with no one but this other female character. I steeled myself for a difficult battle because since this was gay this won't be published in India. (Back then there was still a ban on homosexuality. Section 377, if anyone's interested. A remnant of the British Raj. Lifted in 2018.) And I told myself this is going to be hard but it's fine. We can publish in the US. Parts of the story take place in the US anyway, and the rest is in another galaxy, so it's okay. We are fine.

At 20, I had an idea for a story where the female lead become the uncrowned Queen of India (Richest, most influential person in the country). Her motto was - Ambition isn't a bad word. I knew this won't be well received since a woman has ambition but I figured it won't be that bad. But I couldn't conceive of this character as anyone but a lesbian. And I knew this would never be made or rather published if she was the main character.

And in rolled the year 2022. I am 23. It's my 24th birthday and I am more excited for something else that's going to happen in two days than I am about it being my birthday and also the day I go to live, by myself, in Germany, miles from where my parents live. I can barely think about that.

All I am thinking about is -

Kinnporsche

This show is fantastic and no one can deny this but to me it's much more than a show because it made me believe there was a market for my stories. That I could do this and the road ahead wasn't as difficult as I'd thought I'd be. And that was because of how much of a phenomenon Kinnporsche was. Still is, idk. It trended worldwide every week. It trended in India every week since Ep 4. Major Indian magazines wrote about it. And for once I thought, maybe India is ready.

Kinnporsche was also a personal phenomenon. I had Sundays blocked off in my Bullet Journal as Kinnporsche Brainrot days. I bought wine for the first time in my life in anticipation of the Vegaspete episode. This show spawned 7 WIPs and added umph to pre-existing projects like the Ambition one I mentioned before. I had the time of my life reading metas and my critical thinking and media analysis skill improved because of this fandom. The fanworks were the first time in my life I've been as invested in the fandom of the fandom as I've been in the media. It glitters like gold. And in-between the changing genres and political scheming, stage blocking and color theory, and tooth rotting fluff and sadomasochism I found hope.

And what Kinnporsche started multiplied with the things to come.

Old Fashion Cupcake

I've mentioned I'm 24. I feel like I'm 40. I am a woman from a conservative country like India. I am queer but that's not the only thing about me that defies norms. And when you are young defying norms is a metric of success. When you go to college, though, things change and everything that you thought were things people were proud of, are suddenly not. All the talk of feminism and equal rights that had people clapping at 15 are all the same things that people snide at you about. It's the same with your family. And once you've finished college. The second that bachelor's degree hits your hand, the first question asked is - When are you going to start searching for a husband? And you've know for a while this is coming. And 25 feels like the end of the world. You can't imagine being 28, 30, 35, 40... And you've not even lived.

Then some guy, 5 years older than you, starts teaching his boss about some anti-aging thing. The boss is just like you, someone who hasn't lived and regrets it and you realize, a thought so powerful that your cry in the middle of the afternoon. There are as many years between me and Nozue as I've lived. It's not exact math but it shocks you down to your every cell. I feel old. But I'm not. Nozue is twice as old as me and I never thought him to be that old. And yes, life still sucks in many ways and yes, the rules of the universe are different for men and women but it also means my life doesn't end at 30. I won't be a haggard, old woman the moment the second hand moves to the next day on my birthday. Even if the world believes it - I don't have to. And it changes me coz all the things I thought I didn't have time for are suddenly things where I have all the time in the world. I have time for cute food. I have time for a cute cat. I have time to make my name. I have time to live.

And then comes something that makes me even more insane than I already am -

Love in the Air

I know. I know. But this is the first time I've seen someone that makes me as insane as Payu does. And I don't mean the department god status or the cool look. I mean the complete balance and grace this guy has. Before him it was Peggy Carter who I thought was just amazing but it was Payu that solidified the idea of why. He defies every expectation put on him. Good guy? No, he has connections to the mafia and can make you vanish with a phone call. Bad guy then? Nope, he is nice to everyone and is a general pleasure to have around. Any bad guy aesthetics are things he is passionate about in a nerdy way. The Cool Guy? Nope, he looks cool sure but it's not his goal to be a cool guy. He wants to be a nice guy. It's being nice that is cool. Nice Guy (derogatory)? Nope, he tests Rain but is pleasantly surprised every time Rain does pass the test. Narcissistic? Nope, he will put his whole pride aside for the man he loves. He will get humiliated for him any day. He is a well adjusted, respected man who is into kink. No tragic backstory, no dark impulses. Just some guy. Who likes kink.

He became dear to me and looking at him is the reason I realized that in order to make my dreams come true I can't just hope and have talent, I need discipline and balance too. But I also need grace to understand others. Enter Parpai. He spotted something wrong with Sky from the few seconds he seemed lost in thought. His priority in the finale was to take care of Sky and not being his hero or being The Hero. He cared about nothing beyond Sky's wellbeing. This is a type of character I can honestly say I've never seen before. The maturity and emotional intelligence shown by Parpai blows me away each time.

The clock struck twelve and I broke my first bottle of Merlot. Here to to an amazing 2023, an insane 2023, a wonderful 2023 and a kind 2023. I end this with love and gratitude, thing that before this year I considered superfluous, especially gratitude. But I've felt more gratitude this year thanks to BLs/GLs/QLs than I thought I was capable off.

What I wanted to do at 15 hasn't changed but now I have hope it can happen and time to make it happen and the balance and grace I would need to help me achieve my 15 year old self's dreams. Coz after a decade of being told it was stupid or unimportant I get to have confidence that all that I felt, things that others didn't agree with are real. And that makes all the difference.

[kemetic-dreams]

Hannah Elias was one of the richest African women who ever lived, but because she was a sex worker who ultimately became the largest Black landlord in New York, she is largely unknown to Us...

Hannah Elias was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sometimes during 1865 at 1820 Addison Street, one of nine children. Her father Charles Elias was a "negro with Indian blood in him" who ran a large, well-regarded catering operation, her mother Mary Elias was "almost white", and they sent her to public school. In 1884, to attend her sister Hattie's wedding in style, Hannah borrowed a ball gown without permission from her employer, leading to a sentence at Moyamensing Prison and her banishment from home.

On her own

Supporting herself as a sex worker at a "resort" owned by Emelyn Truitt in Manhattan's Tenderloin neighborhood, she met wealthy glass-factory owner John R. Platt, forty-five years her senior. She left the brothel when her twin brother David and suitor Frank P. Satterfield asked her to live with the latter in a boardinghouse in east Philadelphia. She became pregnant and gave birth at the Blockley Almshouse in December 1885, giving the child up for adoption.

Affair with John R. Platt

After Elias reunited with Platt, he gave her large sums of money, "volunteerd [sic] to start her in the boarding-house business", at 128 W 53rd Street, where as proprietress she rented a room to Cornelius Williams. She then moved into a mansion at 236 Central Park West, passing as Sicilian or Cuban. Williams later fatally shot city planner Andrew H. Green in front of Green's Park Avenue home, confusing him with Platt.

Blackmail case

When Platt, prodded by his family, accused her of blackmailing him out of $685,385, the affair merited The World's lead story on 1 June 1904, describing her as his "ebony enslaver". Asked about allegations that she had been blackmailed as well, she responded "I have read in the newspapers that I have been, and I am frank to say that there must be some truth in a story which is given so much in detail." The novelty of a Black woman with the equivalent of tens of millions of dollars, living in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in New York, caused the Seeing New York electric bus tours to make Elias's house a stop. Platt initially refused to swear a criminal complaint, but relented, allowing police serving a criminal warrant to break down her door, where they were escorted to Elias by her Japanese butler, Kato. At the time she said: "I have no fear. I have done no wrong, and every one of the poor people I have helped is praying for me in the time of my affliction." She was arraigned in Tombs Court on June 10, 1904.

Held on $30,000 bail, meetings at the house of R. C. Cooper at 318 W. 58th St. and 149 W. 43rd St. raised money for her release. When Platt was "asked directly about Hannah Elias he aimed blows at the reporter with his umbrella and shouted: 'Don't talk to me about Hannah Elias.'" The story spread, leading to detailed court coverage in the Baltimore Sun as she took the stand and described how her money was kept in "15 savings banks" as well as "houses and lands worth $150,000, furniture and plate, worth $100,000, and jewels valued at as much more." After losing his initial court case, the court of appeals eventually ruled against Platt, allowing her to keep his gifts.

Later life

In 1906, newspapers reported that Elias evicted white tenants from several apartment buildings on West 135th Street with a note reading, "in the future none but respectable colored families were to occupy the flats". She was rumored to have continued in this vein, named in a 1912 article titled "Negroes Crowding Whites" as the purchaser of a $250,000 apartment building at 546–552 Lenox Avenue; however, she refuted these claims through her lawyer, Andrew F. Murray, in 1906. By 1915 she was living in a penthouse in one of her "numerous properties" at 501 W. 113th St. She joined forces with noted Harlem developer John Nail but later left for Europe with her butler, Kato, never to return.

Her death date is unknown.

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: Nonfiction Book Club Picks

Eat a Peach by David Chang

In 2004, David Chang opened a noodle restaurant named Momofuku in Manhattan's East Village, not expecting the business to survive its first year. In 2018, he was the owner and chef of his own restaurant empire, with 15 locations from New York to Australia, the star of his own hit Netflix show and podcast, was named one of the most influential people of the 21st century and had a following of over 1.2 million. In this inspiring, honest and heartfelt memoir, Chang shares the extraordinary story of his culinary coming-of-age.

Growing up in Virginia, the son of Korean immigrant parents, Chang struggled with feelings of abandonment, isolation and loneliness throughout his childhood. After failing to find a job after graduating, he convinced his father to loan him money to open a restaurant. Momofuku's unpretentious air and great-tasting simple staples - ramen bowls and pork buns - earned it rave reviews, culinary awards and before long, Chang had a cult following.

Momofuku's popularity continued to grow with Chang opening new locations across the U.S. and beyond. In 2009, his Ko restaurant received two Michelin stars and Chang went on to open Milk Bar, Momofuku's bakery. By 2012, he had become a restaurant mogul with the opening of the Momofuku building in Toronto, encompassing three restaurants and a bar.

Chang's love of food and cooking remained a constant in his life, despite the adversities he had to overcome. Over the course of his career, the chef struggled with suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety. He shied away from praise and begged not to be given awards. In Eat a Peach, Chang opens up about his feelings of paranoia, self-confidence and pulls back the curtain on his struggles, failures and learned lessons. Deeply personal, honest and humble, Chang's story is one of passion and tenacity, against the odds.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.

In this last remnant of the Wild West - where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, “the Phantom Terror,” roamed - virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.

Foreverland by Heather Havrilesky

If falling in love is the peak of human experience, then marriage is the slow descent down that mountain, on a trail built from conflict, compromise, and nagging doubts. Considering the limited economic advantages to marriage, the deluge of other mate options a swipe away, and the fact that almost half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce anyway, why do so many of us still chain ourselves to one human being for life?

In Foreverland, Heather Havrilesky illustrates the delights, aggravations, and sublime calamities of her marriage over the span of fifteen years, charting an unpredictable course from meeting her one true love to slowly learning just how much energy is required to keep that love aflame. This refreshingly honest portrait of a marriage reveals that our relationships are not simply "happy" or "unhappy," but something much murkier - at once unsavory, taxing, and deeply satisfying. With tales of fumbled proposals, harrowing suburban migrations, external temptations, and the bewildering insults of growing older, Foreverland is a work of rare candor and insight. Havrilesky traces a path from daydreaming about forever for the first time to understanding what a tedious, glorious drag forever can be.

Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X. Kendi

Curated by Ibram X. Kendi, author of the number one bestseller How To Be an Antiracist, and fellow historian Keisha N. Blain, Four Hundred Souls begins with the arrival of twenty enslaved Ndongo people on the shores of the British colony in mainland America in 1619, the year before the arrival of the Mayflower.

In eighty chronological chapters, the book charts the tragic and triumphant four-hundred-year history of Black American experience in a choral work of exceptional power and beauty.

Contributors include some of the best-known scholars, writers, historians, journalists, lawyers, poets and activists of contemporary America who together bring to vivid life countless new facets to the drama of slavery and resistance, segregation and survival, migration and self-discovery, cultural oppression and world-changing artistic, literary and musical creativity. In these pages are dozens of extraordinary lives and personalities, rescued from the archives and restored to their rightful place in America's narrative, as well as the ghosts of millions more.