The 'Sins against Stereotypes' tag

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan
11
Well, Dhanya had tagged me with the "Sins against stereotypes" tag awhile back and I really felt it's one worth doing. The basic premise being "Have you ever done/wanted something that your gender is not typically supposed to ?"

Before going into the tag per se, I'd like to comment on a point she and many other females apparently raised - why many men are not taking up this tag. Well, I don't find it surprising really. Don't you think guys would be more embarrassed to admit their non-manly ( girly ? ) traits like getting a manicure or waxing their chest as compared to women speaking up on things like riding a Pulsar or wearing blue ?

Anyway, here's my "Sins against Stereotype" list.

1. My younger cousin sister pointed out the irony of this one.
I'm a doctor who deals on a daily basis with blood, broken bones and shattered skulls. I yawn through most of them. But turn on a horror flick in a dark room and I'll probably never sleep that night. I ain't talking horror like 'RING' or 'EXORCIST' level... I'm talking 'Ramsay brothers cheap '80s Hindi horror films'. I swear to God I used to be so scared as a kid I could only watch it from behind a pillow. Damn those scary monsters with their weird slow walk and pizza-makeup faces.
Have things changed 2 decades later ? Ya right. I was watching the trailor of "Paranormal Activity 2" late at night while at home. After that, I was too scared to go get a glass of water in the dark. What if the creepy lady was out there ? ( It makes total sense to me that she'd come all the way from America to a house in North Kerala ! )

2. Like every guy, I too yearned for the super cool nickname which would define me. You know, something like  - Tiger, R Man, Killer, Stud, Rambo, Rocky. Well, thanks to an unfortunate set of coincidences, I ended up with a slightly lesser version of Rocky and Rambo.. RADHA !!
Before you picture me in a sari carrying a pot on my head, let me clarify - we had three Roshans in our batch. The natural thing to do seemed to be to use our surnames ( I was not consulted when this came about !! ) and since my surname was too long for many, it was shortened to Radha.
Am I embarrassed by it ? Frankly, no. My dad was known as Radha all his life at his workplace. I'm proud to be taking up his name ( though I don't have even 1/10th of his work ethics ! )



3. I don't know anything about bikes. Okay, that's a lie. I know they have two wheels and that Street Hawk had a turbo boost button which is sadly missing in bikes in real life. That's it. Asking me to ride one or even point out the parts is akin to asking an elephant to ride a unicycle while juggling peanuts and dreaming of the Elephant Playboy of the month... it ain't happening.
However, I am willing to consider riding one if Pulsar, Kawasaki or Hayabusa is ready to consider adding training wheels at the back. Yeah.. then I'm a mean-ass punk - Radha, Hell's Angel.

4. I always visit the perfume section when I go to a big mall. And I know we men are supposed to stick to the "woody" and the "musky" scents, but I prefer the "fruity and fresh" ones.. my present scent is Antonio Banderas "Blue Seduction" which again is a mix of mints, melons, apples and bergamots.

5. I used to be famous in my college as 'the guy with the cards'. I'd have a greeting card for every occasion. Be it Valentines, friendship, friendship on Valentines, birthdays, New Year's, cheer up cards... had it all. ( Ok ok fine, I didn't have Rakhi cards.. go shoot me !! ) While at home this time, I had a lot of time to go through the old cards and found a bag full of unused cards, meant for occasions like these. For better or worse, it's been nearly 4 years since I've last stepped into a greeting card shop... That part of me just doesn't exist anymore.

6. Going through the old stash also reminded me of another person within me who is no more - the penpal.
For many years after school, I was penpals with a classmate of mine. It was a monthly thing - a sort of diary of events that affected us. Over the years, we would go through various changes in our lives - be it work, friends, love, family or just plain gossiping.. but we maintained the monthly ritual for more than half a decade. I guess I have to take the blame for slackening off from writing. As in the point above, I don't think I can ever be that person again. I do regret it, but then sometimes we have to give up the best parts of who we were so that we can continue our journey in life.

7. I love cooking. It's a trait I picked up from my mother, I guess. She must have a gazillion books on cookery. My first memories from childhood were of her cutting up recipes from FEMINA and sticking it all in ledgers. Me, I've experimented with chicken dishes and desserts with pretty good succes, if I say so myself.
Now before any girl gets an idea of saying "Awww !! He can cook too. What a catch!!" let me remind you of the 'catch' - I eat as much as I cook so there's no point calling a girl over for a romantic dinner at home UNLESS she brings her own tiffin box !!
P.S. If you're still interested, please bring those long candles too. I hear they're supposed to be really romantic. I wouldn't know... I just want them lit on the table between us to prevent you from reaching over and eating from my plate.

8. Hmmm... I guess I'm not a typical 'action movies' kinda guy. What can I say ? While everyone goes gung-ho over Arnold's biceps or Stallone's 60 year old six packs, I prefer the dorkiness of a Chandler Bing ( Friends ) or a John Dorian ( Scrubs ) anyday. My favourite action hero ? No doubt, it would have to be ... ZOHAN !! ( You don't mess with the Zohan ) Then again, like everyone else, I am waiting for the new EXPENDABLES movie, because it'll be nice to go back to some good old fashioned action without CGI.

9. Most kids knew all the shots of cricket by the time they were 8 years old. I, on the other hand, qualify as the Harsha Bhogle of cricket - I can rattle off stats and game moments from memory, but give me a bat and a 5 year old girl could clean bowl me. I was always more of a writer, I guess. Infact, I recently found the old notebook in which I and 2 of my closest friends from childhood had written a 100-odd page novella - a spoof on the various Star Treks.
Why do I say it with pride ? We were 14 years old when we wrote it and believe me, it's still quite funny 15 years later. Since then, I've written a 100 pager in 12th ( in class ) , a 10 page love story ( written in an anatomy dissection hall around dead bodies.. don't worry. This one had songs too !! ) and 2 140 pagers, both comedies involving batchmates.
I guess I'm never gonna be winning cricket matches with the bat or winning a boxing match ( unless I fall on the guy who punches me, thus crushing him to death ) but I'll always get a chuckle with the written word.. and that's good enough for me. You gotta pick your battles.

10. This last one's controversial but then what better forum to talk about it. Someone I know was worried because she wasn't a virgin and that's "the prime requisite" for guys apparently. After going back and forth on this, she asked me the key question - " Would I be ok knowing my wife wasn't a virgin ?"
My answer was this - "Definitely. Everyone has their own pasts. All love stories do not reach the altar, but that does not mean the girl should be condemned forever, while the guy is called a stud-muffin and walks away. I can't see myself judging her based on her past. What matters is my relationship and compatibility with her." 
She told me I was in the minority in thinking this way. I'd like to think I'm not, that this is more than just my Aquarian eccentricity.
I just wish that there were less sweethearts like her worrying about their pasts and instead spending more time being the lovely people they are.

I'm done... I really can't think of anymore. Anyone who wants to take up this tag is free ( especially guys.. common, we have to prove we ain't afraid, men !! ) , just leave a comment on the post when you're done so I and others can check it out.    

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11Comments

Let me know what you think.

  1. Wow that was a treat Doc :) Thanks a lot for being a sport and taking it up. I guess point 5 is totally unique of a guy :)

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  2. Wow, you took up this tag!

    Have been reading way too many versions of the same thing on various girl blogs..but this one on a guys page is a FIRST!

    Know what, go and add 'done this tag' into this list too :D

    Was a fun read , especially 1, 3 and 7 ( Huge LOL on those)

    :)

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  3. That was a good read, many people wouldnt admit...and you totally fall into the good minority for point no 10. Any girl would want 2 marry u! U just eat the food that u cook, right? Its not as if u will eat her also! so no problem :)

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  4. Dhans.. no probs.. really ? I thought i was unique among guys for that.

    Aishu.. will do :) I cant remember seeing any guys taking up this tag either.

    Anita.. good minority.. sigh. Always a minority :S
    As for the last bit, it depends .. if she comes dressed up as a KFC ZINGER burger... I think I'll leave this sentence unfinished.. no real decent way to end it !!!

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  5. AnonymousJuly 28, 2010

    really good brother
    :)
    -harsh

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  6. Well RADHAAA... I second u on the 5th point... Not a big deal for me either... Is it a co-incidence that i am an aquarian too???

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  7. tHANKS harsh..

    Mad.. no coincidence.. we're the modern thinkers :)

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  8. wow you have written novellas!!

    5--somehow in general I feel with the advent of SMS now and e cards some years ago, number of people buying cards has plummeted I believe....

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. That was a long time ago Varsha.. dont see myself doing it anytime soon again :)

    and ya, agree with u on the disadvantages of technology

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