X Factor

8220;Our society is still against the X chromosome,8221; says 22-year-old Garima Kale, whose fashion house Jawla help set up, with a loan from her bank. 8220;Cool Fifteen is the way to galvanise us. Here, without men, we work overtime to present ourselves at our best almost always dressed in bright colours, giving vent to our primal urges8212;discussing men, women and, of course, work.8221;

Kale has many friends both women and men outside the clique, but there8217;s nothing like their monthly rendezvous. 8220;I feel lonely on the other 29 days,8221; she says, adding, 8216;8216;Men can be incredible friends, but I can8217;t share a platonic relationship with them. And that8217;s when they cease to be friends.8217;8217; Kale knows of at least five similar cliques that have come about from single women rebelling against marital pressures. Of course, married women are part of it too, but they detest sharing this space with their spouses.

To me, this space means more legroom,8221; says a partnered woman who hangs out once in every two months at Mumbai hot spots Indigo or Athena with seven other professional, single women. Don8217;t ask us her name, for she fears her husband might read this article. 8220;We are both financially and emotionally independent, and he wouldn8217;t mind, but I don8217;t want him giving me quizzing looks,8221; she says, adding how he anyway asks her where is she headed to whenever she looks unusually good. The clique is as sacred to her, as to her friends.

At some trysts, fusion cuisine shares table space with the best of wines, with eclectic music that gets everyone grooving. Sphinx-like, they treasure their secrecy.

But there8217;s this Delhi-based clique that doesn8217;t mind coming out. Designer Aparna Chandra, models Ayesha Prem, Sapna Kumar, and Michelle Innes, Chaya Shriram, choreographer Aparna Behl and Tanya have been together for four to five years now. After a hard day8217;s work, they chill at trance parties or eat out at TK8217;s at Hyatt or Thai Wok at the Ambavatta complex. The black-catsuit-with-matching-stilettos clique meets every weekend, with some of the wildest gatherings having taken place at Bahl8217;s house before she got engaged.

8216;8216;We also shop for household things, but not because we need them. It8217;s such a fun, girlie-thing to do,8217;8217; says Kumar, adding how hot gossip is their thing too. 8216;8216;We talk about men, but not male models8212;they are so boring.8217;8217;

They are not crazy about each other, though. 8216;8216;The party won8217;t be ruined if I feel like staying at home,8217;8217; says Tanya, agreeing that a sense of belonging binds them all.

Sapna Marvunkar, from Mumbai University8217;s anthropology department, reasons: 8220;Women need someone they can talk to, share their ideas with and grow with. Men need to hunt, to protect, not ask for directions when they are lost, or I should say just be Men.8221;

The trend first hit the public arena in 1998. Many recall the party on a Warden Road terrace in Mumbai. While some sniggered at the thought, others hesitated. Five years ago, anyone would have thought twice. Today, no one does. 8220;The noise then was deafening, so much so that the party was called off, only to be reorganised at RG8217;s, on Marine Drive, the next day,8221; we are told. Many men8217;s locker-room-like women cliques have spawned since.

8216;8216;Synergy Spells Success. No jealousies, no putting other women down; just supporting each other,8217;8217; says ex-model Pooja Bedi, who was once married and is now a single parent. 8216;8216;With women overcoming the social pressures of marriage, they now want to go it alone. But they still need someone to share their feelings with, and that8217;s when they form a clique,8217;8217; she adds.

8216;8216;Conversations are triggered by moods,8217;8217; says a column writer, who formed a clique with five others a few years ago. The group includes are two actresses, a moneyed homemaker and other professionals. 8220;It8217;s different from sharing a deep friendship with one woman. While two female friends tend to get over-possessive about each other, there8217;s more objectivity in a group8212;it helps one shape opinions and not make them,8221; she says. Clink to that!

With inputs from Teena Baruah, Delhi