Got tea?

Furtive glances, pricked up ears, hands cupped around the mouth-the prelude to gossip has always been judged with suspicion. MEERA GANAPATHI asks that we contemplate the disdain ascribed to idle chatter

-  MEERA GANAPATHI

THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS gossip I've heard is a '90s rumour about Richard Gere and a gerbil. No one can confirm or deny the veracity of this story (that he had to be rushed to the emergency room to have the rodent removed from his rectum). All we know is that the intention behind it was undoubtedly spiteful. Malicious intent is possibly why most people view gossip as an unsavoury activity. In fact, we are so committed to tarnishing the idea of tattling that we are unwilling to partake in it outside of safe, familiar conditions. And yet, nearly everyone takes a surreptitious interest in gossip. Why else do Reddit threads dedicated to Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha exist in 2023?

Despite universal commitment to the activity, gossip has long been gendered as a woman's pursuit. The 'gossipmonger' is usually a caricature of a middle-aged woman, derisively referred to as an 'aunty', which I find to be particularly unfair, as two of the most accomplished (and vicious) snoops I know are men.