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Each month, we feature a theme centred on books and reading. For November, we have a writing cue for you, drawn from the work of poet and writer, Kamala Das.
The Women’s Web & JustBooks monthly writing theme, Book Talk, is back! This time, we draw inspiration from the brilliant Kamala Das.
For November, our writing cue is:
“Ask the books that I read why I changed. Ask the authors dead and alive who communicated with me and gave me the courage to be myself.” – from My Story by Kamala Das.
Use these lines as your inspiration and interpret them in any way you like. You are welcome to explore any form, be it an essay, short fiction, poetry or something else.
Send in your entries by the 18th of November. (Deadline extended by two days due to Diwali week!) Entries can be anywhere between 250 and 800 words in length. Email them to [email protected]. The 3 winning posts will be published on Women’s Web on the 20th, 22nd and 24th of November and each winner will receive a Rs.500 gift voucher from JustBooks.
JustBooksclc is India’s First & Largest Community Library Chain, provides a unique reading experience to book lovers with a wide range of books for every type of reader from Toddlers to Teens, Dabblers to Bookworms. One membership works for the entire family. Sign up for your membership, and don’t forget to use the code JBWWD250 just for Women’s Web readers – this gives you Rs.250 off, only until November 30th!
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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