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Despite being in her eighties now, writer-activist Mahasweta Devi continues to speak for the rights of the dispossessed, especially the tribal peoples of West Bengal and Bihar.
If one were to detail the awards and honours bestowed upon noted writer Mahasweta Devi, it might be easier to note the ones that she has not received. A prolific writer, Mahasweta Devi’s oeuvre includes such gems as Hazaar Chaurashir Ma, Draupadi and Rudali. Nor is her writing restricted to one genre – her recent work for Tulika, The Why-Why Girl has been very well-received among an entirely different audience – children.
Common to all her work is a strong strain of empathy for the dispossessed, an understanding of Indian society in its many grey shades and a demand that we, the readers, grow up to respect those different from us – whether by age, class, caste or gender. Besides fiction, Mahasweta Devi has written extensively on the discrimination faced by tribal peoples, including apathy and aggression from the State itself.
Why we find her inspiring:
– Because she reminds us that gender is only one of the many axes on which discrimination rests
– Because she refuses to be quiet and raises the uncomfortable subjects that many of us in urban India would rather not think about
– Because she uses her words so effectively
– Because she shows us that age is not a deterrent to being involved
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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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