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Who is Kanimozhi? Interest in the 5-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s slightly less visible child has peaked after his death.
‘Kanimozhi’ is a Tamil name made up of two words – ‘kani’ which means fruit and ‘mozhi’ which means language. It basically translates to a woman who speaks sweetly, or has a way with words. To put it plainly, it is the perfect name for a woman who has at various times worked as a politician, poet, and journalist.
Kanimozhi has definitely inherited her father’s daughter creative penchant, for M.Karunanidhi himself was a famous writer and politician and was often praised for his silver tongue. Seen as Karunanidhi’s ‘literary heir’ (she is his daughter by wife Rajathi Ammal), Kanimozhi is the chief of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) wing for Art, Literature and Rationalism.
She has done quite a bit while holding this post, including organising work fairs, activities towards women empowerment, working towards the welfare of disabled and transgender people, and coming up with the idea of the Chennai Sangamam, a yearly open Tamil cultural festival. She also assumed office as a Rajya Sabha MP on 25th July, 2013.
But even before she became a politician, she did impressive work as a Tamil poet and a journalist. She even worked as a sub-editor for The Hindu for a while. Her professional success is something that one cannot miss.
It wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows though – she was accused in the 2G spectrum case only to be acquitted on 21st December, 2017. But the damage to her reputation had been done, and the episode will likely provide ammunition for her detractors in the future too.
She is flawed, like any other human being. But at a time when there are testosterone-fuelled verbal wars between Karunanidhi’s sons – M.K.Alagiri and M.K.Stalin – over who should succeed their father, one can’t help but wonder if Kanimozhi is a better choice.
Women politicians in general find it harder to establish themselves firmly in the world of politics because of the inherent patriarchy. But we already have a lady who managed to do that in Tamil Nadu – Jayalalitha or as she was fondly called, Amma. She wasn’t perfect, but she was worth looking up to. Maybe, Kanimozhi will be next. Who can say?
Image source: Rajya Sabha TV
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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.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
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