Writers are Rebels and So Am I!

As a literature student, now, an MA in English, I dissect a writer’s life, works and therefore his/her oeuvre. It is tacit and goes without saying that every writer is a rebel for a reason and perhaps a cause. Writing is an effective channel of expression and every writer expends it as a vent to convey and communicate his/ her thoughts, feelings, opinions and perceptions.

One such writer who thrived in prolific confessional poetry is Kamala Das. Her poems were prescribed for our fourth/final semester exams: “An Introduction” and the “Old Play House”. What inspired me to write this post is the news of her death; she passed away early this week. Both the poems are poignant as they portray the raging conflict between her opinions and those around her. She wrote in times when women were beginning to enter the portals of schools and universities. Das tells in her poem “An Introduction” that people (could be her parents, extended families, neighbours etc) around her, asked her to refrain from writing in English and said “don’t sit on the wall, don’t peep through window, be Amy, be madhvikutty (she is a malayali and that’s her pet name)”. This is precisely how girls are conditioned and silenced. She confesses how growing up was an unpleasant experience for her as it added to her insecurity. She broke the stereotype and revolted by cutting her hair and wearing her brother’s clothes.

Irrespective of a girl or a boy, we all do find ourselves at loggerheads with our parents and the world at some point in time. Most often than not, one can feel the heat when points of view do not match, when you feel a proclivity to some norm fabricated by your parents or the world around you. I’m born to orthodox and conservative parents and there is a lag of about 30 years between my parents and me. So, one can understand the intricacy here, though, I believe that it’s a boon to have seasoned parents; as they have seen the world more than you have! They admitted me into the best educational institutions: Rosary Convent, St Francis and Osmania University College of Arts and Social Sciences and ironically didn’t expect me to be opinionated and make my own choices. “Minu (my pet name) don’t laugh loudly, don’t wear this, don’t talk like that”; was the rhetoric doled out to me. I’m neither hesitant nor apologetic to say that I was a rebel when I was in my teens and often couldn’t see eye-to-eye with my parents on most matters. I took a bold stance and candidly confessed that I will live life on my own terms and will not let anybody live my life. Things gradually changed and today I make my own choices, opinionated, bask in my freedom and live life on my own terms, and my folks, are happy and proud of who I’m.

At college, we as a batch both in Francis Junior and degree college rebelled against the dress code: salwar kameez; and retorted by wearing casuals. Some other rules charted by the college wouldn’t make any sense. In junior college, we assiduously created a chart, wrote few catchy, pejorative sentences and pinned them up on our notice board. We never revealed our identity though and had the principal guessing if it was the Sciences, Maths or Arts group. She was such a pain in the neck. However, most conjectured, it could be us, as the sciences and maths group will not have ample time and the guts to manipulate. It is college damn it and let us be as we are! While pursuing MA, the entire class forayed into rebelling. College days were so much fun! I wish I could turn the clock and go back in time. Those beautiful moments today, have become most cherished and sweet memories and will remain green in our minds.

Shakespeare, the romantic poets: Keats, Wordsworth, William Blake; Elizabeth Barrett Browning were all rebels who produced finest pieces in literature. Though they were a host of them, I put only few names coz this post is only getting longer. So folks, feel free to add other writers who you think were rebels of their times.

Evolution, Education and Empowerment- Part One

The above three E’s are an integral part of a student and a working professional’s life, like me for instance. One can evolve and advance in one’s career and life, if we are equipped with education and empowerment to pursue what we want. Tomorrow, Sept 08, 08 as we celebrate World Literacy Day, I want to ponder and introspect as to how much I have made out of the education I received so far.

CIA Worldfact book estimated in 2007 that overall World literacy rate stands at 82%, while India touches 61.0%. Mighty relieved that India’s score is at least average; it could have increased by a minimum 5 to 7%, by now. It is not uncommon to mistake literacy from education. How is literacy different from education? What makes us literate? What makes us educated? Literacy is the ability of an individual to read and write; it empowers an individual with knowledge and thereby makes one competent. Education empowers us to develop mental, aesthetic and moral faculties. However this can be possible only if education makes us think, question, aware, conscious and sensitize us.

How often have we developed cold feet about studying, when in School? L.K.G, U.K.G plus another 10 years looked like an eternity and would shudder at the prospect of another 7 years of education. Since we get things on a platter, we barely value education. There was an Abraham Lincoln, who was not lucky as most of us are and studied under street lights; A Brooker.T.Washington (coal miner) who literally gave his sweat and blood for education. In the course of this road that we traverse for 15 to 17 years of our life, I realized the value of education when I stepped into my XI class at St Francis. This is a turning point in everyone’s life when one is at the crossroads of umpteen options thrown at us: Maths, Science, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Economic, History, Literature, Commerce etc. Things are put into perspective when you take your pick; if you savour and devour your subjects nothing like it and if that empowers and equips you to excel in your career, what better can you ask for? I know the value of education and learning. Hence I had been persistent and adamant to pursue PG.

While studying in Rosary Covent High School, I had an intense ambition to become an IAS Officer, as a tiny tot, adolescent and teenager. Man proposes and God disposes! What I thought? And what I eventually became today? What started as working on a lark, as a part-timer actually became a grave career option. I became more inclined towards writing and honed my skills at various workshops I attended at College. Scales have been in my favour and 50% of my work that I do now is writing, writing and writing. I’m happy and content to have arrived where I always wanted to be.