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ChennaiOnline (COL): You have been writing for such a long time now. How do you feel, as a senior writeress? Rajam Krishnan (RK): The varied experiences, impulses and influences of life act on a person and sometimes these find expression in writing. I am no different. A writer is a writer, be it he or she. I don’t believe in the distinction between a male writer and a female writer. But the general impression is that a female writer doesn’t go beyond family environs. She is not respected. People think that she doesn’t know anything more than that. I was writing for literary journals, in those days. The thing is, there was no recognition. Even the Sahitya Akademi award was given to me much later. One of the Committee members remarked that it was given to me because they ‘had to’ give it to a lady. It caused untold pain and anger in me. Not a single effort or achievement of any woman is recognised as it should be. Think of it. They show plentiful magnanimity and say ‘we give you 33% reservation’. Giving? Who are you to give us? It is our right. We have every right to take 50%. COL: Who was your favourite writer in your earlier days? RK: I did not read much. My life was the literature I read. I had to break away from a conventional life style. I did not have a proper background. Nor proper schooling. The only Tamil magazine that my parents read was ‘Kalaimagal’. I learnt the Tamil literary world through Kalaimagal. I wrote a story for that magazine. The Editor, Ki Va Ja used to correct my expressions. I am really proud to say that I was trained by a doyen like him. COL: How well were your stories received in those days? RK: My stories centred mostly round the poor and the lowliest. On reflection, I think I can claim to have recorded the inequities of those days. But none took notice of what I did. They would publish an essay on successful novels and novelists, and they would ignore me. They would not mention even a single word about my novels or me. I however, pursued my passion. Bahavad Gita says ‘Do your duty; do not look for the results’. Well, that was my maxim. Many of my stories were rejected by several magazines. That however did not deter me. After reading my stories in Kalaimagal, the Communist party leader, Jeeva who was also the editor of Thamarai, wrote to me. He wanted me to write for Thamarai. It was a time when the Communist party was at its lowest ebb. My husband was a government officer then. That did not stop me. I wrote under the nom de plume, Mitra.
RK: As I told you, my husband was a government servant and his job necessitated us to move from place to place. A writer is respected in other States. When we were in Goa, I went to a library. My English and Hindi did not help me. None understood these languages. They spoke Portuguese. Then someone volunteered and asked me, in broken English, to wait for the Secretary to come. Well, he came. He was a writer too. When I introduced myself as a writer, he extended me all help and was so polite. Wherever I was, it was my habit to visit the slums in the first instance. I shudder to think of the life of the Tamils in Delhi slums. Gents used to work all through the day and booze as a matter of routine when they return home. Whatever be the crime and wherever be was it committed, the Delhi police would nab these people, first. I could write whatever I did, because I had direct involvement in their lives, sharing their sorrows and pains. Nobody takes notice of your work, just because you happen to be a woman. I had written about the problems affecting the lives of the people, when the Kundah dam was built. It was based on my direct experience for more than eight years, with the project. I had brought out the technological aspects, emotional and sociological problems. Just the publication of the novel needed lots of efforts. It happens only here. There is a novel in Malayalam, revolving round a similar theme. It is a small novel titled ‘Pudiya aakasangalum pudiya bhoomiyum’. A cinematic attempt. Imagine. It had won the Sahitya Akademi award. (To be concluded…) Interview in Tamil by: Kannamma & Chandra |
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Rajam Krishnan. A senior writer, whose pen keeps moving tirelessly through the decades. She has crossed three generations of writers and is among the fourth now. She considers and values writing as something very serious and purposeful. She does not belong to the cadre of armchair writers, who produce volumes and volumes without moving an inch away from their desk. She partakes in the lives of people belonging to different strata of society; mingles with them; get to know the trials and tribulations of the womanhood of each and reflect them in her writings. ‘It is a shame that the sufferings that the women underwent in my days dog them even now,’ the pain within her shows through when her voice chokes as she utters these words. It was an afternoon. She was helping her ailing husband and so readily agreed for a chat with us, though in difficult circumstances. From a conversation with her…
COL:
You have spent many years in other States. What are your impressions on people of other States?