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 There is a story about the late MGR, who is supposed to have written a poem in Tamil and when he read it out to his mother Sathya, she is to have remarked why is he interested in furthering the existing woes. The perception then and to this day continues that Tamil writers are destined to wallow in poverty.
A living example of this belief is Sethu Ammal, aged 94, sister of one of the finest Tamil writers of our times, the late Ku.Pa.Ra. Sethu Ammal is herself a very fine writer. The magazine 'Mani Kodi' has a special place in modern Tamil literature and Ku.Pa.Ra was one of its prime architects. However, though his birth centenary is being celebrated, his family continues to live in poverty.
 Sethu Ammal lives in Pozhichalur, a suburb of Chennai. Though she has penned 500 short stories, 12 novels and 2 plays she still lives in poverty; she is struggling, at this ripe old age, to meet even her daily needs.
She got married at the age of eleven. Thanks to her brother's efforts she could study up to X std. It is her brother who was responsible for expanding her world from the kitchen. When Ku.Pa.Ra.'s eyesight was failing, it was Sethu who acted as his eyes and limbs. She started writing what he dictated and then she would read it out to him. This way she started writing on her own and her first short story "Sevvai Dhosham" was published in 1935.
 Sethu Ammal was a regular contributor to magazines like Kalaimagal, Amudasurabi, Dinamani Kadir, etc. Notable among her contributions are 'Ambiga', 'Valliyin Ullam' and 'Bodhi Madhavan'. She was involved in the film industry, too. She wrote the dialogues for "Krishna Bakthi" along with Suddhananda Bharathi and
Sandilyan.
She is proficient in Sanskrit. She can play the violin and harmonium. In the 70s two recipe books, written by her and published, became part of the items a new bride would take to her husband's home. She wrote her last novel, 'Ottamum Nadaiyum', at the age of 73. Till recently she was writing recipes and cooking tips for
Ambalam.
 Recalling her relationship with her brother, Sethu Ammal says that he was not only a brother but her Guru (teacher); Ku.Pa.Ra. wanted to send her to Shantiniketan, but her mother did not permit her to go. "My husband who was working in Burma (Myanmar now) returned to India following the war. Here he was working with a few magazines; he also worked as assistant director in a few movies. My husband gave 19 acres of land that belonged to him to his younger brother who sold it and so we had no income from the lands".
"My children were very young when my husband died; I managed to somehow bring them up, writing in various magazines, but even today they are struggling financially. It is heartrending to see them suffer thus. Never made any worthwhile money, even those days; a few years ago, I got Rs. 50 as royalty, she says. A number of books are totally destroyed".
 When asked if she had lost interest in writing since it has not been remunerative, she denied it.
"I'm proud that I can write; I have very fond and pleasant memories of yesteryears; I never was after money; never disliked writing because I was not getting money. My thirst for literature continues unquenched to
this day". Her failing eyesight has not stopped her from reading as much as possible.
 Sethu Ammal is surviving on a monthly dole of Rs. 500 given by the TN Govt. for her interest and enthusiasm for literature. Even if our society does not pamper such people who live only to write and make others benefit by it, the least we could do is to help them lead a life without much pain. Let us make it a point to do what is possible towards this end.
Perumal
Translated by Ellar
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