Who is a feminist? Let Malayalam author KR Meera tell you

Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author KR Meera. (Photo: Twitter)

After an engaging session at the Aakhar Dakshin: A Festival of South Indian Languages in Bengaluru, Malayalam author KR Meera sat on a couch outside the auditorium waiting to sign books for her readers. It was an interesting glimpse of what the award-winning writer means to her fans. A young girl handed the Hangwoman (2012) book to Meera and talked about feeling ‘numb’ for a day or two after reading the translation of Aarachar (2012) which, incidentally, won the 2013 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, and tells the story of a woman grappling with the legacy of her family’s profession of being executioners. “I want to dedicate my first book to you,” the fan gushed, professing her interest in writing. Next a father gave a copy of Qabar (2021) and asked Meera to autograph it for his daughter. Another young woman requested Meera to autograph the books for her and all the brave women.

At the session, Meera had quibbled over the word ‘feminist’ with a male member of the audience who wondered why there should even be such a word pertaining specifically to women. In reply, Meera asked him if he believed in the Indian Constitution which gave equal rights to every Indian. “If you believe in the Indian Constitution, you are a feminist,” she said, correcting the misconception the word elicits. On the subject of her ‘feminist’ stories making an impact, she reminisced about an aunt who said that her son had changed: ‘He has become a feminist after reading your books! He doesn’t allow anyone to wash his plate even.’ “That’s my success story,” Meera said. She spoke of someone asking her if she was writing a new book (she is!) and if that, too, is a feminist book. Meera had retorted: ‘If it’s a good book, it should be a feminist book. All writing should be feminist.’

From starting out as a journalist to writing the serialised story of Aarachar for Madhyamam Weekly that ran for 53 volumes and then later, writing novellas, novels and TV scripts, Meera commented on how she had changed as a person. “When writing, I just write whatever I want but later, I read and reread to check for problematic scenes because I don’t want my publishers to get into trouble. I love my critics and if they have issues with what I have written, I feel that’s on me because I haven’t been able to communicate my ideas to them. The world belongs to all. My understanding of life and people have changed. As an aside, this line of thought, too, worries me.”

Through the entire session, Meera often spoke of her exhaustion and if she would want to write after a couple of years. That was the author being candid of her creative process and the toll it unleashes on her.

In a conversation on the couch, Meera talked about some key points:

On feminism

“I had not studied about feminism. Only after I became a writer, I started reading feminist writings and I realised that even without studying about feminism, my writings were in line with all the feminist writings that are there. I strongly believe that there’s a continuity of experience for every woman all over the world.”

On depression

“After I finished writing the Hangwoman, I experienced a tidal wave of depression. Everything was dark and black. I felt helpless. A young friend, who is a doctor, told me that my symptoms indicated clinical depression. I never expected that I would get it because I have always been a bold and courageous woman. But I went to a psychiatrist, he told me that there’s a link between creativity and depression. Hangwoman was a dark subject. The doctor put me on anti-depressants for three months but just a week or so of having the medicine, I felt a complete change. Did that stop me from writing about dark emotions? Well, I started writing Jezebel about a young doctor in Kerala who struggles against the cruelty of a patriarchal world. Maybe, I have some kind of violence in me which keeps coming out which is why my stories are such. I am not sure whether depression is the reason for the dark novels I write or it is these novels which leaves me depressed.”

On the publishing world

“I am a writer and not that well informed to comment about the publishing world. In my experience, all the publishers have been kind to me. The difference between Malayalam and English publishers is that the latter are not very keen on the sales of the books. As writers, we are always looking at reaching out to as many new readers as possible. I feel the (translated) books, once published, are on their own.”

On readers

“I am engrossed in the love of my readers. Almost all of them have painstakingly searched for my books after coming across one story or one book. I enjoy their love which is because my stories have touched their hearts. Their number has surely increased and although they are from all age groups, I am particularly happy about having readers from my daughter’s age group (she is 25 years old). I think it is an honour to be able to write books which are relatable to them.”

On writer’s block

“I have never had writer’s block for fiction but I find it difficult to write non-fiction these days. More than writer’s block I have ‘reader’s block’.”

On writing in the future

“I am exhausted from writing but as far as I am alive and can type on the computer, I can’t see myself doing anything else. I try my best to update myself but a new generation of writers is coming who have new ways of narration. I look forward to reading other people’s stories.”