It is said the story line of Mathorubagan (One part woman) originates at a local temple festival where a third party indulgence is allowed for fertility among the unsuccessful couples. Quite lately many from the voiced community staged a demonstration and attracted the media to ban the title and warn the writer as well. Another faction of revolutionists voiced support to boost the trend of projecting progressive issues to the limelight. One part woman or full part woman, what does it matter when it becomes hot news? Of course, a delicate issue that had to be dealt with care. The push-pull effect on the professor-writer has led him to declare that the writer in him is dead and opted for a voluntary transfer to Chennai. So what if the writer moves out of homeland? This smoke billows till a next controversy erupts in the publishing world. The protest against a sensitive topic will not fall silent even after the writer or publisher withdraws the copies to pulverise. Is it a boon or bane for publicity? Feminism and male chauvinism are always under debate.
Since the age known, it is argued that such controversies have never died. Citing examples from the Mahabarath and Ramayana, it has been continuous till date to either support or to oppose fidelity. Whatever be the issue, the final object of ridicule is not one part woman but a full part woman. Depicted as an eyesore, she bears the grudge of the society and community. Any subject is a good subject, subject to approval by the reading society and as long as it is not subjective. A writer’s conscience is the first reader and honest critic.
Biologically speaking about the XX -XY chromosomal theory on patterns of DNA, it could be true that every woman is one part man and every man is one part woman. When it comes to bearing shame, it is women; and bearing pride, it is men. As a book worm and ardent fan of many legendary senior writers like Kalki, Lakshmi, Deepam Parthasarathy, Kuvempu, Masthi Venkatesha Iyengar, Rajam Krishnan et al., I observed they handled socially sensitive topics with utmost care and took ethical accountability of message delivery with maturity.
Came some prominent players like Jeyakaanthan, U.R.Ananthamurthy, Sujatha, Sivasankari, whose writings stirred controversy at some time or other for socio-cultural reasons. At the same time, devaluing the status of a writer is something not unusual. Self-exile or forced expel from the arena of writing is unhealthy. When I met some members of publishing houses, they told that anything can be written and released either by the writer or for a lump sum royalty from book houses.
Be a literary work by a physically full part man or woman, the protest should subdue. When the print medium is converted into a visual medium, the impact and protest widen on a larger canvas. Here comes my voice of empathy as poetry for those portrayals without resistance.
“In the limelight of social ethos
Travels my lead character in dark;
Oh, she goes solitary sans security
To travel only in shame and fame;
Looking timid and feared of rude
The jewels of pride cast in nude.
Much delighted progressive writers
Cheer up the beacon of sensitivity
Spare the woman and her deity,
We have not come of age for gaiety.”
Staring at the horizon, let’s stand up to find a healthy trend in writing and reading, for books are the windows to the world. Many book fairs may come and go but the dignity of writing should not be let down. My dear fellow writers in full or one part, hats off to your skills but please read the pulse of society before wielding the pen.
