யாழ்பாடினி

I have been battling these diseases in society for as long as I can remember. However, when a similar question was directed at me during a guest appearance at a Zoom meeting with undergrad students, I gave them a vague answer. It started with something like ‘I am not an expert’ and ended ‘we can only try’. Thanks to my academic experience. It made me devalue my life experience and reminded me of no publications I did on this subject at that moment. Thanks to my half-baked activism. I thought of all the incredible women’s rights activists who continue to speak up in public spaces. I came to a verdict that I should not speak up because I am not much active in that space. At the end of the session, I made some time to reflect on that question and my answer. The question should have been answered better based on my lived experience. If you put your foot down during a dinner conversation with your family or friends when there is a sexist comment, if you stand up for the girl in your classr...

Imagine being forced to be quiet and obedient for so long. Imagine when you finally muster up your courage to take a step forward to find your life's purpose and happiness, only to be bullied and looked down on. Imagine the inner strength you need to navigate your internal struggle and push back the external forces. This is an experimental piece. How can we use classical art forms to address social issues?

  Audre Lorde. What can I say? Admiration ❤️ A few favourite lines from her essays: “For women, then, poetry is not luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams towards survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action.” “For women, the need and desire to nurture each other is not pathological but redemptive, and it is within that knowledge that our real power is discovered. It is the real connection which is so feared by a patriarchal world. Only within a patriarchal structure is maternity the only social power open to women.” “Any discussion among women about racism must include the recognition and the use of anger.” “Revolution is not a one-time event.” The most favourite quote by which I was introduced to Audre’s work, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” ✊🏽