The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : `A pleasant surprise'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 27, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

`A pleasant surprise'

Staff Reporter

I accept the honour with humility and gratitude: Sugathakumari

Sugathakumari

Thiruvananthapuram: The Central Government conferring on her the Padma Shri title, in recognition of her poetry, has come as a pleasant surprise to her.

But as always, Sugathakumari's — `teacher' to most, `amma' to hundreds of destitute women and tribals in Attappadi — response has been mild.

"I accept the honour with humility and gratitude. I'm honoured by this recognition at the national level for my poetry," she says.

Accolades

Awards and accolades have come her way several times and her response has not been any different back then.

Not surprising, for someone who "has seen a lot of misery in life, and is still seeing it every day." So much so that these days she is indifferent to poetry, she says.

Her poetry, says Sugathakumari, has always drawn upon her sadness and unhappiness. "I have been inspired to write mostly through my emotional upheavals; few of my poems can be called joyous. But these days I feel I'm slowly walking away from it all, to a world that is futile or meaningless," says Sugathakumari.

Poems

"I read somewhere that if you have seen hell once, there is no escape from its visions. I have seen so much that many things are no longer important to me. Poetry can, up to a certain level, serve its purpose. Beyond that, I prefer to let my silence speak," she says.

She might be writing fewer poems today but her pen is very much eloquent on issues that have always been close to her heart, saving the remaining forest lands and improving the lot of tribals.

Her responses have been, as always, vehement on issues ranging from the ganja cultivation in Attappadi to the authorities' alleged attempt to de-reserve Cardamom Hill Reserve and the protection of Mankulam forest land in Idukki. The affairs of the scores of destitute children, mentally ill and battered women in her Abhaya, also take up much of her time.

She is quite upset about the skewed manner in which road development projects are being carried out in the city. The avenue trees along the Museum-Kowdiar stretch were spared after a host of environmentalists, including Sugathakumari, voiced protests against its felling.

"They have weakened the base of the trees so much, leaving little soil base. In the next monsoon, the trees will naturally get uprooted. Then they can point fingers at us and say that we prevented them from cutting down the trees," she adds.

Close bond

The tribals in Attappadi have forged a close bond with her through her years of work, which saw the rejuvenation of a dead forest land. In her attempt to get the outside world take an interest in the welfare of the tribals, she managed to take the senior officials of Canara Bank to Bommiyapadi, tiny hamlet in the forest.

"Many promises were given. The tribals are eagerly waiting for the day when their hamlet's face will be changed. But for the corporates, their priorities are different," says Sugathakumari.

Her complete poetry works are now being brought out by DC Books. Another book in the offing is a compilation of her personal memories and experiences; prose which she had jotted down over the years.

"I want the world to know about the haunting faces of those women I saw. The book, titled `Manalezhuthu' (Writings on Sand), will be out soon," she says.

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