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Poet with a cause

Women's freedom cannot be defined in a common landscape

Kutti Revathi

Kutti Revathi uses poetry as a medium to fight for the liberation of women. She shares her thoughts with Abdul Latheef Naha

"Dalit feminism is the ideal form of feminism for our country. Only this form of feminism can reach the bottom level of society and liberate women at the grass-roots," says Tamil poet Kutti Revathi.

The poet was here last week to attend a literary festival at Thunchan Parambu.

Women's freedom, she says, cannot be defined in a common landscape. So too, modern feminism. "Each woman has her own idea of liberation, and hence her own idea of feminism."

Talking to The Hindu , Revathi said liberation of women, however, was a dream in our country. "It will take another millennium or so for this dream to come true."

Young and bold, this Dalit feminist poet from Chennai stands apart for a poetic genre that, she believes, can steer the liberation of women in the country.

Revathi argues that we should stop looking at issues through class; rather we should look at issues through caste. "Class is a foreign item; we can get a holistic idea of an issue only if we look at it through caste."

Born in Tiruchirappalli and settled in Chennai, Revathi, 33, does not make huge claims about her poetry. She admits she had little propensity for literature till she came to Tirunelveli at the age of 21. It was her studies in Siddha medicine that introduced her to the world of poetry. "Much of Siddha literature is in verse form," she says.

The first poem she penned was published. "I am still excited about it." Revathi says she is proud of being a poet, though poets are considered a minority in the world of literature.

She believes a poet is not only a literary person; he or she is also an activist. The scope of poetry is wider and richer than any other literary genre, she says. "It is a strong, frozen form of literature."

It was the publication of her second collection of poems titled `Mulaykal' (Breasts) that landed her in the centre of a sexist controversy. Orthodox Tamil writers repudiated her, branding the collection obscene. But the criticism of male chauvinists emboldened her. "I portrayed breasts in my works not as an object of sex, as is often displayed elsewhere, but as part of a feminine organ," she says.

Ms. Revathi says she will release her latest collection of poems titled Udalin Kadavu (The Door to Body) in a week

Abdul Latheef Naha

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