Uncovering veiled lives
Bhawani Cheerath
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Literature Women's Imprint provides a platform for the re-reading of history and documentation of the literary work on women. Bhawani Cheerath
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THE HEROIC deeds and sacrifices of many women get only a passing mention in the traditional rendering of history and narratives of contemporary events.
Even those who do get written about do not receive the importance they deserve so much so that a revised and more detailed account of their lives is needed to do them justice.
The launch of `Women's Imprint,' a publishing initiative, in Thiruvananthapuram, which plans to provide a platform for the re-reading of history and the documentation of the body of work done on women, assumes significance in this regard.
For Mini Sukumaran, media-activist and researcher, who is the force behind this initiative, it is a venture that has materialised after overcoming many financial hurdles.
Instead of waiting for the finance to materialise, she has taken the initial step and is confident that it will gather momentum, considering the amount of work already done in this genre but yet to see light.
Rather than get into the polemics of women's writing, Mini believes that the major focus will be on the multiple strands that comprise the women's movement, and the `woman question' within the context of development.
Mini believes that besides the products that are available in the market under the label of `Pennezhuthu,' there is a definite need to focus on women in Kerala's history and her emergence in the past decades.
"As of now we can identify a `woman-specific' area in the body of research and studies conducted and that is what must find greater reach. Women's Imprint, therefore, will locate personalities who have remained in the footnotes of history in any field, be it political, social or cultural, and document such lives," says Mini.
Maiden book
In keeping with this ideal, the maiden book by Women's Imprint is `Ormakurippukal' (memoirs of Captain Lakshmi) translated from the original title, `Revolutionary Days, Memoirs of a Political Activist' in English.
The personality and the spirit of the woman who was part of the national movement, a doctor who worked for the poor in Kanpur, a political activist, and the only woman to contest for the presidential elections in the country make her memoirs an ideal choice for Women's Imprint.
The next publication that Mini has in the pipeline is a biography of theatre actor Nilambur Ayesha.
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