KOCHI: "It was intolerance which made the caste outfits and Hindutva forces to protest against my novel 'Madhorubhagan'. When I returned to my native place after the protests, things had changed a lot. The response of the people had changed," said Perumal Murugan, the controversial Tamil writer, who was forced to give up writing following protests.
"The incidents depicted in my works cannot be termed personal anecdotes. There is a different perspective for the customs in Tamil society. I'm not insisting on all these perspectives being examined and understood by the readers," he said while interacting with Minipriya and Perundevi at the Artist and Society session organised as part of the Krithi Literary Festival at Bolgatty Palace on Wednesday.
"It was a challenging period and the Progressive Writers' Association and the CPM supported me. You can see many Malayali women in Tamil Nadu villages now a days. The rich in Tamil Nadu used to kill the girl child to avoid sharing of wealth. When they could not get Tamil brides they started accepting brides from Kerala. You can see posters put up by marriage brokers in Tamil Nadu villages offering to arrange Malayali brides," said Murugan. The Malayalam translation of his novel 'Kankanam' was released on the occasion.
'Socialism can't be ushered in by one party alone'
No single party in the country is in a position to assume power and bring Proletarian socialism, said economist and Leftist ideologue Prabhat Patnaik.
Socialism can be seen only as an elite model of democracy in the present world. The contradictions and unfair practices in capitalist economy will make socialism more acceptable, he said while delivering a speech on 'Revisiting capital in an age of crises' at the Krithi Literary Festival on Wednesday.
Anil Bhatti spoke about the need to forge a front to fight fascism and capitalism. C P Chandrasekhar moderated the session.
Kalki slams skewed gender justice in Indian society
It is not the equality of men and women which is needed but ensuring equal rights to people of all genders, said transgender writer from Tamil Nadu Kalki Subramaniam. Kerala trails Tamil Nadu in ensuring justice to transgender persons, Kalki told the gathering at the Krithi International Literary Festival on Wednesday.
She was speaking on the 'Idea of Equality and Gender Perspective'. It was the visionary steps taken by E V Ramaswamy Naiker which helped Tamil Nadu to ensure basic rights to the TGs. Meanwhile the situation in Kerala has been pathetic.
The transgenders in Kerala face atrocities from even the police. There are several talented persons among the TGs. But they are denied admission in schools and colleges. We have to accept they are also nature's creations, said Kalki.