Sarah Thomas was a good friend of mine. Her novels Narmadipudava and Daivamakkal are very special to my heart. The film adaptations of her novels were also great. She was able to make an indelible mark in the literary field through her works. Her novel mainly focused on the oppressed sections of society.
Be it the Tamil Brahmins of Narmadipudava or the Dalit people in Daivamakkal, my personal favourite is Daivamakkal. More than her works, I had a strong bond with her due to the similarity in the names. But I met her only two or three times.
Once we talked more about literary works during a train journey. When I started writing, she was an established writer. There was confusion too because many people wrongly called me under the impression that I was Sarah Thomas. Similarly, she also got phone calls thinking that it was me.
I remember one incident that took place at Victoria College in Palakkad. When a beauty contest was taking place at the college, a student and I protested there by wearing a dress made of coir (sack). Following the protest, the police arrested us. At that time, many people thought that Sarah Thomas had been arrested. In that incident, she was worried about the wrong identity.
Sarah was a reserved person, and she did not like public appearances. She was not interested in any public receptions either as a reward for her novels. Even though she was staying in Thiruvananthapuram, she did not travel much in Thiruvananthapuram either. However, her works have the sharpness of the voices of the oppressed.
(As told to Krishnachand K)