CHENNAI: Adorned with cutouts of icons like PK Rosy, Ramabai, and Savitribai Phule, the Thirunangai Press LLP stall captured attention at the Chennai Book Fair 2025 with its powerful message. However, it wasn’t just the visuals that made this space unique. It stood out as the only stall promoting books on women’s empowerment while amplifying the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially the trans community.
At this stall on Tuesday, the launch of With Thy Femme, the English translation of Olga B Aaron’s Tamil book Kaalidukkil Oppanthangal brought together Olga and translator Kritz Nebula to discuss the essence and emotion behind the work.
For Olga, a Dalit trans woman and debut author, the book is a heartfelt fusion of her life and her three-decade-long association with marginalised women. “I’ve worked with disabled women, women affected by HIV, rural women, and pregnant women.
Their struggles inspired me to pen this book,” she shared. Drawing from personal experiences of poverty, gender discrimination, and societal challenges, Olga’s work delves deep into these topics. Her message was unambiguous — inclusivity.
“I feel nothing different from other women. Our struggles are the same. I want society to stop treating us differently,” Olga declared, expressing concern over caste-based oppression and condemned honour killings, shedding light on the pain and suppression women face in a patriarchal society.
The book’s evocative title captures societal perceptions of women as dependent on men for love, sex, and support. Yet, Olga’s narrative fiercely counters these stereotypes, advocating for casteless marriage and women’s independence. “Several rural women reached out to me after reading the book, thanking me for speaking their truths,” she said.
Kritz brought her perspective to the discussion, emphasising the importance of amplifying such voices. “Gender and caste awareness are now global conversations. Translating Olga’s work into English allows people worldwide to access her stories,” she said.
The process was not without challenges. “Tamil conveys emotions with nuance, which is often hard to replicate in English. While I strived to retain the essence, translation can never fully capture the original,” Kritz said. Despite these hurdles, Kritz’s bond with Olga, forged over five years of knowing her activism, eased the process.
She revealed her favourite parts of the book are the poems ‘The Phoenix’ and ‘Cannonball’. “These poems impacted me deeply. They emphasise that a woman’s life should extend beyond marriage and home; she must seek her own horizon,” Kritz shared.
With Thy Femme is more than a translation; it is a bridge connecting diverse readers to the lived experiences and struggles of marginalised women.