KOZHIKODE: Society often sets rules for its individuals on matters like love and relationship, bringing them under pressure. Challenging those unwritten ‘conditions’ boldly becomes necessary to survive and achieve success. PP Sreeja, of Nochad in Kozhikode, was not ready to see her daughter Navya being cowed down by social stigma when the latter decided to have a relationship with a girl. She supported her to the hilt, and now, exactly a year after Navya had announced it, has taken to the social media to extend support to her daughter openly.
“Navya had made me aware of LGBTQ+ community and showed me videos and photographs of its members. Though she didn’t admit her interest towards same-sex love, I, as a mother, was able to understand her feelings. She has been sharing everything that happened in her life with me since her childhood because we always gave her freedom,” said Sreeja.
“Navya’s girlfriend Ponnu was familiar to our family. Her father Radhan was an official of the Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad and I too was a social activist working in the Perambra region. It was a little hard to accept their relationship initially, but since Ponnu is very smart and optimistic, I extended my support to their love,” said Sreeja. She said she always made it a point not to impose her interests on her children.
“We must respect the decision of children on how they want to lead their lives. Navya and Ponnu have a beautiful love story to tell the world and it was the disorder called Borderline Personality, for which both of them are undergoing treatment, that brought them closer,” she said.