KASARAGOD: A college magazine that lampoons the superstition that menstruation is impure and tries to take the veil off all things taboo has come in the crosshairs of competitive student politics.
‘Ura Marachathu’ or ‘Shrouded in Rubber’, the magazine of the People’s Cooperative Arts and Science College, Munnad, delves deep into issues such as periods, sexuality and gender equality, said college students’ union chairman and SFI leader Ashik Mustafa, a third-year BA Malayalam student.
He said the magazine — with the tag line ‘some candid jottings without veil’ — was from the previous academic year (2018-2019) and was released late February. “The magazine is thought-provoking not provocative,” he said.
The cover of the magazine has a banana half-sheathed in a condom, and between the covers, the magazine team does not shy away from nudity.
When the magazine was being conceptualised last year, Kerala was discussing sexuality, menstruation, and gender equality, said Akash Pallam, magazine editor. “And we thought why not bring out the magazine based on these themes,” he said.
The first article is a poem titled ‘Thoo’, dedicated to Asifa, the little girl of Kathua. The anonymously written poem uses strong language to condemn the society for crime. “If there is a backlash, we did not want anyone student to face trouble,” said Anu Sebastian, staff editor and faculty member of the Department of English.
The poem was written during a camp held for the magazine committee members, he said.Vineetha C, a third-year BA Malayalam student’s poem ‘Avar Annu Ere Kithachu’ (They panted a lot that day) talks about the feeling after rape. Aswini C, third-year BCom student, asked, “Is menstruation an impurity?” Malayalam student Parvathy’s ‘Lessapiens’ says same-sex love finds mention in religious holy books.
“What’s there to hide,” asked Hasnath Beevi, a third-year Mathematics student. She said memoirs by writers and authors were cloying stories as they delved only into the good things in their lives.
KSU files complaint
The bold writings and illustrations, however, got the goat of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ organisation of the BJP, and the Kerala Students’ Union of the Congress.
In a statement, the ABVP said: “The SFI is moving away from Marxism to embrace sex.”
Periods must be discussed, but a college magazine is not the platform for it, it said. “This magazine is intended only to get media attention,” it said. The KSU went one step ahead and filed a complaint with the police, collector, Kannur University, and even on the Prime Minister’s grievance redressal portal. “It is full of obscene words and inappropriate images. We cannot take the magazine home,” said Martin Abraham, district secretary of the KSU, who filed the complaints. He is not a student of the college.
Abraham said creative freedom could not be used to spread obscenity. “The magazine lets down women,” he said. However, Athira V, a Malayalam student and member of the magazine committee, said 70 per cent of the articles were written by female students. “These topics will always be discussed and we are just carrying forward the discussions,” she said. “But the reactions we are getting are contrary to what we expected. We wanted to say there is nothing taboo about sex and periods. But the attempt is to sweep these topics back under the carpet,” she said.
‘Shrouded in Rubber’
The magazine of the People’s Cooperative Arts and Science College, Munnad, delves deep into issues such as periods, sexuality and gender equality