Revisiting classical texts, according to poet, novelist, and translator Meena Kandasamy, is not merely a literary endeavor but a political duty for writers. Speaking in Bengaluru at St. Joseph’s College of Commerce, Kandasamy highlighted her approach in works like “Ms Militancy,” where she reinterprets the Tamil classic Cilappatikāram. She transforms the character Kannagi from a traditional, chaste wife avenging her husband’s death into a fierce champion of justice.
In her translation of the third section of Tirukkural, titled “The Book of Desire,” Kandasamy challenges patriarchal narratives, providing a “Tamil Decolonial Feminist” perspective. She insists on the importance of telling marginalized stories, particularly those of women, which have historically been excluded from high literature and culture.
Citing the works of Carol Ann Duffy, Margaret Atwood, Periyar, and Ambedkar, Kandasamy argues that classics are living texts, integral to universal imagination, and should be reinterpreted to challenge societal norms and prevent their use as tools of oppression.
In an interview with The Hindu, she underscored the need to defend language from being co-opted by oppressive forces, as seen in the misuse of terms in geopolitical contexts. Addressing disparities in the response to violence against women, Kandasamy pointed out that societal biases and the urban-rural divide often influence public outrage and media coverage, as seen in the differing reactions to the RG Kar Medical College case compared to the less-publicized violence against Dalit girls in Farrukhabad.
Kandasamy’s literary mission advocates for a conscious reclamation and reinterpretation of classics to foster cultural change and ensure language remains a tool for truth and justice.
Original Story https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/a-poet-has-the-responsibility-to-guard-language-and-to-employ-it-to-show-whats-happening-around/article68597225.ece
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