Those who knew her for decades were listening keenly, as admirers of R. Choodamani tried to reconstruct her persona by dwelling on her works and life.
At a function organised by the R. Choodamani Memorial Trust here on Sunday, friends and admirers of the writer gathered to reminisce about the woman who spent most of her life in her house and spun poignant short stories.
Admirers such as Gnani and Gnana Rajasekaran, the film-maker and her fan Monikhaa spoke on her works.
Gnana Rajasekaran, who was said he was moved by her short story ‘Veliyil Nalla Mazhai', said there was no anger or pessimism in her writing. “Like Bharathiar, she was a creator who ruled over her works, never succumbing to the lure of biases,” he said.
To Gnani she remained a woman in the prime of her life, reflecting on the events around her. “She is a symbol of encouragement. Her works should instil a feeling of guilt among the middleclass families that have made children mark-producing machines instead of instilling in them a love for the arts and music,” he said.
Monikhaa, who has made a documentary film on the author, said she was amazed by the large collection of her paintings at the writer's house.
“Between 1950 and 1975, very few artists have preserved their works of art. “I read her work through the summer and her film evolved last January soon after she died. She lived like harmonious music and was a self-effacing person who did not sign her paintings.” It was this charm that she sought to bring out in her film titled ‘Azhagin Elimai' Ms. Monikhaa said.
The documentary film was released by Mythili Sivaraman, President of the All India Democratic Women's Association in Tamil Nadu. An exhibition of Choodamani's paintings was inaugurated on the occasion. The meeting concluded with a discussion of her works.
