From a student of ancient science Siddha Medicine and Surgery to a poet, writer, feminist cum screenplay-writer, Kutti Revathi has no regrets as far as her love for writing is concerned.
For the past 15 years, her theories of women’s sexuality and their muted sufferings in varied degrees have drawn mixed emotions. The Tamil writer spoke to The Hindu when she was here in the city to participate in a two-day North-East and Southern Writers meet organised by Sahitya Akademi.
On what made her choose the domain, she says, “a woman’s desires have often been looked down upon. Apparently, there is a wide scope of losing her identity while meeting her man’s needs. As a writer, this is where I want to keep my focus on.”
Her second anthology of poems titled ‘Mulaigal’ (breasts) has evoked critical acclaim. Ever since its release in 2001, she has been flooded with criticism and threats. However, she is happy for one reason. “I initiated the trend of writing about woman’s sensuality. Today, I feel happy that many women follow suit and are open to expressing their thoughts,” she says.
In a competitive world of creative writing, Revathi believes every person has his or her own space. “Even if 20 writers weave a story on a similar topic, I am sure the content differs from person to person. But you have to wage a lone battle to make yourself heard,” the writer says.
She says women are better storytellers. “I think every woman should explore the creative domain as she has better visualisation and can express her thoughts more candidly,” she says.
Ms. Revathi has so far written eight anthologies of poetry, three non-fictional novels and a few short stories. Her dream is to direct a film with her own script. “One screenplay is ready which I intend to direct this year. However, I will not stop writing as long as I have something to communicate on caste, gender discrimination and woman’s preferences,” she adds.
