Window to her world

Prolific writer Vimala Ramani talks to Elizabeth Paulose about her literary journey of chronicling the everyday lives of women

July 14, 2011 08:13 pm | Updated 08:13 pm IST

Vimala Ramani Photo: K. Ananthan

Vimala Ramani Photo: K. Ananthan

Vimala Ramani commenced writing immediately after her wedding. The fact that most of her stories were sent back never deterred her. “It was in the early 1960s. My husband worked as an auditor at the Coimbatore Cotton Mills. One morning, on his way to work, he offered to drop off one of my short stories at the office of Vasantham . A month later, he came back home from office with a copy of the magazine and I saw the title Amaideythi with my name on the cover of the magazine,” recalls Vimala.

Now, her name is familiar to anyone who has read Rani , Kumudum or Kalki in the last 50 years . With more than 1,000 short stories and 700 novels to her credit, she is undoubtedly an author who has stood the test of time.

Impeccably dressed in a traditional Kancheevaram silk sari, the poised and remarkably well maintained Vimala walks me through her life as a writer. “When I started off, there was much taboo associated with women writing. I wrote at a time when women were shushed at dinner table conversations. Women from ‘good families' were not to write. Why? Because they were not educated. Now, things have changed,” she says.

Role play

Regular, everyday stories that placed women at the centre became her selling point. The trials and tribulations of women in the work environment and at home ensured her stories appealed to the masses. And she made it a point to have her women come out victorious in the end.

“My belief is that with determination, one can achieve anything. This is how I pursued writing. I applied the same principle to my characters. My female characters are bold, racing against the challenges of daily life.”

With a novel Manadhul Peyitha Mazhaithuligal in the pipeline, Vimala is constantly at work. Age has not come in her way. She now sends her short stories by e-mail. On Sundays, a typist comes over to write her novel.

What made her stories so popular? It could be the slice of humour she always has, she says. Or, because her “female characters have evolved with time. Initially, they were sari-clad women who fell at their husbands' feet. Now, they are independent and free thinking. I always make it a point to give my readers something positive amidst all the drama and tension”.

She has shared literary space with writers such as Sivasankari, Anuradha Ramanan, Vaasanthi and Indumathi. “I share a wonderful relationship with them. I was present at most of Sivasankari's book launches. Anuradha is also a very good friend. She came for my daughter's wedding.”

Vimala's novel “Ula Varum Uravugal” was made into the 1986 Tamil romantic flick “Kanne Kaniyamuthe”, starring Rahman and Amala . “Though a few changes were made in characterisation, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie”, she says.

Vimala shares a strange experience. “A couple of years ago, my house was burgled — all my things and written work were stolen. I wrote to my friend about the incident. My friend sent the letter to Kumudam which was published as Oru Ezhuthaalarin Kanneer. Letters poured in from my fans, comforting me,” says the writer.

A month later, all the stolen articles were returned to her. “The robbers could not sell the loot because it had been written about everywhere,” exclaims the writer.

Writing is not all that Vimala Ramani has mastered. In the 1960s, she worked for All India Radio as a radio artist. “Back then, the station was in Trichy. For a half-hour show, I used to travel four hours to reach Trichy,” she smiles.

In the early 1970s, she started writing plays — they became a regular feature on AIR. In 1978, one of her plays “Bhagat Singh” was chosen for the Akila Bharata Radio Nadaga Vizha. It was translated into 14 languages and aired in various centres.

For the silver jubilee of AIR Coimbatore, her play titled Thiraigalukku Appaal , was chosen. She remembers, “From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. that day, my play was staged at the Anna Auditorium in the Agricultural University. Later in the night, it was again broadcast on AIR.”

Between 1975 and 1980, Vimala took on a new role, that of a playwright, director and manager. Her drama troupe was called ‘Navaratna'. She shows me photographs of the inauguration of her theatre group. “I feel a great sense of achievement when I see these photographs,” beams Vimala.

“Most people in my group were either bank employees or from BSNL. We had our practice sessions at the Suburban Higher Secondary School,” explains the writer with a distant look on her face. “Those were good days.”

Over the course of the five years, they performed at Vani Mahal and Rasikaranjani Sabha in Chennai and Tamizhisai Sangam in Pollachi. In Madurai, at the Meenakshi Sundaram hall, Navaratna performed for three straight days to a packed house of 2,000. Altogether, Navaratna has staged 10 plays (about 100 shows) in various districts of the State.

Her most popular comedy was “ Aemaara Sonnadhu Naano ?” The first show at Vani Manhal, Chennai, saw the presence and appreciation of director K. Balachander. “One of the characters, played by Harihara Subramaniam, was adapted into K. Balachander's ‘Manmadha Leelai',” says Vimala.

“I am proud to say I have not had one idle moment in my life. I have always kept myself busy. I am what I am because I came up on my own”, she concludes.

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