K.R. Meera, novelist and Kendra Sahitya Akademi award-winner, said on Saturday that it was necessary to demolish stereotypes. She was delivering a special talk on ‘My story, my stories’ organised by Gandhian Centre for Arts and Sciences, a constituent of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), here.
Ms. Meera said that the stereotype of a man was that he was strong, powerful, active, and one who can command unconditional love and respect. The stereotype of woman is that she is pretty, likeable, beautiful, loveable. There was no place for a transgender person in this set-up. People were not able to think from the position of the unrepresented sections of society. “Unless we destroy stereotypes, we cannot be true to ourselves,” she reiterated.
She said that there was a a lot of talk about feminism. Feminism was a term that had been misunderstood by both men and women. “Even some educated women think that feminism is about waging war against men. But it is all about destroying the notion of power,” Ms. Meera said. She also spoke about what attracted her to writing in her childhood, that then led to her becoming a journalist and finally a novelist.
Varadesh Hiregange, director of the centre, delivered the introductory remarks.
