A sense of strong self-assurance of her identity is apparent with Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Lok Sabha member and Tamil writer and poet.
In a conversation with Shylaja Chetlur, founder, Cinema Rendezvous, Ms. Thamizhachi, touched upon various themes that inform her opinions and work and the importance of her roots at a meeting of the Duchess Club on Thursday.
“Choosing to speak on my writing and my soil relates to speaking on my identity; so intertwined are the two today,” she said.
“Even though Tamil is one language with a rich cultural tradition, each region has a dialect and that is what makes it so beautiful. My roots are in an agrarian family whose livelihood depended on black soil that wasn’t very fertile and where the rain decided our fate.”
According to her, sharing one’s history was important especially as a citizen living in a post-colonial Third World country.
To a question on the existence of a universal connect between women, Ms. Thamizhachi cited war and the ongoing hijab controversy to elucidate her point.
“Women are the first to experience war and wherever there is war, we feel the pain. Today, there is a debate on wearing the hijab in many parts of the world. Adorning a hijab is ultimately a woman’s individual choice which must be supported. Therefore, yes there is a universal connection,” she said.
Throughout the conversation, Ms. Thamizhachi mentioned Tamil verses and quotes from her writings and literature. “It is so easy to underestimate the importance of local language and practices. For example, modern western beauty practices can be found in villages dating back decades”.
She said labels associated with her name “Thamizhachi” followed her everywhere. “Everyone has an idea of what ‘Thamizhachi’ should look like and wear but my style is inspired by my village connections and my time as a performing artist. Since I wear flowers in my hair, I am called ‘Champak lady’ by the other members of the Lok Sabha,” she said with a smile.
She spoke on representation of women and their sexuality in Tamil literature and how philosophers have historically considered women as inferior to men. in response to a club member’s remark that all women were empowered, Thamizhachi brought up the statistics of domestic abuse globally that impacted women of all social levels.
