Empowering themselves through education and employment should be the first priority of women, feels writer Jaishree Misra.
“This message has to reach out to every woman in society. Women networks and pressure groups can effectively serve this purpose,” she said while participating in an interactive session organised by the Indian Women Network (IWN) here on Wednesday. The session encompassed the literary journey of Jaishree Misra, her entry into creative writing, and her latest works. She recounted her beginnings in writing in 1999 when she had to prioritise time for family and give up her job as a radio journalist with BBC Radio.
Women often encountered that phase in life when duty towards family overshadowed their careers. Women should have organised strategies in life to deal with such situations, she said.
Commenting upon her literary works, she expressed amazement at how her first novel Ancient Promises found a place among the textbooks in the University of Kerala. Being set in a backdrop where technology had still not showed up, she was happy to learn that students still enjoyed reading the book.
Alternative look
On her controversial work Rani , she said that she was attracted by the malleability of history and wanted to give it an alternative look. Her recent works revolve around the themes of motherhood and surrogacy. Talks are on for a film based on Ancient Promises .Despite the fact that women are becoming ‘independently mobile,’ she was dismayed that things have not changed much in Kerala. There is a long road ahead, she added.
Rina Vivekanandan, IWN chairperson, and others were present.
Liz Maria Kuriakose
