The role of women in the social reformation movement in Kerala in the late 19th century and early 20th century has largely gone unacknowledged and undocumented. Their contribution to ensuring access to social spaces for people of all religions and castes is significant.
To make the younger generation aware of the social reformation movement and document the yesteryear women who paved the way for the achievements of women today, the Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC), the Women and Child Development Department, and Information and Public Relations Department are bringing out a docu-fiction Vimochanathinte Pattukar .
Reformation
Directed by filmmaker Vidhu Vincent, Vimochanathinte Pattukar is an initiative under the Sadhairyam Munnottu programme of the State government for women’s empowerment. Vidhu says the 45-minute docu-fiction is about how the reformation values led to realisation of the idea of a modern women and gave it strength.
As hinted by the title, music links a woman and her granddaughter in Vimochanathinte Pattukar . Both are musicians, with the youngster having her own band. The elderly woman is shown to have been an active participant in the workers’ movement in Alappuzha and political and social activities there.
Though not close to her initially, the young woman gradually comes to understand her grandmother’s world through her stories and photographs of the past. The grandmother tells her there are many strong women still alive and to go and meet them. The journeys and stories of these women in turn influence the band’s music, in search of a new identity. Their new songs speak of how women then and today have helped shape the idea of a modern woman. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the first screening of Vimochanathinte Pattukar at a function at Tagore Theatre at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The function will be followed by a discussion on ‘Kerala women: yesterday, today, and tomorrow.’ It will be moderated by Gender AdviserT.K. Anandi.
