Aathmakadhaykku Oramugham- Lalithambika Antharjanam

aathmakadhaykku oraamugham by Lalithambika Antharjanam

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Lalithambika Antharjanam’s “Aathma kadhaykku Oramugham” is a literary autobiography ( autobiographies or memoirs by literary figures). Lalithambika Antharjanam(1909-1987) was a notable author in Malayalam with so many credentials; one of the foremost feminist writer, nationalist, social reformer, and so on.

Lalithambika Antharjanam was a feminist writer. She was born in a Brahmin family at a time the community was from top to the bottom, patriarchal. Women were not allowed to go out from their homes, not been able to meet their own father and brother once they grew up. They had to spend the entire life time in the shadow of “Marakkuda (an umbrella made with the leafs of some tree).” They were often married to very old members in the community, maybe because of poverty in the family, or due to some pressure from the socially powerful groups. Once their husband dies (which often happens since they are marrying very old guys, but they themselves will be only ten or fifteen years old), they need to remain as widows the entire lifetime, without being able to participate in any social activities. If anyone of the female members were alleged to have any illegitimate relation with anyone, the community would conduct “smarthavichaarm” and disown the woman. It was the right of the lower caste men to take possession of these kinds of women and were entitled to do anything to them, even prostitution. The “smarthavichaaram” was conducted by the elite members of the community, and the arguments of the defendants were often or always neglected. The rules of the community were based on Bhargava Smriti and Sankara Smriti, which were crueler than Manu Smriti in its pro-patriarchal stand. Lalithambika Antharjanam was born in the community at a time where there was a great unrest against these inequalities. V.T. Bhattathirippat, MRB, and others started reacting against these inequalities openly through activities and through the publication of the play, “Adukkalayil Ninnum Arangathekku” and “Marakkudakkullile Mahanarakam” respectively. They conducted widow remarriage and other programs. The period was also witnessed Mahatma Gandhi’s intervention and this fuelled the situation. Lalithambika Antharjanam took courage from these and participated in the social reformation through activities and writing. Her fiction “Agnisaakshi” is a work in which the protagonist is a woman from the Brahmin community. This work is an open criticism against all the ideas propagated by the community. In her autobiography also, Lalithambika question the stand of the society which discriminates women.

Some instances from the autobiography- The author talks about many women members who suffered during that period. She mentions “Kuriyedathu Thathri” and also her own family members. One of the women members of her family helped her family to overcome the difficulties when some of the elder members died unexpectedly. She looked after her little brothers and got back the lost prestige of the family. When the brothers grew up and got married, there began unrest. Their wives complained about the elder sister to their husbands due to jealousy. Then the brothers questioned the elder sister and openly told that since she is a woman, she has no right in the property. Out of anger she replied that then she will leave the home, but contrary to her expectation, her brothers asked her to go. She went out of the home hoping that they will call back, but they didn’t. Once she crossed the gate, they closed it. At night, as she could not go anywhere, she returned and called them. The servant in the family replied that since she left the home without accompanying any maid, she would be an outcaste and so they would not take her back. She knocked every side of the house crying, “Parameshwara, Narayanaaa”, but nobody responded. At last, the “antharjanam” (the common name of all elder female members of Brahmin community) left the place. Nobody knew how she died and where.
Another instance she narrates is that of a young girl who married to an old man. As per Brahmin rules at that time, the married woman can enter her husband’s room only on the fourth day of the marriage. On the third day, this girl’s husband died. She was forced to have the fourth day night’s ceremony with the husband with an image of him made in grass. The rest of her life, she had to remain as a widow.

Lalithambika Antharjanam is undoubtedly a nationalist, a nationalist in action and in writing. Her autobiography is filled with awe and admiration towards Gandhi. She writes how Gandhian values influence her life and what was the price she paid. The orthodox community could not digest Gandhi’s teaching and they compared him with Kali, the total destroyer, whereas his followers replied this argument by writing “Gandhyashtakam”.

Through her autobiography, we can understand the social, religious, literary ideas of her lifetime.




View all my reviews