Amminikutty: novel by D.J(Deepa jayaraj)

Synopsis

This story is based on a real life incident and hence not painted with flowery words. The unfortunate heroine of the story, Amminikkutty, lost her right to lead a peaceful life due to the forceful interference of the supposed to be bigwigs and the so called society norms fixed by a male dominated society. Amminikkutty who had shouldered all sorts of hardships remain as a symbol of lost love and never ending sorrows

Reviews on the author’s previous works:

“Amminikkutty is the contemporary reading of woman life; A novel, which is a non decorative description of truthful experiences”-Kerala Sahithya Academy, September 2013 issue.

 “A novel which centers on its main character Amminikkutty. The plot of this novel is the miserable life of its heroine, who always stood for the wellbeing of those in her life.” Mathrubhumi weekly special issue, October 2013 issue.

 “The theme of this novel is the fretting and fuming of woman life which gets entangled in the labyrinth of family intricacies, even in this modern era.” Grihalekshmi magazine, March 2014(1-15) issue.

 “The main character Amminikkutty, who has suffered endless hardships all throughout her life, remains as the personification of sufferings” Kumkumam magazine, (November 2013 )

 “The story of Amminikkutty is the balance sheet of innumerable insults and unbelievable miseries which the women suffer in this society.”

 Dr. Lekshmi Kumari,  Vivekananda Kendra, Kodungallur, Kerala, India.

Indumathi-Novel

 The Novel written with Indumathi as the centre character, discusses the internal fights which a woman has to undergo while living in the family and  society in simple language.- Mathrubhumi Weekly, July 13-2014

 This Novel, which is a truthful expression of the conflicting life of a village woman depicts the inborn traits of all human beings through its various characters. -  Kerala Sahithya Academy, July 2014 issue.

It is the guileless explication of very familiar village life described through colorful icons, which makes the readers get closer to Indumathi.- Kumkumam Magazine, August 2014 issue

Foreword

Blessed are those, who are born as women. Is there any woman who would agree to this statement? No chance, because a woman doesn t realise herself. She doesn t try to perceive the spiritual power lying dormant within herself. Instead, she misconstrues materialism to be the real ways of life and hence spends her time fully immersed in materialistic pleasures, turning over and over, only the outer covers of the book called life. What she has to face and put up with, is a series of catastrophes. The heroine of this novel, Amminikkutty, was from a more or less good background, was kind hearted with pleasing manners and appearance. But it was the lack of one thing, God s favour and protection, which destroyed her life. Or was God purifying her by bestowing upon her, a life of continued misery to compensate the tribulations of her previous births? The readers can find solace only if they tune to such a line of thinking. 

The story of Amminikkutty is the balance sheet of innumerable insults and unbelievable miseries which the women suffer in this society. The real face of a bigwig of society, who put on the outer mask of civility, is exposed in this novel. The sister in law who doesn t like to sacrifice her free, easy going ways of life at her mother s house even after getting married, together with her flirting husband make the heroine s life miserable still.

But still, she doesn t give in. She spends her life without troubling anybody, by ruminating in the sweet memories of the happy but short lived days of her past and dreaming of rejoining with her love.

The novelist, who was able to witness a life from near, narrates the story in an innate simple way, without putting in decorative tassels and fringes. But why?  

Simply to see that at least little pathos are still remnant in human hearts from where kindness and tenderness are fast disappearing, 

Simply to ensure and caution ourselves that we are not given to the bad, cruel ways like the personages of this story. 

Simply to shed a drop of tear to perform oblation of the manes to the numerous women who still bear the burden of miserable lives and 

Simply to pray for them.

Let Miss.Deepa  be able to contribute further stories of this genre, which will expose the true lives of women of our society behind their false masks.  

  With lots of love,

Dr. Lekshmi Kumari,

Vivekananda Kendra Kodungallur,

Kerala, India

Kodungallur  

dt 19.05.13

Translator s note

When Author (D.J) approached me for getting the translation done, I was expecting a contemporary novel matching with the life and style of new generation. But I was quite surprised to find that the starting point of the story dates to pre independence era, 1940 s to be precise. Of course it ends up in the current era itself.

When the author mentioned that the story is based on a real life incident, I was all the more astonished. How can a human being endure such agonising hardships and that too all throughout her life? Mathematically, the life of the heroine can be equated to hardships personified . It was a few broadminded people, and not her close kins, who arranged her stay at a geriatric home thereby helping her to lead a peaceful life at least during the last years of her life.

As my temperament goes, I m all for the women who boldly face adverse situations and succeed in their lives. But this novel, being based on a real life incident, happened to be an eye opener to me. There were lots and lots of women who could not raise even their little fingers against the atrocities done against them. It was a highly male dominated male chauvinistic society which decided what women should, do and not do. They used to bully the women and overpower them by their physical superiority. Also, only the silent sufferers of the women community, and not the revolting type, who were admired and termed as pious and good women during those times. Again it was a society set norm which even the women folk followed blindly! The narrations about the heroine Amminikkutty being physically and mentally tortured by her aged husband was real heart-rending. I do bow before her will power which did not succumb to escapist attitude like committing suicide. 

Let me quote a line from the book- Luck had been eluding her all throughout her life. Yes, true, a very pious man had wedded her, but it lasted only five days. At her aged second husband s household, the son born to his first wife bolted out of the blue once and I hoped he would be her saviour. No, nothing happened; he also could not help her. But why?  A big question, to which none can ever furnish a convincing proper answer. So, we the common people have no choice other than blaming the sins done or rather which we happened to do, in our previous births! Yes, when logic fails, on what else should we bank upon, other than our destiny ? 

 The story is all the more relevant now, since abandoning aged parents ruthlessly has become the rule of the day now. Even Kerala, the most literate state of India is not an exception to this crude brutal act. The gen-next may have their own justification for their acts, but throwing the parents away at the mercy of others can never be forgiven. Government controlled, neat, professionally managed geriatric homes can serve as a home away from home for the respected senior citizens, I feel. They will be safer and happier there among friends of the same age group than left alone or at the mercy of unreliable home maids/ nurses at lonely households.    

Sriletha Pillai, 

ജീവിതം നല്‍കിയ നിത്യ ദുരിതങ്ങള്‍ക്കൊടുവില്‍ ദാരിദ്ര്യത്തിന്റെ ആഴക്കയങ്ങളിലേക്ക് എടുത്തെറിയപെടിം മുന്‍പെ രക്ഷപ്പെടലിന്റെ ഒരവസാന ചെറുത്തുനില്പ്പുനടത്തിയ അമ്മിണിക്കുട്ടിക്ക് സമൂഹത്തിലെ ഒരുകൂട്ടം ജനങ്ങളുടെ സങ്കിചിത ചിന്തയാല്‍ നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടത് അവളുടെ ജീവിതം തന്നെ ആയിരുന്നു. ഒരുപാടു പ്രതീക്ഷകള്‍ക്കും നൊമ്പരങ്ങള്‍ക്കുമൊടുവില്‍ ഒരിറ്റു സ്നേഹത്തിനും അനുകമ്പയ്ക്കും വേണ്ടി സ്വന്തം ജീവാത്മാവുതന്നെ അമ്മിണിക്കുട്ടി ത്യാഗമായി നല്‍കിയെങ്കിലും വിധിയുടെ മുന്‍പില്‍ കൊടും ക്രൂരതക്കു വിധേയമായ ബലിമൃഗത്തേക്കാള്‍ നൊമ്പരത്തോടേ അമ്മിണിക്കുട്ടിക്കു നില്‍ക്കേണ്ടി വന്നു. ജീവിതത്തിലൂടെ നീളം തീരാത്ത വേദനകള്‍ മാത്രം പേറിയ അമ്മിണിക്കുട്ടി ഈ കഥയിലുടനീളം നോമ്പരത്തിന്റെ വേദനത്മകമായ പ്രതീകമായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Nl7WuOoPY