This lesson is a brief introduction
to the short stories of Ambai (அம்பை).
Ambai (அம்பை) is the pen-name
of C.S.Lakshmi who has been writing for over 40 years now. She is
an avowed feminist and her stories provide us with the feminist
angle from which the young, angry feminist tries to approach and
understand life, men and matters.
An M.A. in English, she had worked
as a School Teacher and late as a Lecturer at a College in the city
of Madras. She has enjoyed a committed readership over the years
by writing regularly in such journals as kanayazli (கணையாழி),
Kalaimagal (கலைமகள்), India Today,
Dinamani Kathir (தினமணி கதிர்).
She also writes in English.
A translation of short has stories
entitled ‘Purple Sea’ has come out. Cirakukal Muriyum (சிறகுகள்
முறியும்), Veetin Moolaiyil oru Samayal Arai (வீட்டின்
மூலையில் ஒரு சமையல் அறை), Kaattil Oru Maan (காட்டில்
ஒரு மான்) are three anthologies of short stories published.
Her stories are a presentation of
the contradictory female and male approaches to the understanding
and evaluation of Women’s issues.
Ambai (அம்பை
‘s ) themes and their structural organization stem form her
perception of these issues.
Men’s indifference to women’s attitudes,
aspirations and the suppression women are made to suffer receive
a treatment at the hands of Ambai (அம்பை).
How the sensibility of a growing adolescent
girl is painfully affected by the restrictions imposed by the male-dominated
society gets expressed in the story “Amma Oru Kolai Ceithaal” (அம்மா
ஒரு கொலை செய்தாள்). Many of her stories are a picturesque
portrayal of women, deprived of their freedom to make their choice
for things even so common as cycle-riding. Vaghanam (வாகனம்)
is one such story. Kaattil Oru Maan (காட்டில்
ஒரு மான்) is a story that offers us an anti-clockwise turn
of behaviour where Chellammal, Bharati’s wife, exchages her role
with Bharati who is made to get some rice from the neighbour which
Chellammal offers to the visiting sparrows. In the same way, Rama’s
action of subjecting Sita to the fire-bathing ceremony in quite
unacceptable to her. Rather Ravana, the classical musician who tries
to teach music to Sita sounds more friendly.
Poverty forces a mother to get her
daughter married to a mental patient, a victim of excruciating ill-treatment
at the hands of his own kin and kith. But the girl as his wife with
affection and loving care. The story Araikkul Irunthavan (அறைக்குள்
இருந்தவன்) gives expression to Ambai’s (அம்பை
‘s ) tremendous humanism. திக்கு
effectively portrays the present-day threat to the ecological preservation
and people’s indifference to the environmental purity. Valluoorkal
(வல்லூறுகள்) draws into focus a
husband’s violence to his wife. The portrayal of women in literature
and art as painters, singers and poets etc. are none other than
attempts to confine her to a smaller circle, and it is for her to
break-open this cage and come out. Vettin Oru Mulaiil Oru Samaial
Arai (வீட்டின் ஒரு மூலையில் ஒரு சமையல் அறை)
exmphazises this. The free womenhood has to take wings and fly soaring.
Cirakukal Muriyum (சிறகுகள் முறியும்) is
the psychological treatment of this problem.
Almost all her writings echo her artistic
convictions and she has the courage of her convictions too.
