“Gift him what makes you woman, the scent of
Long hair, the musk of sweat between the breasts,
The warm shock of menstrual blood, and all your
Endless female hungers …”
– Kamala Das
In my memory, Kamala Das was perhaps the first Indian woman writer who dared to write openly about female sexuality.
In her old age Kamala Das became Kamala Suraiyya by converting to Islam. She was a Malayalam author, poet, and English writer. She became famous with her book titled My Story, originally published in Malayalam as Ente Katha, which is supposed to be an autobiographical account of her life, her depiction of female sexuality, unfulfilled desires, and her extramarital affairs.
Once while in Bombay (now Mumbai), I decided to meet her and called her for an appointment for pics, which was granted immediately.
It was my first meeting with her, and it seems she was familiar with my name. It took me just five minutes from the Aamdaar Niwas, the MLA’s hostel, where I was staying, to reach her residence, a government flat near Sachivalaya.
Kamala welcomed me very warmly, and as I entered her residence, her first sentence to me was: “You are at least fifteen to twenty years too late; you should have come to me when I was young.”
I need not say anything about this image, as her eyes and facial expression speak volumes about her.
The views expressed here are the author’s own and The News Porter bears no responsibility for the same.
