Kannammaa Writes

Puberty Ceremony Menarche is announced openly with a grand function, but she is told to hide the rest of her periods. Menstruation is a taboo and considered “filthy” in my culture.These days, parents spend a fortune on such ceremonies – it’s a status symbol. I personally think that the money that goes into these ceremonies can be used for girls’ education. A Woman is “Incomplete/Unsuccessful” without Marriage and Children I was 19 when I was stricken by an illness and my relatives’ immediate concern was my marriage – not my health, not my education, not my future career. I was very offended. Women who choose not to marry/childfree women are frowned upon in Indian society. Marriages and lack of female freedom are what keep patriarchal societies intact.  This pressure to marry and have children is to keep women enslaved, patriarchy, and the caste system thriving. Marriage and children should be choices, not the benchmark of women’s completion and success. The Irrational Concept of Ka...

Let me tell you all how my "virginity" kudi muligify my valkai (ruined my life).  Have you seen me as a 13 year old schoolgirl who wanted to excel in education? An 18 year old school dropout and gang member developed a covetous eye on me and gave me "love" torture wherever I went. One day, he followed me into my house and demanded me accept him as my boyfriend. I said, "Sorry. No," politely. When he refused to leave without me giving him a positive response, I defended myself using an aerosol insect spray. I bruised his male ego. And he decided that he would take away my "virginity" so I would have no choice but to accept him. He hatched a plan with his homies and cornered me in a dark, deserted alley when I was cycling home from tuition that night itself. As he felt me up, bit my shoulder, attempted to undress me, and tried to take me to an abandoned shed to finish the "business", I suffered immensely. None of that compares to what he ...