Kannammaa Writes

  Context: Counter to the woman who represents women in apologising to men for being beasts of patriarchal burden, carrying the weight of male gender roles. I was a leggy lass, and my brother was a few centimeters shorter than I was. My height made him insecure. When I wore heels, he won't stand beside me. I asked him, "Ithellam oru matter ah" and he was like it's his "maana prachna." Seriously, I am apologising to men for this now? My cousin, who was my peer and I were competing with each other in public exams. He was told that it'd be a shame if he scores less than me because he is a boy and I am a girl. Seriously, I am apologising for that now?  When I was travelling in a town bus after collecting my SPM exam results, a bunch of boys were mocking me that I would have scored less than them. They took a look at my mark sheet and blood drained from their faces. Then they told me that it's no use scoring such high marks anyway - I will get married, ha...

In today’s world, more women than ever are claiming their space as professionals, creators, leaders, and changemakers. But even as feminism rises, one question keeps surfacing: Can a woman be both feminist and religious? The short answer? Not without a fight. Because religion, in most forms, has not empowered women; it has historically restricted them. Women have had to push back hard against religious institutions, teachings, and expectations to win even basic rights. Which raises a deeper truth: Feminism and women’s rights have manifested despite religion, not because of it. 🔥 Why It Feels Like an Impossible Mix Many feminists today feel that the most effective way to fight for gender equality is outside of religion-some even say you must be an atheist to be fully free. And it’s easy to see why: Most major religions limit women’s leadership. Sacred texts have been interpreted for centuries through a male-dominated lens. Traditions often justify inequality as divine will. So when fem...

For generations, women have been told that they are “impure” while menstruating. That they should stay away from temples, shrines, and sacred rituals. That their natural biological function somehow offends the divine. But let’s be clear: When a woman visits a temple during her period, she is not conforming to religion—she is pushing back against it.  I went to the Thaipusam festival when I was menstruating. To do it, I had to overcome all kinds of religious caveats: The Kavadi bearer/self-whipping devotees will flog me. Murugan will stab me with his vel. I will fail in my exams. I will be reborn as a female dog in my next life. Still, I went. When I went to the temple, I was defying religion. I was rebelling against religious control. Effectively, I was behaving like I don't believe in God and its punitive powers. So is every woman who goes to the temple during periods. 🩸 This Is Not About Cleanliness—It’s About Control And You Rebelled Against The Control Menstrual taboos in reli...

Meet the Johnny Bravo of Indian cinema. In the movie Doctor, SK's mother says, "If she's beautiful, she'd have no brains at all." Although unsavory, based on Real Madhavan's definition of integrity referencing Rajesh's character in Minnale begs the validity of this statement. Madhavan recently said that his character not kissing Reema Sen's character in Minnale is a display of integrity - apparently, he didn't take advantage of her. This definition of "integrity" is incorrect and harmful, especially given how Rajesh behaves in the rest of the movie. Let's see how. 1. Rajesh stalks Reena (Reema Sen). Is this integrity? Definitely not. But stalking is so normalized in Indian movies, it's seen as romantic. What's romantic and full of integrity is a consensual kiss, not this type of creepy behavior. 2. Rajesh does take advantage of Reena - her situation. If Rajesh was a man of integrity, he wouldn't have taken advantage of the...

Lately, I am being abused for being a non-Tamil (Telugu), speaking about the colorism in the Tamil film industry.  Adangomale... I am a Malaysian of Indian origin, shortly called "Malaysian Indian."  Malaysian Indians make up approximately 6.6% to 7% of Malaysia's total population. This translates to roughly 2.27 to 2.3 million people out of a total population of around 32.4 to 34.1 million. They are the third largest ethnic group in Malaysia.  The Indian community in Malaysia is diverse, encompassing various religious and linguistic groups, including Tamil, Malayali, Telugu, Punjabi, and others. Many Malaysian Indians are descendants of laborers brought to Malaysia during the British colonial era, primarily to work in plantations.  Tamil is the most widely spoken language among Malaysian Indians (including non-Tamils like me), though many also speak Malay and English.  I am the tallest one in the picture and the saree I'm wearing is in Telugu style. The en...

  It's Father's Day. So, let's talk about the hype men today. I'll talk about my late dad. As a daughter, I couldn't ask for a better father. He was attentive, caring, and unabashedly proud of my achievements. He was a real worrier while I was ambitious. His constant advice was for me to be wary of strangers, and not consume anything given by any unknown person. Being wary is one thing. Being s*xually ab*sed is another. And the ab*se didn't happen because I trusted strangers. It happened because I existed as a female, vulnerable human. If my dad knew, he'd be heartbroken. But he conspired to take my mom as his second wife. Turns out, he's one of the people he was warning me about, for my mom. And he was her maternal uncle, not a stranger. At that time, he was the most educated man in my family and he let pride get to his head. Because I was his youngest - I was born when he was 50, I didn't witness his elitist side. Nevertheless, it doesn't negat...

  One of the reasons I respect Mani Ratnam's filmmaking is how he portrays women in his films, even in gangster films. In the former decade, however, Mani steadily succumbed to gangster movies where he normalizes gangsters having mistresses. I know that men will come and say that having affairs are a part of life for gangsters - Mani Ratnam is just showing "realism." But I grew up watching Nayagan and Thalapathy. In fact, I used Thalapathy for plenty of feministic referrals. Mani Ratnam proved previously that gangsters needn't use women as side chicks and have wives who tolerate their cheating to prove their "Thug Life" status. And quite frankly, the honoring of women in Mani's Nayagan and Thalapathy is what elevated the films to a whole new level. I do have a bone with the "item" songs in Nayagan and Thalapathy. Nonetheless, the movies hold women in a league where they needn't be a gangster's notoriety enhancers. They exist, as they ar...