Kannammaa Writes

Call me ableist and insensitive - but I will say what I have to say about the sexism affecting only Indian disabled women. I had a disabled female relative and a disabled female doctor (both with Indian roots and affected by childhood polio). They were used liberally as inspiration porn as they were successful in a world built for able bodied people. However, marriage and romantic relationships eluded them - the words from my female relative rings sonorously in my conscience: "They think disabled people should be grateful they’re allowed to exist – romantic relationships, intimacy, marriage are excess. To some extent, disabled men have more chances to find a life partner than disabled women in our patriarchal society. Patriarchy renders women like me unmarriageable.  In the past, during the penn paarkum vaibavam (bride seeing ceremony), right... They will ask the bride they came to see to walk, sing, ask her questions, and make her serve coffee and tidbits. This was to check if th...

  Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi recently said at an event that his house is like a lady's hostel and he's the hostel warden - referring to his five granddaughters. He added that he needs a grandson from his son to continue his family legacy. He was rebuked for saying such things in public in a country where female fetuses are aborted over the preference for sons. Still, people are saying that there's nothing wrong with what he said. "Truly, only boys carry the family legacy." There are still people with such a mindset - so, public figures should watch what they say. Leave social responsibility - how'd his granddaughters feel when they hear his sexist remarks on them? They'd feel shortchanged, unworthy and that it doesn't matter how much they excel and achieve, they wouldn't measure up to a boy. And that will affect their confidence and overall sense of self-worth. Their grandfather should have at least realized that before shooting off his mouth that...

I watched the documentary about Nayanthara on Netflix: Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale. A woman’s Autograph movie was never seen in our society until Nayanthara’s very public relationships with you know who. And we all know how the men in our society reacted to the divulge. I never thought that she took note of all those nasty, sexist memes about her past and her husband until I watched her open up about it and actually questioning the double standards in the documentary. The documentary detailed Nayanthara's growth as a person and most importantly the journey she endured before meeting, loving, and marrying Vignesh Shivn. I think there are life lessons from Nayanthara's lived experiences in love, choices, and life. You need to shuffle through the bad ones before identifying the good one - this is especially true in love. Men who reveal their quest in a string of failed loves are hailed as genuine people who had bad experiences and overcame them to find their one true lov...

  What if I told you that Neelambari isn't Ramya Krishnan's most legendary character? You have to believe me! And, it's not Sivagami Devi from Bahubali either. I am talking about her role as Vasantha in Paarai where she plays an orphaned woman who runs a tea stall to educate her brother. It's a pity that this role played brilliantly by Ramya Krishnan didn't get the recognition it deserved. Thus, this is me seeking justice. Vasantha is an independent woman who has to deal with lascivious men in the village - to protect herself, she comes across as a loudmouth, belligerent woman who constantly accosts voyeuristic men who swarm her tea stall day in and day out. I think women need to have such a mouth to keep men from bothering them. It's fine if we're called "undesirable and unwomanly." What women got for being desirable and womanly isn't fantastic either, so might as well, you know, be like Vasantha. A shrewd, yet honest businesswoman, and a re...

The epidemic of Indian men prioritizing their parents (especially their mommies) and treating their wives as second class citizens is a cycle that needs stopping. This is prevalent in Indian societies across the world. Indian men continue being "Mommy's Boy" after marriage. And Indian men's mommies continue to baby their married sons, reducing their wives into maids at the behest of the matriarchs aka slave driver. Although this is a first world problem, the core is the husband giving more importance to his parents and family than his wife. This is common in all families in Indian society. This woman is privileged so she filed for a divorce. But millions of Indian women live in this situation which society deems "normal" and "right. Wives who's needs aren't met by their husbands become obsessed with their sons and raise them as "mommy's little princes," who only listen and fulfill their moms' wishes. Those moms who are deprived...