In A Dialogue with Kavery Nambisan

Kavery Nambisan’s writing is different from that of other Indian women writers writing in English. Her voice is not the gendered voice which speaks from the margins of male-centered society. A holistic, humanistic vision with emphasis on cultural reality and social consciousness is exemplified through her novels. It projects that people who are not dominated by the patriarchal system do not necessarily lead a better quality of life. She has upheld in her novels, feminist consciousness and spirit of questioning, without getting on to the band wagon of feminists. Kavery Nambisan is a quiet activist. She constantly worries about oppression of those without voice; be it man, woman, child or animal. She is always on the lookout to glean an understanding of the real world, where drugs are sold past their expiry dates, and where a sense of mission, it seems, has no place. Kavery Nambisan lives her life and her choices, with quiet casualness. She is at ease practicing surgery in England, Delhi or a village in Bihar. She has a burning vision of doing something for humanity and felt that “something must be done before the frost settled in my heart.” She has not lagged behind in putting that vision into practice in her novels, which has fetched for one, a place on the shortlist for Man Asian Literary Prize 2008 and recently, for 2012 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Manju Kapoor, Shashi Deshpande, Usha K.R, Ismat Chugtai, Girish Karnad and Mohammed Vaikom Basheer are some of the writers that she admires for having “stayed true to their voices.” Kavery has one child, and lives with her poet-husband Vijay Nambisan, in a small hill-town near Mumbai, runs a medical centre mainly for migrant labor and also a learning centre for children-Nalanda Learning Centre and Library Project (NLCL). She makes time for writing and as she says, “You’re writing all the time, subconsciously…” Her wealth of experience in medicine pervades her writing in the terminology she uses, the tales that she exposes, the medical situation that she brings about. Kavery doesn’t see herself as bound in any single frame- like the medical.

The interview:

1. Milar in On Wings of Butterflies is a strong character who promotes education to be the panacea for the ills of ignorance and anger between the sexes. Do you personally subscribe to this view?
Education is the answer to a lot of ignorance that impedes the life of any woman but it does not address anger. While anger about any form of injustice is necessary, it might lead to anger against the person. By and large, anger is a negative force and will eventually destroy the victim and the perpetrator, as today, we see in terrorism. On Wings of Butterflies shows through certain characters, the futility of anger. It clouds thinking.

2. Do you believe that like Sharadha in Mango Coloured Fish, a woman can be self-sufficient and spurn the institution of marriage?

We all have a capacity for happiness whether married or not. Personally, I am happy with marriage but it does not suit every woman. And yes, it is far better to stay unmarried than to enter a potentially unsuitable marriage. Sadly, social obligations force many, many women to stay within the shackles of deep misery in a married life. In such cases, we should be more supportive of divorce.

3. Elaine Showalter envisaged a muted female literary tradition left out of the dominant male tradition. Do you agree with this?

You know, I do not endorse Feminism as a way of thinking or belonging. I'm not a

feminist in that I feel strongly about injustice of all types whether against children, animals, homosexuals, the poor or the so-called pariahs of society and want them to have justice the same way I want it for women. I don’t believe that a strident female voice of protest is of any great benefit. When you start shouting, you don’t hear the other person and you must always listen to the others point of view before making up your mind.

4. You reflect both male and female sensibilities with ease in your novels. How has this been possible for you?

Thank you. I guess I am fascinated by the opposite sex! Seriously speaking, when I create characters, I try to enter their thoughts and see the world through their eyes.

5. When you refer to men as feminists, what quality do you seek in them?

A well balanced man will be able to give friendship, love and respect in equal measures to the woman/women in his life. I’m not attracted to macho men; it is sensitivity that I look for.

6. How has your experience as a woman shaped you as a writer?

Deeply. I have all the good and the not so good characteristics of most women, I think. I am also lucky to have worked closely with men in my professional and writing life. But womanhood is a strong instinct and it shapes our lives, thoughts and creativity.

7. How much do you subscribe to feminist thought?

I have answered this in my reply to one of your questions above. I hate being labelled as a feminst, woman writer, and Indian writer and so on. What we need to look for is merit.

8. Do you believe that the oppression of woman originates solely from patriarchal setup? Is she also to be blamed for her condition?

Obviously, women are also largely to blame for supporting the patricarchal mindset. You can see it in every community and social class. We are quick to follow social fashions of behaviour. Examples are everywhere, honor-killing and ostracisation for marrying outside one’s community is still so common. A strong woman must be broad-minded in the deepest possible way or she is no different from her less educated sisters. Unfortunately, belonging to a privileged class does not imply a broad vision.

9. Do you have a special liking towards any of the characters you have
created in your novels? What made you create such a character?

I am fond of Nanji, Simon, Swamy, Megha Dasi, Bharat. I’m interested in people and I'm happy when I have created a strong character.

10. Your male protoganists Simon or Bharat are realistic and well-rounded. How do you bring in so much conviction into your male characters when you are a woman yourself?

As a doctor, I constantly work and interact with men, and have several very good male friends. But Bharat himself is based on a cousin of mine whom I hero-worshipped.