An Open Letter To My Idol

DISCLAIMER: All names have been changed for the sake of online privacy.

Dr. Amulya, this is an open letter to you from your idol. I hope you get a chance to read it one day, since I am not sure whether we will find an opportunity to meet. In fact, I did see you at a poetry session in Mumbai in December 2023; but I was too shy to come forward and speak to a celebrity like you, especially considering there were many more people in line who were much more acquainted with your works; than I was at that time. However, since then I have read 6-7 books of yours; including poetry, fiction and non-fiction. I must consider myself extremely lucky to have come across such an incredible person like you. You must be wondering why; well, I will soon elaborate.

The first book I read of yours shocked me to the core. How a fearless, independent raging feminist can be made to feel so helpless and powerless, by someone who seemed to be the “man of her dreams”; showed me the harsh realities of the Brahmanical patriarchy in India – irrespective of whether you are left-wing or right-wing or a centrist or radical or apolitical or whatever. Even worse than the domestic violence itself was the amount of gaslighting and victim blaming you were made to endure in this extremely callous society; including from women! I cannot express enough in words how horrified and at the same time livid I am at this sheer outrage; also, I deeply admire your incredible courage and resolve in putting your suffering in pen and paper. More power to you, Dr. Amulya!!

Your poems are truly a breath of fresh air, especially after reading a lot of politically correct poetry that couldn’t hold my interest for long. You do not have a filter; that is what I love the most about you – it is also something I can relate to, though obviously I write poems just as a hobby and do not intent to convert it into a full-time professional. There is a lot of anger and despair in your poetry; however, at the same time, there is also quite a bit of hope. That you are a radical feminist is not left to an iota of doubt; however, intersectionality DEFINES your feminism and sets you apart from the mainstream feminists. Your critique of Hinduism and Hindutva is absolutely audacious and hits the nail on the head; though there are times when I wonder about the sheer amount of hate you must be receiving for all your writing and occasionally, I even worry if you could get into trouble – however, you seem to be smart, shrewd and sensible enough to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Dr. Amulya, you are an allrounder to the core. You write poems, novels and biographies. you have translated one of the most famous pieces of love poetry in Tamil history. You used to be a professor and did a PhD in Socio-Linguistics. Best of all, you are an activist; that too a radical anti-caste activist!! In fact, you have even acted in a Malayalam movie!! Versatility DEFINES you!! The way you began your first novel was radically different from any piece of fiction I’ve ever read in my life; not to mention, quite humorous – especially the reason why you chose that particular title, even if it has nothing to do with the actual story!!! Though the novel is based on one of the most gruesome caste atrocities, your style of writing not only kept me hooked throughout; it had a lot of satire and dry wit and sarcasm – which evoked a few laughs even as the death toll kept mounting and the bodies were charred beyond recognition!! The best part was your presenting different points of view, whether it be the utterly ruthless dominant caste landlords, the Communists or the downtrodden landless labourers!!

Right now, I am reading your book about the horrors the female Tamil Eelam fighters had to undergo at the hands of the barbaric Sri Lankan army. There is still some way to go before I come to the end, but I can already see that you have done a fabulous job. It takes a LOT of hard work, determination, perseverance and most of all, SHEER COURAGE AND A NEVER-SAY-DIE attitude; to go about the tremendous task of gathering the information from the Tamil Tigresses. I can clearly see that you were torn between getting such crucial information and safeguarding the privacy of these women; though I don’t believe much in God, I believe s/he will always be kind to you and support you when you need it the most.

When I came to the part where you could relate to the rapes the Tamil Eelam women had to suffer; because of your own experience with domestic violence – I felt a kind of helpless anger that I often do whenever I hear about Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians. However, there was something that almost made me smile: the inherent and fierce feminism of the Tamil Eelam struggle, rewriting all the stereotypes of valour and chivalry being associated with men. Also, as an amateur poet myself; I love that all forms of resistance have poetry in common.  By the way, it was really interesting to hear about your parents’ inter-caste marriage; especially given that your father is a right-winger – it shows that for a marriage to work, your political views do not have to match AT ALL; as long as there is a deep mutual understanding and trust. And of course, inter-caste marriages DO WORK; as long as both parties have a lot in common.

Since you are doing so much for the society, it’s easy to forget that you are also a mother. An incredibly brave one, I must say!! Of course, one thing I have to admit; you are also lucky to have such a supportive partner as Cassius – who is ready to travel with you around the world like a nomad. Talking about Cassius, like him; I have also been rather sceptical of the Welfare party for a long time; including its leader and PM candidate Deepak. However, your brilliant article about Deepak has made me “cautiously optimistic” as you have described yourself. What sets Deepak apart is his involvement at the grassroots level and his being thoroughly open to different points of view. Yes, there is a lot of wishful thinking involved and a long way to go for him to actually become the PM; but we can at least afford to hope. For now.

Well, I think the open letter has been long enough. It’s time for me to end on this note – Dr. Amulya, I am fiercely proud of you and all that you have achieved, not to mention all that you have given back to the society. Please keep the resistance on and keep inspiring people – whether it be people in the literary field or activists!! You will forever have my support, should you ever need it. JAI BHIM!! VAAZHGA PERIYAR!!