POEMS OF VIJILA
à´µിà´œിലയുà´Ÿെ à´•à´µിതകൾ
à´…à´®്à´® à´’à´°ു à´•ാà´²്‍പനിà´•à´•à´µിതയല്à´²
à´…à´¤ിà´°ാà´µിà´²െ
à´•à´µിà´¤ à´ªാà´¤ി à´Žà´´ുà´¤ി
ഉറക്à´•ം à´¤ൂà´™്à´™ുà´®്à´ªോà´³്
à´…à´®്à´® പലതും പറയുà´¨്നത് à´•േà´³്à´•്à´•ാം
''à´šെà´±ുà´ª്പക്à´•ാà´°ിà´•à´³്
ആര്‍à´ാà´Ÿà´¤്à´¤ിà´•à´³്
ബസിà´²് à´¤ിà´•്à´•ിà´¤്à´¤ിà´°à´•്à´•ിവന്à´¨
ആണുà´™്ങളോà´Ÿ് വല്à´²ി വഴക്à´•ിà´Ÿ്à´Ÿു''''ആറളത്à´¤് ആദിà´µാà´¸്à´¯േà´³്à´•്à´•്
à´ൂà´®ി à´•ൊà´Ÿുà´¤്തപ്à´ªോ
ഇവിà´Ÿുà´³്à´³ോà´°് à´•െà´Ÿà´¨്à´¨് വറക്à´•്à´¯ാ''
''പഞ്à´šായത്à´¤ിà´²െ à´ªൈà´¸ാ à´•ൊà´£്à´Ÿ്
à´ªെà´° പണിà´¯േà´²ാ
à´ªെà´° പണിà´¯േà´²ാà´¨്à´¨്
à´¨ാà´Ÿ്à´Ÿുà´•ാà´°് പറഞ്à´žുà´°à´¸ിà´š്à´šു''
''അയലോà´•്à´•à´¤്à´¤െ à´ªെà´£്à´£ുà´™്ങള് വരും
à´ªാവങ്ങള് പണിà´•്à´•ാà´°്à´•്à´•്
നല്à´² à´à´•്à´·à´£ം à´•ൊà´Ÿുà´•്à´•്à´µോà´¨്à´¨്à´±ിà´¯ാà´¨്''
''വയറിà´™്à´™ു à´•à´´ിà´ž്à´žു
കറന്‍à´±ാà´ª്à´ªീà´¸ിà´²േà´•്à´•ിà´¨ി
à´¨ൂà´±ു നടത്à´¤ം നടക്à´•à´£ം''
''à´Ÿിà´µീം തരംà´—് à´«ോà´£ും
à´µാà´°്à´•്à´•à´µീà´Ÿും
റബറുà´®ുà´³്ളവര്‍
ഇന്à´¨ാà´Ÿ്à´Ÿിà´²് à´¶ുà´¦്à´§ à´¬ിà´ªിà´Žà´²്à´²ുà´•ാà´°്''
à´±േà´¡ിà´¯ോà´¯ിà´²്
à´¸ംà´¸്à´•ൃതവാà´°്à´¤്à´¤
à´•േà´³്à´•്à´•ുà´®്à´ªോà´³്
à´…à´®്à´® à´…à´¤് à´ªൂà´Ÿ്à´Ÿിà´µെà´•്à´•ാà´¨് പറഞ്à´ž്
പണിà´•്à´•ിറങ്à´™ുà´¨്à´¨ു.
Amma is not a romantic poem
While in half sleep
Half way through writing poetry
In the early morning
Amma (mother) could be heard saying many things:
“Those young extravagant wenches on the bus
Quarreled with the men who bumped into them.”
“While the Adivasis in Aralam are given land
The ones here are shivering.”
“The villagers enjoyed repeating that you will not make
The house with the money from the Panchayat.”
“The neighboring women will come to work to know
If the poor are giving their servants good food.”
“Wiring is over, now need to walk a hundred
“Wiring is over, now need to walk a hundred times
To the Electricity office.
The ones having TV, phone, concrete house and rubber trees
Are pure BPLs (Below Poverty Line people) in this land.”
When the Sanskrit News sounds from the radio
Amma asks to switch it off and goes to work.
Translated from Malayalam by Dr Ajay Sekher.
à´…à´Ÿà´•്à´•à´µും à´’à´¤ുà´•്à´•à´µുà´®ുà´³്à´³ à´’à´°ു à´«െà´®ിà´¨ിà´¸്à´±്à´±്
ഉള്à´³ി à´•്ഷമയോà´Ÿെ à´ªൊà´³ിà´•്à´•ുà´¨്നവൾ
à´ªിà´³്à´³േà´°ുà´Ÿെ à´…à´ª്à´ªി
അറപ്à´ªിà´²്à´²ാà´¤െ
à´•à´´ുà´•ുà´¨്നവൾ
à´ª്à´°േà´®ിà´•്à´•ുà´®്à´ªോൾ
à´•ാà´®ുà´•à´¨െ à´•à´£്à´£ാ à´Žà´¨്à´¨്
à´µിà´³ിà´š്à´š് à´¸ാà´¯ൃà´œ്യമടയുà´¨്നവൾ
ഡയലർ à´¡ോൺ
à´—ുà´°ുà´µാà´¯ൂà´°à´®്പലനട ആക്à´•ിയവൾ
à´•ോളർടോà´£ുകൾ
à´•ോലക്à´•ുഴൽവിà´³ിà´•à´³ാà´¯ി
à´•േൾക്à´•ുà´¨്നവൾ
ആർത്തവത്à´¤ിà´¨് à´…à´®്പലത്à´¤ിൽ à´ªോയവളെ
à´žെà´Ÿ്à´Ÿà´²ോà´Ÿെ ഉൾക്à´•ൊà´³്à´³ുà´¨്നവൾ
à´’à´±്റയ്à´•്à´•് à´¸ിà´¨ിà´® à´•ാà´£ാൻ à´ªോà´¯ിà´²്à´²െà´¨്à´¨്
ആരോà´Ÿും പറയാà´¤്തവൾ
à´¬്à´°ാ à´Žà´¨്à´¨ോ à´®ുà´² à´Žà´¨്à´¨ോ പബ്à´²ിà´•് ആയി പറയാà´¤്തവൾ
വഴിà´•്à´•് à´µെà´š്à´š് à´®ൂà´¤്à´°à´®ൊà´´ിà´•്à´•ാൻ
à´•ംഫർട്à´Ÿ് à´¸്à´±്à´±േà´·à´¨ുകൾ
à´¤ിà´°à´¯ാà´¤്തവൾ
à´•െà´Ÿ്à´Ÿ്à´¯ോà´¨െ à´šേà´Ÿ്à´Ÿാà´¨്à´¨് à´µിà´³ിà´•്à´•ുà´¨്നവൾ
à´¸ീമന്തരേà´–à´¯ിൽ à´¸ിà´¨്à´¦ൂà´°à´®ിà´Ÿ്à´Ÿിà´²്à´²േà´²ും à´¸ാà´°ിà´•്à´•ുà´³്à´³ിൽ
à´¤ാà´²ി à´’à´³ിà´ª്à´ªിà´•്à´•ുà´¨്നവൾ
à´µീà´Ÿ്à´Ÿിà´²െ പണിà´¯െà´²്à´²ാം à´•à´´ിà´ž്à´ž്
à´“à´«ീà´¸ിà´²േà´•്à´•് വണ്à´Ÿി à´µിà´Ÿുà´¨്നവൾ
സമരപ്പന്തൽ സന്ദർശിà´•്à´•ുà´¨്നവൾ
മണമിà´²്à´²ാà´¤്à´¤ മദ്യത്à´¤െà´•്à´•ുà´±ിà´š്à´š് à´•േà´Ÿ്à´Ÿുà´•േൾവി ഇല്à´²ാà´¤്തവൾ
à´¶ംà´–ുà´ªുà´·്à´ªം à´•ാà´£ുà´®്à´ªോൾ
à´’à´¨്à´¨ും à´¤ോà´¨്à´¨ാà´¤്തവൾ
മക്à´•à´³െ à´Žà´´ുà´¤്à´¤ിà´¨ിà´°ൂà´¤്à´¤ി à´¸ാംà´¸്à´•ാà´°ിà´• à´µിà´¶ുà´¦്à´§ി à´•ാà´•്à´•ുà´¨്നവൾ
à´¸്വന്à´¤ം മകനെ à´…à´Ÿുà´•്കളയിൽ കയറ്à´±ാà´¤്തവൾ
à´¸്വന്à´¤ം à´µീà´Ÿിà´¨് à´¸ുà´•ൃതമെà´¨്à´¨ോ
à´¶്à´°ീà´à´µà´¨െà´¨്à´¨ോ à´ªേà´°ിà´Ÿുà´®്à´ªോൾ
à´Žà´¤ിà´°à´ിà´ª്à´°ാà´¯ം ഇല്à´²ാà´¤്തവൾ
à´ªീഡനവാർത്à´¤ à´•േൾക്à´•ുà´®്à´ªോà´´ൊà´•്à´•െ
à´¸ംà´°à´•്ഷണമെà´¨്à´¨ à´µാà´•്à´•്
à´µാà´¯ിൽ à´¨ിà´¨്à´¨ à´…à´¨േà´•ം തവണ à´¤െà´±ിà´ª്à´ªിà´•്à´•ുà´¨്നവൾ
Obedient and a disciplined Feminist
Peels the onions patiently,
Cleans the baby’s shit,
Without any aversion
Calls the lover,
Nothing less than “darling”
For it satisfies her.
Devotional songs dons,
Her dialler tunes and caller tones.
One who alarmingly tries to accept,
Another who entered the temple,
During her menses.
One who makes it a secret,
That she has not been for a film
Alone.
Bra
Breast, when these words still appears to
Her as ‘unacceptable’ ones
in public.
Journeying, she never searches,
for a comfort station,
To pee.
One who calls her husband,
“Chetta” (with respect and showing devotion)
Even if she doesn’t wear tilak,
Hides her mangalsutra,
Inside her blouse,
Close to her bosoms.
Finishes the chores in the household,
To run to her office.
One who makes occasional visits,
To the tents of the protesters.
She knows not the existence of
Odourless alcohol.
One who is emotionless
When she sees a shankupushpam*
One who protects the purity of her culture
By sending her children
For vidyarambham**
One who never lets her son,
Enter the kitchen.
One who never protests when her home
Is named after unrelated terms.
One who spits the word “security”
Several times,
When she hears about a rape case
Trans by Neville Thomas
*shankupushpam : Butterfly pea; This flower adorns the shape of a female vagina arousing sexual undertones when referred metaphorically. Traditionally used in ayurvedic medicines as ingredient.
** vidyarambham : Hindutwa customary practice in Kerala where children start learning only after this practice in which they are helped by their godfathers or priests to write in alphabets and numbers on a tbali filled with rice grains
Bio Data
Born in 1981 at Perampra Vijila was the daughter of Puttampoyil Balan and R.K. Janu , first collection of poems à´…à´Ÿുà´•്കളയിà´²്à´²ാà´¤്à´¤ à´µീà´Ÿ് (House
without Kitchen)She has been writing poems and articles in various Malayalam
periodicals for over sixteen years. Her poems have been translated
into English, Hindi,
Bengali, Assamese, Nepali, Urdu and Telugu. Now
residing in Ernakulam Mulanthuruthi.
Email
vijilagaya@gmail.com