Dr. Vidya Venkat | Alumna
Talk
@ MCC | Today | 7th March 2025
It was such a joy to have with us today, Dr. Vidya Venkat (2003 – 2006, BA English, MCC), to address the I MA English and II BA English Classes.
Dr. Vidya’s talk today was based on an article she had written for The Hindu on 2nd March 2018.
The article is titled, “Mahasweta Devi is not dead” - Though the writer is no more in the corporeal sense, her words, her thoughts, and the lives of those she touched infused subaltern writing with a tangible value and will ensure she continues to live on in our midst, observes Vidya.
Excerpts from her talk today -
Literature can be very liberating as a discipline. So today I wish to talk to you about ‘What is the purpose of writing?’ or ‘What does it take to be a writer?’
Einstein says that, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere”.
There are many myths on what it takes to be a writer.
Firstly, the myth that, I had to read all these legendary, canonical works to be a writer. My classmates Arjun, Sara Abraham and myself we used to have reading lists for ourselves. It was such a humongous work, and quite intimidating as well. This myth shouldn’t impede me.
Secondly, the myth that, writing should use difficult words filled with jargon. However, it’s not so. The purpose of writing is to be understood. If you set out to intimidate the reader, you are not going to achieve what Orwell or Khaled Hosseini achieved. Your job is to reach a person you don’t know.
There’s also another mode of writing – done by Virginia Woolf among others of her ilk. It’s what I call, self-indulgent writing! They write about the mental process that they were experiencing, which I feel, is okay to an extent, but it doesn’t contribute in any way to society.
That’s why I love Mahasweta Devi. Because I personally feel that, the most important task a writer wishes to accomplish is – to engage with the world.
To be a writer who makes a mark! To be a writer who wants to be remembered!
She brought a certain perspective to literature that was missing earlier.
She gave voice to the Adivasis who were oppressed / silenced.
Water, Land and Forest were the three issues that she was engaged with.
The purpose of writing is all about interiority.
So you find a purpose beyond your own emotional / psychological needs.
A writer hence, must actively engage with the world. Listening is an important skill for the writer.
Mahasweta Devi was an active listener. Her literature had a purpose to it. I read Bell Jar, but I wasn’t convinced enough. But Mahasweta Devi opened my mind to something beyond me.
She was able to step outside of herself – observed the humanity around her – gave voice to the voices that were suppressed.
In the Mahabharata, Draupadi cried out “Krishna, save me” when Dushasana tried to disrobe her. However, Mahasweta’s Draupati begs to differ. This is the message that she gives to every oppressed woman in this world, through her powerful characters. ‘You don’t need anybody to save you. You’re powerful yourself’.
She has mobilised such powerful characters.
Take Anne Frank for example. She started writing in her diary on June 14, 1942, her 13th birthday. She continued writing in it for two years while hiding with her family in Amsterdam. She was able to impact the whole world through her writing, because she had something to say.
So as a writer, you have to figure out what you have to say!
Svetlana Alexievich is one such writer, who wrote Voices from Chernobyl, a book about the Chernobyl disaster. She witnessed a disaster and recorded it for posterity. She won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015 for her work.
Denise Levertov was a founding member of the anti-war collective RESIST, along with other prominent activists. She also participated in the Writers and Artists Protest against the Vietnam War.
Levertov was a poet, essayist, and activist who opposed American involvement in the Vietnam War. Her poetry often combined personal and political themes, and she sought to motivate others to be aware of social and political issues. She also spoke out against nuclear weaponry and the Persian Gulf War.
Arundhati Roy talks about how communism is failing in Kerala and casteism is on the rise!
Similarly, even today, Orwell is relevant because his works continue to highlight the dangers of authoritarianism, government surveillance, and the manipulation of language and information!
In summing up - to write, you need to have a pen, a paper and a sense of purpose,
she signed off.
The Talk was held in the II BA English Classroom, QSC Building, and it was well-attended by students of I MA and II BA English Classes.
[Vasanth, II BA English, gave a memento to his senior Vidya, while Terese Maria, I MA English, honoured our guest of the day with the traditional shawl. Andrea, II BA English was the official photographer for the event]
About Dr. Vidya Venkat
Vidya Venkat is a writer and musician based out of Chennai. She has a PhD in Social Anthropology from SOAS University of London and has worked as a journalist and communications consultant in India since 2005. When not engaged in worldly pursuits, you can find her afloat in her private Universe penning poems and songs.
She completed her doctoral degree in Anthropology from SOAS, University of London on a full scholarship (SOAS Research Studentship). She is a research fellow on the European Research Council-funded Global Research Network on Parliaments and People. She also holds a Research Associate affiliation with the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at SOAS.
Her interests broadly lie in the areas of development, environment, human rights, politics and international affairs. Her writings have appeared in leading English language publications in India and abroad, including The Hindu, Frontline, The Statesman, Biblio-A Review of Books, Pambazuka, Outlook, Open, etc.
In 2011, she won the Felix scholarship - a full scholarship awarded to six academically gifted and meritorious students from India to pursue an advanced degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
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