THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the reign of
fascist forces
in the country, the weaker and minority sections in the country are denied their
right to freedom of speech and expression
, said writer and
transgender activist
Kalki Subramaniam
. She was inaugurating the national seminar ‘Freedom under siege: A critical interrogation of the contemporary Indian literary and cultural spheres’ organized by the department of English, University College.
“Article 19 A of the Indian Constitution, speaks about freedom of speech and expression, but in reality it is a different thing when considering what happens in the country. As long as the fascist forces continue to strengthen their patriarchal and political roots, it will be difficult for the weaker sections to raise their concerns,” said Kalki Subramaniam.
Remembering her first visit to the state, she said that the society is now more transgender tolerant than a decade ago.
“The students were transphobic during my first visit to the state in 2007. Even people gathered around at the bus stand, as if we were aliens. From that kind of transphobic society, Kerala truly is being transformed to a transgender tolerant society. But still, there exist challenges like disowning by family, teasing at school and the education system continues to ignore us,” said Kalki.
Speaking about her introduction to literature, she said that writing was the only medium to bring out her plight, confusion and depression.
“Pen and the paper provide big relief and it can actually change the life for better. I was writing poems and used to paint from age twelve, which were my mediums of expression. Everybody has the right to express, but censorship is our enemy. The works of transgender writers A Revathy, Priya Babu and Lexmi Narayan has helped our community in a great way,” said Kalki who also launched a magazine for the transgender community.
The inaugural session presided over by principal of the University College M S Vinayachandran, was attended by head of English department
Chribuna Viswas
, critic and film maker V Rajakrishnan and transgender activist N Prema.
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