When there are two pairs of legs, a male’s and a female’s, entwined on the cover of a book, and the title curiously states ‘Yellow Is The Colour Of Longing’, you know you’re in for an intriguing read. And indeed, the book, the collection of 15 stories written in Malayalam by KR Meera, a popular contemporary Malayalam fiction writer, and translated to English by feminist scholar J. Devika, delivers on this count.
The collection addresses an age-old issue – that of women dealing with a status quo which limit their autonomy – seen through contemporary eyes. The stories are of women of different backgrounds, and narrated in a variety of styles. Some stories come with a generous dose of humour while others fill you with sadness, but all of them scratch the superficial facade in society, revealing the layers of turmoil and power struggle beneath it.
The title story, for instance, narrates how desire brings about unexpected turns in a woman’s life, while ‘What the Souls Do at Midnight’ examines how coercive control is exercised on women. ‘The saga of Krishna’ unravels the underbelly of Kerala’s society which is perceived as one of India’s most progressive, but in reality, is where entrenched views of gender roles has contributed to an alarming rate of sexual violence against women.
Some women protagonists are epitomes of tolerance and sacrifice while others are not – their pent up anger makes them vengeful.
But it is the honesty in which the physical, mental and emotional aspects of a woman’s experience in putting up with archaic social mores that tie her down that makes this book a truly compelling read. Betrayal, anger, disgust are shown in all earnestness, just as finding true love, accepting oneself and the resultant happiness have been narrated barefacedly. And Meera’s dark humour and satirical writing style renders a piercing quality to the stories.
There is always something to learn from books such as this one so don’t forget to add this to your list.
Written by Anisha Kashwani
Featured image source: extract from The Hive
