Being feminine: Sahitya Akademi awardee Anamika’s writings have been blazing through the idea of patriarchal society

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 15

Majha House organised a special online session with well-known and multi-award winning poet and writer Anamika. She has been a poet, writer, critic and translator and has recently been awarded with Kanhaiya Lal Sethi award and Sahitya Akademi award for 2020 for her poetry collection ‘Tokri Mein Digant: Therigatha 2014’.

When I talk about me, I am not just a straightforward person but these are all different aspects of my complex personality. Just like a woman is only a woman, as well as a sister, wife, mother. Similarly, I found a poet, writer and critic inside me and promoted them all. I am an English literature teacher and I write in Hindi because it is my own language and we all use Hindi for conversation. So, I get more satisfaction writing in Hindi. — Anamika, multi-award winning poet and writer

During the interaction, Anamika shared her childhood influences, the early impressions of her father’s writings on her. “A famous poet, he used to read to me poetry and excerpts from his favourite books. We used to play antakshri of poetry and when my limited stock of poetry got exhausted, I used make up my own. It eventually honed the poet in me,” she shared. Watching and observing women around her during childhood and grown-up years, she used the stories and pain narrated through those in her writings. Her work primarily highlights the plight of women and the patriarchal mindsets that still prevail.

A teacher also, she said all these aspects of her personality are different components of herself. “When I talk about me, I am not just a straightforward person but these are all different aspects of my complex personality. Just like a woman is only a woman, as well as a sister, wife, mother. Similarly, I found a poet, writer and critic inside me and promoted them all,” she shared. She also talked about choosing Hindi as her language of expression. “I am an English literature teacher and I write in Hindi because it is my own language and we all use Hindi for conversation. So, I get more satisfaction writing in Hindi.”

Referring to her awards and accolades, she said that no writer writes for awards, but for their happiness and fulfillment. “Even if you get the award, it is encouraging that you are doing something right,” she shared.

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