Literary forum organises meet to share stories of women on survival wisdom

If someone gives you a chance to give back, loud and poetic, to all the 'aunties' you encountered in life, you would not miss it. And so, a group of women poets from Amritsar, gathered at 'Timeless Amritsar' to 'give it back' to the aunties who live rent-free in our minds and in our lives, only with added drama and more sassiness.

It was an evening dedicated to resilient, invading and asserting 'aunties', a species that carries the weight of a collective cultural dynamics. Siyahi, a literary forum comprising women writers and poets from the city, convened by Saloni Poddar, a writer and poet, hosted this witty, sassy anti-aunty convention, where participants shared their stories and the gyaan disseminated by the aunties in their lives.

"Aunties hold power, but they at the same time, also represent a culture where we often allow people to cross personal boundaries and question women - on how they dress, they live their life, what they eat and often, when they get married. The event was a way of sharing our memories of being judged and told to live a certain way. But more than that, it was an encouragement to push women in city to write, express and put words to their thoughts," said Saloni.

So, we heard aunties sharing nuggets of wisdom on kitchen remedies, matchmaking, marriage and motherhood, an aunty who keeps a tab on your 'mayka' visits and a variety of other things that were relatable and hilarious.

Some fresh perspectives were also put forward, where you were encouraged to embrace your inner aunty and let go of one as well. "I believe that we need to humanise these aunties, for they are, like us, a part of society. She is a woman with many stories to be told, a life held within her. May be, for once, we need to stop demonising them and see them as our silent carriers of survival wisdom," said Deepa Swani, one of the participants.