Ambai

Ambai (1944-) has written many excellent feminist short stories. “Ambai’s stories are the first expression of a woman’s rage” said Sundara Ramaswamy. Jeyamohan says “Ambai’s stories were the beginning of feminist literary works in Tamil”. In 2021, she won the Sahitya Akademi Award for her collection of short stories Sivappu Kazhuthudan Oru Pacchai Paravai. She co-founded ”SPARROW” (Sound and Picture Archives for Research on Women), a non-governmental organisation, she continues to be the organisation’s Director.

Biography

Birth, Adolescence

Ambai was born in 1944 as C.S. Lakshmi in Coimbatore and grew up in Bangalore. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Madras Christian College and holds a Master’s degree in History. She started writing during her teenage years, in the 1960s. 

Personal Life

She holds a Ph.D. (American policy) from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. She started working as a school teacher and a college lecturer in Tamil Nadu after her education.

Family

In 1976, she married Vishnu Mathur, a documentary filmmaker. There was speculation that she made an agreement with her husband to not have children, since a familial set-up would be a hindrance to her literary and social works. However, she adopted two children later.

Literary Works

Ambai’s first work Nanthimalai charalile was published in Kannan Magazine, it was a detective novel for children. She wrote some stories for Ananda Vikatan as well. She also won a prize in a novel competition for her second novel Anthimalai Kalaimagal.  Ambai says ”Short stories and novels like Anthimalai Kalaimagal were a portrayal of ambitious women, which helped men those days”. In 1967, her short story Siragakul Muriyum was published in the magazine Kanaiyazhi which is considered to be her first short story.

Ambai’s stories are mostly written from a woman’s perspective but not in way to propagate them. Her stories subtly point out how women have been oppressed culturally and traditionally for many years. Female protagonists in her stories face life fearlessly without crying like a lost cause; she makes the readers, both men and women to ruminate on the complexities of a woman’s life.

Veetin Moolaiyil Oru Samaiyalarai, Amma Oru Kolai Seithal,Karrupu Kudhirai chathukkam, Kaattil Oru Maan, Mallukattu, Plastic Dabbiyil Parasakthi Mudaliyor are some of her short stories.

Jeyamohan adds Veetin Moolaiyil Oru Samaiyalarai, Amma Oru Kolai Seidhal, Karrupu Kudhirai chathukkam to the list of best short stories in Tamil. Critic S. Ramakrishnan adds Amma Oru Kolai Seithal, Kaattil Oru Maan to the list of 100 best short stories in Tamil.

Sahitya Akademi Award 2021 was given to Ambai’s Sivappu Kazhuthudan Oru Pacchai Paravai collection of short stories.

Many of Ambai’s short stories can be read on Archive and Azhiya Sudargal.

Journalism

She has occasionally written in newspapers such as The Hindu, The Times of India, The Economic and The Political Weekly as C.S Lakshmi.

Social Works

She is the co-founder of SPARROW (Sound and Picture Archives for Research on Women), she continues to be the director of this organisation. It documents the oral history recordings and digital video recordings of women.

Works

Novels

• Anthimaalai (1966)

Collection of Short Stories

• Siragakul Muriyum (1976)
• Veetin Moolaiyil Oru Samaiyalarai (1988)
• Kaattil Oru Maan (2000)
• Chakkara Naarkali
• Sanjaari
• Thanni Adika
• Vatrum Eriyin Meenkal (2007)
• Sivappu Kazhuthudan Oru Pacchai Paravai (Sahitya Akademi Award)

Children's Novels

• Nanthimalai Charalile

Collections

• Payanpatadha Padhaigal (Oral history recordings of women in painting, classical dance, and drama)
• Solladha Kathaigal (Oral history recordings of women who participated in the Independence movement and the Dalit writers)

Research Books

• The Face Behind the Mask of Women in Tamil literature and Society and Women Writers (1984)

Translated Works

• A Purple Sea (1992)
• In the Forest, A Deer (2006)- Translated by Lakshmi Holmström

Movies

• Thangaraj Enge- Dialogues
• Mudhal Athiyayam- Direction

Awards

• Canada Tamil Literary Garden- Iyal Award (2008)
• Sivappu Kazhuthudan Oru Pacchai Paravai- Sahitya Akademi Award

Links

Ambai- சொல்வனம் சிறப்பிதழ்

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