Illiteracy to blazing trails: The transformation of a Madisar revolutionary

Married at five, had never been to school, and did not even know to read or write Tamil. These are not what one would expect from a person who would become one of the most prolific writers of Tamil Nadu. But that was Kothainayaki, a revolutionary writer who became a legend in her own life time.

Such was the origin of her writerly life that she had to dictate the script of her first Tamil play to a friend who served as a scribe. But when it was published, it met with acclaim from all, including the top Tamil newspapers of the time, which surprised even her. Thus was born the remarkable literary career.

Learning to read and write Tamil in a hurry, Kothainayaki went on to write 115 books, which included novels, plays and short story collections; ran a magazine, Jaganmohini, singlehandedly for 35 years; went to jail for six months for taking part in an agitation against liquor; and writing and speaking about a host of societal challenges that the country faced in the first half of the 20th century. 

Many of them that were outright revolutionary, especially coming from a madisar (9-yard saree) wearing member of an orthodox Iyengar family that lived close to the Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane.

The Congress party, then fighting for independence, was keen to rope in this progressive writer. Soon, Kothainayaki’s skill at public speaking – laced with humour and interspersed with engrossing stories – became famous. 

She thus became a regular feature in political meetings. She was an unwavering disciple of the late Congress leader Dheerar S Sathyamurthi. In fiery political speeches, she even taunted the women, telling them that the kitchen was not the right place for them when the land was colonised.

That was not all. Kothainayaki was a talented singer and composer of Carnatic songs, too. She started by singing patriotic songs at Congress party meetings. In 1925, Kothai met Mahatma Gandhi and was impressed by the simplicity of his life. This prompted her to renounce luxurious living and started wearing only khadi sarees and shunning jewellery.

Responding to the Mahatma’s call in 1931, she participated in the satyagraha agitation against liquor shops and received a six-month prison sentence (which the court enhanced to eight months for refusing to pay the fine just as her hero the mahatma once did). Even while serving her sentence in prison, Kothainayaki continued to write novels, which contained real life stories of other prisoners.

Named after Vaishnavite poetess saint Andal, Kothainayaki lived true to her name. A prolific writer, she dealt with socially pertinent issues of the day like dowry menace, ill-treatment of women, women’s education, ills of the Devadasi system and untouchability in her 115 novels. 

For a person who had no formal schooling, she became well-versed in Tamil, Sanskrit, English and Hindi. She composed and sang Carnatic music and even cut gramophone discs. Kothainayaki was good in midwifery, too. Irrespective of their social status, she helped women deliver their children – at no cost.

Despite all other engagements, Kothai kept writing. In fact, she had to set up a printing press to cater to her own works and the magazine. Her pen propelled her to many firsts. She was the first woman to write a detective story in Tamil, hers was the first novel to be made into a Tamil movie, and became the first woman to occupy the editorial board of a Tamil magazine.

Kothai’s first novel Vaidehi was serialised in Jaganmohini, but the magazine was soon in doldrums. On the advice of well-wishers, Kothainayaki took over as its editor in 1925. Jaganmohini became one of the best-selling magazines of those times, which Kothai single-handedly edited and published for 35 years.

Many of her novels were made into films. The first Tamil novel to be made into a film was her Anadhai Penn (Jupiter Pictures). So demanding she could be, that she would insist on choosing the hero for the movie and also ask for periodic viewing of the shooting rushes. Much later, Kothainayaki was a member of Film Censor Board for a decade. She used to go to cinema halls clandestinely to ensure whether the scenes censored by her had been added secretly.

An active resident of Triplicane, she took part in most spheres of social and political activity of those choppy times. She also ran a school in Triplicane exclusively for women where she taught music, tailoring, handicrafts, embroidery, English and Hindi. 

Woman emancipation was her pet desire. When classical music icon DK Pattammal’s traditionalist family were against her choosing a Carnatic career, it was Kothai who travelled repeatedly to Kancheepuram and succeeded in persuading her father.

Called ‘Novel Rani’ by her fans, she wrote a novel on a scrap paper when lodged in jail and smuggled it out for publication.

She became a legend in her lifetime and soon stories cropped up (most of which cannot be corroborated). One has it that revolutionary poet Subramania Bharati, who must have been a neighbour, wrote a song for her. 

Another says Bharati stood on the road outside Kothai’s house listening to her singing one of his songs from inside. But then, perhaps we can believe them; for, she was an epitome of Bharati’s Pudumai Penn.

(Credit for information Subha Bharadwaj)