Sunday, May 25, 2003		Feedback

Stories that women tell

APROPOS of Anjum Sayed’s write-up "What sort of stories do women tell?" (May 4), the author says that out of 10 manuscripts seven are received from women and women writers sell better than men. I am a great admirer of writers like Mahashweta Devi and Shobhaa De.

The author says that women cannot become professional writers like men because of paucity of time owing to various household responsibilities.

But why do we always want women to write like men or do other tasks like men? We generally extol a woman who works like a man but never appreciate a man writing like a woman. Why do we expect the woman to be like men as their styles of writing and expression is different from that of men? A woman is endowed with a matchless sense of affection, love humour and thus has her own style of writing.

BRIJ BALA, Bajaura

This refers to Sakuntala Narasimhan’s "What do working women really want" (May 11). Despite the dramatic change in our lifestyle and increased economic constraints, which have forced many woman to shoulder financial responsibilities with their male counterparts we as a society have not accepted the concept of working women. We still consider a working woman an aberration.

That is why her husband or other male members of the family do not give a working woman a helping hand in her chores. Even in offices and other places of work, she has to face a lot of discrimination. While her male-counterparts expect and are allowed many a facility and concession, a woman may often be denied even the basic amenities like a separate resting/staff room. A working woman cannot expect a moment of rest with a hot refreshing cup of tea in the evening while man takes pride in demanding all care and service the moment he returns home. It is a situation demanding not just any material equality but an attitudinal change.

VED GULIANI, Hisar

This refers to R. Suryamurthy’s article "Tit for tat" in ‘Ulta Pradesh’ (April 27). Indeed political vengeance is fast turning Uttar Pradesh into ‘Ulta Pradesh’.

When Mayawati first became Chief Minister of U.P. in June 1995, she pursued a Dalit agenda at the cost of everything else. As part of her new makeover, she changed her strategy during last assembly elections and handed out tickets to Brahmins and Thakurs. The strategy paid rich dividends. Not only did she widen her base, but also succeeded in erasing the stigma of being a Dalit leader. But her efforts to consolidate her base will be neturalised if she continues her policy of disgracing SP leaders.

SURINDER MARWAHA, New Delhi

This is with reference to some observations made by Surendra Miglani (May 11) in response to my article "A paean to Mother India". I stand by my statement that after Andaaz, Nargis became an integral part of Raj Kapoor’s cinematic ventures and the rest of what Miglani has mentioned in his letter is his interpretation of my statement. Kapoor released Barsaat on September 30 1949. Though film Barsaat and Andaaz were released in the same year —1949, it is crucial to mention that Andaaz was succeeded by Barsaat. So, Andaaz was the second and not third movie of the grand couple.

ML DHAWAN, Chandigarh