In Aame Illu, Kamala, the heroine decides to live independently, by
herself, in an apartment in the same town in which her husband is living.
This upsets her brother, her son and her husband each of whom come to
convince her to come and live with him. The writer makes effective use of
the conversations between Kamala and her male relatives to describe how
parents and spouses, each in their turn, deprive the property rights,
financial independence and dignity of women and turn them into dependents.
In Thodu, Vijayalakshmi's husband died in an accident leaving her to fend
for herself. Her neighbor, Gangadharam, whose wife died recently, wonders
how Vijayalakshmi is going to manage living by herself. It turns out that
she is doing better than him. In the deaths of their spouses, Gangadharam
lost a woman who took care of him whereas Vijayalakshmi lost a person
whom she took care of. One day Gangadharam asks Vijayalakshmi to marry
him and in response she breaks out into a laughter that I can still hear!
She is not willing to take up a burden again. Gangadharam comes around to
understand that for a marriage (or Thodu) to be enjoyable, it has to be
between equals.
These two are unusual and well-crafted stories designed to deliver
powerful messages. "Aame Illu" appeared in Aahvaanam in May 1993. "Thodu"
was published in India Today in Nov 1993.
Sitaramayya Ari.