MODULE III

Fire
Nikita Gill
“Fire”, a powerful and piercing feminist poem in bold language attempts to challenge the
prejudices of gender roles and expectations. The poem is written in simple style and diction.
Through 15 run-on lines this short poem challenges the norms of patriarchy. The poem is written
in the form of an advice to the women readers. The first stanza serves as a background situation
to the revolutionary second stanza.
“Fire” is an inspiration to every woman vulnerable to injustice, humiliation and exploitation in a
patriarchal society. Nikita Gill is urging women to react when the patriarchy takes advantage of
the kindness and weakness of women. The images of ‘dragon’, ‘wolf’, ‘monster’ and ‘hell’
recreates the fire inside every woman. And “The Fire” thus becomes a poem on power and
women empowerment.
Gill talks about autonomy in this poem. When people oppress you and have prejudices about
you, you have to rise above all that and prove who you are. There is nothing wrong with being
you. You have to show how capable you are. Let no prejudices undermine your value.
The poet asks women to remember what they must do when the patriarchs undervalue them.
When the men think their softness is their weakness, when they treat their kindness as their
advantage, the women should awaken. Inside every woman sleeps a dragon, a wolf, a monster.
So the women must remind the men what hell looks like when it wears the skin of a gentle
human being.
Short Answer questions
1. What does “your softness is your weakness” mean?
It means women are soft and the patriarchs think this softness of the women as their weakness
and they exploit this softness of the women and take advantage of it by trying to completely
control them.
2. What is the tone of the poem?
The tone of the poem is anger. The poet is angry at the patriarchs who exploit women and she
asks the women to bring out the Dragon, wolf, and monster sleeping in them.
3. What does the poet mean by “You remind them what hell looks Like when it wears the
skin of a gentle human”?
The poet is asking the women to remind the patriarchs that although they look very gentle
outside, inside them they are carrying a hell where there is a dragon, wolf and monster. If the
men step beyond their limits, the women will unleash hell on them.
 4. What does “every dragon, every wolf, every monster” mean?
Dragons, wolves and monsters represent fierceness, cruelty and murder. Inside every woman
there is fierceness, cruelty and murder and she can bring these out if she is provoked and angry.
5. What is the main theme of the poem “Fire” by Nikita Gill?
The main theme of the poem is women empowerment. It shows the hidden strength of women.
They may wear a human skin but inside them there is hell and they can unleash it any time they
are provoked.
Paragraph
1. What advice does the poet give to the readers in the poem “Fire” by Nikita Gill?
This short poem of just 15 run-on lines by Nikita Gill is one of women empowerment. Although
Nikita Gill was born in Belfast to Indian parents, she was brought up in Haryana and she had
seen firsthand how women are discriminated especially in India. The discrimination against
women is a worldwide phenomenon. It is more prominent in India. In the poem “Fire” Nikita
Gill asks women to remember what they must do when the patriarchs undervalue them. When
the men think their softness is their weakness, when they treat their kindness to take advantage,
the women should wake up. Inside every woman sleeps a dragon, a wolf, a monster. So the
women must remind the men what hell looks like when it wears the skin of a gentle human
being. She tells the readers that when someone tries to take advantage of women, they must show
them what hell looks like when it wears the skin of a gentle human.
2. What is the message of the poem?
The poem “Fire” by Nikita Gill has a clear message. It is a feminist poem with the theme of
women empowerment. It talks about the freedom of women. Everywhere in the world women
suffer discrimination. They are branded the weaker sex and the patriarchs try to dominate them
in all aspects of their lives. Women are often relegated to the role of housewives who have to
simply bear and look after the children, take care of the needs of the husband and do all sorts
household chores. In the poem Gill talks about the autonomy of women. If the patriarchs oppress
the women, and have prejudices about them, they have to rise above all that and prove to them
who they really are. They have to show the male chauvinists that they also have fire inside and
they will not tolerate the patriarchs if they dare to step beyond certain limits.
3. Discuss “Fire” as feminist poem.
Fire” By Nikita Gill is certainly a feminist poem. A feminist poem is inspired by, promotes, or
elaborates on feminist principles and ideas. The poem “Fire” is written with the conscious aim of
expressing feminist principles. Many feminists have embraced poetry as a vehicle for
communicating with the public. A feminist poem foregrounds women's experiences as valid and
worthy of attention, and it also highlights the lived experiences of minorities and other less
privileged subjects. Sometimes a feminist poem seeks to embody women's experiences in
general. In "Fire", the poet talks about the freedom of women. Everywhere in the world women
suffer discrimination. They are branded the weaker sex and the patriarchs try to dominate them
in all aspects of their lives. If the patriarchs oppress the women, and have prejudices about them,
they have to rise above all that and prove to them who they really are. They have to show the
male chauvinists that they also have fire inside and they will not tolerate the patriarchs if they
dare to step beyond certain limits.
4. Comment on the style, structure and language of the poem “Fire”.
The poem “Fire” by Nikita Gill is a very short poem of just 15 run- on lines. It has only 57 words
in it. But each word is pregnant with meaning. We can see fine rhetoric in the poem. The
language is very powerful. Any woman who is oppressed by male patriarchs will certainly be
inspired by this poem. The poet asks the oppressed women to awaken every dragon, every wolf,
every monster that leeps inside them. She wants the oppressed women to show the male
patriarchs what hell looks like when it wears the skin of a gentle human being. Patriarchs
undervalue women because they think the softness of women as their weakness and they exploit
this weakness to their own advantage. Nikita Gill was brought up in Haryana and she has ample
experience of patriarchy she sees all around India, especially in the rural areas. So she is asking
the women to bring out the fire inside them to scare the male chauvinists who brand women as
the weaker sex.
Essay
1. Analyse “Fire” by Nikita Gill as a poem of protest and rebellion.
The poem “Fire” by Nikita Gill is certainly a poem of protest and rebellion. It is a feminist poem
seeking the empowerment of women. It is a very short poem of just 15 run-on lines. It has only
57 words in it. But each word is pregnant with meaning. We can see fine rhetoric in the poem.
The language is very powerful and the words strike like bullets shot from a machine gun.
Any woman who is oppressed by male patriarchs will certainly be inspired by this poem. The
poet talks about the thinking of the patriarchs first. The patriarchs misconceive the softness of
women as their weakness and they exploit it to keep women under their heels. They brand
women as the weaker sex. They suppress the freedom of women by denying them all kinds of
rights. To many men, women are mere bearers of their children and their caretakers. The duty of
a woman is restricted to the home – pleasing the husband, nurturing the children and doing
household chores.
Everywhere in the world women suffer discrimination. The patriarchs try to dominate them in all
aspects of their lives. If the patriarchs oppress the women, and have prejudices about them, the
women have to rise above all that and prove to the patriarchs who they really are. They have to
show the male chauvinists that they also have fire inside. They have a sleeping dragon, a wolf
and a dragon inside them and they will be roused and put to action if the patriarchs dare to step
beyond certain limits.
Women are not ready to tolerate any more injustices to them. They want their equality with men.
The maternal instincts in them make them appear soft and this softness is taken as a weakness by
the male chauvinists. But Nikita Gill tells the women that they have some flaming fire inside and
they should show their real power if they want to be accepted as equals in the society. Thus the
poem speaks for the oppressed women who yearn for freedom and exhorts them to protest and
rebel against the cruel patriarchy.

ACCEPT ME
Living Smile Vidya
About the author
Living Smile Vidya is an Indian trans woman writer. She is also known as Smiley. She is also an
actor, assistant director, and trans and Dalit rights activist. She was born as a boy in 1982 in
Chennai. Her parents named her Saravana before she took the name Vidya. She has a Master’s
Degree from Tanjavur Tamil University. She is very much interested in current theatre and
cinema. She had a gender- reassignment surgery to become a trans woman. In 2014, she
cofounded the Panmai theatre troupe in Tamil Nadu. She was the subject of the National Award
Winning Kannada Film “nnanu Avanalla...Avalu” (2015) based on her autobiography. She is
also a great blogger.
Summary
“Accept Me” is a chapter from Living Smile Vidya’s autobiography I am Vidya, the first
transgender autobiography from India. The chapter discusses the traumatic experiences and
strenuous journey of Vidya in search of her identity. Transgenders are marginalised,
discriminated against and humiliated by society. They go through a lot of mental struggle while
seeking their gender identity. Vidya gets confused and stressed when she leaves her name and
family to become a “tirunangai”. Her old name “Saravana” seems so strange to her and her
dilemma in facing her family and father after becoming a “tirunangai” is emotionally portrayed.
Kalaichelvi Ayah took me to Pune by train. According to the tradition of the tirunangais, she was
my nani or maternal grandmother. Shanti, another Amma, also came with us. They spent their
time playing cards and bossing over me. They gave me many things to do. But I didn’t mind. I
was hardened by my experiences. I wanted to remove all traces of manliness in me. Older
tirunangais expect much respect from the younger ones. They don’t like the young ones sitting
with them. Respecting elders is an Indian tradition. But these tirunangais expect much more.
They expect the younger ones even to clean their spittoons and massage their legs. My amma in
the tirunangai world was Arunamma. She ran an NGO and was in contact with the outside world.
Many Timnangais lived in Choolaimedu and some of them troubled me.
Once you settle down with a group of tirunangais, the harassment stops. When a newcomer
comes, attention goes to her. The victims then become tormentors as in college ragging. The
transgenders are marginalised by society and so they find some pleasure in taunting others. I
always had an independent spirit. Nothing was more important to me than preserving my dignity.
Another person who travelled with us to Pune was Priya. We were of the same age and I liked
her. We were of the same height. She had white complexion and a sweet smile. After 1½ days
we reached Pune station. We then went to the auto stand.
Kalaichelvi Amma told the auto driver to take us to the City Post. I was enjoying the sights on
the way, trying to learn the route. Kalaichelvi Amma went on telling me how to behave when we
reached our destination. She told me to fall at the nani’s feet and seek her blessings, when we
enter. City Post is the heart of Pune. Several streets crisscross there. The auto reached our
destination in 10 minutes. As soon we reached, Ayah dragged me in a haste not even allowing
me to say goodbye to Priya. We then reached a house in a narrow lane. Nani was sitting in an
inner room. As told, I fell at her feet and sought her blessings. Nani was dark and overweight.
She relaxed in a big cot. The room had a TV. The walls were full of pictures of gods and
goddesses. There were the pictures of “Mata”, Ganesha and Laxmi. Nani then spoke to me. She
said I could sing and dance, but I should respect elders, and get on well with younger people. I
should go back to her if I needed anything. I should go out with Satya and shop. Satya had joined
the place before me. “Shop” in their slang meant seeking alms from the shops. I should bring at
least Rs. 300 each day. Then in six months’ time my nirvana will be performed. I said alright.
She warned me not to be proud because of my college education. I should not get into any
mischief or she will get nasty.
When she asked me for my name I said “Preeti”. She asked me to change my name because there
was someone named Preeti and she died young. So the name was considered a bad omen at my
new home. The name Deivanai was suggested by Chitramma, but I did not like it. Then Satya
came to my help. She said Vidya is a good name as it rhymes with Satya.
I accepted the name. It was short, sweet, beautiful and meaningful. At the back of the house there
was the kitchen. The house had 3 bedrooms, followed by Nani’s room. There was a small attic to
which a ladder gave access. We went to the attic to reach the bedroom for the shopping
tirunangais. The bed room had two windows and a clothesline. When I entered the house it was
10 am but all the occupants looked as if they had just woken up. Only Shilpa was at the breakfast
table. She was tall and fair. She looked like Shilpa Shetty, the Bollywood actress. She was the
highest earner in the house. Shilpa introduced me to Lakshmiammal. Although somewhat old,
she wore a T-shirt and tight jeans which did not suit her. Nandiniammal was a dark beauty,
dressed in a bright sari. She asked me if I wanted some tea.
Another person was Parimalammal. She was about 30, and of medium build. The other two
inmates were Chitramma and Seetamma. They were very similar, and short tempered. That
evening Chitramma took me to Mumbai on instructions from Nani. After reaching Kalyan we
took an auto to our destination, a house. The atmosphere inside the house was very confusing.
One tirunangai there looked very much like the actress Vasundhara Das. Although from
Bengaluru She spoke Tamil fluently. As it was late evening, she said the ‘reet’ will be done the
following day. Doing the ‘reet’ meant formally enrolling in the community of tirunangais. You
paid a small sum and then you were enrolled in the parivar/parampara list.
A parivar is a family – a group. There are 7 parivars in Chennai. Each parivar has a name. All the
tirunangais in Mumbai come under one of these 7 groups. I was registered in the Bhendi Parivar.
If someone wants to change the group, she has to pay a fine.
There is a whole hierarchy of amma, nani and dadi – mother, grandmother and great
grandmother. Usually a new person chooses her amma and becomes her chela or disciple. A
senior chela is an elder sister. After my registration, a veteran tairunangai gifted me a sari. The
life of a tirunangal is bound by thousands of unwritten rules and regulations.
It is now three months since I left home. I had not yet written to my family. I could not call them
as they had no phone. They must have been worried about me as I did not tell where I was going.
About one month after I moved to Pune, the great tsunami tragedy had struck Chennai. My
people must have felt anxious about my safety during the disaster. Appa, Radha and my Chiti
started looking for me. I had long ago given Radha the phone number of Mu Ramaswami. After
some hesitation, he told my family the truth about me – that I was a tirunangal and that is why I
had fled home. Radha was shocked. How could she tell this to the father?
Appa asked her repeatedly about me. Then one day she told him the truth about me. I know my
family must have suffered a lot because of my actions. After the initial shock, they made
enquiries and came to know I was in Pune. Arunamma summoned me to Chennai. I was upset.
How would Appa react to my present state? How would my brother take it? I am not Saravanan
any more. I am Vidya. I left Pune in great turmoil, preparing to meet my family at Arunamma’s
NGO. Arunamma invited my family two days after my arrival there. I prepared myself for the
meeting. Someone would think that I was going to meet some enemy in the battlefield and not
my family. Gathering courage I went to meet my family at the railways station. Two tirunangai
sisters were with me, Viji and Bhumika. I wore a beautiful black sari with a broad silver border.
When I saw Radha at the entrance to the station, my heart nearly stopped and tears filled my
eyes.
I called Radha, and she called me Saravana. I was hearing that name after such a long time. Why
did my sister call me that even when she saw me in a sari? I told her I am Vidya now. Mama and
Sekhar Chittapa joined us. Sekhar was my distant relative and a follower of Periyar E.V.
Ramaswami Naicker. He was the only person before whom I could feel relaxed. Appa was not
there. I asked Radha where Appa was. She said he was waiting for me to call him. Meeting
Radha and Mama was not a big problem but meeting Appa was. He was certain to break down to
pieces. I had destroyed his dreams, his dignity and his pride. How would I face him?
I went to him where he was. He then said, “I don’t want to see him. Ask him to get away from
me.” His last glimmer of hope must have vanished when he saw me in a sari. He was crying and
Radha too cried. Sekhar Chitappa tried to console Appa as he helped him into an auto. Radha
was the first to recover from the shock. Even during college years, I used to tell her that one day
I would shock her. She accepted my change thinking that I was happy with it.
Mama was often sharp with my femininity during my childhood. She would be angry with me
when I started dancing when I heard singers like Chitra were singing on the radio or TV, I
enjoyed songs full of the longing, pain, desire and passion of women. She was not happy that I
loved such songs. During the ride, Radha went on telling me how each of the family members
was shocked and reacted at hearing the change in me. When I started crying she asked me why I
did that to them. Appa refused to see me in a sari. I also insisted I won’t wear men’s clothes.
Finally I wore a shirt as per the advice of Radha and Arunamma. Only then Appa agreed to
speak with me. All of us tried to explain my position to Appa. He was totally unwilling to listen,
weeping throughout. He then folded his arms and pleaded with Arunamma to release his son. I
tried to speak calmly with Appa. I asked him if he would not accept me if I were physically
maimed. Why doesn’t he treat my predicament similarly?
Arunamma also spoke with him. She told him that times have changed. Even science accepts us
as we are. We can do what normal men and women can and so he should change. I told him I
will prove myself as an actress. These words made Appa more angry and Mama was about to hit
me. Long discussions brought no solution. As it was late in the night, Sekhar Chitappa and
Mama took Appa away. Although I was able to explain my position to everyone else, before my
Appa I was like a criminal. I will always carry the guilt of breaking his hopes and aspirations.
Am I really responsible for his pain? My worries are mine and his tragedy is his. The matter
ended without any conclusion. My only consolation was that my family now knew the truth.
Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.
1. Who is Kalaichelvi Ayah?
Kalaichelvi Ayah is the person who took Vidya, who was Saravanan earlier, to Pune by train.
According to the tradition of the tirunangais, she was the nani or maternal grandmother of Vidya.
2. What are the etiquettes expected by the older tirunangais from the younger ones?
The older tirunangais expect much respect from the younger ones. They don’t like the young
ones sitting with them. They expect the younger ones even to clean their spittoons and massage
their legs.
3. Who is Arunamma?
Arunamma was Vidya’s amma in the tirunangai world. She ran an NGO and was in contact with
the outside world.
4. How is the harassment of tirunangais different from the ragging of college students?
The harassment of tirunangais is different from the ragging of college students as once you settle
down with a group of tirunangais, the harassment stops. When a newcomer comes, attention goes
to her. The transgenders are marginalised by society and so they find some pleasure in taunting
others.
5. What was the advice given by Kalaichelvi Ayah to Vidya on their way to the city post in
an autorickshaw?
Kalaichelvi Ayah advised Vidya no to go wandering around and to follow her closely. As soon
as she enters the City Post, she should fall at Nani’s feet and receive her blessings.
6. Why did Ayah ask Vidya to change her name?
Vidya wanted her name to be Preeti. But when Ayah heard it, she said there had been a Preeti
before with her. She died young and so the name Preeti was considered a bad omen at her new
home. So she accepted the name Vidya.
7. Why did Satya propose the name ‘Vidya’?
Vidya proposed the name Vidya because it rhymes with her name Satya and they were now
sisters.
8. What is a reet?
A reet is a ritual of formally enrolling in the community of tirunangais. One paid a small sum
and then she was enrolled in the parivar parampara list.

9. Why did Vidya get disturbed when Radha called her ‘Saravana’?
Vidya got disturbed when Radha called her Saravana because nobody had called her by that
name for long and right now she was wearing a sari and she did not expect to be called by her
old name.
10. Why was Vidya anxious to meet her father?
Vidya was anxious to meet her father because she was worried and upset thinking how her father
would react to see her in a sari with her new name Vidya, a tirunangai.
11. What was the only consolation felt by Vidya at the end?
The only consolation felt by Vidya at the end was that her family now knew the truth about her –
that she is a tirunangai and not the old Saravanan.
12. How does Arunamma help in consoling Vidya’s Appa?
Arunamma helped in consoling Vidya’s Appa by telling him that times have changed and even
science accepts the tirunangais as they are. The tirunangais can do what normal men and women
can and so he should change his attitude.
Answer the following questions in a paragraph.
1. What advice does Nani give to Vidya?
Nani told Vidya that she could sing and dance as much as she wants, but she should respect
elders, and get on well with younger people. She should go back to her if she needed anything.
Nani asked Vidya to go out with Satya and shop. Satya had joined the place before Vidya.
“Shop” in the tirunangai slang meant seeking alms from the shops. Nani told Vidya that she
should bring at least Rs. 300 each day. Then in six months’ time Vidya’s nirvana would be
performed. She warned Vidya not to be proud because of her college education. If Vidya got into
any mischief Nani would get nasty. When Nani asked Vidya for her name, she said “Preeti”.
Then Nani asked her to change her name because there was someone named Preeti and she died
young. So the name Preeti was considered a bad omen at her new home.
2. Comment on the ‘Parivar’ or family system of tirunangais.
The parivar or parampara is a family or group of tirunangais. By doing a reet, a new entrant
becomes a member of the tirunangais. The tirunangais have 7 parivars in Chennai. Each parivar
has a name. All the tirunangais in Mumbai come under one of these 7 groups. Vidya was
registered in the Bhendi Parivar. If someone wants to change the group, she has to pay a fine.
There is a whole hierarchy of amma, nani and dadi – mother, grandmother and great
grandmother. Usually a new person chooses her amma and becomes her chela or disciple. A
senior chela is an elder sister. After Vidya’s registration, a veteran tirunangai gifted her a sari. It
is a mandatory custom there. The life of a tirunangai is bound by thousands of unwritten rules
and regulations.

3. What are the customs followed by tirunangais?

Tirunangais have some strange customs. Once a new person comes, she should fall at the feet of
the Nani to get her blessings. Each tirunangai has to shop and bring at least Rs. 300 each day.
“Shopping” in tirunangai slang means going to the different shops and getting alms from them.
The younger tirunangais have to pay respect to elder ones. The elder ones expect the younger
ones to clean their spittoons and massage their legs. The younger tirunangais are not supposed to
sit with the older ones. The fresh persons will be officially enrolled into the tirunangai
community by performing a reet. The new entrant has to pay a fee for that. The tirunangais have
7 parivars in Chennai. Each parivar has a name. All the tirunangais in Mumbai come under one
of these 7 groups. If someone wants to change the group, she has to pay a fine. There is a whole
hierarchy of amma, nani and dadi – mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Usually a new
person chooses her amma and becomes her chela or disciple. A senior chela is an elder sister.
When a new registration is done, a veteran tirunangai gifts a sari to the new entrant. The life of a
tirunangai is bound by thousands of unwritten rules and regulations.
4. What was the reaction of Saravana’s family when they learned that he was a firunangai?
When they learned that Saravana was a tirunangai, the family members were shocked. They all
felt very bad about it. The first to know about the truth of Saravana’s change to Vidya was her
sister Radha. Radha did not know how to say it to their Appa. When Appa repeatedly asked
Radha abou. Saravana, Radha had to reveal the secret to him and he was shattered. He wept and
wailed. He felt his dignity was decimated and his pride adversely affected. Finally when Appa
and Radha went to meet Vidya, Appa refused to see her as she was wearing a sari. Finally Vidya
wore a shirt as per the advice of Radha and Arunamma. Only then Appa agreed to speak with
her. All of them tried to explain Vidya’s position to Appa. He was totally unwilling to listen,
weeping throughout. He then folded his arms and pleaded with Arunamma to release his son.
Vidya then tried to speak calmly with her Appa. She asked him if he would not accept her if she
was physically maimed. Why doesn’t he treat her predicament similarly? Arunamma also tried to
convince Appa to accept the change.
5. Comment on the first meeting of Vidya and her parents.
The first meeting of Vidya with her parents was very sad and agonising. Vidya was summoned
to Chennai by Arunamma. After two days of Vidya’s coming to Chennai, Vidya’s family was
asked to come to meet her. Two tirunangai sisters were with Vidya – Viji and Bhumika. Vidya
wore a beautiful black sari with a broad silver border. When she saw her sister Radha at the
entrance to the station, her heart nearly stopped and tears filled her eyes. Vidya called Radha,
and she called her Saravana. Vidya was hearing that name after such a long time. Why did her
sister call her that name even when she saw her in a sari? She then told her she was Vidya now.
Mama and Sekhar Chittapa joined us. Sekhar was the only person before whom Vidya could feel
relaxed. Appa was not there. When Vidya asked Radha where Appa was, she said he was waiting
for Vidya to call him. Meeting Radha and Mama was not a big problem but meeting Appa was.
He was certain to break down to pieces. Vidya felt she had destroyed his dreams, his dignity and
his pride. How would she face him? Vidya went to him where he was. He then said, “I don’t
want to see him. Ask him to get away from me.” His last glimmer of hope must have vanished
when he saw Vidya in a sari. He was crying and Radha too cried. Sekhar Chitappa tried to
console Appa. Radha was the first to recover from the shock. She accepted Vidya’s change
thinking that she was happy with it. As Appa refused to see Vidya in a sari, she wore a shirt.
Only then Appa agreed to speak with her. Whatever Vidya and others said, her Appa was not
willing to accept the change.
6. How did Appa react when he first met Vidya?
When he first met Vidya, Appa was not even willing to talk to her because she was wearing a
black sari with a broad silver border. For him she was his son Saravana and not Vidya, a
tirunangai. When Vidya went to him where he was, he said, “I don’t want to see him. Ask him to
get away from me.” His last glimmer of hope must have vanished when he saw Vidya in a sari.
He was crying and Radha too cried. Sekhar Chitappa tried to console Appa. Radha was the first
to recover from the shock. As Appa refused to see Vidya in a sari, on the advice of others she
wore a shirt. Only then Appa agreed to speak with her. All of them tried to explain Vidya’s
position to Appa. He was totally unwilling to listen and he was weeping throughout. He then
folded his arms and pleaded with Arunamma to release his son. Vidya then tried to speak calmly
with Appa. She asked him if he would not accept her if she was physically maimed. Why doesn’t
he treat her predicament similarly? Arunamma also spoke with him. She told him that times have
changed. Even science accepts tirunangais. They can do what normal men and women can and
so he should change. Vidya told him she would prove herself as an actress. These words made
Appa more angry and Mama was about to hit her.
Answer the following questions in about 300 words.
1. Discuss the agonies and anxieties felt by Vidya on her journey to be a tirunangai.
Vidya faced many agonies and anxieties on her journey to be a tirunangai. She was born as a boy
and her parents named him Saravana. But even from childhood she used to have a preference for
girlish things. She liked to wear the dresses of her sister Radha. She used to dance when she
heard some female singers like Chitra on the radio or TV. Her mother was angry with her for her
feminine preferences.
Social exclusion is the major trauma faced by trans-genders. They are restricted from doing so
many things which are their fundamental rights. They are often not given proper access to
education and employment. They are excluded from family and society. They are not given
proper protection against violence by miscreants. Vidya’s story is a narrative about a woman
trapped within a man’s body. It is a story of extraordinary courage and perseverance. One sees
here how much pain one undergoes during the physical and mental transformation of a boy into a
tirunangai.
We see how she flees from home and how she is taken to Pune by Kalaichelvi Ayah and Shanti
by train. The older tirunangais spent their time playing cards and bossing over Vidya. They gave
her many things to do. But she didn’t mind. She was hardened by her experiences. She wanted to
remove all traces of manliness in her. She is then taken to Nani. Nani told Vidya that she could
sing and dance as much as she wants, but she should respect elders, and get on well with younger
people. She asked Vidya to go out with Satya and shop. Satya had joined the place before Vidya.
“Shop in the tirunangai slang meant seeking alms from the shops. Nani told Vidya that she
should bring at least Rs. 300 each day. Then in six months’ time Vidya’s nirvana would be
performed. She warned Vidya not to be proud because of her college education. If Vidya got into
any mischief Nani would get nasty.
The worst suffering for Vidya was when she wanted to meet the family members. Radha was
shocked to see her in a sari. Her father refused to see her in a sari and she had to change into a
shirt. His last glimmer of hope must have vanished when he saw Vidya in a sari. He was crying
and Radha too cried. All of them tried to explain Vidya’s position to Appa. He was totally
unwilling to listen and he was weeping throughout. He then folded his arms and pleaded with
Arunamma to release his son. Vidya then tried to speak calmly with Appa. She asked him if he
would not accept her if she was physically maimed. Why doesn’t he treat her predicament
similarly? Arunamma also spoke with him. She told him that times have changed. Even science
accepts tirunangais. They can do what normal men and women can and so he should change.
Vidya told him she would prove herself as an actress. These words made Appa more angry and
Marna was about to hit her. Her journey was certainly traumatic and miserable.
2. “My worries were mine and his tragedy was his. It was an Inconclusive meeting.”
Discuss.
These are the bitter words uttered by Vidya after her meeting with her father who was not ready
to accept the change of Vidya into a trans-woman. Vidya faced many agonies and anxieties on
her journey to be a tirunangai. She was born as a boy and her parents named him Saravana. But
even from the childhood she used to have a preference for girlish things. She liked to wear the
dresses of her sister Radha. She used to dance when she heard some female singers like Chitra on
the radio or TV. Her mother was angry with her for her feminine preferences.
Social exclusion is the major trauma faced by the transgenders. They are restricted from doing so
many things which are their fundamental rights. They are often not given proper access to
education and employment. They are excluded from family and society. They are not given
proper protection against violence by the miscreants. In spite of all the problems the boy
Saravana becomes the transwoman Vidya.
The biggest problem Vidya faced was meeting her family after her change into a transwoman. To
meet the members of her family. She wore a beautiful black sari with a broad silver border.
When she saw her sister Radha at the entrance to the station, her heart nearly stopped and tears
filled her eyes. She called Radha, and Radha called her Saravana. Vidya was hearing that name
after such a long time. Why did her sister call her that name even when she saw her in a sari? She
then told her she was Vidya now. When Vidya asked Radha where Appa was, she said he was
waiting for her to call him. Meeting Radha and Mama was not a big problem but meeting Appa
was. He was certain to break down to pieces. Vidya felt she had destroyed his dreams, his dignity
and his pride. How would she face him? Vidya went to him where he was. He then said, “I don’t
want to see him. Ask him to get away from me.” His last glimmer of hope must have vanished
when he saw Vidya in a sari. He was crying and Radha too cried. Radha accepted her change
thinking that she was happy with it.
In spite of her very best efforts, her Appa was not willing to accept her. He was crying and
wailing all the time. He even pleaded with Arunamma go give him his son, his old Saravanan.
Even Arunamma pleaded with him saying that he should accept reality. Even science has
accepted the transgenders and they can do anything that other men and women can do. But Appa
was beyond consolation. And that is why Vidya says, “My worries were mine and his tragedy
was his.” The meeting was inconclusive.

DEAR IJEAWELE
Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi
About the Writer
Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi was born in the city of Enugu in Nigeria, in 1977. She is a Nigerian
writer whose works include novels, short stories and nonfiction. She was described as one the
most prominent authors who have succeeded in attracting a new generation of readers to African
literature, particularly in her second home, the United States. Her father was a professor and her
mother was Registrar of the University of Nigeria. She was educated both in Nigeria and the
USA.
Summary
This chapter is an excerpt from Dear Ijeawele, Or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions
(2017), an epistolary manifesto composed of 15 suggestions to Adichie’s friend Ijeawele, on how
to raise her newborn daughter, Chizalum Adaora as a feminist. The book rejects the traditional
gender roles and expectations and echoes the gender and sexual-politics of our times. The
purpose of the manifesto is to negate this gender inequality by raising girls to reject traditional
gender roles and expectations. As Adichie characterises it, gender roles are like a straitjacket
designed to restrict women’s freedom and limit their potential. She advises parents to equally
share child care and domestic responsibilities. Women should not abandon their passion and
interest in the name of motherhood.
Dear ljeawele, I am happy to know that the name of your child is Chizalum Adaora. It is a lovely
name. She is only a week old, but she looks as if she is already curious about the world. Ijeawele,
I congratulate you for bringing a new human being into this world. Your letter made me cry. I
sometimes become foolishly emotional. You have asked me how to raise your child as a
feminist. You said you did not know the feminist response to some situations. I think feminism is
always contextual. I don’t have a definite rule. What I have are my two Feminist Tools. I will
share them with you.
The first tool is your promise “I matter. I matter equally Without any condition added to it. The 2
tool is a question: Can you Reverse X and get the same results? For example: Many people
believe that a woman’s feminist response to a man’s infidelity should be to leave. But I think
staying can also be a feminist choice, depending on the context. If Chudi sleeps with another
woman and you forgive him, would the same be true if you slept with another man? If the
answer is yes, then your choice to forgive him is a feminist choice because it is not shaped by a
gender inequality. But in most cases, the answer would be no and the reason would be gender-
based. The idea “men will be men” is a foolish idea. It means men have a lower standard. I have
some suggestions to raise Chizalum. But remember that even if you do all the things I say, she
will still turn out to be different from what you had hoped. It is because life does its thing. What
is important is you try. Always trust your instinct above all else because you will be guided by
your love for your child. Here are my suggestions:
Suggestion 1: “Be a full person”: The first suggestion is a warning to mothers not to identify too
strongly with the role of motherhood. Motherhood can be a beautiful thing, and it is a legitimate
choice for feminist women to make. However, there is a tendency for women to get so involved
in the role of the mother that they forget everything else. This is a problem, both for mothers and
their daughters. It is a problem for mothers because it means they don’t properly attend to their
own needs and desires. It is also not good for their daughters because it sends a bad message.
One of the main ways that children learn is through example, and if a young girl grows up with a
mother who seems to live only to raise children, then she is going to learn to identify
womanhood with motherhood. You’ll give a better message to your daughter if you live a full
life independent of your children. Show your daughter that besides raising children, you also
have other interests, desires, and ambitions in life.
The easiest way to do that is to work alongside motherhood. The advantages that work can bring
for mothers are manifold, including increased confidence, a sense of fulfilment, and financial
independence. Moreover, contrary to what some proponents of traditional gender roles say,
working does not compromise a woman’s ability as a mother. My mother and your mother
worked. Still the children grew up well. Many people appeal to the idea of tradition to justify
why women ought to behave in a certain way. However, these so-called “traditions” are often
rather modern inventions. For example, the tradition” of women staying home to look after the
children in Nigeria was actually a practice imposed under British colonization. Before this. It
was normal for Igbo women to engage in economic activity. In fact, in some parts of Nigeria,
trading was exclusively performed by women. Don’t be afraid of failures. You may not know
everything. Read books, look up things in the internet, ask older parents or just learn by trial and
error. Take time your yourself. Nurture you own needs. Don’t try to do everything. Domestic
work and care-giving should be gender- neutral.
Suggestion 2: “Do it together” This suggestion addresses the division of labour between parents.
In school we learnt that a verb is a ‘doing word’. Father is as much a verb as mother. Adichie
advises fathers to share the domestic work and child-raising responsibilities equally. This
suggestion follows directly from the first because when fathers get more involved in parenting,
mothers have greater freedom to pursue other activities. Additionally, it is also good for
daughters to see male role models engaging in activities, such as cooking, cleaning, and
nurturing.
The first has to do with biology. The author argues that there is nothing, or almost nothing, about
the nature of men and women that makes them inherently suited to certain tasks. Men and
women are equally capable of learning and performing new skills, including all of those required
in child-rearing. So, there is nothing in the nature of men that stops them from helping out with
parenting. Adichie says that some mothers think their husbands will not wash and dry the private
parts of the female children properly. She says there is nothing to worry about that. The children
won’t die if their private parts remain wet for some time. She makes only one exception –
breastfeeding, which can be done only by mothers. Mothers should not be too critical of the
athers when they handle children.
Adichie says it is important to reject the language of ‘help’. In other words, you should never
refer to the father as a “helper” or “babysitter” because this only reinforces the idea that the
mother is the primary person to care for the baby. When the father looks after his child, he’s just
doing his job as a father, and so he shouldn’t be given any special praise.
Suggestion 3: “Teach her that the Idea of ‘gender roles’ is absolute nonsense”: Never tell you
daughter she should or should not do something because she is a girl. Adichei remembers being
told as a child to bend down properly while sweeping like a girl. It means sweeping is only for
girls. We’re often told that the reason men and women behave as they do because of their
gender: Men are active, rational, and industrious because they’re men; Women are passive,
emotional, and caring because they’re women. We are told that our gender dictates how we will
perform certain tasks or react in certain situations. Our gender defines who we are and limits
what we’re capable of doing as individuals. There have been recent debates on the Nigerian
media about women and cooking. It is as if cooking is a part of the marriageability test for
women.
In Adichie’s view boys and girls are bom equal, and it is society that thrusts gender roles onto
children by conditioning them to behave differently based on their sex. Cooking is something to
be leamt and not an ability inherent in girls. The society should stop propagating marriage as
prize for women. Almost from the moment babies are born, society begins to condition boys and
girls differently. We dress them differently, talk to them differently, handle them differently, and
choose different toys for them to play with. Boys are usually given active toys to play with, such
as cars, trains and guns whereas girls are often given dolls. The author relates how she once saw
a mother refusing to buy her daughter a toy helicopter on the grounds that she already had dolls
to play with.
Children’s clothes and toys do not need to be categorized by gender. They could be categorized
by size, age, or type. The fact that society categorizes products by gender is a choice, and it is
one that Adichie argues has harmful outcomes, especially for girls. It is harmful because it
squeezes children into predefined moulds. Instead of being allowed to discover for themselves
what they like and find interesting, children are told what they ought to like and find interesting.
This curtails their curiosity and sets limits to their field of exploration, which may hinder their
development. So, instead, Adichie asks parents to treat their daughters as individuals first and
“girls” second. As she says, ‘because you are a girl’ should never be a reason for anything. So,
let her play with whatever she wants to play with, pursue whatever she wants to pursue. Teach
her to be active and independent. Let her try things and allow her to satisfy her curiosity.
Answer the following questions in a sentence or two
1. Who is Chizalum Adaora?
Chizalum Adaora is the new-born daughter of ljeawele, who is a friend of Adichie.
2. What was the purpose of writing “Dear Ijeawele”?
The purpose of writing “Dear ljeawele” was to tell ljeawele how to raise her new born daughter
as a feminist. Adichie gives ljeawele 15 suggestions for that.

3. What are the ‘two feminist tools’ discussed in the chapter “Dear ljeawele”?
The two feminist tools discussed in the chapter “Dear ljeawele” are the promise “I matter. I
matter equally without any condition added to it. The 2nd tool is a question: Can you reverse X
and get the same results?
4. What was the advice given by Marlane Sanders to the younger journalist?
The advice given by Marlane Sanders to the younger journalist was “Never apologize for
working. You love what you do, and loving What you do is a great gift to give your child.”
5. What does your job do for you?
Your job increases your confidence, gives you a sense of fulfilment, and makes you financially
independent.
6. Why does the narrator advise to reject the ‘language of help”?
The narrator advises mothers to reject the ‘language of help’ because if you refer to the father as
a “helper” or “babysitter” it will reinforce the idea that the mother is the primary person to care
for the baby. When the father looks after his child, he’s just doing his job as a father, and so he
does not deserve any special praise.
7. Why does the author recommend not to say Chudi is babysitting?
Chudi is the husband of ljeawele and the father of Chizalum Adaore. When the father looks after
his child, he’s just doing his job as a father and so he does not deserve any gratitude or praise. So
there is no need to say that Chudy is babysitting.
8. Why does the narrator think that ‘gender neutral’ is silly?
The narrator thinks that ‘gender-neutral’ is silly because it is premised on the idea of male being
blue and female being pink and ‘gender-neutral’ being its own category. It is silly to associate a
colour with a particular gender.
9. How are the toys for boys and girls arranged in a toy section of the shop?
Toys for boys are mostly active, and involve some kind of doing. Trains, cars. Toys for girls are
mostly passive and are mainly dolls.
10. Why is it important to make sure that Chizalum rejects gender roles from the beginning?
Gender roles are so deeply conditioned in us that we will often follow them even when they are
againt our true desires, our needs and our happiness. They are very difficult to unlearn. That is
why is it important to make sure that Chizalum rejects gender roles from the beginning.
Answer the following questions in a paragraph.
1. Discuss the author’s opinion about motherhood.
Mothers should not identify too strongly with the role of motherhood. Motherhood can be a
beautiful thing, and it is a legitimate choice for feminist women to make. However, there is a
tendency for women to get so involved in the role of the mother that they forget everything else.
This is a problem, both for mothers and their daughters. It is a problem for mothers because it
means they don’t properly attend to their own needs and desires. It is also not good for their
daughters because it gives them a bad message. One of the main ways that children learn is
through example, and if a young girl grows up with a mother who seems to live only to raise
children, then she is going to learn to identify womanhood with motherhood. Mothers will give a
better message to their daughters if they live a full life independent of their children. They should
show their daughters that besides raising children, they also have other interests, desires, and
ambitions in life.
2. Comment on the form of “Dear Ijeawele.”
Dear ljeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions is in a letter (epistolary) form
manifesto written by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “Dear ljeawele” was posted
on her official Facebook page on October 12, 2016. It was then made into a book. Before
becoming a book, “Dear ljeawele” was a personal e-mail written by Adichie in response to her
friend. “ljeawele”, who had asked Adichie’s advice on how to raise her newborn daughter
Chizalum Idaore as a feminist. While the manifesto was written to a female friend, the work’s
audience scope has been recognized to extend beyond the mothers of daughters. The book has
fifteen suggestions on how to raise a feminist daughter, with references to Adichie and jeawele’s
shared Nigerian heritage and Igbo culture. Adichie was inspired to publicize the letter after
becoming increasingly aware of what she recognized as ongoing gender inequality in her native
Nigeria. In the extract in our text, there are only 3 suggestions.
3. What is parenting according to Chimamanda Adichie?
According to Chimamanda Adichie parenting is something that parents should do together. In
school we learnt that a verb is a ‘doing word’. Father is as much a verb as mother. Adichie
advises fathers to share the domestic work and child-raising responsibilities equally. When
fathers get more involved in parenting, mothers have greater freedom to pursue other activities.
Additionally, it is also good for daughters to see male role models engaging in activities, such as
cooking, cleaning, and nurturing children. Adichie says that some mothers think their husbands
will not wash and dry the private parts or the female children properly. She says there is nothing
to worry about that. The children won’t die if their private parts remain wet for some time. Men
and women are equally capable of learning and performing new skills, including all of those
required in child-rearing. So, there is nothing in the nature of men that stops them from helping
out with parenting.
4. Comment on the blue/pink binary dichotomy.
Almost from the moment babies are born, society begins to condition boys and girls differently.
We dress them differently, talk to them differently, handle them differently, and choose different
toys for them to play with. Boys are usually given active toys, such as cars, trains and guns
whereas girls are often given dolls. The author relates how she once saw a mother refusing to
buy her daughter a toy helicopter on the grounds that she already had dolls to play with.
Children’s clothes and toys do not need to be categorized by gender. They could be categorized
by size, age, or type. Adichie then talks about the pink-blue binary dichotomy. She went to a
children’s shop to buy Chizalum an outfit. In the girls’ section were pale creations in washed out
shades of pink. The boys’ section had outfits in vibrant shades of blue. She bought a blue dress
for the baby girl. The cashier said it was a perfect present for a boy. When Adichie said it was for
a girl, the cashier looked horrified and said, “Blue for a girl?”
5. Why does the narrator think that the idea of gender roles is absolute nonsense?
The narrator thinks that the idea of gender roles is absolute nonsense because such an idea has no
validity. In her letter to ljeawele, Adichie asks her to teach her baby that the idea of gender roles
is utter nonsense. She asks ljeawele never to tell her daughter not to do something or do
something just because she is a girl. Adichie remembers being told as a child to bend down
properly while sweeping, like a girl. It means sweeping is only for girls. We’re often told that the
reason men and women behave as they do because of their gender: Men are active, rational, and
industrious because they are men; Women are passive, emotional, and caring because they are
women. We are told that our gender dictates how we will perform certain tasks or react in certain
situations. Our gender defines who we are and limits what we are capable of doing as
individuals. In Adichie’s view boys and girls are bom equal, and it is society that thrusts gender
roles onto children by conditioning them to behave differently based on their sex. Cooking is
something to be learnt and not an ability inherent in girls. The society should stop propagating
marriage as prize for women.
6. Comment on the narrator’s views on cooking.
The narrator says that cooking is a skill that can be learned and practised by both girls and boys.
But even in advanced societies people consider that cooking is a job for women. We are told that
our gender dictates how we will perform certain tasks or react in certain situations. Our gender
defines who we are and limits what we are capable of doing as individuals. There have been
recent debates on the Nigerian media about women and cooking. It is as if cooking is a part of
the marriageability test for women. In Adichie’s view boys and girls are born equal, and it is
society that thrusts gender roles onto children by conditioning them to behave differently based
on their sex. Cooking is something to be learnt and not an ability inherent in girls. If the girls can
cook, the boys also can cook. Many of the best chefs in the world are men!
7. How do the mothers of baby boys and baby girls behave in a baby play group?
In her book “Dear ljeawele”, Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi describes how mothers of baby boys
and baby girls behave in a baby play group. This was the experience of an acquaintance of hers,
an American living in the Pacific Northwest. She told Adichie that when she took her one year
old son to a baby play group, where babies had been brought by their mothers, she noticed that
the mothers of baby girls were vey restraining, constantly telling their daughters ‘don’t touch’ or
‘stop and be nice. But she noticed that the baby boys were encouraged to explore more and were
not restrained much and they were never told to “be nice”. Her theory was that parents
unconsciously start very early to teach girls how to be. Baby girls are given less room and more
rules and baby boys more room and fewer rules.

Answer the following questions in about 300 words.

1. Childcare is an equal responsibility of both the parents. Comment.
Childcare is certainly an equal responsibility of both the parents. But in most societies, even in
the so-called developed societies, childcare is supposed to be the prime duty of mothers. This
attitude has to change and fathers should have equal responsibility in bringing up their children
like the mothers have. In patriarchal societies, the responsibility of looking after the children
solely rests with the mothers. This is injustice.
In school we learnt that a verb is a ‘doing word’. Father is as much a verb as mother. Adichie
advises fathers to share the domestic work and child-raising responsibilities equally. When
fathers get more involved in parenting, mothers have greater freedom to pursue other activities.
Additionally, it is also good for daughters to see male role models engaging in activities, such as
cooking. Cleaning, and nurturing.
The author argues that there is nothing, or almost nothing, about the nature of men and women
that makes them inherently suited to certain tasks. Men and women are equally capable of
learning and performing new skills, including all of those required in child- rearing. So, there is
nothing in the nature of men that stops them from helping out with parenting. Adichie says that
some mothers think their husbands will not wash and dry the private parts or the female children
properly. She says there is nothing to worry about that. The children won’t die if their private
parts remain wet for some time.
Mothers should not to identify too strongly with the role of motherhood. There is a tendency for
women to get so involved in the role of the mother that they forget everything else. This is a
problem, both for mothers and their daughters. It is a problem for mothers because it means they
don’t properly attend to their own needs and desires. It is also not good for their daughters
because it gives them a bad message. One of the main ways that children learn is through
example, and if a young girl grows up with a mother who seems to live only to raise children,
then she is going to learn to identify womanhood with motherhood. Mothers will give a better
message to their daughters if they live a full life independent of their children. They should show
their daughters that besides raising children, they also have other interests, desires, and ambitions
in life. Fathers should do their best to help mothers to attend to their own needs and desires. So
parenting should be a shared responsibility of the father and the mother.
2. Critically evaluate Chimamanda Adichie’s concept of Gender.
Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi is feminist writer from Nigeria. She is against assigning gender
roles to people. In many societies. Household chores like cooking, washing, sweeping etc are
supposed to be done only by women. Even bringing up children is supposed to be prime
responsibility of women. Adichie says such thinking has to change. And she gives valid reasons
for changing the attitude of the society.
Adichie thinks that the idea of gender roles is absolute nonsense because such an idea has no
validity. She asks ljeawele never to tell her daughter not to do something or do something just
because she is a girl. Adichie remembers being told as a child to bend down properly while
sweeping, like a girl. It means sweeping is only for girls. We are often told that the reason men
and women behave as they do because of their gender: Men are active, rational, and industrious
because they’re men; Women are passive, emotional, and caring because they’re women. We are
told that our gender dictates how we will perform certain tasks or react in certain situations. Our
gender defines who we are and limits what we are capable of doing as individuals.
In Adichie’s view boys and girls are born equal, and it is society that thrusts gender roles onto
children by conditioning them to behave differently based on their sex. Cooking is something to
be learnt and not an ability inherent in girls. All the things that the women can do, men also can
do, except bearing children and breastfeeding them. So the idea that some jobs are exclusively
for girls is utter nonsense.
Adichie says that mothers should not to identify too strongly with the role of motherhood. There
is a tendency for women to get so involved in the role of the mother that they forget everything
else. This is a problem, both for mothers and their daughters. It is a problem for mothers because
it means they don’t properly attend to their own needs and desires. It is also not good for their
daughters because it sends a bad message.
Then there is the pink/blue binary dichotomy. Almost from the moment babies are born, society
begins to condition boys and girls differently. We dress them differently, talk to them differently,
handle them differently, and choose different toys for them to play with. Boys are usually given
active toys to play with, such as cars, trains and guns whereas girls are often given dolls.
Children’s clothes and toys do not need to be ‘egorized by gender. They could be categorized by
size, age, or type.
Adichie then talks about the pink-blue binary dichotomy. She went to a children’s shop to buy
Chizalum an outfit. In the girls’ section were pale creations in washed out shades of pink. The
boys’ section had outfits in vibrant shades of blue. She bought a blue dress for the baby. The
cashier said it was a perfect present or a boy. When Adichie said it was for a girl, the cashier
looked horrified and said, “Blue for a girl?” Such attitudes must change.