Courage to Write Comes from Faith in Community’s Shared Memory: N S Madhavan

KOCHI:
Highlighting the role of memory in creative writing, noted Malayalam short story writer and novelist N S Madhavan said the courage to write suggestively or metaphorically comes from a fundamental faith in the shared memory of the community. 

Asserting that background memories are an essential element in shaping narratives, he said a writer cannot describe everything in detail at all times. 

 Madhavan was participating in a panel discussion on ‘Memory, Translation and Circulation’ at the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s three-day literary conference, “Short Stories, Long Shadows: Contemporary Malayalam Voices,” which concluded here on Friday at the Pavilion, Bastion Bungalow. 

He also outlined how memory influences individuals in three distinct ways. While personal memories shape one’s inner world, there is also a conscious effort to reject inherited memories. “The third form is fictional memory — memories we construct ourselves — which eventually evolve into stories, novels, and poems,” he explained.

Reflecting on his childhood, he recalled a period when regressive practices surrounding menstruation were deeply entrenched. Women were often forced to remain outside the main household, a social message that was reinforced even within school environments and strictly upheld by older generations, he pointed out.

Referring to popular movie songs and well-known dialogues, the writer said, “There is no need for footnotes in such instances because the reader intuitively understands the context. This reflects the profound trust a writer places in the collective memory of society.”

Two other panellists were C. S. Chandrika and E. Santhosh Kumar. The session was moderated by journalist Shahina K. Rafiq.

Opening the dialogue, Shahina observed a paradoxical trend in which traditional values continue to be heavily commodified, even as digital media increasingly shapes younger generations. 

She also highlighted a persistent gender bias in literature, noting that while a man’s writing is often celebrated as pure imagination, a woman’s work—particularly when exploring themes of intimacy or desire—is frequently scrutinised as a reflection of her personal life.

The panellists discussed the multifaceted challenges faced by women in Kerala, blending historical struggles with contemporary anxieties. 

 Santosh held that language naturally outgrows the past; many words once commonly used are no longer part of vocabulary today. “We have moved past outdated phrases like certain uses of the word ‘black’. Corrections will naturally emerge over time, and literature should change based on those corrections,” he said, 

However, if literature runs ahead and attempts to force these changes, it will become an activist literature; it will be like a slogan. “In my opinion, such work will have no connection with real life or reality,” he argued.

 Chandrika highlighted that the “clothing struggle” is a centuries-old conflict that continues even today. Referring to recent reports of institutional dress-code restrictions imposed on female teachers, she categorised these historical struggles into three dimensions: a demand for sexual autonomy and bodily self-determination, resistance to caste-based oppression, and opposition to feudal systems of ownership. 

She added that the work of contemporary activists and writers represents a continuation of a long historical battle for women’s fundamental right to move through and exist in society on their own terms.

Reflecting on themes of love and nature, Ms Chandrika noted that in the modern era even love has become a form of memory, with family relationships undergoing significant change. She described nature as a vast repository of memory in her writing, recalling the fields and marshes of her childhood that have since disappeared due to changing land use and climate conditions.

“While the heavy rains of the past once inspired her writing, present-day climatic realities in regions such as Wayanad now evoke fear and a struggle for survival rather than creative inspiration,” she said.