A couple who lived in Madikeri, Kodagu, welcomed their youngest girl, Gowramma, on March 5, 1912. Much pampered by her family, she grew up with a mind of her own and would not give up until she got what she demanded. What was striking was her intelligence and self-confidence. In her adult life, this resulted in Gowramma emerging as a well-known short story writer with a strong emphasis on feminist issues.
When Gowramma was six years old, her mother Nanjakka took ill during a train journey to Kashi. She passed away soon after. Several months passed before her father Ramaiah could come to terms with the tragedy. It was time for him to start planning Gowramma’s education. When Ramaiah mentioned a government school, Gowramma vehemently insisted on being admitted to the elite St. Joseph’s Convent in Madikeri. Once in school, Gowramma blossomed.
As her education progressed, she became increasingly inquisitive and bombarded her teachers and elders with queries. Soon she took to books and was a voracious reader.
However, by the time Gowramma was 12 years old, her family started looking for a suitable groom. Gowramma told her father that she would move to her future husband’s home only after completing matriculation. Knowing how recalcitrant she could be, Ramaiah accepted her decision.
Gowramma tied the knot with Gopalakrishna in 1925 and moved to Sunticoppa. The Navodaya Movement in Kannada literature was at its peak at the time. This renaissance in Kannada literature gave Karnataka brilliant litterateurs such as Shivaram Karanth, D R Bendre, Panje Mangesh Rao, Kuvempu, D V Gundappa, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar and many others. Gowramma immersed herself in reading books, short stories, poetry and essays by these writers.
Gowramma was an ardent admirer of Gandhiji and actively supported the freedom movement. It was in 1934 that Gandhiji visited Kodagu. Many women in Kodagu came forward to donate their jewellery to Gandhiji towards his charitable deeds. Gowramma decided to part with all her jewellery too. She gave away all her valuables except for her mangala sutra, earrings and nose stud. Gandhiji was most touched by this noble gesture.
Questioning norms
Gowramma was troubled by the fact that women were helpless in the blatant patriarchy, discrimination and caste rigidity. She questioned child marriage, the dowry system and the lack of education for girls.
Gowramma’s very first short story written in 1931, when she was 19 years old, was titled ‘Punarvivaha’ (remarriage). It is a powerful story about a 35-year-old widower wanting to marry a 15-year-old girl, not knowing the girl is a widow. When the girl reveals this to him, he is angry and disgusted. After a long dialogue, she holds up the mirror to the man about the double standards in society. Ashamed of himself, he falls at her feet and later dedicates his life to fighting misogyny.
In some of her stories, young widows, betrayed women, jilted lovers and abandoned women are driven to extreme despair. She also wrote other stories such as ‘Paapana Maduve’, ‘Kausalanandana’ and ‘Sanyasi Ratna’, that are playful and have happy endings.
By 1939, Gowramma had written 21 short stories, which were published in periodicals such as Prajamatha, Jaya Karnataka, Rastrabhandu and Jayantha. Her writings were well-received by the public. Gowramma received encouragement from contemporary feminist writers such as Nanjangud Tirumalamba and R Kalyanamma.
D R Bendre advised Gowramma to publish an anthology of her stories. She selected 12 of her stories and titled the book ‘Chiguru’ (tender shoot). A month before the manuscript was to be sent to the publishers, Gowramma, for unknown reasons, changed the title of the book to ‘Kambani’ (tears).
April 13, 1939, was a salubrious sunny day. Gowramma, her husband Gopalakrishna, his boss Gundukutti Manjunathayya and a nephew went for a swim in the stream. As usual, she climbed onto a branch overhanging the stream and dove into the deep end of the natural pool. When Gowramma did not resurface, her companions were concerned and raised an alarm. Divers retrieved her body later in the day. It was the most tragic day for her husband and eight-year-old son Vasanthrao, as well as the world of Kannada literature.
The literary world lost one of its most promising writers. Bendre, who used to refer to her as ‘nanna thangi Gowramma’ was heartbroken. He not only wrote a touching foreword for ‘Kambani’ but also penned a tearful poem eulogising Gowramma. She has left a lasting legacy as a writer, a feminist and a freedom fighter.
An English translation of Gowramma’s stories by Deepa Bhasthi titled ‘Fate’s Game and Other Stories’ has been published recently.
I am grateful that S R Jagadeesh, a grandnephew of Gowramma, shared details of her life and gifted her biography to me. The book is titled ‘Kodagina Gowramma’, written by H Nagaveni.