Critically acclaimed author Kusum Lata Sawhney was born and brought up in the UK and Nigeria. She currently divides her time between London and Delhi. These distinct countries have shaped her thoughts and identity. Her latest poetry collection – We Might Have …– is available on Amazon worldwide. In an exclusive interview with the newsweekly, Kusum spoke about women empowerment, South Asian women and their sexuality and more.
When asked what it is like to be a woman in 2021, Sawhney said, “We are all just coming out of a Covid 2020 world, and the monster virus is still with us. But, in lockdown we have learnt, changed and adapted. We have faced and lived with numerous challenges, and that is why I think 2021, more than ever before, is about choosing to challenge preconceived ideas and rise up to fight the rot, to fight for equal opportunities, fight against violence and gender bias. We should definitely strive to be fearless.”
She further added that writing empowers her in many ways. “Writing unleashes that which is in my mind, in my thoughts and imagination. It gives me the power to say what I want, the message that I want to share, the topics that are important to me and that I believe should not be hidden away. Empowering is a sharing of self, a feeling of giving ourselves the independence to do what we want. A choice,” she said.
But what kind of women related issues are close to her heart? “The type that we tend to shy away from, that we relegate to the back, be it in a book or in life that incidentally are part of the everyday norm and in that sense the most urgent. Rape, incest, sexuality are just some of these issues,” she explained.
According to Kusum, there are many subjects on women that aren’t written about enough. “But, again, they tend to make people uncomfortable and hence get burrowed in the background. We need to bring these subjects up center stage,” she said and also added that, “Incest is a topic I feel strongly about, as well as all kinds of power struggles and subjugation. We need to teach our young to talk openly about these topics, to learn to work on one's self as opposed to only aim to be liked, and to realise that gender roles are complete rubbish. Marriage is not an achievement and with education and questioning one can answer questions about identity that are so important.”
Does Kusum think South Asian women are able to explore their sexuality to the fullest? She said, “No, sexuality has a lot to do with the way we identify and respond to a given situation in which we can portray what we want. And we are still a long way off from being strong women who have the right to say what we want, the choice to determine that and the ability to put it across clearly and succinctly. But, it's definitely happening and there is progress. We just have to work harder and push the stereotypes, stop the bullies and the cowards and learn to stand up for what we believe in. First and most importantly - we must believe.”
