Women Dreaming is one of the few books recently translated into English from Tamil. The author of the book, Salma, is a tamil poet, writer and an activist advocating for women’s right in India. The protagonists live in a small village in Tamil Nadu, presumably molded after Salma’s home village of Thuvarankurichi. By describing the Muslim community in which men decide about women’s lives, Salma shows that the society’s obsession with decency and piety leaves no room for women to make their own choices and completely eliminates any space for dreams of a better life.
The protagonists of Women Dreamingrepresent the full spectrum of the most everyday dreams. A mother’s dream of having the right to see her own children. A young girl’s dream of education – not religious, but real one, which would give her a possibility of independence. A single woman’s dream of being able to function in society, being able to leave the house and be treated by men with respect. Most of these “dreams” are obvious rights in our culture, but women in Tamil Nadu and many other places in the world still have to fight for them,
Women Dreaming is a difficult read. One can only hope that the life of women in Tamil Nadu and all over the world changes for the better. The fact that an author like Salma speaks directly about the current situation of women while breaking taboos stemming from the traditions of her community is certainly a step towards a better future.
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