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A review by misspalah
Taboo: Poems by Melizarani T. Selva
4.0
“Woman, what are you fighting for?
whether for peace,
or for your pieces to be returned to you
whether for the world
Or waiting for the world to fight for you”
- Taboo by Melizarani T. Silva
.
.
I bought this book simply because i saw Melizarani T. Selva’s Ted Talks video in the youtube. She recited one of her poems called ‘Indiantity’ and i was sold instantly. The way she read it with so much clarity and in tune with her words, the way she carried her intonation but did not lose the attention of audience, it was truly a great performance. Melizarani T. Selva is Malaysian through and through especially when she described her potential mate in ‘Macha that got away’ : “I took one last look at you knowing there would be one else to share my biryani, but there are 8.9 million Indians in this country, a few doctors and plenty of deejays, Some as bald as Dataran Merdeka, Some as hairier than Taman Negara”. ‘Macha’ term might be defined differently in Tamil as this was referred in the Malaysian context. This book also described her experience of being a Malaysian Indian which at the same time is also a minority. For example , in ‘Indiantity’ : “Do i need to eat on Banana Leaves with my hands, to pledge allegiance to the ‘Anne’ next to me Or will i be forever condemned to being the minority of the minority Who would rather order Thosai in Malay because i can barely count to three”. Her thoughts on her race is bold and brave when she wrote this line in ‘The Woman’ : “I am the woman whose figure is shaped by reality not magazine covers, Whose spirit is toughened by Unreasonable silence and rejection letters, my combination of being Indian and woman is now cursed to fail and deadly. You see, my master’s degree and youth sacrificed work experience ; are just mere words that fill a column in the CV”. In ‘Blank’ she revealed how Diverse Malaysia is and even credited her father on educating her about other religions : “ The only attention I was vying for was from my father, who was upstairs taking a shower, who educated me and explained that islam is a profound religion, whose worshippers need no location of worship to worship, just a direction. And cautioned me to never trample on Hungry Ghost offerings and sidewalks, taught me that Christman is more than Santa Claus and if we lit candles by the Altar, we would be blessed and that every temple is a GPS, An antenna that gives us better reception of the higher power”. There are 5 elements featured in her book, the first one is Aditi, followed by Aphrodite, Helen, Eve and last but not least, Atlas. There is feminism undertones in many of her poems by highlighting the patriarchy in her culture and tradition - One of them is in ‘Fashion Nonsense’ : “ Red Pottu or Black Bindi, you are either married or biologically ready. But if there is no dot on your forehead. It means that you are quite horny. Your forehead is the guide for men to decide, so choose wisely and remember, you are merely the image bearer of the the breadwinner, the mirror reflection of his economic stature”. I cant decide which poems i like the most - Obviously, Indiantity is my first choice because thats what convinced me to read her other poems. Second, Draupadi. It is insane why people prefer Sita than Draupadi. Seeing Melizarani wrote about Draupadi is a cheff kiss. Another 3, i would choose ‘Courage’ which is dedicated to her grandmother, the other one is ‘Maharani’ - which really reminded me of Priyanka’s chopra film : 7 Khoon Maaf. Last but not least is ‘My Country is A Man’. Overall, a solid collection of poetry. I would highly recommend this ❤️
whether for peace,
or for your pieces to be returned to you
whether for the world
Or waiting for the world to fight for you”
- Taboo by Melizarani T. Silva
.
.
I bought this book simply because i saw Melizarani T. Selva’s Ted Talks video in the youtube. She recited one of her poems called ‘Indiantity’ and i was sold instantly. The way she read it with so much clarity and in tune with her words, the way she carried her intonation but did not lose the attention of audience, it was truly a great performance. Melizarani T. Selva is Malaysian through and through especially when she described her potential mate in ‘Macha that got away’ : “I took one last look at you knowing there would be one else to share my biryani, but there are 8.9 million Indians in this country, a few doctors and plenty of deejays, Some as bald as Dataran Merdeka, Some as hairier than Taman Negara”. ‘Macha’ term might be defined differently in Tamil as this was referred in the Malaysian context. This book also described her experience of being a Malaysian Indian which at the same time is also a minority. For example , in ‘Indiantity’ : “Do i need to eat on Banana Leaves with my hands, to pledge allegiance to the ‘Anne’ next to me Or will i be forever condemned to being the minority of the minority Who would rather order Thosai in Malay because i can barely count to three”. Her thoughts on her race is bold and brave when she wrote this line in ‘The Woman’ : “I am the woman whose figure is shaped by reality not magazine covers, Whose spirit is toughened by Unreasonable silence and rejection letters, my combination of being Indian and woman is now cursed to fail and deadly. You see, my master’s degree and youth sacrificed work experience ; are just mere words that fill a column in the CV”. In ‘Blank’ she revealed how Diverse Malaysia is and even credited her father on educating her about other religions : “ The only attention I was vying for was from my father, who was upstairs taking a shower, who educated me and explained that islam is a profound religion, whose worshippers need no location of worship to worship, just a direction. And cautioned me to never trample on Hungry Ghost offerings and sidewalks, taught me that Christman is more than Santa Claus and if we lit candles by the Altar, we would be blessed and that every temple is a GPS, An antenna that gives us better reception of the higher power”. There are 5 elements featured in her book, the first one is Aditi, followed by Aphrodite, Helen, Eve and last but not least, Atlas. There is feminism undertones in many of her poems by highlighting the patriarchy in her culture and tradition - One of them is in ‘Fashion Nonsense’ : “ Red Pottu or Black Bindi, you are either married or biologically ready. But if there is no dot on your forehead. It means that you are quite horny. Your forehead is the guide for men to decide, so choose wisely and remember, you are merely the image bearer of the the breadwinner, the mirror reflection of his economic stature”. I cant decide which poems i like the most - Obviously, Indiantity is my first choice because thats what convinced me to read her other poems. Second, Draupadi. It is insane why people prefer Sita than Draupadi. Seeing Melizarani wrote about Draupadi is a cheff kiss. Another 3, i would choose ‘Courage’ which is dedicated to her grandmother, the other one is ‘Maharani’ - which really reminded me of Priyanka’s chopra film : 7 Khoon Maaf. Last but not least is ‘My Country is A Man’. Overall, a solid collection of poetry. I would highly recommend this ❤️