K. Saradamoni, who retired as an economist from the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi, spent her childhood and young adulthood in Kollam. Spinning khadi or taking Hindi lessons were small efforts to contribute to the growing national movement around her. Deciding to study economics also arose from this desire to make a difference. This book takes us through her journey in the world of economics, her disenchantment with its obsession with model-building. and the process through which she became a 'concerned social scientist. In simple language, her student days in Kerala, Madras and later Paris are described, along with her academic work on caste, class, land, labour, gender and agriculture. Her travels, both for work and leisure, in India, the United States, Africa, parts of Asia and Latin America make for fascinating reading. In this memoir, published posthumously, Saradamoni draws upon her life as an academic and an activist to narrate a gripping story told with keen observation and insight.
K. Saradamoni was born in Kerala in 1928. She studied economics for her BA and MLitt. After working in the Bureau of Economics in Thiruvananthapuram for a few years, she moved to join the Planning Unit of the Indian Statistical Institute in Delhi. She received her doctorate in socio- economic history working with Louis Dumont; her doctoral work was published as Emergence of a Slave Caste: Pulayas of Kerala. She has published several books and articles in English and Malayalam. She passed away in 2021.
My mother started writing her autobiography some ten years ago. she used to rush to the computer and sit and type away in the middle of her other chores. She called it 'My Life, and even today, it is filed under that name on the computer. Strangely enough, she chose to write in English even though she wrote prolifically in Malayalam too.
The first draft was done by early 2015. I then started attending the Book Fair in Delhi to see if we could find a publisher. This was much more difficult than we ever imagined. For some, her life story was something that would be of relevance to only her family and immediate circle of friends, and not a wider audience. For others, she needed to fit into a 'women's studies' slot for easier marketing. So they wanted her to rewrite the entire book! I couldn't but help wonder if the same would have happened had she still been based in Delhi.
In the early hours of 11 January 2016, Amma suffered a heart attack while we were holidaying with Australian friends Ian and Josie in Kollam. Luckily, timely medical intervention saved her life. But life would never be the same again. She needed help in many areas and there were many constraints. With an excellent cardiologist, Dr Girija, and a very good home nurse, Girija Mani, we were able to continue keeping her in good health and cheer, and, most importantly, mentally alert. She continued to work on this book and other articles, and attended select seminars and protest rallies. We celebrated her 90th birthday with great gusto, hoping that we would be able to do the same five years later.
Then the pandemic struck. The world around us changed. No more doctor's visits, no more home nurses; life became tied to the four walls of home. We kept hearing of Covid deaths of near and dear ones. Collette, who is mentioned in this book, died of Covid in France in March 2021.
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