The injustice that is Kannagi

It's amazing how saying, "If Kannagi had burnt her adulterous husband Kovalan instead of Madurai, she would have been a revolutionary woman," is taken as, justifying and encouraging murder and that murder is 'not the solution'.

Heck, Kannagi burnt Madurai and killed thousands of innocent people in the process, no one said anything against that to this day - that it's unnecessary carnage, unfair and undue. She has a statue exalting her and people and songs extolling her in fact.

This shows the mindset of "It's okay if not recommended that you burn a whole city and its people to death for your adulterous husband," successfully entrenched as the 'ideal wife.' Suggesting the opposite is 'justifying and encouraging murder.'

In this day and age, burning a city is terrorism and murder is a crime - so, either way, Kannagi would be a convict.

But, this also opens eyes whereby a crime did for an adulterous husband is hailed but punishing an adulterous husband (and saving a lot of pain, destruction and lives in the process) is condemned.

Misogyny in its truest form.

And I believe that as adults, we have maturity and know that terrorism and murder are punishable crimes. All that needed to be pointed out is the hypocrisy lentils show in Kannagi's choice.

I want to ask - Kannagi burning a city and its dwellers to death isn't violence ah? Only suggesting a plot twist of burning the adulterous Kovalan is violence? Burning a city incurs more loss of life, lots more people have died when she burnt Madurai. For you lentils, it's okay if she burnt Madurai and commit mass murder for the sake of her husband but the trope of burning Kovalan is a crime of the highest order.

If any woman burns her husband for any reason, I won't support her. I also don't support the burning of a city for any reason. This is just a trope to challenge popular fiction. Kannagi reduced Madurai to ashes - why no one called that terrorism? Instead, she's praised for the murderous deed and is cited to be an exemplary woman. The story of Parasuram's father killing his wife for looking at gandharvas describes how men are allowed to indulge in sexual pleasure with however many women but women commit adultery just for a momentary admiration for another man. These stories set the benchmark on how women must behave - devoted to husband no matter what. 

This Kannagi and Nalayini stories is created by patriarchal men to suit their twisted ideas on how women should be and to ingrain that women should worship their husband because that's what good women do, pattini, utthami, karpukarasi. Vivek comedy onnu irukku - kudikara purusan nalla irukanum nu mann soru thinbanga kovil la pombalainga. Purusan kaaran vanthu adipan kaasu keatu, antha pombala adi vangikum, thatti keaka vantha Vivek ah othaikum, kallanalum kanavan, pullanalum purusan nu - effect of Kannagi story.

Inga Malaysia la patta pagal laya vetran pondatiya santhega pattu - the blame still goes on the woman, that she must have done something wrong. Kovalan overtly commits adultery, anyone questioned him?

Wording makes a difference. It's, "If Kannagi, not Kannagi should have." It is an assumption, not an imposition.

To those asking if it's women empowerment to do all the wrongs men do like drinking, smoking, having affairs? Ambala pandrathala pombala pandrathilla. Humans na thappu pannuvanga, athu manitha iyalbu, aanin iyalbu illa. Inga aanuku oru nyayam, pennuku oru nyayam iruku. Adha dha thatti keakrom. Women empowerment is realising that they are equal humans to men and not put them on an elevated and then a relegated pedestal. Women are flawed humans with human capabilities and capacities just like men, not goddesses and epitomes of honour and virtues.