We are living in an era where selective narratives are presented as truth: K.R. Meera

K.R. Meera, acclaimed author and journalist, delivered a talk at the ‘Meet the Author’ session on her latest book, Kalachi, during the fourth edition of the Kerala Legislature International Book Festival (KLIBF) on Wednesday, held at the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The session was moderated by writer Sonia Rafeeq.

During the talk, prompted by Rafeeq’s question on how people have forgotten the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019, Ms. Meera responded by drawing a parallel with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The story is set in a village, where the inhabitants appear to be asleep, haunted by a headless soldier’s ghost. Similarly, she noted, we are living in a phase where people are unaware of what is happening or what has happened around them. Many are persuaded to believe narratives selectively excavated and presented to them as truth.

“In modern times, the news we hear is often like a tale, akin to Yakshi stories, carefully crafted from a source using selective words and omitting certain details,” said Ms. Meera.

She illustrated her point with an earlier version of the Cinderella story, which differs significantly from the modern one. In that version, Cinderella was bathing when a bird snatched away her pair of shoes. The shoes then fell onto the lap of a king. Seeing it as a divine intervention, the king sought out Cinderella and married her.

Ms. Meera noted that researchers believe later versions of the story were revised to teach children that luck favours those who do good according to societal norms.

Moving from stories to broader reflections, Ms. Meera remarked, “All of us have only one home, that is Planet Earth.” She added that even in this era, humanity lacks the maturity to look upon our planet as a whole, beyond divisions and boundaries that are inherently meaningless.

She also cautioned against the misconception that feminism is born out of hatred towards men. She emphasised that feminism reminds us that the hatred itself is entirely misplaced.