In her own words, ‘The Journey that Shaped Me’
Dr. Selvy Thiruchandran, the Founder/ former Executive Director of the Women’s Education and Research Centre (WERC), is no stranger to the world of books, with at least 12 English publications to her name, a similar number in Tamil, as well as at least another 10 collections of essays and booklets on ethics to breaking down UN Conventions into a reader-friendly format. She, along with other academics, also started the library at WERC, which now has over 7000 books, and has spearheaded the publication of numerous books through WERC.
At the launch of her autobiography ‘The Journey that Shaped Me’ last week, however, she said that the idea of writing an autobiography wasn’t something she entertained – she simply dismissed requests from people to write her autobiography and had what the present Executive Director of WERC Shiranee Mills calls “an impressive catalogue of reasons” on why she shouldn’t write it– resistance which had to be worn down.
The author with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya at the launch. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Selvy related that it all came about when she accepted a seemingly innocent lunch invitation from a former WERC employee, Romela, and found around 15 past staff members gathered to urge her to write her story. “One by one, they started a chorus,” she says, explaining that they pleaded with her, saying they would help her type it, buy her a machine to type into, etc. She was moved by their appeal and so the decision was made.
“Expert typist” Fathima Zinha Mubarak, a longstanding member of WERC, regularly made journeys to Dr. Selvy’s home, faithfully typing and retyping drafts with a consistency that kept Shiranee and Dr. Selvy on their toes over the months, Shiranee said.
Speaking at the book launch, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya remarked that it was a “mind-blowing” feeling to be in the room with so many people who had shaped her professional journey. Reminiscing about the 90s when she worked with Dr. Selvy and others in the feminist space, she says that it was a time where great progress was made in the field because of people like Dr. Selvy. “There are many lessons to be learnt from the lives of people like Selvy,” she said.
Commenting on the PM’s presence at the event, Dr. Selvy says that she was initially sceptical when the PM was invited, as to the likelihood of political figures making the time for such events but that the PM had changed her perception.
Chairperson and Professor at the Department of History of the University of Dhaka, Dr. Sonia Amin, recalled how she met Dr. Selvy in the early 90’s in Sri Lanka, which started her career in feminist scholarship, and shared pleasant memories of working with her over the years.
Director Programmes, Gender and Political Economy and Media at the Women and Media Collective Dr. Sepali Kottegoda shared her experiences working with “Selvy Akka” adding that while Dr. Selvy’s autobiography didn’t really detail all her work in the women’s movement, she “has always been somebody who has a political contribution to make”.
“The Journey that Shaped Me”, co-published by the Women’s Education and Research Centre and Bay Owl Press, is priced at Rs 4000 (hard cover) and Rs 2600 (paperback) and is available for purchase at the Women’s Education and Research Centre.
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