A Letter to Amma (అమ్మకో లేఖ),an original Telugu story by Manasa Yendluri, first appeared in the monthly magazine Chinuku (చినుకు) in 2016 and subsequently also in Milinda (మిళింద), a collection of Yendluri’s short stories.
Deeply unsettling and emotionally charged, the story takes us into the lives of sex workers – their aspirations, their dreams, their problems, their hopelessness. It captures the voice of Suchitra, otherwise known as Pinky in her professional life. The narrative follows her reflections on the brutalised lives of the women (and girls) around her, and her desire to be reunited with her family once again.
What starts off as a seemingly ordinary letter exchange between Suchitra and her mother gradually unfolds to reveal a world governed by cycles of coercion, violence and systemic neglect, often built on the extreme exploitation of marginalised women’s bodies.
– Ravali Pidaparthi
(Content warning: This story contains depictions of sexual assault and sexual abuse of a minor.)
A Letter to Amma
Dearest Amma,
This is your Suchitra. I am safe here. I hope you, nanna, chelli and annayya are safe. I am sending only 8000 this month. I will try to send 10 or 15,000 next month. Vasantakka helps me a lot here. She is the one I borrow from sometimes when I’m in need. Have you paid chelli’s fee? Has nanna’s health stabilised? Did annayya stop drinking? Arrange some work for annayya to be engaged in. With the help of Vasantakka and Bujjakka, I will try my best to get out of here. If everything goes as planned, I will be home as early as next month, Amma! I will stay in our village and provide for you all by hook or by crook. Convey my regards to everyone. Take care of your health. Eat on time.
Yours,
Suchitra