Resmi Sajayan was no different from any other woman until letters started whispering to her hiding behind the nuances of daily life. Amid household chores, sending her children to school, ironing clothes for her husband, and even inside the cashier’s cabin where she works, she started scribbling them down into words that took the form of poetry, short stories, and novel.
In just 365 days, as she puts it, living the life of a busy woman, she managed to publish three books in three different genres – a poetry compilation, a novel, and an anthology of short stories. What makes her writings even unique is that all these books were written in her smartphone! “Poems hit my mind while cooking or riding a scooter and I scribble them down immediately in my phone,” Resmi says.
“I developed my passion for literature while in school writing short stories and poetry that I never showed anyone. At the age of 18, I got married and had to start the life of a family woman. But still, I found time to spend with letters.”
Hailing from Sankaramangalam in Chavara, Resmi Sajayan is a B.Com graduate who has been working in the accounting department in various companies over the last 16 years. “People ask me what took me so long to enter the world of writing; I say my time is now. I was waiting for my children to grow up which has now given more space for myself.” Resmi’s daughter Gopika R. Sajayan is an engineering student and son R.S. Govind is in higher secondary class.
The first reader of Resmi’s writings and her biggest support is her husband K. Sajayan, who works in KMML in Chavara. “My husband is my first reader and critic. He gives me valuable comments to improve my writings.”
It has been only three years since her writings started appearing in magazines and other publications. Her poem Ormapusthakam, which she had posted on Facebook, was selected and included in a collection of poetry by 125 women published in Kottayam, which is the first on print.
“I started writing on waste receipt papers in my cabin as it gave me the privacy that writing demands. I started writing on spirituality, which later turned into fiction,” she remembers.
Her first book was a poetry collection — Vayanasala — published in April 2018. Around 550 copies of the book were sold in just three months. “This gave me the courage to publish more. I then published an anthology of short stories — Ponmana – in November 2018. Those stories were about the life of the people in Ponmana, which I always observed and cherished,” Resmi says.
Her first novel Mayan attempts to redefine love and its shades in ordinary human relationships. The book which got appreciation from various walks of society was published in April 2019, making it the third book in a year.
Resmi finds the advantage of writing in smartphone as it is convenient while on the go and during editing as well. “These works were written with the help of Google handwriting input and sent directly to the publisher. I wrote them as segments in Gmail so that they get saved instantly in drafts without a chance of getting lost.”
Resmi’s first book was released by writer Raheem Sasthamkotta, who taught her Malayalam during school days. “He is the man who influenced me a lot. I also had the virtue of addressing eminent writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai as 'Thakazhi Appooppan' during my childhood as he was our neighbour. My village is also blessed with personalities including poet O.N.V. Kurup, Chavara K.S. Pillai, and Kathakali doyen Chavara Parukkutty Amma.”
Resmi is currently working on two new novels, at once. She is now confident of spreading her wings in the sky of literature as she had always dreamt of.
In a time when female writers, if not a few of them, need freedom from their family itself, Resmi has a different take. Once asked by a famous poet whether she had an exclusive writing room, she made it clear — “No, I have a husband who supports me fully.”
