Woman Drug Peddler Turns Over a New Leaf - Aspires to be an Author

Kerala convict turns into an author, poet and story-teller.

Five long and lonely years behind bars in a women’s jail in Kannur district of Kerala transformed a middle-aged drug-peddling convict into an author, a poet and a story-teller.

Lissi, 40, who hails from the high-range district of Wayanad in Kerala was arrested in 2010, for smuggling drugs.

“They can imprison my body, but not my mind nor my freedom to think.” - Lissi

In prison, she wrote eight short stories and numerous poems on topics ranging from rain, faces, love and loneliness, to death, torture, lunacy and repentance.

All this work is soon to be published in a book titled, From Convict to Writer.

Lissi, who was an excellent student during childhood, as her teachers certify, had to drop out of school after matriculation because of her family’s adverse economic conditions.

“I used to write small plays during my school days. Whenever there was a dance programme in school, my friends used to approach me to write songs. But after matriculation, I could not even touch my pen till I landed up in this jail on October 6, 2011.” - Lissi

Lissi says, when she started writing, everyone in jail used to come to her cell to request her to write for them. Some asked her to write to their children back home, others wanted her to pen small poems in letters to their husbands.

Subin Manantawadi, a journalist who is helping her publish this work, says he met the prisoner poet while he was undertaking research on the ‘changing faces of Kerala prisons’ two years ago.

“When I read her poems for the first time, they literally surprised me. Their quality and depth were far above my expectations from a 10th class dropout” - Subin.

With the “large-hearted support” of prison authorities, Subin had a series of discussions with Lissi in jail, which culminated in a book after more than 18 months.

“She has only one wish - that this book be released in the presence of her loving mother. We hope that the authorities will allow it.” - Subin

Lissi was convicted in two cases and sentenced to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment in 2010.