Kamala Das: The Voice of Feminine Sensibility:
Kamala Das Is regarded the poet of feminine sensibility. She is often celebrated as the voice of feminine sensibility, a poet who boldly challenges the rigid conventions and traditions imposed by society. These social norms, rather than ensuring women’s well-being, have long served to oppress them within a male-dominated framework. Under patriarchal control, women’s delicate emotions and inner desires are stifled and silenced.
As K. R. S. Iyengar observes, “Kamala Das is a fiercely feminine sensibility that dares without inhibitions to articulate the hurts it has received in an insensitive, largely man-made world.” Her poetry reflects a deep awareness of her identity as a woman, and her perspective is firmly rooted in female experience. To her, men fail to recognize women as individuals—they perceive them merely as objects or playthings. She asserts:
“…. these men who call me
Beautiful not seeing
Me with eyes but with hands.”
Feminine Sensibility as the Core of Her Poetry:
Her poetic vision is driven and shaped by a distinctly feminine sensibility, which lends her work its unique and recognisable character. At its core, her poetry embodies the essence of womanhood—it revolves around Kamala Das herself, portrayed as a woman, a wife, a lover to several men beyond her husband, and a mother.
Yearning for True Love:
Kamala Das’s feminine sensibility yearns intensely for genuine love — a love rich in emotion — yet it remains unfulfilled and colourless. She is constantly longing for emotional completeness through love, and when denied the tenderness she seeks, she feels profoundly wounded. The mere act of physical union, stripped of true affection, wearies and disgusts her:
“Who can
Help us who have lived so long
And have failed in love?”
Bruised by Masculine Callousness:
Feminine sensibility is badly bruised and tortured by masculine callousness, heartlessness and sexuality:
“Even now his
Killings are unintentional;
Each hurting word a stone that did not mean to
Kill, but killed all the same and each kindness
A snake that reared only to hiss,
But struck.”
Poetic Expression of Suffering and Longing:
In Kamala Das’ love poetry, one can clearly sense the deep anguish of her feminine sensibility, tormented by the absence of true love. Many of her poems vividly reflect this emotional depth, especially those where she adopts the persona of Radha, yearning for Krishna to deliver her from the pain of unfulfilled affection. Like countless other women, the poet too laments the fleeting nature of joy and beauty.
“Happiness
Yes,
That was a moment or two
And beauty
A short season…….
For what hazy cause we outlive
Live gnarled fruit trees
The fecund season.” (Beauty Was a Short Season)
Marital Disillusionment in “The Old Playhouse”:
Kamala Das’s feminine sensibility finds its most powerful and striking expression in the poems where she portrays her husband’s temperament and nature. “The Old Playhouse” stands out as one of the finest examples imbued with this sensibility.
Her deeply aware and sensitive feminine self rebels against her husband’s mechanical and lust-driven approach to love. His acts of intimacy, devoid of tenderness or emotional connection, represent mere physical desire rather than genuine affection.
It takes a woman of exceptional courage to voice such revulsion toward a husband who views love as nothing more than a means of satisfying his own lust, without giving or desiring any real emotional exchange. The man who let his saliva trickle into her mouth and explored every corner of her body remained utterly incapable of love or warmth.
Emotional Emptiness in “The Freaks”:
In her poem “The Freaks,” Kamala Das laments that her husband’s touch stirs only the dormant cravings of her body, failing to reach her deeper emotions. Though they have shared a life together for years, genuine love has always eluded them, leaving her heart as barren as an empty cistern. She goes on to describe herself as a freak, admitting that she sometimes displays an exaggerated sensuality merely to maintain appearances.
Imprisoned Womanhood in “The Sunshine Cat”:
In the poem The Sunshine Cat, Kamala Das expresses her deep feminine sensitivity by portraying her husband as a self-centered and timid man who neither loved her nor valued her as a partner. She reveals that he confined her to a life of loneliness, with only a yellow cat—or perhaps a fleeting ray of sunshine—for company. His cold indifference turned her into “a cold and half-dead woman,” stripped of warmth and vitality, and incapable of fulfilling a man’s physical desires.
Motherhood and Feminine Fulfilment in “Jaisurya”:
The poem “Jaisurya” beautifully captures a woman’s deepest emotions as she stands on the threshold of motherhood — first in anticipation of her child’s birth, and then in the overwhelming joy that follows his arrival. Centered on the theme of maternity, the poem reflects an experience that only a truly feminine sensibility could portray so tenderly and authentically. The poet’s happiness at the birth of her son shines through every line — a radiant expression of maternal joy and womanly sensitivity.
“And then wailing into light
He came, so fair, a streak of light thrust
Into the faded light.”
Female Desire and Self-Awareness in “The Looking Glass”:
In the poem entitled “The Looking Glass,” she has some valuable suggestions to make a woman who wishes to please a lover. A woman should stand nude before a mirror, with her lover also standing nude by her side. She should also give to a lover whatever she is capable of giving him. She should tell her lover all her “endless female hunger’, meaning her deepest longings so far as the sexual act is concerned.
Conclusion:
Thus, it can be observed that Kamala Das’ poems are feminine in theme and feminine in tone. She is sensitive, sensuous, and sentimental. She is intensely emotional, sometimes emotional without restraint. For instance, her forgiving attitude in her poem entitled “Composition” is typical of the Indian feminine sensibility.
