The worldwide #MeToo movement was adopted by thousands of people who believed in breaking the silence around sexual violence at the workplace. Even as many individuals have named their abusers, and different forms of action have been taken or demanded in different cases, there has not been a collective answer to the question: what next? What does justice mean, after a #MeToo complaint, especially for the majority of individuals whose social media posts have been lost to the interwebs over the years? What happens when going to the police or demanding “systemic action” does not make sense, practically?
One group of #MeToo complainants in Tamil Nadu have come up with an answer: a 650-page, two-volume book that documents the allegations against a powerful and popular Tamil writer. The book records the allegations of nine men who were allegedly sexually abused by writer Konangi between 2013 and 2022, and has been self published with several others volunteering to put the book together.
S Ilangovan, widely known by his pen name Konangi, is regarded as one of the most important figures in contemporary Tamil literature. In 2023, a wave of #MeToo allegations emerged against him, mainly from men who were part of a theatre group that Konangi’s brother Murugabhoopathy runs – Manalmagudi.
The accusations, including that of groping, molestation, sexual abuse, and casteism, sparked outrage, moral policing, homophobia — and were eventually forgotten by most people. But this time, the survivors refused to let their experiences fade into the abyss.
“If we don’t document it, it remains gossip. But now, this book serves as reference material in the Tamil literary space when it comes to the multiple forms of exploitation that exist here,” a survivor says.
Kalkidai: Healing Sexual and Other Violence in the Context of Art was published in November 2024, close to two years after the first allegation was made publicly against Konangi. The complainants came together and formed a collective called ‘Collective of Survivors, Collective of Support’. The books – one in English and one in Tamil – talk about a wide range of topics, including nine allegations of sexual abuse against the writer, casteism in the art and literary space, and systemic power abuse.
It features several kinds of art, including editorials, statements, poems, visual art, and performance pieces, all centered on the themes of healing and justice within the arts. Kalkidai has also been uploaded online as a blog.
The book also has a list of resources – including contact information for doctors, suicide helplines and psychotherapists – at the end.
Kalkidai, Kalkuthirai, and Konangi
Kalkidai literally means “a goat made of stone”. The name is a dig at Konangi’s revered Tamil magazine Kalkuthirai — a horse made of stone — and is also a response to an interview given by the writer soon after allegations of sexual violence surfaced against him.
“Valartha kidai maarula paanjiruchu,” he said, recalls theatre artist Karthick Ramachandran, the first person to raise allegations against Konangi. The goat that I raised has now rammed into my chest. The popular Tamil adage is used to express a sense of betrayal. “We wanted to use the same word to start a movement against his actions,” Karthick says.
Kalkuthirai is a Tamil literary magazine that was started by Konangi in 1990. It’s respected as a magazine of high literary standard, and is known for featuring contemporary Tamil literary works and translations. As the magazine’s editor and as a writer who comes from a family of literary stalwarts, Konangi enjoys deep reverence in the Tamil literacy space. He is credited with expanding and exploring the limits of Tamil language to narrate the stories of people of the land. His work draws immense admiration, and he is always seen surrounded by a bunch of youngsters, eager to learn from him.
Konangi belongs to the dominant Thevar caste. His grandfather was Tamil playwright, lyricist, writer, and freedom fighter Madhurakavi Bhaskara Das, who was born as Vellaisamy Thevar. Bhaskara Das is known to be the first Tamil film lyricist, and wrote the songs for the first Tamil talkie – Kalidas (1931). His songs were also sung by stalwart singers, including KB Sundarambal and MS Subbulakshmi. He also worked with the stage group ‘Madurai Balaranjani Sangeeta Sabha’, and later turned to politics with his Khilafat agitation songs (1919). Many of his passionate Tamil songs about the freedom struggle were banned by the British colonial government.
Konangi’s father MS Shanmugam was a novelist, short-story writer and poet.
Konangi’s two brothers – Tamilselvan and Murugabhoopathy – are equally acclaimed artists in their field. S Tamilselvan was the president of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers’ Association, and is widely known for his short stories, essays, and commentaries, especially for their accessible language. He also won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer for the movie Poo (2008).
Murugabhoopathy is the founder of the experimental theatre group Manalmagudi. It is through this group that Konangi met the men whom he has allegedly sexually assaulted.
Started 18 years ago in Kovilpatti, Manalmagudi is today an award-winning central space in Tamil theatre.
Manalmagudi literally translates to a snake charmer's flute made of sand. This is in reference to the red sand dunes that can be spotted in parts of southern Tamil Nadu, especially in the Kovilpatti region.
Complainants against Konangi have alleged that Murugabhoopathy ignored his brother’s actions, even when complaints were raised against him. "Murughaboopathy is also accountable in this case because everybody joined the drama troupe trusting him," says Karthick.
The main allegations and the timeline of events
On February 26, 2023, an anonymous email landed in the inboxes of several people associated with Manalmagudi. “It’s time to speak up and take action against sexual abuse in the artist community,” the email said, according to a copy shared by the Collective of Survivors.
“Recently, there have been allegations against a well-known Tamil writer, Konangi, who is accused of sexually abusing the boys in his brother’s theatre team, Manal Magudi. His brother Murugaboopathy who is also part of the team, has turned a blind eye to his brother’s abusive behavior and sees his sexual behaviour as normal. Murugaboopathy is running a theatre team for this purpose. So, he can’t take action against his brother,” the email said. (sic)
Urging people to come forward if they have faced abuse from Konangi, the email said, “Let’s raise our voice for justice and make sure that perpetrators like Konangi are held accountable for their actions.”
In the following days, several people came out with their allegations against Konangi. First among them was Karthick Ramachandran.
Karthick is a critical folklorist and is also a part of the Collective of Survivors who published Kalkidai. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Folklore at Madurai Kamaraj University, specialising in south Indian folk theatre, folk music, festivals and rituals, film analysis, art history, and cultural documentation. Speaking to TNM, Karthick alleges he was sexually abused by Konangi thrice in 2013. Even when he took it up with Murugabhoopathy, he says it was not taken seriously.
"There were multiple ways in which I was exploited — I was emotionally, physically, and sexually abused. And it was normalised. I spent my prime years in the theatre group. But when I look back now, I have nothing to show. Despite working like an animal throughout my life, I have no money or recognition,” he says.
Soon after Karthick’s post on Facebook, there were unexpected responses, #MeToo posts, statements, support, denial, and intimidation, he says. Several others also raised similar allegations of molestation, groping and sexual abuse at the hands of Konangi, and that Murugabhoopathy was indifferent to it.
Subsequently, on March 2, 2023, the TPWAA, now headed by writer Mathukkur Ramalingam, issued a statement demanding justice for the survivors, expressing shock at the accusations. Condemning Konangi and Murugabhoopathy, the Association sought an explanation from the duo. Konangi’s brother Tamilselvan also expressed shock at the revelations.
Meanwhile, Manalmagudi did not directly address the issue, but put up a social media post that said that the “theatre group was built by the dedicated work of many hundreds, artists and others. We are hurt by the ‘unpleasant problems’, frustrations, and mistakes that the artists have faced, we are up for discussions with the open mind that this deserves.” However, the survivors say nothing followed this post.
Konangi categorically denied all the allegations. In an interview to Tamil magazine Vikatan, he said that it was an attempt to ruin him and destroy Manalmagudi.
Following this, on March 7, 2023, the complainants came forward with a statement of demands. They asked Konangi to publicly acknowledge the abuse, and asked Murugabhoopathy to ensure that such abuse doesn't continue in his theatre group.
When TNM reached out to Konangi to get his reaction to the allegations, he denied them. “I am focusing on my writing work. I am keeping myself sane and doing my writing. Literary fiction is our world; and we function through our stories. This is all Facebook trash, I have nothing to do with it at all,” he said.
When we contacted Murugabhoopathy, he said he would not like to comment about anything.
Language and words as an act of resistance
Speaking about the books, Karthick says that it is an attempt to document the sexual abuse that happens in art and culture spaces. “This happens repeatedly, but people tend to ignore it, move past it. We wanted this instance to be a documentation, a record of history. We also wanted to keep the discourse alive. And our efforts paid off because this is a conversation that is still happening and has taken multiple directions — art vs artist, art vs abuse, abuse vs sexuality, etc."
Senthuran, another complainant against Konangi who was part of the publishing team, adds that working on the book was a cathartic process. “If we don’t document it, it will become gossip or allegations. But now, these books serve as reference materials in the Tamil literary space, when it comes to the multiple forms of exploitation that exist in this space."
When asked why they did not take the legal path, and chose to publish books instead, the writers and complainants say it's because they don't have much faith in the legal system. “There is also a stigma attached to same-sex relationships. Although sexual violence and sexual orientation should not be linked to each other, and we have tried our best to make sure that the discourse does not become homophobic, we can't tell what will happen if we approach the police. We won't have control over how our stories are told,” Karthick and Senthuran say.
It's also crucial to note that legally, male survivors of sexual violence don't have protection under Indian law today.
“When the abuse happened, all sexual activity between two men — whether consensual or not — was a criminal offence under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. It was only in 2018 that the Supreme Court decriminalised consensual sex amongst homosexual couples,” Karthick says. Between 2018 and 2024, under the Indian Penal Code, non consensual sexual activity described under section 377 was criminalised — meaning men who have faced sexual violence would be able to get legal relief.
But by the time the complainants’ statements had been compiled with the other articles in the book, IPC had been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which has omitted the provisions under section 377, making the rape of men, transgender individuals, and animals, non-offences.
Karthick further explains that they decided that the final expression of the collective would be in written format, the same artform that is used by Konangi. The book includes pieces by several activists, including feminist activist Mangai, writers Yamuna Rajendran, T Dharmaraj, and Sivasankaran SJ.
Art vs artist?
For the survivors, the book is more than just a collection of testimonies — it is an act of resistance, says Arun Ram Prasanth, another complainant against Konangi. “Unlike fleeting conversations on social media, it offers a structured documentation of voices that refuse to be silenced,” he says. An avid reader of Tamil literary works, Arun has been publicly speaking against Konangi, and has been engaging with other #MeToo complaints as well.
Stating that the debate over art and power is inevitable, Arun says that art, too, follows the hierarchies entrenched in politics and society, but unlike politics or academia, where power structures are acknowledged, art often hides behind ideals of social justice. “This makes it harder for people to accept that artists, too, can be perpetrators, amplifying the shock when allegations emerge.”
“This book however will not disappear in the flood of articles on the internet. It will stand the test of time. We may be vulnerable, but we will not bend before injustice,” he says.