More than 24 years ago, when women in workplace were looked upon suspiciously by orthodox relatives, Leela was a 'telegraphist' at an Ernakulam post office. One day, Prema Viswanathan, a journalist came to interview 'the lone telegraphist in Kerala'. When the news appeared in print, she thought, why can't I do it?

And so she joined Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for a part time course in journalism. The initial resistance from in-laws disappeared once she passed the course with gold medal and joined Indian Express in Delhi in 1978. With a soul-mate's support from her husband Bhaskara Menon, she could go from strength to strength in her chosen field.

During her long career in the Indian Express, she wrote about many issues that grabbed national attention. It was her writing that was instrumental in changing the law that prohibited air hostesses from marrying.

Yet she had to one day resign from the paper that was the centre of her life. Just as a bird has to come out of the cozy egg and and flap its wings in the wider and uncertain world, she too then discovered her hidden talent for writing in Malayalam. She now writes in a couple of periodicals on women's issues.

Now - perhaps more than when she wrote in English - women appreciate her writings that have a direct bearing on their daily lives.