Indian writer

Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das, was an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre (works) in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the poems and explicit autobiography. She was also a widely read columnist and wrote on diverse topics including women's issues, child care, politics among others etc.

Her liberal treatment of female sexuality, marked her as an iconoclast in popular culture of her generation. On 31 May 2009 , aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Personal life
  • 2.1 Politics
  • 2.2 Conversion to Islam
  • 2.3 Legacy
• 3 Awards and other recognitions
• 4 Books
  • 4.1 English
  • 4.2 Malayalam
• 5 Appearances in the following poetry Anthologies
• 6 See also
• 7 Further reading
• 8 References
• 9 External links

Early life

Kamala Das was born in Punnayurkulam, Ponnani taluk, Malabar District, British India (present-day Thrissur district, Kerala, India) on 31 March 1934, to V. M. Nair, a managing editor of the widely circulated Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, and Nalapat Balamani Amma, a renowned Malayali poet.

She spent her childhood between Calcutta, where her father was employed as a senior officer in the Walford Transport Company that sold Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles, and the Nalapat ancestral home in Punnayurkulam.

Although occasionally seen as an attention-grabber in her early years, she is now seen as one of the most formative influences on Indian English poetry. In 2009, The Times called her "the mother of modern English Indian poetry".

Her last book *led The Kept Woman and Other Stories, featuring translation of her short stories, was published posthumously.Kamala Das is known for her controversial writings where she openly talks about the restriction imposed on women. She is known for her rebellious nature against the conventions.

Personal life

Kamala married Madhav Das at the age of 15. The couple had three sons – M D Nalapat, Chinen Das and Jayasurya Das. Her husband who happened to be bisexual later on in their marriage life, predeceased her in 1992, after 43 years of marriage. Madhav Das Nalapat, her eldest son, is married to Princess Thiruvathira Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi (daughter of Princess Pooyam Thirunal Gouri Parvati Bayi and Sri Chembrol Raja Raja Varma Avargal) from the Travancore Royal House. He holds the UNESCO Peace Chair and is a Professor of geopolitics at the Manipal University. He had been a resident editor of The Times of India. Kamala Surayya converted to Islam in 1999 and announced that she planned to marry her Muslim lover, but she never remarried.

On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune, after a long battle with pneumonia. Her body was flown to her home state of Kerala. She was interred at the Palayam Juma Masjid at Thiruvananthapuram with full state honour.

Politics

Though never politically active before, she launched a national political party, Lok Seva Party, aiming at the promotion of secularism and providing asylum to orphaned mothers. In 1984 she unsuccessfully contested in the Indian Parliament elections.

Conversion to Islam

She was born in a conservative Hindu Nair (Nalapat) family having royal ancestry. She converted to Islam on December 11, 1999, at the age of 65 and *umed the name Kamala Surayya.

Legacy

On 1 February 2018, Google Doodle by artist Manjit Thapp celebrates the work she left behind, which provides a window into the world of an engrossing woman.

A biopic on her *led Aami directed by Kamal, released on 9 February 2018.

Awards and other recognitions

Kamala Das has received many awards for her literary contribution, including:

• 1963: PEN Asian Poetry Prize
• 1968: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story – Thanuppu
• 1984: Shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature
• 1985: Kendra Sahitya Academy Award (English) – Collected Poems
• 1988: Kerala State Film Award for Best Story
• 1997: Vayalar Award – Neermathalam Pootha Kalam
• 1998: Asian Poetry Prize
• 2006: Honorary D.Litt by University of Calicut
• 2006: Muttathu Varkey Award
• 2002: Ezhuthachan Award

Books

English

Novel

• 1976: Alphabet of Lust

Autobiography

• 1976: My Story

Short stories

• 1977: A Doll for the Child Pros*ute
• 1992: Padmavati the Harlot and Other Stories

Poetry

• 1964: The Sirens
• 1965: Summer in Calcutta
• 1967: The Descendants
• 1973: The Old Playhouse and Other Poems
• 1977: The Stranger Time
• 1979: Tonight, This Savage Rite (with Pritish Nandy)
• 1984: Collected Poems
• 1985: The Anamalai Poems
• 1997: Only the Soul Knows How to Sing
• 1999: My Mother at Sixty-six
• 2001: Yaa Allah
• Punishment in the kindergarten

Malayalam

• 1964: Pakshiyude Manam (short stories)
• 1966: Naricheerukal Parak*bol (short stories)
• 1968: Thanuppu (short story)
• 1973: Ente Katha (autobiography)
• 1987: Balyakala Smaranakal (childhood memories)
• 1989: Varshangalkku Mumbu (novel)
• 1990: Palayan (novel)
• 1991: Neypayasam (short story)
• 1992: Dayarikkurippukal (novel)
• 1994: Neermathalam Pootha Kalam (novel)
• 1996: Kadal Mayooram (short novel)
• 1996: Rohini (short novel)
• 1996: Rathriyude Padavinyasam (short novel)
• 1996: Aattukattil (short novel)
• 1996: Chekkerunna Pakshikal (short stories)
• 1998: Nashtapetta Neelambari (short stories)
• 2005: Chandana Marangal (novel)
• 2005: Madhavikkuttiyude Unmakkadhakal (short stories)
• 2005: Vandikkalakal (novel)
• 2019:: Ottayadi pathayum vishadam pookkunna marangalum

Appearances in the following poetry Anthologies

• Ten Twentieth-Century Indian Poets (1976) ed. by R. Parthasarathy and published by Oxford University Press, New Delhi
• The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets (1992) ed. by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and published by Oxford University Press, New Delhi
• The Golden Treasure of Writers Workshop Poetry (2008) ed. by Rubana Huq and published by Writers Workshop, Calcutta

See also

• Poetry portal

• Indian English literature
• Indian Writer
• Indian Poets

Further reading

1. Aami, a Malayalam biopic on her released in 2018.
2. The Ignited Soul by Shree*ar Varma
3. Manohar, D. Murali. Kamala Das: Treatment of Love in Her Poetry.indear *ar Gulbarga: JIWE, 1999.
4. "Cheated and Exploited: Women in Kamala Das’s Short Stories", In Mohan G Ramanan and P. Sailaja (eds.). English and the Indian Short Story. New Delhi: Orient Longman (2000).117–123
5. "Man-Woman Relationship with Respect to the Treatment of Love in Kamala Das' Poetry". Contemporary Literary Criticism Vol. 191. Ed. Tom Burns and Jeffrey W. Hunter. Detroit: Thomson-Gale, 2004. 44–60.
6. "Individuality" in Kamala Das and in Her Poetry". English Poetry in India: A Secular Viewpoint. Eds. PCK Prem and D.C.Chambial. Jaipur: Aavishkar, 2011. 65–73.
7. "Meet the Writer: Kamala Das", POETCRIT XVI: 1 (January 2003): 83–98.

References

External links

• Varsha Bhosle on Kamala Das' conversion to Islam
• "From Kamala Das to Dashi: Doing the right thing for wrong reasons?" by Dr Mohammad Omar Farooq
• Translation of Neypayasam
• Eroticism and feminism in Das' writings
• The histrionics of Kamala Das
• Funeral
• Kamala Suraiyya – Daily Telegraph obituary
• Kamla Das

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