Kamala Surayya

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.

Kamala Surayya
BornKamala
(1934-03-31)31 March 1934
Punnayurkulam, Ponnani taluk, Malabar District, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Thrissur district, Kerala, India)
Died31 May 2009(2009-05-31) (aged 75)
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Resting placePalayam Juma Masjid, Thiruvananthapuram, India
Pen nameMadhavikutty
OccupationPoet, novelist, short story writer
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipIndian
GenrePoetry, novel, short story, memoirs
Notable worksEnte Katha, My Story, The Descendants
Notable awardsEzhuthachan Puraskaram, Vayalar Award, Sahitya Akademi Award, Asan World Prize, Asian Poetry Prize, Kent Award
SpouseK. Madhav Das
Children
Relatives

Her liberal treatment of female sexuality, marked her as an iconoclast in popular culture of her generation.[1] On 31 May 2009 , aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune.[2]

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,[3] 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".[4]

Her last book titled The Kept Woman and Other Stories, featuring translation of her short stories, was published posthumously.[5] 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.[6]

Personal life

Kamala married Madhav Das at the age of 15. The couple had three sons – M D Nalapat, Chinen Das and Jayasurya Das.[7] Her husband who happened to be bisexual later on in their marriage life, predeceased her in 1992, after 43 years of marriage.[8] 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.[9][10]

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.[11][12]

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.[13]

Conversion to Islam

She was born in a conservative Hindu Nair (Nalapat) family having royal ancestry.[14] She converted to Islam on December 11, 1999, at the age of 65 and assumed the name Kamala Surayya.[15][16]

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.[17]

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

Awards and other recognitions

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

Books

English
Novel
  • 1976: Alphabet of Lust
Autobiography
Short stories
  • 1977: A Doll for the Child Prostitute
  • 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 Parakkumbol (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

See also

Further reading
  1. Aami, a Malayalam biopic on her released in 2018.
  2. The Ignited Soul by Shreekumar Varma
  3. Manohar, D. Murali. Kamala Das: Treatment of Love in Her Poetry.indear Kumar 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
  1. "The Rediff Interview/ Kamala Suraiya". Rediff.com. 19 July 2000. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  2. "PM mourns Kamala Das's death, praises her sensitive". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
  3. The histrionics of Kamala Das[Usurped!] The Hindu, 6 February 2000
  4. Booth, Jenny (13 June 2009). "Lalit Shakya: Indian poet and writer". The Times. London. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  5. Pisharoty, Sangeeta Barooah (27 October 2010). "Thus spake Das". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  6. Habib, Shahnaz. "Kamala Das". The New Yorker.
  7. "Kamala Das passes away". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  8. "'She lived her life her way': Kamala Das' son opens up about his fearless mother". The News Minute. 7 February 2018.
  9. "Rediff On The NeT: When the temptress dons the purdah..." www.rediff.com.
  10. "Kamla Das". The New Yorker. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  11. "Kerala pays tributes to Kamala Surayya". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
  12. "Tributes showered on Kamala Suraiya". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
  13. "Noted writer Kamala Das Suraiya passes away". Zee News. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  14. Untying and retying the text: an analysis of Kamala Das's My story, by Ikbala Kaura, 1990. p.188
  15. George Iype (December 14, 1999). "When the temptress dons the purdah". Rediff. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "Celebrating Kamala Das". www.google.com.
  18. "Literary Awards". kerala.gov.in. Government of Kerala. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  19. Amar Nath Prasad, Rajiv K. Mallik (2007). Indian English Poetry and Fiction: Critical Elucidations. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons. p. 100. ISBN 978-81-7625-730-5.
  20. "AKADEMI AWARDS (1955-2016)". sahitya-akademi.gov.in. Sahitya Akademi. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  21. "Awards and achievements of Kamala Das". Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  22. "Honorary degree by Calicut University" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  23. "Literary Awards – official website of Onformation and Public Relation Department". Archived from the original on 24 May 2007.
  24. "Writer Kamala Surayiya receives Ezhuthachan prize". The Times of India. 1 January 2003. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  25. "Ten 20th Century Indian Poets". cse.iitk.ac.in. cse.iitk.ac.in. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  26. "The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets". cse.iitk.ac.in. cse.iitk.ac.in. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  27. "Book review: 'Twelve Modern Indian Poets' by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra". indiatoday.in. indiatoday.in. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  28. Mandal, Somdatta (15 June 2009). "Rubana Huq, ed. The Golden Treasury of Writers Workshop Poetry. Kolkata: Writers Workshop, 2008. 410pp. ISBN 978-81-8157-801-3". Asiatic. 3 (1): 126–129. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
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