Born
on March 31, 1934 in Malabar in Kerala, India,
she has been Madhavikutty to Malayalee readers
and Kamala Das to her English fans. Daughter
of the late V.M. Nair, former managing editor
of widely-circulated Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi
and renowned poetess Nalappat Balamani Amma,
she embraced Islam and turned Kamala Suraiya.
Like
her parents, Kamala Das also excelled in writing.
However, she did not start writing professionally
till she was married and became a mother.
Her love of poetry began at an early age through
the influence of her great uncle, Nalapat
Narayan Menon, a prominent writer.
Das
was also deeply affected by the poetry of
her mother, Nalapat Balamani Amma, and the
sacred writings kept by the matriarchal community
of Nayars. She was privately educated until
the age of 15 when she was married to K. Madhava
Das . She was 16 when her first son was born
and says that she "was mature enough
to be a mother only when my third child was
born" . Her husband often played a fatherly
role for both Das and her sons. Because of
the great age difference between Kamala and
her husband, he often encouraged her to associate
with people of her own age. Das says that
he was always "very understanding"
As
her career progressed, her greatest supporter
was always her husband. Even when controversy
swirled around Das' sexually charged poetry
and her unabashed autobiography, My Story,
Das' husband was "very proud" of
her . Though he was sick for 3 years before
he passed away, his presence brought her tremendous
joy and comfort. She stated that there "shall
not be another person so proud of me and my
achievements" .
Das
has dabbled in painting, fiction, and even
politics . Though Das failed to win a place
in Parliament in 1984.
She
is famous for her many Malayalam short stories
as well as several poems written in English.
This Keralite is recognized as one of the
foremost poetesses of India. She is also a
syndicated columnist. She has moved away from
poetry because she claims that "poetry
does not sell in this country [India],"
but fortunately her forthright columns do
. Das' columns sound off on everything from
women's issues and child care to politics.
Religion
and politics
In
1999, she converted from Hinduism to Islam
and changed her name to Kamala Suraiya. Like
the themes of her stories, the conversion
too kicked up much heat and dust in the social
and literary circles.
She
is also active in politics in India, and has
launched a national political party known
as the Lok Seva Party, to concentrate on humanitarian
work as well as to provide asylum to orphaned
mothers and to promote secularism. In 1984,
she was short-listed for the Nobel Prize for
Literature along with Marguerite Yourcenar,
Doris Lessing and Nadine Gordimer.
When
the government decided to give the prestigious
Ezhuthachan award to her considering her overall
contribution to literature, the Sangh Parivar
criticised the decision, saying that Surayya
had nothing in common with the poet in whose
name the award was instituted.
Publications
Over the past four decades, Kamala
Das has published many novels and short stories
in English, as well as in the Indian language
of Malayalam under the name Madhavikutty.
Works/Awards
1964:
The Sirens (Asian Poetry Prize winner)
1964: Pakshiyude Manam (short stories)
1965: Summer in Calcutta (poetry;
Kent's Award winner)
1966: Naricheerukal Parakkumbol (short stories)
1967: The Descendants (poetry)
1973: The Old Playhouse and Other Poems (poetry)
1976: My Story (autobiography)
1977: Alphabet of Lust (novel)
1985: The Anamalai Poems (poetry)
1987: Balyakala Smaranakal (Childhood Memories)
1989: Varshangalkku Mumbu (Years Before)
1990: Palayan (novel)
1991: Neypayasam (short story)
1992: Dayarikkurippukal (novel)
1992: Padmavati the Harlot and Other Stories
(collection of short stories)
1994: Neermathalam Pootha Kalam (novel;
Vayalar Award winner)
1996: Only the Soul Knows How to Sing (poetry)
1996: Chekkerunna Pakshikal (short stories)
1998: Nashtapetta Neelambari (short stories)
2001: yaa Allah (collection of poems)published
by [IPH]
 
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