Nalapat Balamani Amma (19 July 1909 – 29 September 2004) was an Indian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

who wrote in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

. ''Amma'' (Mother), ''Muthassi'' (Grandmother), and ''Mazhuvinte Katha'' (The story of the Axe) are some of her well-known works. She was a recipient of many awards and honours, including the Padma Bhushan,

Saraswati Samman The Saraswati Samman is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any of the 22 languages of India listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India. It is named after the Hindu goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. The Saras ...

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

, and Ezhuthachan Award. She was the mother of writer Kamala Surayya.

Biography

Balamani Amma was born on 19 July 1909 to Chittanjoor Kunhunni Raja and Nalapat Kochukutti amma at Nalappat, her ancestral home in

Punnayurkulam Punnyurkulam is a village in Thrissur district of Kerala, the southwestern state of India. Location The village is located 10 km north west to the world-famous temple town Guruvayur along the Guruvayur-Ponnani state highway. History Pu ...

, Ponnani taluk,

Malabar District Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792-1800) and Madras Presidency (1800-1947) in British India, and independent India's Madras State (19 ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. She had no formal education, and the tutelage under her maternal uncle and his collection of books helped her become a poet. She was influenced by

Nalapat Narayana Menon Nalapat Narayana Menon (7 October 1887 – 31 October 1954) was a Malayalam language author from Kerala state, South India. His oeuvre consists of poems, plays and translations. His best known works include ''Paavangal'', a translation of Victor ...

and the poet Vallathol Narayana Menon. At age 19, Amma married V.M. Nair, who became the

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

and managing editor of '' Mathrubhumi'', a widely circulated

newspaper, and later an executive at an automobile company. She left for Kolkata after her marriage to live with her husband. V.M. Nair died in 1977. Amma was the mother of writer Kamala Surayya, (also known as Kamala Das), who translated one of her mother's poems, "The Pen", which describes the loneliness of a mother. Her other children include son Shyam Sunder, and daughter Sulochana. Amma died on 29 September 2004 after five years of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. Her cremation was attended with full state honours.

Poetry

Balamani Amma published more than 20 anthologies of poems, several prose works, and translations. Her first poem "Kooppukai" was published in 1930. Her first recognition came when she received the Sahithya Nipuna Puraskaram, an award from

Parikshith Thampuran Darsanakalanidhi Parikshith Thampuran (died 1964) was the last official ruler of the Cochin princely state. He was also known as Ramavarman or Kunjunni Tampuran. He was born in 1876 as the son of Raman Nambutiri of Ottur House and Manku Tampur ...

, former ruler of

Kingdom of Cochin The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy w ...

. ''Nivedyam'' is the collection of poems of Balamani Amma from 1959 to 1986. ''Lokantharangalil'' is an elegy on the death of the poet

Collections of poems

*''Kudumbini'' (1936) *''Dharmamargathil'' (1938) *''Sthree Hridayam'' (1939) *''Prabhankuram'' (1942) *''Bhavanayil'' (1942) *''Oonjalinmel'' (1946) *''Kalikkotta'' (1949) *''Velichathil'' (1951) *''Avar Paadunnu'' (1952) *''Pranamam'' (1954) *''Lokantharangalil'' (1955) *''Sopanam'' (1958) *''Muthassi'' (1962) *''Mazhuvinte Katha'' (1966) *''Ambalathilekku'' (1967) *''Nagarathil'' (1968) *''Veyilaarumbol'' (1971) *''Amruthamgamaya'' (1978) *’’Sahapadikal’’(1979) *''Sandhya'' (1982) *''Nivedyam'' (1987) *''Mathruhridayam'' (1988) *''To My Daughter'' (Malayalam) *''Kulakkadavil'' * ''Mahavira''

Awards and recognition

Her poetry earned her the titles of ''Amma'' (mother) and ''Muthassi'' (grandmother) of Malayalam poetry. While delivering the Balamaniyamma remembrance speech at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, described her as the "prophet of human glory" and said that her poetry had been an inspiration to him. Writer and critic M. N. Karassery considered her a Gandhian, and believed her works should be revisited when people consider

Nathuram Godse Nathuram Vinayak Godse (19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949) was the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. He was a Hindu nationalist from Maharashtra who shot Gandhi in the chest three times at point blank range at a multi-faith prayer meeting in Birla ...

to represent Indian nationalism. She received many literary honours and awards, including the

Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

for ''Muthassi'' (1963), Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for ''Muthassi'' (1965), Asan Prize (1989), Vallathol Award (1993), Lalithambika Antharjanam Award (1993),

for ''Nivedyam'' (1995), Ezhuthachan Award (1995), and

N. V. Krishna Warrier N. V. Krishna Warrier (May 13, 1916 – October 12, 1989) was an Indian poet, journalist, scholar, academician and political thinker. A prolific writer, Warrier's works covered the genres of poetry, drama, travelogue, translation, children's lit ...

Award (1997). She was also a recipient of India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 1987.

Legacy

The Kochi International Book Festival Committee created the Balamani Amma Award, with a cash award for writers. On 19 July 2022,

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

honoured Amma with a Google Doodle on her birth anniversary. She has been referred to as "the grandmother of Malayalam literature".

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amma, Balamani 1909 births 2004 deaths People from Thrissur district Malayalam poets Women writers from Kerala Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Recipients of the Saraswati Samman Award Recipients of the Ezhuthachan Award Neurological disease deaths in India Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Indian women poets 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian women writers Poets from Kerala