Kadathanat Madhavi Amma (15 June 1909 – 24 December 1999) was an Indian poet, novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. Known for poetry anthologies such as ''Kalyopaharam'' and ''Kanikkonna'', she was also the author of two works based on

Vadakkan Pattukal Vadakkan Pattukal (literally, ''the songs of the north'') are a collection of Malayalam ballads from the medieval period. The songs present stories of heroes such as Aromal Chekavar and Thacholi Othenan, and heroines like Unniyarcha. The stories ...

viz. ''Thacholi Othenan'' and ''Payyamvelli Chandu''. The

Kerala Sahitya Akademi The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and Malayalam literature, literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India. History The academy ...

awarded her their annual award for overall contributions in 1996.

Biography

Madhavi Amma was born on 15 June 1909 at Iringannur, a small village near

Vatakara Vatakara, also spelled Vadakara (formerly Badagara), , french: Bargaret, is a Municipality in the state of Kerala, India. Vatakara is located between Kannur and Kozhikode. The municipality of Vatakara covers an area of and is bordered by Ma ...

, in

Kozhikode district Kozhikode (), or Calicut district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, along its Southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 67.15% urbanised. ...

of the south Indian state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

to Thiruvoth Kunjikanna Kurup and Keezhpalli Kalyani Amma. The conservative way of life in

Malabar region The Malabar Coast is the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing m ...

during those times allowed only limited education to girls and she had her formal education only up to 5th standard at a local elementary school but she received informal education from Kadathanattu Krishna Warrier in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

and from Moyyareth Sankaran in modern thoughts. Madhavi Amma started writing under the name, ''Pullancheri Madhavi'', which she changed to Kadathanattu Madhavi Amma later. Her oeuvre comprises five poetry anthologies, two novels, two folk tales, a short story anthology and a short biography. ''Jeevitha thanthukkal'', ''Kavyopaharam'', ''Gramashreekal'', ''Kanikkonna'', ''Muthassante Kannuneeru'' and ''Orupiti Avilu'' are some of her notable works and her poems have been compiled under one title, ''Kadahanattu Madhaviammyute Kavithakal'' (1990). Madhavi Amma was married to A. K. Kunjukrishnan Nambiar, a relative of the noted communist leader and politician, and the couple had four daughters and two sons; Bharathi, Chandrika, Shyamala, Annapoornna, Raghunath and Babu. She died on 24 December 1999 at the age of 90. Her life has been documented in a biography, written by Kadathanattu Narayanan and published by

Kerala Sahithya Akademi Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Cana ...

under the title, ''Madhavi Amma: Kavithayude Graamasree''.

Awards and honours

The Kerala Sahitya Akademi awarded Madhavi Amma the annual award for overall contributions in 1996. She was also a recipient of the Changampuzha Award and Ramashramam Award.

Selected bibliography

Poetry

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Novel

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Folk tale

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Short story

Biography

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Madhavi Amma, Kadathanat Writers from Kerala Malayalam-language writers 1909 births 1999 deaths Malayali people 20th-century Indian poets People from Kozhikode district 20th-century Indian women writers Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian biographers Women biographers

Biography

Awards and honours

Selected bibliography

Poetry

Novel

Folk tale

Short story

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links