Sugathakumari (22 January 1934 – 23 December 2020) 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 ...

and activist, who was at the forefront of environmental and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

movements in

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 ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...

. Her parents were the poet and freedom fighter

Bodheswaran Bodheswaran (28 December 1901 – 3 July 1990), (also known as Bodheswarananda), was an Indian independence activist, social reformer and a poet of Malayalam literature. He was known for his nationalistic poems such as ''Keralaganam'' and for hi ...

and V. K. Karthiyayini Amma, a

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 ...

scholar. She was the founder secretary of the Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi, an organisation for the protection of nature, and of Abhaya, a home for destitute women and a day-care centre for the mentally ill. She chaired the Kerala State Women's Commission. She played a prominent role in the

Save Silent Valley Save Silent Valley was a social movement aimed at the protection of Silent Valley, an evergreen sub-tropical forest in the Palakkad district of Kerala, India. It was started in 1973 by an NGO led by Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) to save ...

protest. Sugathakumari's notable works included ''Muthuchippikal, Pathirapookkal, Krishna Kavithakal, Ratrimazha,'' and ''Manalezhuthu.'' She won numerous awards and recognitions including

Kerala Sahitya 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.

(1968),

Kendra 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 ...

(1978),

Odakkuzhal Award ''Odakkuzhal'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by P. N. Menon and produced by M. P. Navakumar. The film stars Sheela, Jose Prakash, P. J. Antony and Alummoodan in the lead roles. The film has musical score by M. K. Arjunan ...

(1982),

Vayalar Award The Vayalar Award is given for the best literary work in Malayalam. The award was instituted in 1977 by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust in memory of the poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma (1928-1975). A sum of 25,000, a silver plate and ce ...

(1984), Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award (1986), Asan Prize (1991),

Vallathol Award Vallathol Award is a literary award given by the Vallathol Sahithya Samithi for contribution to Malayalam literature. The award was instituted in 1991 in memory of Vallathol Narayana Menon Vallathol Narayana Menon (Malayalam: വള്ളത ...

(2003),

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 ...

Fellowship (2004),

Ezhuthachan Puraskaram The Ezhuthachan Puraskaram is the highest literary honour is given by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Government of Kerala. The award is named after Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, the father of the Malayalam language and consists of a cash prize of 5,00,00 ...

(2009),

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 ...

(2012),

Mathrubhumi Literary Award Mathrubhumi Literary Award (also known as Mathrubhumi Sahitya Puraskaram) is a literary award instituted in 2001 by leading Malayalam daily ''Mathrubhumi''. A sum of 3 lakh, a plaque and citation constitute the award. The award is conferred as a ...

(2014) and O. N. V. Literary Award (2017). In 2006, she was honoured with

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour.

Early life

Sugathakumari was born in

Aranmula Aranmula is a temple town in the state of Kerala, India. It is known as the cultural capital of Pathanamthitta district, located at a distance of around 116 km from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, it is situated on the banks of the ...

on 22 January 1934 in the modern day southern Indian state of Kerala (then in the

Kingdom of Travancore The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

). Her father Keshava Pillai, known as

, was a famous

Gandhian The followers of Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest figure of the Indian independence movement, are called Gandhians. Gandhi's legacy includes a wide range of ideas ranging from his dream of ideal India (or ''Rama Rajya)'', economics, environmentalism, ...

thinker and writer, who was involved in the country's freedom struggle. V. K. Karthiyayini Amma, her mother, was a well-known scholar and teacher of

. Sugathakumari was the second of the three daughters of her parents, following an elder sister named Hrdayakumari, and preceding a younger sister named Sujatha Devi, both of them who excelled in literary field. After graduating from the University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Sugathakumari completed her master's degree in philosophy from

Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, also known as H.H. The Maharaja's College for Women, is one of the oldest women's college located in Trivandrum, Kerala. It was established in the year 1864 under the University of Madras. Acade ...

in 1955, and spent three years researching on the topic of 'Comparative Study of the Concept of Moksha in Indian Schools of Philosophy', but did not complete the thesis. Sugathakumari was the former state vice president of Kerala Students Uniun KSU ... ..she worked KSU 3 years 1959 1962

Literary career

Sugathakumari's first poem, which she published under a pseudonym in a weekly journal in 1957, attracted wide attention. In 1968, Sugathakumari won the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing poetry of literary merit. It is one of the twelve categories of the Kerala Sahitya A ...

for her work ''Pathirappookal'' (''Flowers of Midnight''). ''Raathrimazha'' (''Night Rain'') won the

Kendra Sahitya Academy 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 ...

in 1978. Her other collections include ''Paavam Manavahridayam, Muthuchippi, Manalezhuth, Irulchirakukal'' and ''Swapnabhoomi''. Sugathakumari's earlier poetry mostly dealt with the tragic quest for love and is considered more lyrical than her later works, in which the quiet, lyrical sensibility is replaced by increasingly feminist responses to social disorder and injustice. Environmental issues and other contemporary problems are also sharply portrayed in her poetry. Sugathakumari has been described as among the most sensitive and most philosophical of contemporary Malayalam poets. Her poetry drew on her sadness. In an interview, she said, "I have been inspired to write mostly through my emotional upheavals; few of my poems can be called joyous. But these days I feel I'm slowly walking away from it all, to a world that is futile or meaningless". Sugathakumari's most famous works include ''Raathrimazha'', ''Ambalamani (temple bell)'' and ''Manalezhuthu''. Sugathakumari also wrote children's literature, receiving an Award for Lifetime Contribution to Children's Literature, instituted by the State Institute of Children's Literature, in 2008. She also translated many pieces of work into Malayalam. She won numerous other awards for her literary works, including the

and

, the highest literary honour from the Government of Kerala. In 2004, she was given the

Fellowship. She won the

in 2012, being only the third Malayalam writer to do so. She also won the Pandit Karuppan Award. She was the principal of Kerala State Jawahar Balabhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. She was the founding chief editor of ''Thaliru'', a children's magazine published by Kerala State Institute of Children's Literature.

Social activism

A committed conservationist, Sugathakumari served as the secretary of the Society for Conservation of Nature, Thiruvananthapuram. In the late 1970s she led a successful nationwide movement, known as

, to save some of the oldest natural forests in the country, the Silent Valley in Kerala, from submersion as a result of a planned hydroelectric project. Her poem ''Marathinu Stuthi'' (Ode to a Tree) became a symbol for the protest from the intellectual community and was the opening song of most of the Save Silent Valley campaign meetings. She was the founding secretary of the Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi, an organisation for the protection of nature. She was also actively involved with various women's movements of the 1970s and served as the chair of the Kerala State Women's Commission. Sugathakumari also founded Abhaya (refuge), an organisation that provides shelter to female mental patients, after being appalled at conditions in the government-run mental hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. Three women led by social activist and artist G. Geetha, demanded a probe into the rape of a Dalit inmate woman by two counselors and the hostel warden of 'Abhaya' in 2002. Sugathakumari received the Bhattia Award for Social Science, the Sacred Soul International Award, the Lakshmi Award for social service, and the first Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award from the Government of India for her efforts in environmental conservation and afforestation.

Personal life

Sugathakumari's husband Dr. K. Velayudhan Nair (died 2003) was an educationist and writer who was an expert in educational psychology. They had a daughter, Lekshmi Devi. Sugathakumari's elder sister

Hridayakumari Hridayakumari (1930 – 8 November 2014) was an Indian writer, educator, scholar, translator, and orator. She wrote primarily in the Malayalam language, and in 1991, was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award for her book, ''Kalpanikatha''. Car ...

was a literary critic, orator and educationist. The Kerala government declared Sugathakumari's ancestral house, Vazhuvelil Tharavadu, as a protected monument on her 84th birthday. Sugathakumari died on 23 December 2020, due to complications from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in India The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , according to Indian government figures, India has the second-highest n ...

, at the

Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram The Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram (also known as Thiruvananthapuram Medical College or Trivandrum Medical College) is in Thiruvananthapuram (the capital of Kerala), India. Founded in 1951, it was inaugurated by Prime Minister J ...

, thirty days short from her 87th birthday. She was cremated with full state honours at Santhikavadam crematorium in Thiruvananthapuram on the same day.

Works

*''Mutthuchippi'' (''Pearl and Oyster''; 1961) *''Pathirappookkal'' (''Midnight Flowers''; 1967) *''Paavam Pavam Manava Hrudayam'' (''Poor Human Heart''; 1968) *''Pranamam'' (''Salutation''; 1969) *''Irul Chirakukal'' (''The Wings of Darkness''; 1969) *''Raathrimazha'' (''Night Rain''; 1977) *''Ambalamani'' (''Temple Bell''; 1981) *''Kurinjippookkal'' (''Kurinji Flowers''; 1987) Pavada was also one of her works *''Thulaavarshappacha'' (''The Monsoon Green''; 1990) *''Radhayevide'' (''Where is Radha?''; 1995) *''Devadasi'' (1998) *''Manalezhuthu'' (''The Writing on the Sand''; 2006) *''Abhisarika'' *''Sugathakumariyude Kavithakal'' (2006) *''Krishnakavithakal'' (2008) *''Megham Vannu Thottappol'' (2010) *''Poovazhi Maruvazhi'' *''Kaadinu Kaaval''

Awards and recognitions

Civilian honours

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Literary awards

* 1968:

for ''Pathirappookkal'' * 1978:

for ''Rathrimazha'' * 1982:

for ''Ambalamani'' * 1984:

for ''Ambalamani'' * 1990: Asan Prize * 2001: Lalithambika Sahitya Award * 2003:

* 2004:

Fellowship * 2004: Balamaniamma Award * 2007: P. Kunhiraman Nair Award for ''Manalezhuthu'' * 2008: Mahakavi Pandalam Keralavarma Poetry Award * 2008: Award for Lifetime Contribution to Children's Literature * 2009: Ezhuthachan Award * 2009: Basheer Puraskaram * 2012:

for ''Manalezhuthu'' * 2013: PKV Award for Literature * 2013: Pandit Karuppan Award * 2014: VT Literary Award * 2014:

* 2014:

Thoppil Bhasi Award This is a list of literary awards given for Malayalam, Malayalam–language. ---- Jnanapeetam Award (Jnanpith) Jnanpith Award, India's most prestigious literary honour, was won by the following Malayalam authors. Other major awards and their ...

* 2017: O. N. V. Literary Award * 2017:

P. Kesavadev Literary Award The P. Kesavadev Literary Award is an Indian literary award presented annually by P. Kesavadev Trust to writers in Malayalam literature. The award is named after renowned Malayalam writer P. Kesavadev P. Kesava Pillai (20 July 1904 – 1 July 1 ...

* 2019:

Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan Award This is a list of literary awards given for Malayalam–language. ---- Jnanapeetam Award (Jnanpith) Jnanpith Award, India's most prestigious literary honour, was won by the following Malayalam authors. Other major awards and their winners a ...

Other awards

* 1986: Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award * 2006: Panampilly Prathibha Puraskaram * 2007: Streesakti Award * 2007: K. Kunhirama Kurup Award * 2009: M.T.Chandrasenan Award

References

External links

* * *
Leading Lights – Smt. Sugathakumari

Sugathakumari excerpts from an Interview
{{Authority control 1934 births 2020 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in India Novelists from Kerala Indian women novelists Malayalam-language writers Malayalam poets Activists from Kerala Indian women activists Indian women's rights activists Indian conservationists Indian human rights activists Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education University College Thiruvananthapuram alumni Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam Recipients of the Ezhuthachan Award Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Indian women poets Indian women children's writers Indian children's writers People from Aranmula 20th-century Indian poets 21st-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian novelists 21st-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian women writers 21st-century Indian women writers 21st-century Indian writers Women writers from Kerala Indian women environmentalists Poets from Kerala Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India