Kamala Das, well known poet and writer in Malayalam and English who converted to Islam a decade ago, died in Pune early on Sunday, family sources said. She was 75.
She suffered from diabetes and was recently hospitalised with pneumonia. The end came in a private hospital, a family source said.
Kamala Das alias Madhavikutty alias Kamala Surayya was a rebellious writer whose daring writings made her an icon of her generation. From writing about the hidden feelings of the female mind to converting from Hinduism to Islam, Kamala also kept courting controversies all her life.
Born in the literary household of Nalappat at Punnayoorkulam in north Kerala to M K Menon and well-known poetess Balamaniyamma, Kamala Das’ growth as a writer was natural. She became a writer only after her marriage to Madhava Das at the tender age of 14.
Kamala Das’ first poetry collection Summer in Calcutta announced her arrival to the literary world. Her works mostly centred on the woman’s longing for love and her restrictions in society. Her autobiography My Story published in 1976 gave her international acclaim and was translated to over 15 languages.
An Introduction, The Descendants, Alphabet of Lust and Only The Soul Knows How To Sing echoed voices of restricted women in a conservative society. However, a section of critics criticised her works for encouraging extramarital relations.
Madhavikutty herself has said in an interview that her life as a writer was tough. She wrote poems, short stories, novels, newspaper columns and even painted.
Madhavikutty’s renowned works in Malayalam were mostly short stories and poems. Her novel Neermathalam Poothappol got the appreciation of even her critics. She had received a clutch of awards including Asian Poetry Prize, Kent Award for English Writing from Asian Countries and Asan World Prize. Her latest brush with controversy was her conversion to Islam in 1999. Her statement “I converted my Krishna to Islam,” stirred a hornet’s nest in Kerala. However she was bold in her decisions and continued her life according to Muslim beliefs.
She left her flat in Kochi two years ago to settle in Pune with her youngest son Jayasurya Das. M D Nalapatt and Chinnan Das are her other two sons. Kamala Das’ body will be brought to the state on Monday and will be buried with state honours at the Palayam Juma Masjid in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.