Autobiography of poet kamala das

Indian poet and author (1934–2009)

"Madhavikutty" redirects here. For the 1973 film, see Madhavikutty (film).

Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009), popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das, was an Indian poet in English as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India. Her fame in Kerala primarily stems from her short stories and autobiography, My Story, whereas her body of work in English, penned under the pseudonym Kamala Das, is renowned for its poems and candid autobiography. Her works are known for originality, versatility and indigenous flavour of the soil. She was also a widely read columnist and wrote on diverse topics including women's issues, child care, politics, etc. Her liberal treatment of female sexuality, marked her as an iconoclast in popular culture of her generation. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at Jehangir Hospital in Pune.

Early life and childhood

Kamala Das was born in Punnayurkulam, Ponnani taluk, Malabar District, British India (present-day Thrissur district, Kerala) on 31 March 1934, to V. M. Nair, a managing editor of the widely circulated Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi, and Nalapat Balamani Amma, a renowned Malayali family.^[2]

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Kamala Surayya, also known as Suraiyya or Madhavikutty, was a noteworthy Indian English poet and litterateur and a leading Malayalam novelist from Kerala, India. Her short tales and autobiography are her most popular works in Kerala, but her English output, published under Kamala Das, is known for its fiery poetry and graphic autobiography. She gained a lot of appreciation due to her honest presentation on female sexuality, free of any sense of shame, which gave her work a power that distinguished her as a generation's iconoclast. She died on May 31, 2009, at the age of 75, in a Pune hospital.

Early Life

On March 31, 1934, Kamala Das was born in Punnayurkulam, Thrissur District, Kerala, to V. M. Nair, former managing editor of the Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi and Nalappatt Balamani Amma, a renowned Malayali poetess.

She spends most of his childhood days in Punnayurkulam and Calcutta. Her father worked as a senior executive for the Walford Transport Company, which marketed Bentley and Rolls Royce vehicles. Kamala Das, like her mother, was a gifted writer. Her passion for poetry developed at a young age due to her great uncle, famed writer Nalappatt Narayana Menon. She married Madhava Das, a bank official, at the age of 15, who encouraged her literary ambitions, and she began writing and publishing in both English and Malayalam. It was a tumultuous decade for the arts in Calcutta during the 1960s, and Kamala Das was among various voices that rose to prominence alongside Indian English poets and appeared in cult anthologies.

Personal Life

Kamala Das was the mother of three sons. M D Nalapat, Chinnen Das, and Jayasurya Daswere Kamala Das' three sons. Madhav Das Nalapat, the eldest, is married to princess Lakshmi Bayi of the Travancore Royal House (daughter of Princess Pooyam Thirunal Gouri Parvati Bayi and Sri Chembrol Raja Raja Varma Avargal). He is the UNESCO Peace Chair and a geopolitics professor at

1973 book by Kamala Das

My Story is an autobiographical book written by Indian author and poet Kamala Das (also known as Kamala Surayya or Madhavikutty). The book was originally published in Malayalam, titled Ente Katha. The book evoked violent reactions of admiration and criticism among the readers and critics. It remains to date the best-selling woman's autobiography in India.

My Story is a chronologically ordered, linear narrative written in a realist style. In the book, Das recounts the trials of her marriage and her painful self-awakening as a woman and writer. The entire account written in the format of a novel. Though My Story was supposed to be an autobiography, Das later admitted that there was plenty of fiction in it.

Plot summary

The book, with 50 chapters, follows Aami's (Kamala) life from age four through British colonial and missionary schools in Calcutta where she had to face racist discrimination; through the brutal and indulgent relationship with her husband; through her sexual awakening; her literary career; extramarital affairs; the birth of her children; and, finally, a slow but steady coming to terms with her spouse, writing, and sexuality. She mostly upholds her personal self in her autobiography rather than the political and social upheaval predominant during the war of independence in the then India.

Publication

Ente Katha was serialised in 1972 in the now defunct Malayalanadu weekly, a literary magazine published by S. K. Nair. The novel not only created a literar