Sugathakumari Explained

Sugathakumari
Birth Name:Sugathakumari
Birth Date:1934 1, df=yes
Birth Place:Aranmula, Quilon, Travancore[1]
Death Place:Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Language:Malayalam
Period:1957–2020
Children:1
Parents:Keshava Pillai a.k.a Bodheswaran (father)[2]
V. K. Karthiyayini Amma (mother)

Sugathakumari (22 January 1934 – 23 December 2020) was an Indian poet and activist, who was at the forefront of environmental and feminist movements in Kerala, India.

Early life

Sugathakumari was born in Aranmula on 22 January 1934 in the modern day southern Indian state of Kerala (then in the Kingdom of Travancore). Her father Keshava Pillai, known as Bodheswaran, was a famous Gandhian 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 Sanskrit.[3] 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 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 Union (KSU). She worked at KSU for 3 years, from 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 for her work Pathirappookal (Flowers of Midnight).[4] Raathrimazha (Night Rain) won the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award in 1978.[5] 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.[6] [7] Environmental issues and other contemporary problems are also sharply portrayed in her poetry.[8]

Sugathakumari has been described as among the most sensitive and most philosophical of contemporary Malayalam poets.[9] 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".[10] 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.[11]

She won numerous other awards for her literary works, including the Vayalar Award and Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, the highest literary honour from the Government of Kerala. In 2004, she was given the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship. She won the Saraswati Samman 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.[12]

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 Save Silent Valley, 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.[13] 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 chairperson of the Kerala State Women's Commission.[14]

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.[15] [16] [17] [18]

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.[9]

Personal life

Sugathakumari's husband Dr. K. Velayudhan Nair (died 2003) was an educationist and writer who was an expert in educational psychology.[19] They had a daughter, Lekshmi Devi.[20] Sugathakumari's elder sister Hridayakumari was a literary critic, orator and educationist.[21] [22] Her younger sister B. Sujatha Devi was also a writer. The Kerala government declared Sugathakumari's ancestral house, Vazhuvelil Tharavadu, as a protected monument on her 84th birthday.[23]

Sugathakumari died on 23 December 2020, due to complications from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, thirty days short from her 87th birthday.[24] [25] [26] She was cremated with full state honours at Santhikavadam crematorium in Thiruvananthapuram on the same day.

Works

Awards and recognitions

Civilian honours

Literary awards

Other awards

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Alleppey . 1975 . Abraham . A . Iyer . K.V. Krishra . 1 . Sri. A . Sreedhaka Menon . Trivandurm . Kerala Gazetteers . . 2024-04-02.
  2. Web site: Sugathakumari (1934- 2020): A nature loving poet, liberal feminist and activist . 2024-07-08 . Onmanorama.
  3. Book: Women Writing in India: The twentieth century . 2 . Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present . Susie J. . Tharu . Ke . Lalita . Feminist Press . 1993 . 399 . 978-1-55861-029-3 . 11 October 2011.
  4. Web site: Sugathakumari (1934- 2020): A nature loving poet, liberal feminist and activist. 24 December 2020. OnManorama.
  5. Web site: Malayalam poet-activist Sugathakumari dies of COVID-19. 24 December 2020. Sify. en.
  6. Web site: Sugathakumari, Eminent Malayalam Poet And Activist Dies. 24 December 2020. NDTV.com.
  7. Book: Tharu. Susie J.. Women Writing in India: The twentieth century. Lalita. Ke. 1991. Feminist Press at CUNY. 978-1-55861-029-3. en.
  8. Web site: 23 December 2020. Eminent poet-activist Sugathakumari passes away. 24 December 2020. National Herald. en.
  9. Book: Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: sasay to zorgot, Volume 5. Sahitya Akademi. Mohan Lal. 4211, 4212.
  10. News: A pleasant surprise. 27 January 2006. 27 May 2013. Thiruvananthapuram, India . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060906090939/http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/27/stories/2006012719490300.htm . The Hindu. 6 September 2006.
  11. News: Raju. Anupama. 1 February 2018. An evergreen voice in verse. en-IN. The Hindu. 24 December 2020. 0971-751X.
  12. News: Saraswati Samman for Sugathakumari. 18 March 2013. Kerala Kaumudi. Kaumudiglobal.com. 27 May 2013.
  13. Sridevi Mohan (24 April 2004). "Bio-reserve nonpareil". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  14. News: Status of women declining: Sugathakumari. https://web.archive.org/web/20020129215035/http://www.hindu.com/2000/11/03/stories/0403404f.htm. dead. 29 January 2002. The Hindu. 3 November 2000. 27 May 2013. Thiruvananthapuram, India.
  15. Web site: 1 January 2005. Kerala: holy cows in sex scandals. 21 March 2021. The Milli Gazette. en.
  16. Web site: 5 January 1996. The NI Interview. 24 December 2020. New Internationalist. en.
  17. Web site: Abhaya- a home for the homeless - celebrating 30th anniv. 24 December 2020. Mathrubhumi. 21 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201021141227/https://english.mathrubhumi.com/women/features/abhaya-a-home-for-the-homeless-celebrating-30th-anniv-english-news-1.749500. dead.
  18. Web site: Poet Sugathakumari's Abhaya is a lifeline for Kerala's blighted souls Outlook India Magazine. 24 December 2020. Outlook India.
  19. News: 22 September 2013. Educationist Velayudhan Nair dead. The Times of India. Indiatimes.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20131103232317/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-09-22/thiruvananthapuram/27181128_1_k-velayudhan-nair-educationist-velayudhan-nair-ncert. dead. 3 November 2013. 27 May 2013.
  20. Web site: Eminent poet-activist Sugathakumari no more. 24 December 2020. Outlook India.
  21. Web site: 23 December 2020. Sugathakumari, a pensive poet who fought for nature and mankind, passes away. 24 December 2020. The News Minute. en.
  22. Web site: Poet Sugathakumari passes away. 24 December 2020. Mathrubhumi. en. 23 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201223055248/https://english.mathrubhumi.com/books/books-news/poet-sugathakumari-passes-away-1.5302473. dead.
  23. Web site: TNN. Jan 23, 2018. Poet Sugathakumari's ancestral home declared protected monument Thiruvananthapuram News - Times of India. 26 December 2019. The Times of India. en.
  24. News: Renowned Malayalam poet-activist Sugathakumari dies of covid-19 complications. Indian Express . 23 December 2020 . 23 December 2020.
  25. News: Eminent poet-activist Sugathakumari no more. . 23 December 2020 . 23 December 2020.
  26. Web site: കവി സുഗതകുമാരി അന്തരിച്ചു; കൊവിഡ് ബാധിതയായിരുന്നു. Asianetnews.com.
  27. Book: Sugathakumari . Muthuchippi . Mathrubhumi Books . 1961 . 9788182667174 . 104.
  28. Web site: Sugathakumari: The Artist of Poetic Skills and a Classic Example of Feminism Activist . 3 January 2018 . Be An Inspirer . en-US . 23 January 2019.
  29. Book: Sugathakumari . Pavam Manava Hrudayam . 1968 . Poorna Publications . ml . 23 January 2019 . 24 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190124041336/http://library.uoc.ac.in/find/Record/86071 . dead .
  30. Book: Kumari, Sugatha . Pranamam . 1969 . Kerala Gandhi Smarakanidhi . ml.
  31. Book: Sugathakumari . Irul chirakukal . 1969 . ml . 23 January 2019 . 23 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190123223847/http://library.uoc.ac.in/find/Record/70378 . dead .
  32. Book: Sugathakumari . Raathrimazha . DC Books . 1977.
  33. Book: Sugathakumari . Ambalamani . National Book Stall . 1981 . 200 . B01MSHM39L.
  34. Book: Sugathakumari . Kurinjipookal . 1988 . DC Books . ml . 23 January 2019 . 23 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190123223147/http://library.uoc.ac.in/find/Record/262349 . dead .
  35. Web site: DC Books-Online BookStore . 23 January 2019 . onlinestore.dcbooks.com . 23 January 2019 . 23 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190123223436/https://onlinestore.dcbooks.com/authors/sugathakumari?t=1 . dead .
  36. Book: Sugatakumāri . Rādhayevitde? . 1995 . ḌC Books . 8171304540 . Kottayam . 33357448.
  37. Book: Sugatakumāri . Dēvadāsi . 1998 . Ḍi. Si. Buks . 8171308007 . Kottayam . 42737193.
  38. Book: Sugathakumari . Manalezhuth .
  39. Web site: An evergreen voice in verse . Raju . Anupama . 1 February 2018 . The Hindu . en-IN . 23 January 2019.
  40. Book: Sugathakumari . Sugathakumariyude Kavithakal . 2006 . DC Books . ml . 23 January 2019 . 23 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190123223834/http://library.uoc.ac.in/find/Record/85162 . dead .
  41. Book: Sugathakumari . Krishnakavithakal . 2008 . DC Books . ml . 23 January 2019 . 23 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190123223832/http://library.uoc.ac.in/find/Record/85696 . dead .
  42. Book: Sugathakumari . Megham Vannu Thottappol . 2010 . DC Books . 9788126426065 . Kottayam . 607660686.
  43. Book: Sugathakumari . Poovazhi Maruvazhi . DC Books . 74 . B077P56ZP6.
  44. Book: Sugathakumari . Kaadinu Kaaval . DC Books.
  45. http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/ksa/Awards/poetry.htm "Kerala Sahithya Akademi Winners for Poetry (1959–2003)"
  46. Web site: Kendra Sahitya Academy Awards (Malayalam) . . https://web.archive.org/web/20070524212356/http://www.prd.kerala.gov.in/awards.htm . 24 May 2007 . dead . 11 April 2011.
  47. Web site: Asan Memorial Association Awards . Asan Memorial Association . 23 December 2020 . 5 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210605002603/https://www.asaneducation.com/asan_association/awards.html#list . dead .
  48. Web site: Sugathakumari, the 'greenest' poet of Kerala who fought for nature and women. 24 December 2020. The Week. en.
  49. Web site: PTI. Oct 4, 2003. Sugatha Kumari gets Vallathol prize Thiruvananthapuram News - Times of India. 24 December 2020. The Times of India. en.
  50. News: Award for Sugathakumari . https://web.archive.org/web/20040504053234/http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/13/stories/2004031302410500.htm. dead. 4 May 2004. 13 March 2004. 27 May 2013. . Trichur, India.
  51. News: Antony to present Akademi Fellowship . https://web.archive.org/web/20040924202212/http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/10/stories/2004081003460300.htm. dead. 24 September 2004. 10 August 2004. 27 May 2013. . Trichur, India.
  52. Web site: Smt. Sugathakumari. 24 December 2020. Kerala Tourism. en.
  53. Web site: 2014 . Sugathakumari: "Ich bin stolz, eine Frau zu sein!" . Annakutty Valiamangalam K. Findeis . de . Universität Heidelberg . 2024-07-11 .
  54. https://www.namboothiri.com/articles/awards.htm "Awards, Trusts and Scholarships: 2: Deviprasaadam Trust"
  55. Web site: Winners list of P. Kunhiraman Nair Award. 24 December 2020. www.keralaculture.org. en.
  56. Web site: Pandalam Kerala Varma award for Sugathakumari. 24 December 2020. Outlook India.
  57. News: Award for Sugathakumari . https://web.archive.org/web/20081201100729/http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/23/stories/2008042355141000.htm. dead. 1 December 2008. 23 April 2008. 27 May 2013. . Thiruvananthapuram, India.
  58. News: Ezhuthachan Puraskaram for Sugathakumari. https://web.archive.org/web/20091124231733/http://www.hindu.com/2009/11/14/stories/2009111455520700.htm. dead. 24 November 2009. 27 May 2013. The Hindu. 14 November 2009.
  59. News: Award for Sugathakumari . https://web.archive.org/web/20090709205313/http://www.hindu.com/2009/07/05/stories/2009070560410500.htm. dead. 9 July 2009. 5 July 2009. 27 May 2013. . Kochi, India.
  60. News: Basheer award presented . https://web.archive.org/web/20091215222448/http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/10/stories/2009121060490300.htm. dead. 15 December 2009. 10 December 2009. 27 May 2013. . Kochi, India.
  61. Web site: Recipients Since 1995 . 23 January 2019 . www.pravasidoha.org . 23 January 2019 . 20 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191220055118/http://www.pravasidoha.org/basheerpuraskaram.htm . dead .
  62. News: Press Trust of India. Saraswati Samman for Sugathakumari . The Hindu. 19 March 2013. New Delhi, India.
  63. Web site: പി.കെ.വി പുരസ്‌ക്കാരം സുഗതകുമാരിയ്ക്ക് . ml . PKV Award to Sugathakumari . DC Books . 3 April 2013 . 27 May 2013.
  64. Web site: സുഗതകുമാരിക്ക് പണ്ഡിറ്റ് കറുപ്പന്‍ പുരസ്‌കാരം . ml . Pandit Karuppan to Sugathakumari . DC Books . 21 May 2013 . 27 May 2013.
  65. News: VT literary award presented . 24 October 2014. The Hindu. 17 September 2014.
  66. News: Mathrubhumi award for Sugathakumari . 2 October 2014. The Hindu. 2 October 2014.
  67. Web site: തോപ്പില്‍ ഭാസി പുരസ്‌കാരം സുഗതകുമാരിക്ക്. 2 January 2015. DC Books.
  68. News: O.N.V. Literary Award for Sugathakumari . 3 May 2017 . . en-IN . 18 December 2020.
  69. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/poet-sugathakumari-receives-kesavadev-literary-award/articleshow/59689654.cms "Poet Sugathakumari receives Kesavadev Literary Award"
  70. https://english.mathrubhumi.com/books/books-news/sugathakumari-receives-kadammanitta-ramakrishnan-award--1.3693747 "Sugathakumari receives Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan Award"
  71. News: Award for Sugathakumari . https://web.archive.org/web/20071012040421/http://hindu.com/2006/09/26/stories/2006092600950200.htm. dead. 12 October 2007. 26 September 2006. 27 May 2013. . Kochi, India.
  72. News: Award presented to Sugathakumari . https://archive.today/20130629104657/http://www.hindu.com/2007/06/02/stories/2007060207270300.htm. dead. 29 June 2013. 2 June 2007. 27 May 2013. . Kochi, India.
  73. News: Award for Sugathakumari . https://web.archive.org/web/20071209121610/http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/06/stories/2007120650240200.htm. dead. 9 December 2007. 6 December 2007. 27 May 2013. . Kozhikode, India.
  74. News: Award for Sugathakumari . https://web.archive.org/web/20090821183310/http://www.hindu.com/2009/08/17/stories/2009081756250300.htm. dead. 21 August 2009. 17 August 2009. 27 May 2013. . Alappuzha, India.

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