Balamani Amma
| Balamani Amma | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
19 July 1909 Punnayurkulam, Malabar District, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Died | 29 September 2004 (aged 95) Kochi, Kerala, India |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Notable awards | Padma Bhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award, Saraswati Samman, Asan Prize, Ezhuthachan Award |
| Spouse | V. M. Nair |
| Children | Kamala Das, Sulochana, Mohandas, Shyam Sunder |
Nalapat Balamani Amma (19 July 1909 – 29 September 2004) was an Indian poet who wrote in Malayalam. She was a prolific writer and was known as the Poetess of Motherhood. Amma (Mother), Muthassi (Grandmother), and Mazhuvinte Katha (The story of the Axe) were some of her well-known works. She was a recipient of many awards and honours, including Padma Bhushan,Saraswati Samman, Sahitya Akademi Award, and Ezhuthachan Award. She was the mother of the renowned writer Kamala Das.
Balamani Amma was born on 19 July 1909 to Chittanjoor Kunhunni Raja and Nalapat Kochukutti amma at Nalappat, her ancestral home in Punnayurkulam of Thrissur district in Kerala. Though she received no formal education, the tutelage under her maternal uncle and the poet Nalapat Narayana Menon and his collection of books helped her become a poet. She was influenced by Nalapat Narayana Menon and poet Vallathol Narayana Menon. Padmabhushan Naalappat Balamani Amma popularly known as Balamani Amma (19 July 1909 – 29 September 2004) was a Malayali poet. She is often called as the grandmother of Malayalam literature. She was the mother of the famous writer Kamala Das. She had written 500 poems and had received the nation’s highest literary award Saraswathi Samman. Her famous poetry collections are Nivedyam, Sopaanam and Lokantharangalil. Balamani Amma got married at the age of 19 to V. M. Nair who later became the managing director and Managing Editor of Mathrubhumi, a widely circulated Malayalam newspaper. She had left for Kolkata after her marriage to live with her husband who was employed as a senior officer in the Walford Transport Company that sold Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles. V. M. Nair died in 1977. Balamani Amma was the mother of the renowned writer Kamala Das who has translated one of her mother's poems, The Pen, which describes the loneliness of a mother. Mohandas, Shyam Sunder, and Sulochana Nalapat are her other children. Balamani Amma died on 29 September 2004 after having suffered from Alzheimer's disease for nearly five years.
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