THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Malayalam’s very own Balamani Amma’s soulful poetry found a resonance across the globe on Tuesday when Google came up with a special doodle on the late poet, popularly known as the doyen of Malayalam poetry. On her 113th birthday on Tuesday, Google paid rich tribute to Malayalam poetry’s grandma with a doodle illustration by Kerala-based artist Devika Ramachandran. The doodle shows Balamani Amma sitting with a cup of hot filter coffee, surrounded by books on the verandah of an old traditional Kerala house balanced on a wonderfully crafted violet lotus at the base, creating an alluring imagery.
In her poems, she has depicted the plight of motherhood in a patriarchal society and tried to delve into the deeper inner-self of women characters. She depicted women as powerful characters and glorified motherhood through her poems.“Balamani Amma’s poems are not just limited to the description of a mother’s affection juxtaposed with a patriarchal society. But her poems also reveal the women’s domestic scuffle within the four corners of the home,” said Malayalam critic P K Rajesakharan.
Balamani Amma was the recipient of several awards and honours, including India’s acclaimed literary awards like Saraswati Samman 1995 and Sahitya Akademi Award 1965, and Padma Vibhushan in 1987. Balamani Amma is the mother of acclaimed poet Kamala Surayya who translated her mother’s poem ‘The Pen’, which dwells on the loneliness of a mother.
In 1930, at the age of 21, she published her first poem ‘Kooppukai’.She received her first recognition as a gifted poet from the ruler of Cochin, Parikshit Thampuaran, who awarded her the Sahithya Nipuna Puraskaram.At the tender age of 19, she was married to V M Nair, managing director and editor of ‘Mathrubhumi’ newspaper. Balamani Amma died in 2004.
Balamani Amma was born in her ancestral home in Thrissur district on July 19, 1909. She never received formal education or training, but was home-schooled by her uncle Nalapat Narayana Menon, also an acclaimed Malayalam poet. It was her uncle’s library and large collection of books that influenced her poetic self.
Balamani Amma: How Google Doodle is paying tribute to Malayalam poet on her 113th birth anniversary?
Google is celebrating the acclaimed Indian poet Balamani Amma on her 113th birth anniversary with a special doodle dedicated to her. Balamani Amma continues to be known as the ‘amma’ (mother) and ‘muthassi’ (grandmother) of Malayalam poetry and was the recipient of various awards and honours.
Balamani Amma Poems: Google on July 19, 2022, is celebrating the acclaimed Indian poet Balamani Amma on her 113th birth anniversary with a special doodle dedicated to her. Balamani Amma continues to be known as the ‘amma’ (mother) and ‘muthassi’ (grandmother) of Malayalam poetry. Poet Balamani Amma was the recipient of various awards and honours including Padma Bhushan in 1987, Sahitya Akademi Award in 1965, and Saraswati Samman in 1995.
Google Doodle celebrated Banamani Amma with an image of the poet where she can be seen sitting between the books and writing in a white saree. Balamani Amma has inspired generations of Malayalam poets. The Kochi International Book Fair gives a cash prize for the writers in her name, known as the Balamani Amma Award.
As Google Doodle honours Banamani Amma on her 113th birth anniversary, know more about her life, poems, and legacy that she has left for the generations to come.
Who was Balamani Amma?
Google Doodle on July 19, 2022, is celebrating the 113th birth anniversary of Balamani Amma, a famous Indian port who is also known as the Grandmother of Malayalam literature. She was born on this day in 1909 in Nalapat, her ancestral home in Punnayurkulam located in Thrissur District.
Balamani Amma was the recipient of multiple prestigious awards for poetry including the Saraswati Samman and Padma Bhushan.
Balamani Amma never received any formal training or education and was instead schooled at home by her uncle Nalappat Narayan Menon, who was also a popular Malayali Poet. At the age of 19, Balamani Amma married V.M. Nair, the Managing Director and the Managing Editor of Mathrubhumi, a Malayalam Newspaper.
Balamani Amma was also the mother of Kamala Das, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature in 1984. She passed away on September 29, 2004, in Kochi, Kerala at the age of 95.
Google Doodle pays tribute to Balamani Amma
Google on July 19, 2022, paid tribute to the renowned Indian poet Balamani Amma on her 113th birth anniversary. The tech giant paid tribute to Balamani Amma, known as the Grandmother of Malayalam Poetry through a Doodle which was illustrated by Kerala-based artist Devika Ramachandran. The Google Doodle of Balamani Amma shows her sitting amid the books and writing.
Balamani Amma: Why is she known as Grandmother of Malayalam literature?
Balamani Amma, at the age of 21 in 1930 published her first poem titled ‘Kooppukai’. Her first recognition as a gifted poet came from the ruler of the Kingdom of Cochin, Parikshith Thampuran, who also awarded her with the Sahithya Nipuna Puraskaram.
As an avid reader of Indian Mythology, her poetry tends to put a spin on the traditional understanding of women characters. Balamani Amma’s early poems glorified motherhood in a new light and she became known as the ‘poetess of motherhood’.
Balamani Amma’s works adopted the ideas and the stories of mythological characters, however, depicted women as a powerful figure who remained ordinary human beings.
Balamani Amma Poems
Some of her poems are:
Year | Poems |
1936 | Kudumbini |
1938 | Dharmamargathil |
1939 | Sthree Hridayam |
1942 | Prabhankuram |
1942 | Bhavanayil |
1946 | Oonjalinmel |
1949 | Kalikkotta |
1951 | Velichathil |
1952 | Avar Paadunnu |
1954 | Pranamam |
1955 | Lokantharangalil |
1958 | Sopanam |
1962 | Muthassi |
1982 | Sandhya |
1987 | Nivedyam |
1988 | Mathruhridayam |
1968 | Nagarathil |
Balamani Amma Awards & Honours
Balamani Amma’s poetry earned her the titles of Amma (Mother) and Muthassi (Grandmother) of Malayalam Poetry. She received many honours and awards including:
Year | Awards |
1963 | Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award |
1965 | Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award |
1989 | Asian Prize |
1993 | Vallathol Award |
1993 | Lalithambika Antharjanam |
1995 | Saraswati Samman |
1995 | Ezhuthachan Award |
1997 | N.V. Krishna Warrier |
1987 | Padma Bhushan |
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