Who is Balamani Amma? Google Doodle Commemorates Indian Poet

Who is Balamani Amma? Google Doodle remembers poet Nalapat Balamani Amman on her 113 birth anniversary on July 19. Google paid tribute to the veteran Indian poet through a doodle by Devika Ramachandran, a Kerala-based artist.

Nalapat Balamani Amma, widely known as the grandmother of Malayalam literature, was a well-known poet of her times. Born on July 19, 1909, Amma hailed from Kerala's Punnayurkulam in Thrissur. On her 113th birth anniversary today, search engine Google commemorated her life through an illustration, which portrays Amma holding a book in what looks like a typical home in Kerala. The doodle is illustrated by Kerala-based artist Devika Ramachandran.

Who is Balamani Amma? Google Pays Tribute

Nalapat Balamani Amma was reportedly the first recipient of a number of awards including Padma Vibhushan - the second-highest civilian award in India and the Saraswati Samman - the nation's most esteemed literary award, without receiving any formal education. Balamani Amma's published works include 20 anthologies of poetry, prose, and translations. Her most widely known works are Amma (Mother)- 1934, Muthassi (Grandmother)- 1962, and Mazhuvinte Katha (The story of the Axe)-1966.

Nalapat Balamani Amma was home-schooled by her uncle, a popular Malayali poet, Nalappat Narayana Menon. Her daughter Kamala Surayya was also a writer. Balamani Amma was married to VM Nair, at the age of 19. VM Nair served as the managing director and editor of Mathrubhumi, a famous Malayalam newspaper. Amma rose to fame after publishing her first poem, Kooppukai in 1930.

She received the Sahithya Nipuna Puraskaram award for the same which added to her wide recognition by a former Cochin ruler, Parikshith Thampuran. She was reportedly a lover of Indian mythology and her works are well known for providing a newer perspective on understanding the women characters portrayed in the past. She also spoke about the beauty of motherhood and expressed her love for children and grandchildren. The beauty through which she portrayed the unconditional love for it all also earned her the title of being the “poetess of motherhood”.

Suggested Reading: Who Was Naziha Salim? Google Doodle Pay Tributes To Iraqi Painter

Balamani Amma is known to have inspired generations of poets and writers, including the well-known Malayali poet, Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri. An award named after her is known as the Balamani Amma Award, which is awarded to upcoming and promising writers at the Kochi International Book Fair. Her daughter Kamala Surayya also known as Kamala Das' autobiography Ente Katha (My Story) from the twentieth century is one of the most widely read pieces of Indian books of its time. Amma passed away on September 29, 2004, after battling Alzheimer's for five years.