Chandramathi facts for kids

Chandrika Balan (born 17 January 1954) is an Indian writer. She writes books in English and Malayalam. She is also known by her pen name, Chandramathi.

Chandramathi writes many types of stories, including fiction. She also translates books from one language to another. Plus, she is a literary critic, which means she writes reviews and opinions about other books. She has written four books in English and 20 in Malayalam. These include many short story collections and books of essays. A Malayalam film called Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela was even based on one of her books!

About Chandramathi

Chandramathi was born in Thiruvananthapuram, a city in Kerala, India. She studied English Language and Literature at the University of Kerala. She earned her PhD degree in 1988. A PhD is a very high university degree.

She used to be a Professor of English literature. She taught at All Saints' College in Thiruvananthapuram. From 1993 to 1994, she worked as an editor for a magazine called Medieval Indian Literature.

Awards for Teaching

Chandramathi also won awards for her teaching.

• In 1999, she received the Professor Sivaprasad Foundation Award. This was for being a very outstanding teacher.
• In 2002, she won an award for being the Best College Teacher in Kerala.

Travel and Inspiration

In 1998, Chandramathi visited Sweden. She went with a group of 10 Indian writers. This trip was part of a cultural exchange program. Her visit to Sweden inspired her to write a short story called "Reindeer."

Awards for Writing

Chandramathi has won many awards for her amazing writing. Here are some of them:

• Thoppil Ravi Foundation Award (1995)
• Katha National Award for fiction and translation (1997)
• The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Best Fiction (1999)
• The Muthukulam Parvathy Amma Award for the Best Woman Writer (2004)
• Kerala Sahitya Akademi C.B.Kumar Endowment Award for the Best collection of Essays (2005)
• Padmarajan Puraskaram for the Best Short Fiction (2007)
• O.V.Vijayan Puraskaram for the best work of short fiction (2016)
• Pattom Ramachandran Nair Smaraka award for her overall contribution to Malayalam Literature (2022)

Her Books

Chandramathi has written many books in both English and Malayalam. She writes different kinds of stories and non-fiction.

Books in English

Some of her books written in English include:

• V. K. Krishna Menon (1990) - She co-wrote this book.
• The Private Garden : Family in Post-war British Drama (1993) - This was a book she wrote herself.
• Arya and Other Stories (2014) - A collection of her short stories.
• Invisible Walls (2018) - This is a novel.

Books in Malayalam: Fiction

She has written many short story collections and novels in Malayalam. Some popular ones are:

• Aryavarthanam (1995)
• Devigramam (1997)
• Reindeer (1998) - This story was inspired by her trip to Sweden.
• Annayude Athazhavirundu (2006)
• Chandramathiyude Kathakal (2009) - This book collects all her stories.
• Aparnayude Thadavarakal (2013) - This is a novel.
• Ningal Nireekshanathilaanu (2017) - This means "You are Under Surveillance."

Books for Children

Chandramathi has also written books especially for young readers:

• Sherlock Holmes (2010) - These are stories for children.
• Thankathilakkam
• Snehapoorvam Nikitha
• Ishtakkuttiyum Ishtallakkuttiyum (2023)

Books in Malayalam: Non-Fiction

Her non-fiction books include essays and memoirs. Memoirs are like personal stories from her life.

• Njandukalude Naattil Oru Idavela (2006) - This book is about her experience fighting cancer. A Malayalam movie was made based on this book.
• Njan Oru Veedu (2010) - This book shares her childhood memories.

Books in Malayalam: Translations

Chandramathi has translated several books and plays into Malayalam. This means she takes a book written in one language and rewrites it in Malayalam.

• Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1992)
• Janu (2003)
• Vanchana (2008) - This is a translation of Harold Pinter's play The Betrayal.
• Unmeshadinangal (2010) - This is a translation of Laurent Graff's novel Happy Days.

Movies Based on Her Work

Two movies have been based on Chandramathi's writings:

• The Malayalam film Njandukalude Nattil Oru Idavela was based on her memoir about her fight with cancer.
• Lenin Rajendran's award-winning movie രാത്രിമഴ (Night Rain) was based on her short story "Website."

See also

In Spanish: Chandramathi para niños