Leela Nambudiripad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leela Nambudiripad
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| Born | 16 May 1934 Palakkad, Kerala, British India |
| Died | 27 April 2021 (aged 86) |
| Pen name | Sumangala |
| Occupation | Writer, author |
| Notable works | Neypaayasam Manchaatikkuru |
| Spouse | Ashtamurthy Nambudiripad |
| Children | Usha Nambudiripad D. Narayanan D. Ashtamurthy |
Leela Nambudiripad (born May 16, 1934 – died April 27, 2021) was a famous Indian writer. She was best known by her pen name, Sumangala. She wrote many wonderful stories for children in the Malayalam language.
Some of her most popular books include Neypaayasam and Mithayippoti. She also translated the well-known Panchatantra stories into Malayalam. Sumangala won important awards for her children's books. These included the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 1979 and the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 2013.
Contents
Early Life
Leela Nambudiripad was born on May 16, 1934. She grew up in Vellinezhi, which is in the Palakkad District of Kerala, India. Her parents, O M C Narayanan Nambudiripad and Uma Antharjanam, were both experts in the ancient Sanskrit language. Leela was their oldest daughter.
Sumangala's Writing Journey
Sumangala began her writing career in 1959. She used her special pen name, Sumangala, for all her works. Over more than 40 years, she became a very important writer. People even called her the "Enid Blyton of Malayalam" because she wrote so many beloved children's books.
She wrote over 50 books in total. Out of these, 23 were especially for young readers.
Famous Books for Kids
Some of Sumangala's most celebrated books for children include:
- Mithayippoti (which means sweet box)
- Neypaayasam (a story about a rice pudding with ghee)
- Manchaatikkuru
- Kurinjiyum Koottukaarum
- Ee Kattha Kettittundo (meaning have you heard this story?)
- Nadodi Cholkathakal
- Rahasyam
- Kudamanikal
Translations and Other Works
Sumangala was also famous for her translations. She translated the ancient Indian stories of the Panchatantra into Malayalam. These stories teach important lessons through animal characters. She also translated the Valmiki Ramayanam from Sanskrit into Malayalam.
Besides stories, Sumangala helped create a special dictionary. It was called Pacha Malayala Nikhandu. This book explained everyday words and facts about the Malayalam language.
She even wrote a song for a Malayalam movie called Chenda in 1973. She also contributed to Poompatta, a popular Malayalam comic book for children. Sumangala wrote a book about the history of Kerala Kalamandalam. This is a famous center in Kerala where people learn about performing arts.
Awards and Recognition
Sumangala received many awards for her amazing contributions to literature.
- In 1979, she won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for the best children's literature.
- In 1999, she received the Bala Sahitya Institute award for her lifelong work in children's literature.
- In 2013, she was honored with the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award for Children's Literature.
The president of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Vaisakhan, praised her work. He said that her books helped many generations of Malayalam children learn to love reading. He also noted that her stories taught important human values. Her writing style was simple and easy for children to understand. He compared it to a "grandmother telling stories to her grandchildren."
Personal Life
Leela Nambudiripad was married to Desamangalam Ashtamurthy Nambudiripad. He passed away in 2014. They had three children together: Usha Nambudiripad, D. Narayanan, and D. Ashtamurthy.
Sumangala worked for 22 years in the Public Relations Department of Kerala Kalamandalam. She lived in the town of Wadakkancherry in Thrissur District, India.
She passed away on April 27, 2021, at her home in Wadakkancherry. She was almost 87 years old and died from health issues related to her age.
Works
Here are some of the books written by Sumangala:
- Nuṇakkul̲ikaḷ, cer̲ukathakaḷ (1967)
- Kaṭamakaḷ (1967)
- Caturaṅgaṃ : nōval (1969)
- Tatta par̲añña 65 kathakaḷ (1989)
- Taṅkakiṅṅiṇi (1992)
- Pan̄catantr̲aṃ (1994)
- Mañcāṭikkuru (1994)
- Rahasʼsaṃ (1995)
- Albutha Ramayanam (2001)
- Ee katha kettittunda? (2003)
- Pañcatantrakathakaḷ (2011)
- Uṇṇikaḷkk Kr̥ṣṇakathakaḷ (2014)
- Pañcakanyakamār : kathakaḷ (2015)
- Śr̲īrāmakathakaḷ - Sree Rama kathakal (2016)
- Paccamalayālạaṃ nighaṇṭu = Pachamalayalam nighandu (2016)
- Eeswaravatharangalude ammamar (2017)
- Onpatu Śrīrāmanmāruṃ mat̲t̲u kathakaḷuṃ : bālasāhityaṃ (2017)
- Parīkṣittinu kiṭṭiya śāpavuṃ mat̲t̲u kathakaḷuṃ : bālasāhityaṃ (2017)
- Neyppāyasaṃ (2017)
- Śrīkr̥ṣṇanuṃ ōṭakkul̲aluṃ : bālasāhityaṃ (2017)
- Arshabharatha sthreekal (2017)
- Kuruvamsathile bagyaheenakalaya vanithakal (2017)
- Karṇanu kiṭṭiya śāpavuṃ mat̲t̲u kathakaḷuṃ : bālasāhityaṃ (2017)
- Apsara sthreekal (2017)
- Pathivrathakalaya ranhimar (2017)
- Śivant̲e pāṭṭuvaṇṭiyuṃ mat̲t̲u kathakaḷuṃ : bālasāhityaṃ (2017)
- Pathivrathakalaya munipathnimar (2017)
- Rāvaṇanuṃ Yamadharmanuṃ mat̲t̲u kathakaḷuṃ : bālasāhityaṃ (2017)
- Śrīpārvatikku kiṭṭiya śāpavuṃ mat̲t̲u kathakaḷuṃ : bālasāhityaṃ (2017)
- Peran̲pin̲ pūkkaḷ : Malaiyāḷa cir̲ār kataikaḷ (2018)
- Pañcatantrakathakaḷ (2019)
- Miṭhāyippoti (2020)
