Sugathakumari facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sugathakumari
Born	Sugathakumari (1934-01-22)22 January 1934 Aranmula, Kingdom of Travancore
Died	23 December 2020(2020-12-23) (aged 86) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Occupation	Poet environmentalist social activist
Language	Malayalam
Alma mater	University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram
Period	1957–2020
Notable works	Raathrimazha, Ambalamani, Manalezhuthu
Notable awards	1968 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry 1978 Sahitya Akademi Award 2006 Padma Shri 2009 Ezhuthachan Puraskaram
Spouse	Dr. K. Velayudhan Nair ​ (death 2003)​
Children	1
Parents	Bodheswaran (father)

Sugathakumari (born January 22, 1934 – died December 23, 2020) was an amazing Indian poet and activist. She was a leader in protecting the environment and fighting for women's rights in Kerala, South India.

Her parents were also very important people. Her father, Bodheswaran, was a poet and freedom fighter. Her mother, V. K. Karthiyayini Amma, was a smart Sanskrit scholar.

Sugathakumari started an organization called Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi to protect nature. She also created Abhaya, which was a safe home for women who needed help and a place for people with mental health issues. She even led the Kerala State Women's Commission. She played a big part in the famous Save Silent Valley protest, which helped save a beautiful forest.

Some of her well-known poems include Muthuchippikal, Pathirapookkal, Krishna Kavithakal, Ratrimazha, and Manalezhuthu. She won many awards for her work, like the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (1968) and the Padma Shri (2006), which is one of India's highest honors.

Growing Up and Learning

Sugathakumari was born in a place called Aranmula on January 22, 1934. This was in what is now the state of Kerala in southern India.

Her father, Keshava Pillai, was known as Bodheswaran. He was a famous thinker and writer who followed the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. He was also involved in India's fight for freedom. Her mother, V. K. Karthiyayini Amma, was a well-known scholar and teacher of Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language.

Sugathakumari was the middle child of three daughters. Her older sister, Hrdayakumari, and younger sister, Sujatha Devi, were also talented writers. After finishing her first degree at the University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Sugathakumari earned her master's degree in philosophy in 1955. She also spent three years doing research, but she didn't finish her final paper.

Her Journey as a Writer

Sugathakumari at an award ceremony in 1994

Sugathakumari's first poem was published in 1957 under a different name. It quickly became very popular. In 1968, she won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry for her book Pathirappookal, which means Flowers of Midnight. Later, in 1978, her poem collection Raathrimazha (Night Rain) won the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award.

Her other poetry books include Paavam Manavahridayam, Muthuchippi, Manalezhuth, Irulchirakukal, and Swapnabhoomi. At first, her poems often talked about the search for love and were very musical. Later, her poems became more about women's rights and problems in society. She also wrote a lot about environmental issues in her poetry.

Many people say Sugathakumari was one of the most thoughtful and sensitive Malayalam poets of her time. Her poems often came from her feelings of sadness. She once said that her emotions were her main inspiration for writing.

Some of her most famous works are Raathrimazha, Ambalamani (which means "temple bell"), and Manalezhuthu. She also wrote books for children and received an award for her lifetime work in children's literature in 2008. She also translated many writings into Malayalam.

She received many other awards for her writing, including the Vayalar Award and the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram. The Ezhuthachan Puraskaram is the highest literary honor given by the Government of Kerala. In 2012, she won the Saraswati Samman, becoming only the third Malayalam writer to receive this important award.

Fighting for Nature and People

Sugathakumari in 2017

Sugathakumari was a strong supporter of protecting nature. She was the secretary of the Society for Conservation of Nature in Thiruvananthapuram. In the late 1970s, she led a big movement across India called Save Silent Valley. This movement successfully stopped a plan to build a dam that would have flooded the ancient Silent Valley National Park in Kerala.

Her poem Marathinu Stuthi (Ode to a Tree) became a powerful symbol for the protest. It was often sung at the beginning of "Save Silent Valley" meetings. She also helped start the Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi, an organization dedicated to protecting nature. She was also very active in women's movements in the 1970s and led the Kerala State Women's Commission.

Sugathakumari also founded Abhaya (meaning "refuge"). This organization provides shelter for women with mental health issues. She started it after seeing the poor conditions in a government mental hospital.

She received several awards for her work in protecting the environment and planting trees. These include the Bhattia Award for Social Science and the first Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award from the Government of India.

Her Family Life

Sugathakumari's husband, Dr. K. Velayudhan Nair, was an expert in educational psychology and also a writer. He passed away in 2003. They had one daughter named Lekshmi Devi. Sugathakumari's older sister, Hridayakumari, was also a well-known literary critic and speaker.

On Sugathakumari's 84th birthday, the Kerala government declared her family's old house, Vazhuvelil Tharavadu, a protected historical site.

Sugathakumari passed away on December 23, 2020, due to problems from COVID-19. She was just 30 days short of her 87th birthday. She was honored with a full state funeral in Thiruvananthapuram on the same day.

Her Books and Poems

Awards and Honors

Sugathakumari received many awards for her amazing work in literature and social service.

National Honors

• 2006: Padma Shri (a high civilian award from the Indian government)

Literary Awards

Other Recognitions

• 1986: Indira Priyadarshini Vriksha Mitra Award (for environmental work)
• 2006: Panampilly Prathibha Puraskaram
• 2007: Streesakti Award
• 2007: K. Kunhirama Kurup Award
• 2009: M.T.Chandrasenan Award

Images for kids

• 

  O. N. V. Kurup and Sugathakumari in September 2013

See also

In Spanish: Sugathakumari para niños