Kamala Das-an attention-grabber

Kamala Das (31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009 / Punnayurkulam, Thrissur District in Kerala)


The Times called her "the mother of modern English Indian poetry".


Das once said, "I always wanted love, and if you don't get it within your home, you stray a little.

Kamala Das has received many awards for her literary contribution, including: Nominated and shortlisted for Nobel Prize in 1984. Asian Poetry Prize-1998,Kent Award for English Writing from Asian Countries-1999 ,Asian World Prize-2000 ,Ezhuthachan Award-2009 ,Sahitya Academy Award-2003 ,Vayalar Award2001 ,Kerala Sahitya Academy Award-2005 ,Muttathu Varkey Award.


Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the fiery poems and explicit autobiography. She wrote chiefly of love, its betrayal, and the consequent anguish.

Although occasionally seen as an attention-grabber in her early years, she is now seen as one of the most formative influences on Indian English poetry.

Das consistently refuses to accept their silence. Feelings of longing and loss are not confined to a private misery. They are invited into the public sphere and acknowledged. Das seems to insist they are normal and have been felt by women across time. Das makes no attempt to hide the sensuality of the human form; her work seems to celebrate its joyous potential while acknowledging its concurrent dangers.

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