The writer's real name was Kamala Surayya, who was popularly known as Madhavikutty in Kerala for her writings in Malayali and as Kamala Das for her English works in poetry and short story writing. However, she also wrote on the issues of gender equity, social equity and exploitation. She shot to fame as activist-writer for her work as columnist who wrote on topics including women's issues, child care, politics, and social disparity among others.
Das (1934 - 2009) was born in Thrissur District of Kerala to VM Nair, who was a Malayali writer and editor of Mathrubhumi, and Nalapat Balamani Amma, who was a noted Malayali poetess. She spent her childhood at Calcutta, where her father was employed as well as her home town in Punnayurkulam of Kerala.
She got married to Calcutta-based bank officer Madhava Das at an age of 15. She got a rich exposure to world of arts in Calcutta and encouraged by her husband she started writing both in English and in Malayalam. She started getting noticed by Indian English poets both in the country and abroad for her published poetry collections. She won a number of international and national awards including the Sahitya Academy Award in 1984.
She won a number of international awards for her works. What is most admired is Das's 'open and honest treatment of female sexuality, free from any sense of guilt, infused her writing with power, but also marked her as an iconoclast in her generation', as per a Wikipedia citation.
