Balamani amma poems in english

Translated by J Devika [ This beautiful piece by Balamani Amma is not only a masterpiece that displays her fine craft, it is also open to a queer reading — I have hardly come across such a beautiful tribute to a ‘girl-friend’. Balamani Amma’s adolescent fascination for the poetry of Mrs Hemans makes it really possible] [‘Yauvvanaarambhathil’, from Ammayude Lokam, Kozhikode, Mathrubhumi Books, 2005] Today’s girls cannot imagine a time of the beginning of youth like what I experienced. A life unperturbed by high school-college education and exams, yet confined to the home, the yard, and the village temple, at atmosphere full of literature and generosity, days that fell like fragrant divine blossoms, above everything, the delicate veil of an enigmatic sadness that enveloped everything. The doors of the heart lay wide open so that the beauty and grandeur of the universe could enter anytime … When the distant thunder of the World War rang, I was just big enough to connect my alphabets. A time in which I read, haltingly, a large newspaper headline that said ‘Austria Runs’, and immediately thought of a fleeing little animal. After a few years, the Mappila revolt in Ernad shook our village briefly and swept by. The echoes of the Non-Cooperation Movement reached us when the locals and our family were discussing seriously plans to flee. Like in many other places, nationalist fervour spread in our home and in my Uncle’s in-laws’. Spindles and spools appeared in the house. Looms began...

In the arena of poetry, it is easy enough to name men –from Rabindranath Tagore to Nissim Ezekiel to Sumitranandan Pant– who have contributed to the wealth of Indian literature, but most of us are left stumped at the prospect of naming female poets. But India has been and is home to several fascinating women too who have penned beautiful poems that will enthral the most demanding of readers. Here is a list of eight: 1. Kamala Surayya Kamala Surayya, also known by her pen names Madhavi Das and Kamala Das, was an English poetess and Malayalam author. Born in 1934 in Punnayurkulam in Kerala, she came to be admired for her bold and honest treatment of women’s sexuality at a time when very few women had the courage to speak up about it. Some of her popular poetry books are Summer in Calcutta and The Descendants. “Don’t write in English, they said, English is Not your mother-tongue.Why not leave Me alone, critics, friends, visiting cousins, Every one of you? Why not let me speak in Any language I like? The language I speak, Becomes mine, its distortions, its queernesses All mine, mine alone.”–from An Introduction, Kamala Das. 2. Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu, known as the Nightingale of India, was an Indian freedom fighter and acclaimed poetess. She was also the first woman to become the governor of an Indian state. She was born in Hyderabad in 1879. Her poems are famous for the melodic style they are written in. Some of her popular books are A Golden Threshold and The Feather o...

Kamala Das was one of the most prominent feminist voices in the postcolonial era. She wrote in her mother tongue Malayalam as well as in English. To her Malayalam readers she was Madhavi Kutty and to her English patrons she was Kamala Das. On account of her extensive contribution to the poetry in our country, she earned the ‘The Mother of Modern Indian English Poetry’. She has also been likened to literary greats like . On the occasion of her birth anniversary, we look into the remarkable life of this literary icon. Childhood Kamala Das was born on 31st March 1934. A part of her childhood was spent in her ancestral home in Malabar, Kerala and the other part in Calcutta where her father was posted for work. Kamala Das belonged to a family considered the literary royalty of Kerala. Her mother Balamani Amma was a famous poet and her grand uncle Nalapat Narayana Menon a respected writer. Das’ childhood as described in her autobiography was very culturally enriched. Her fascination with writing began at a young age while watching her elders immersed in their work. When she was as young as six, she started a manuscript magazine where she would write ‘sad poems about dolls who had lost their heads and had to remain headless for eternity’ while her brother would illustrate the verses. As she grew older she put together a children’s theatre with her brother, where they performed plays ranging from Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables to Kalidas’ Sakuntalam. The stage was set in the patio o...

Indian Literature, Sahitya Akademi’s bimonthly journal, is India’s oldest and the only journal of its kind featuring translations in English of poetry, fiction, drama and criticism from twenty-three Indian languages besides original writing in English. There is hardly any significant Indian author who has not been featured in the pages of this journal that has completed 55 years of service to the cause of Indian Literature. Offering a feast of literature with features like “What are you doing in the Attic?”, “Writings from the Margins”, “Young Life”, Second Tradition”, novel excerpts, travelogue, book reviews, author interviews, tributes to writers, photo/graphic essay, Indian Literature is also highly valued as a source of reference in India and abroad and is a must for libraries and for discriminating readers, researchers and students of creative and critical literature.

Balamani Amma Poems Sr.No. Poems 1. Chyavana 2. Mahabali 3. Yayati 4. Vasuman 5. Pratardana 6. Shibil Ashtaka 7. Dhanwantari 8. Kubja 9. Sharashayya 10. Mahavira 11. Valmiki 12. Kooppukai (Folded Hands) 13. Amma (Mother) 14. Kudumbini (The Home-Maker) 15. Dharma margathil (In the Path of Dharma) 16. Prabhankuram (The Bud of Light) 17. Bhavanayil (In Imagination) 18. Sthreehrdayam (A Woman’s Heart) 19. Oonjalil (On the Swing) 20. Kalikkotta (The Toy Basket) 21. Velichathil (In the Light) 22. Avar Padunnu (They Sing) 23. Pranaman (Homage) 24. Lokantarangalil (In Many Worlds) 25. Muttassi (Grandmother) 26. Ambalathil (In the Temple) 27. Nagarathil (In the City) to play with and throw away… Arghyam. Come.Mother… As power,dharma And divine art And bliss Into our hearts Forever. The sickbed In 1966 came the poem To a daughter. In 1959 came the poem Again. For a boat, to do repairs, it has to stop its journeys over water and rest on a sandy beach. The sickbed for the poet is such a resting place, and the Karmadevatha(Goddess of karma) has given us this opportunity to increase our praanasakthi (power of life)from time to time. The boat travels over water. Human life over the ocean of samsaara. How is this rest period a saadhana for wisdom for the poet? In several ways. • To understand the truth that the world runs not by the power of our little toy boats • To enjoy the rhythm of life as an observer, not as a participant • To gather the white soft flowers of life in our small handc...