Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934– 31 May 2009), popularly known by her (one-time) name Madhavikutty and Kamala Das, was an Indian English poetess and at the same time a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India. 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 poems and explicit autobiography. She was also a widely read columnist and wrote on diverse topics including women's issues, child care, politics among others. Her open and honest treatment, free from any sense of guilt, infused her writing with power, but also marked her as an iconoclast in her generation. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune.[2]She was also known as Aami by fans.
Kamala Das had three sons – M D Nalapat, Chinnen Das and Jayasurya Das. Madhav Das Nalapat, the eldest, is married to Princess Thiruvathira Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi (daughter of Princess Pooyam Thirunal Gouri Parvati Bayi and Sri Chembrol Raja Raja Varma Avargal) from the Travancore Royal House.[15] He holds the UNESCO Peace Chair and Professor of geopolitics at the Manipal University. He was formerly a resident editor of the Times of India. On 31 May 2009, aged 75, she died at a hospital in Pune. Her body was flown to her home state of Kerala. She was buried at the Palayam Jama Masjid at Thiruvananthapuram with full state honour. A biopic on her titled Aami is under production now. Manju warrier portrays the lead role of Kamala Das. Kamal is the director.
She was born in a conservative Hindu Nair (Nalapat) family having royal ancestry, She embraced Islam on December 11, 1999, at the age of 65 and assumed the name Kamala Surayya. She gave interview as "I am against the Hindu way of cremating the dead. I do not want my body to be burnt. But this was only a minor consideration. I have always had a strong affection for the Islamic way of life. I adopted two blind Muslim children, Irshad Ahmed and Imtiaz Ahmed, and they brought me close to Islam. I had to study Islamic scriptures before teaching them. One is working as a professor in Darjeeling and another as a barrister in London." Though never politically active before, she launched a national political party, Lok Seva Party, aiming asylum to orphaned mothers and promotion of secularism. In 1984 she unsuccessfully contested in the Indian Parliament elections.
