Women writers of various Indian languages are gathering in Kerala to celebrate and honour the life and works of eminent English-Malayalam author Kamala Suraiyya, who shocked the conventional minds with her bold writings.
Jnanpith laureate and Odiya writer Prathibha Ray will inaugurate the two-day women's writers's meet, organised by state-run Kerala Sahitya Akademi, on September 9. Titled 'Neermathala Thanalil' (Under the shade of Neermathalam - a flowering plant which is a favourite of Suraiyya,), the event would be held at the Kamala Suraiyya Memorial at her ancestral village Punnayurkulam in Thrissur district, akademi sources said.
The participants would discuss and review the life and writings of Kalama aka Madhavikutty in various sessions as part of the event, they said.
Besides Ray, Hindi writer Mridula Garg, Tamil poet Salma, Malayalam novelist Sarah Joseph and a number of authors belonging to different genres were expected to attend the event.
A seminar on Kamala's autobiographical writings and a drama titled "Ente Neermathalam" are among various programmes scheduled as part of the two day event, akademi President Vaishakhan said.
The participation of about 100 women writers were expected in the programme, sources said adding that it would conclude on September 10.
Born in an aristocratic Nair family in Punnayurkkulam in Thrissur district as daughter of eminent poet Balamani Amma, Kalam Surayya has left a rich body of literary work.
The most sensational, and arguably widely read of all of them, is her memoirs 'Ente Katha' (My story), which was initially propagated as her real-life story, but she herself clarified later that it was just an "imaginary work."
Her other major works are 'Childhood Memoirs', 'Summer in Calcutta', 'Alphabet of Lust', 'Descendants' and collected poems.
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