Muthukulam Parvathy Amma (1904-1977) was a

Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

poet, teacher, translator, freedom fighter and social reformer from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India. She has published books in various genres of literature, including poetry, short poems, plays, short stories, children's literature, translations and biographies. Parvathy Amma, a follower of

Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual ...

, supported the

Indian freedom struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

, and was inclined towards the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

. Muthukulam Parvathy Amma Award is a literary award given to woman writers.

Biography

Parvathy Amma was born on 26 January 1904 in Thattakkattusseri house in

Muthukulam Muthukulam is backwater village near Haripad in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. Demographics India Census, Muthukulam had a population of 20,740 with 9,474 males and 11,266 females. Population of Children with age of 0- ...

in present-day Alappuzha district, the daughter of P. Rama Panicker and Velumbiamma. Her elder brother, who was also a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

scholar, played a significant role in the care of Parvathy Amma as their father died when she was a child. After studying under Krishnan Nair of Muthukulam, she was educated at VMG School, Kirikadu and VH School,

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

. A book on women in Malayalam literature After passing the ''Vdwan'' and ''Visharad'' examinations from the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...

, she started her career as a teacher. Parvathy Amma, a follower of

wanted to establish a sangha (group) of women followers of the Guru. The ''Mahila Ashram'' (

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

for women) she wanted to set up was a refuge like that which existed for the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

nuns. Parvati Amma, who supported the

, was inclined towards the

. She campaigned for the Congress party in the 1960 general elections and traveled all over Kerala, speaking at various meetings. The play ''Save India'' written by her for the election campaign was performed allover the Kerala. She also took part in the struggles related to the

Vaikom Satyagraha Vaikom Satyagraha, from 30 March 1924 to 23 November 1925, was a nonviolent agitation for access to the prohibited public environs of the Vaikom Temple in the Kingdom of Travancore. Kingdom of Travancore was known for its rigid and oppressive ca ...

. The women of Muthukulam have long wanted a maternity ward at the Muthukulam Public Health Center. Parvati Amma is one of the prominent people who worked to make this possible. She was a great propagandist of Gandhian ideas and actively participated in anti-alcohol activities and wrote and preached extensively to educate the people about the evils of

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

. Parvathi Amma, who was also a dancer, was the headmistress at the Harippad Government Girls' School when she composed the ''Kayarupinni Thiruvathira'', a modification of traditional

Thiruvathira Thiruvathira or Thiruvathirai or Arudhra Darisanam is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Thiruvathirai (Arudhra) in Tamil means "sacred big wave". In Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, the Sri Natarajar temple ...

dance. She died on September 15, 1977.

Literary career

Started writing poetry at the age of twelve, Parvathy Amma's first work named ''Yathartha jeevitham'' (meaning:real life) was published in T. C. Kalyaniyamma's ''Sharda'', a women's magazine. The introduction to the first collection of poems published under the name ''Udayaprabha'' (meaning:morning light) was written by

Ulloor Ulloor is a city locality in the Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It was the home of the modern Malayalam triumvirate poet Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer. The Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram and Credence Hospital Thiruvananthapu ...

. Ulloor observe that her style is very close to that of

Kumaran Asan Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (Malayalam: എൻ. കുമാരൻ ആശാൻ) (12 April 1873 – 16 January 1924) was a poet of Malayalam literature, Indian social reformer and a philosopher. He is known to have initiated a revolution in Malayalam ...

. On

Sree Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual ...

’s birthday celebrations in 1924, She had prepared and sung a felicitation in verse, written in the

Kilippattu Kilippattu or ''parrot song'' is a genre of Malayalam poems in which the narrator is a parrot, a bee, a swan, and so on. Kiḷippaṭṭu was popularized by the 16th-century poet Ezhuthachan (The Father Of The Malayalam language). In Adhyathm ...

style dedicating to the Guru. Hearing the poem, Guru praised her very much. She has published books in various genres of literature, including poetry, short poems, plays, short stories, translations and biographies. ''Sreebudha Charitha'' (biography of Buddha) the incomplete work of the poet

was completed by Parvati Amma. She has also written one act plays for children.

Works

*''Udayaprabha'' *''Sree Chithira Maha Vijayam'' *''Maathru Vilapam'' (meaning:Mother's lament) * *''Oru Vilapam'' (meaning:A lament) * *''Gananjali'' *''Gana Devatha'' (meaning:Goddess of Songs) *''Pookkari'' (meaning:Florist) (poetry collections) *''Bhuvanadeepika'' *''Ahalya'' *''Save India'' (play) *''Dharma Bali'' (play) *''Karmaphalam'' *''Kathamanjari'' (stories) *''Sree Narayana Margam'' (philosophy) *''Randu Devathakal'' (meaning:Two Goddesses) (Biography) *''Sri Buddha charitam'' *''Srimad Bhagavad Gita (translation) *''Geethanjali'' (translation) *''Bharatheeya Vanithakal'' (meaning:Indian Women) (Translations) *

Works on her

Her biography published in 2005 is written by V. Dethan and published by Fabian Books, Nooranad. In 2016,

Kerala Bhasha Institute The Kerala Bhasha Institute is an academic publishing house in India that was established on 11 March 1968 as a part of the fourth five-year plan. Twelve years later, on 1 November 1980, a regional center was set up in Kozhikode. It is located ...

published Parvathy Amma's biography named ''Muthukulam Parvathy Amma'' () written by Nirmala Rajagopal.

Muthukulam Parvathy Amma Award

Muthukulam Parvathy Amma Award is a literary award given to woman writers, in the name of Parvati Amma. The award consists of Rs. 10,000 and a Certificate of Merit. Works from any literary genre will be considered for the award. Works that have been published for the first time in the last three years will be considered for the award.

Awardees

*2003:

Chandramathi Chandrika Balan (born 17 January 1954) is an Indian writer who has published books in English and Malayalam, under the pen name Chandramathi, ചന്ദ്രമതി in Malayalam. She is a writer of fiction, a translator, and critic in Engl ...

*2010: C. S. Chandrika, for her essay titled ''Aarthavamulla Sthreekal''. *2017: Shahina E. K. *2019: Jisha Abhinaya, for ''Eli Eli Lama Sabaktani'' a collection of plays. *2020: E. K. Sheeba, for the work ''Manja Nadikalude Sooryan''. *2021: V. P. Suhra, for her autobiography ''Jorayude Katha'' (meaning:'The Story of Jora')

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parvathy Amma, Muthukulam 1904 births 1977 deaths Malayalam-language writers Malayalam poets Indian women short story writers Indian independence activists from Kerala Indian women poets 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian poets Indian social reformers People from Alappuzha district Women writers from Kerala Women Indian independence activists