Google on Thursday honored poet and author Kamala Das with a doodle, marking the date of publication of her autobiography My Story, which was first published in on February 1, 1976.
My Story (Ente Katha) is her autobiography which recounts the trials of her marriage, her literary career, and her sexual desires. The book created a literary sensation and remains one of the most popular and controversial autobiographies by an Indian woman author.
Originally written in Malayalam, Kamala Das, also known as Kamala Surayya or Madhavikutty, later translated it into English. The Ente Katha was first published in 1973.
A recipient of the Sahitya Academy Award in 1984, Kamala Das is known for her boldness and outspoken attitude and her poems are intensely honest and passionate.
Born in Punnayurkulam in Thrissur, Kamala Das spent most of her childhood in Calcutta and took to writing like her mother Nalapat Balamani Amma. She has written many short stories and poems in Malayalam, English and Hindi.
She used the pseudonym Madhavikutty when she began publishing. Aami was her pet name and she gave herself the name 'Surayya' after converting to Islam.
The doodle, created by artist Manjit Thapp, “celebrates the work she left behind, which provides a window into the world of an engrossing woman,” Google said in a blog post.
Film director Kamal is all set to direct the biopic on Kamala Das titled Aami. Manju Warrier is playing the lead role.
Read: On a Roll | Nobody dares to challenge the Lady Tarzan of Jharkhand