31 May : Well-known writer Kamala Surayya, whose works in English and Malayalam commanded a wide readership, died at a hospital in Pune in the wee hours on Sunday (31st May).Kerala-born Surayya, known as Kamala Das before she embraced Islam around 10 years back, breathed her last at Jahangir hospital in Pune, literary circles in Thiruvananthapuram said.
She was 75 and had been keeping indifferent health for quite some time.
Her works include the famous memoirs "My story", which has been translated into several Indian languages.
Kamala penned poems and short stories with equal ease.
In Malayalam, she wrote scores of short stories using the pen name Madhavikutty.
Daughter of Management expert V M Nair and renowned poet Balamaniyamma, Kamala was born in the Nalappad family in Punnayurkkulam in Thrissur district. Her husband Madavdas, an RBI official, predeceased her.
She is survived by two sons, including well-known journalist M D Nalappad.