Rajalakshmi
{{short description|Indian writer}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Rajalakshmi
| image = Rajalakshmi.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|6|2}}
| birth_place = Cherpulassery, Palakkad district, Kerala, India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1965|1|18|1930|6|2}}
| death_place = Kerala, India
| occupation = Writer
| nationality = Indian
| alma_mater =
| period =
| genre = Short story, novel, poetry
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks = {{ubl|Oru Vazhiyum Kure Nizhalukalum|Njanenna Bhavam|Uchavelyilum Ilamnilavum}}
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| relatives = {{ubl|Achutha Menon (father)|Kuttimalu Amma (mother)}}
| influences =
| influenced =
| awards = {{ubl|1960 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel}}
}}
Thakkathu Amayankottu Rajalakshmi (June 2, 1930 – January 18, 1965), better identified as Rajalakshmi, was an Indian novelist, short story writer and poet of Malayalam literature. She was the author of three novels, two poetry anthologies and a short story anthologies. Kerala Sahitya Akademi awarded her their annual award for novel in 1960, making her the third recipient of the award. Her novel, Oru Vazhiyum Kure Nizhalukalum, has been adapted into a tele-series as well as into a play by the All India Radio.
Biography
Rajalakshmi was born on June 2, 1930, at Cherpulassery, Palakkad district of the south Indian state of Kerala to Marath Achutha Menon and Thakkathu Amayankottu Kuttymalu Amma as their youngest daughter;{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/Rajalakshmi/Html/Rajalakshmigraphy.htm |title=Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |date=2019-04-13 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |access-date=2019-04-13}} T. A. Sarasvati Amma, who would later become a noted mathematician and scholar, was her elder sister.{{Cite web |url=http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/rawdataupload/upload/insa/INSA_1/2000c4df_317.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316083612/http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/rawdataupload/upload/insa/INSA_1/2000c4df_317.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-03-16 |title=T. A. Sarasvati Amma - Obituary |date=2012-03-16 |access-date=2019-04-13}} She graduated in physics from Maharaja's College, Ernakulam and joined the University College Thiruvananthapuram for MA Malayalam but discontinued to move to Banaras Hindu University from where she earned a master's degree in physics.{{Cite web |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/life-and-times-of-writer-rajalekshmi/article7680956.ece |title=Rajalekshmi, the reclusive author |last=Jayasree |first=G. S. |date=2015-09-24 |website=The Hindu |language=en-IN |access-date=2019-04-13}} Subsequently, she started her career as a lecturer and worked in different colleges of the Nair Service Society at Perunthanni, Pandalam and Ottappalam.
On January 18, 1965, Rajalakshmi started from home to College in the morning but returned home and committed suicide; her dead body was found in her room, hanging from the roof on a saree. She was aged 34 at that time.{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/the-why-remains-47-years-later/article3634104.ece |title=The 'why' remains, 47 years later |author=K. Santhosh |newspaper=The Hindu |date=13 July 2012 |access-date=13 February 2023}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.marunadanmalayali.com/more/homage/profile-of-malayalam-story-writer-rajalakshmi-11872 |title='എഴുതാതിരിക്കാൻ വയ്യ, ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുകയാണെങ്കിൽ ഇനിയും എഴുതി പോകും'; പേനയ്ക്ക് വിലക്കി... |website=www.marunadanmalayali.com |access-date=2019-04-13}}
Legacy and honours
She is known as Emily Brontë of Malayalam. Makal, a short story published in Mathrubhumi weekly in 1956 was her first notable work, which was followed by a number seven short stories and a poem in prose. Besides the short stories and two poetry anthologies, she wrote three novels,{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/Rajalakshmi/Html/RajalakshmiBooks.htm |title=List of works |date=2019-04-14 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi |access-date=2019-04-14}} starting with Oru Vazhiyum Kure Nizhalukalum (A Path and a Few Shadows) where she portrayed the delicate emotions of women. Oru Vazhiyum Kure Nizhalukalum fetched her the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel in 1960, making her the third recipient of the honour.{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/ksa/Awards/novel.htm |title=Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel |date=2019-04-13 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi |access-date=2019-04-13}} It later became a TV serial and was broadcast as a play by All India Radio.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2006/09/15/stories/2006091500870100.htm |title=Mentioned in an actress interview in The Hindu, Sept 15, 2006 |access-date=19 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512015305/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2006/09/15/stories/2006091500870100.htm |archive-date=12 May 2011 |url-status=usurped |df=dmy-all }}{{Cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/01/stories/2007010100420200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930230012/http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/01/stories/2007010100420200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 September 2007 |work=The Hindu |title=AIR to broadcast plays based on novels |date=1 January 2007 }} Her other novels are Njaneenna Bhavam and Uchaveyilum Ilam Nilavum while her notable poetry anthology is "Ninne Njan Snehikkunnu".
The 1967 novel Abhayam by Perumbadavam Sreedharan was based on Rajalakshmi's life. Abhayam, the 1970 film by Ramu Kariat, was an adaptation of this novel.{{Cite news |last=B. Vijayakumar |date=27 March 2016 |title=Abhayam: 1970 |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/abhayam-1970/article8403119.ece |url-status=live |access-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919103648/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/abhayam-1970/article8403119.ece |archive-date=19 September 2022}}{{Cite web |url=http://stancemagazine.in/Article/210/AbhayamALostGem |title=Abhayam: A Lost Gem |website=stancemagazine.in |access-date=2019-04-13 |archive-date=30 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630213555/http://stancemagazine.in/Article/210/AbhayamALostGem |url-status=dead }} Anita Nair, the Crossword Book Award winning author, has based her 2018 novel, Eating Wasps, on the life on Rajalakshmi.{{Cite web |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/yutw4eLs1q8VN9ITbxkfeM/Anita-Nairs-new-novel-tells-the-story-of-a-girl-who-ate-a-w.html |title=Anita Nair's new novel tells the story of a girl who ate a wasp |last=Bagchi |first=Shrabonti |date=2018-10-05 |website=livemint.com |language=en |access-date=2019-04-13}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/eating-wasps-author-anita-nair-on-daily-battles-women-face/article25710840.ece |title=What a wasp tastes like |last=Akundi |first=Sweta |date=2018-12-10 |website=The Hindu |language=en-IN |access-date=2019-04-13}}
Bibliography
{{Div col|colwidth=40em}}
= Novels =
- {{Cite book |url=https://www.amazon.in/Vazhiyum-Kure-Nizhalukalum-Rajalakshmi-1930-1965/dp/B007E4WWMO/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1555221043&refinements=p_27%253ARAJALAKSHMI&s=books&sr=1-2 |title=Oru Vazhiyum Kure Nizhalukalum |last=Rajalakshmi |date=2005 |publisher=Current Books Thrissur |asin=B007E4WWMO}}
- {{Cite book |url=https://buybooks.mathrubhumi.com/product/njanenna-bhavam/ |title=Njanenna Bhavam |last=Rajalakshmi |publisher=Current Books |location=Thrissur |language=ml}}
= Short stories =
- {{Cite book |url=https://www.amazon.in/Rajalakshmiyude-Kadhakal-Rajalakshmi-1930-1965/dp/B007E4X264/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1555221073&refinements=p_27%253ARajalakshmi+%25281930-1965%2529&s=books&sr=1-2 |title=Rajalakshmiyude Kadhakal |last=Rajalakshmi |date=2005 |publisher=Current Books Thrissur |isbn=9788122610581}}
- {{Cite book |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=85858&query_desc=au%252Cwrdl%253A%2520Rajalakshmi |title=Makal |last=Rajalakshmi |date=2006 |publisher=Mangalodayam |isbn=9788184230383 |location=Thrissur}}
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{{Div col|colwidth=40em}}
= Poetry =
- {{Cite book |url=http://mgucat.mgu.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=20266&query_desc=au%252Cwrdl%253A%2520Rajalakshmi |title=Abhayavarnangal |last=Rajalakshmi |date=1994 |location=Chethikode}}
- {{Cite book |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/Rajalakshmi/Html/RajalakshmiBooks.htm |title=Paranjilla Ninnodu |last=Rajalakshmi |location=Chethikode}}
= Translations =
- {{Cite book |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=117177&query_desc=an%253A%252218502%2522 |title=A path and many shadows and twelve stories |last1=Rajalakshmi |translator=R. K. Jayasree |year=2016 |publisher=Orient Black Swan |isbn=9788125063513 }}
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See also
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{{Portal|India|Literature}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- T. Palakeel, Women Writing in the Age of Modernity and Postmodernity, student course materials at Bradley University, Illinois accessed at [http://bradley.bradley.edu/~tjp/mlpost.html] 18 Jan 2007
External links
- {{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/Rajalakshmi/Html/Rajalakshmi.htm |title=Portrait commissioned by Kerala Sahitya Akademi |date=2019-04-13 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi |access-date=2019-04-13}}
- {{Cite web |url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5347890.Rajalakshmi |title=Rajalakshmi - Author profile |website=www.goodreads.com |access-date=2019-04-13}}
- {{Cite web |url=https://www.manoramaonline.com/style/yuva/2018/03/26/dr-divya-n-on-writer-rajalakshmi.html |title=എഴുത്തിന്റെ ആകാശഗംഗയിലൊരു നക്ഷത്രം ; സസ്നേഹം രാജലക്ഷ്മിക്ക് |website=ManoramaOnline |access-date=2019-04-13}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Malayalam Literature |state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajlakshmi, T. A.}}
Category:Indian women novelists
Category:Writers from Palakkad district
Category:Government Victoria College, Palakkad alumni
Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award
Category:20th-century Indian women writers
Category:20th-century Indian novelists
Category:20th-century Indian poets
Category:Novelists from Kerala