Eminent author of children’s literature Sumangala died at her residence at Wadakkanchery on Tuesday after a brief illness. She was 88.
Born Leela Namboodiripad and known to her readers as Sumangala, the veteran writer has written over 40 titles, 23 of them for children. She had won the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award for children’s literature in 2013.
Recreation of Panchatanthra stories is her most celebrated work, which has gone over more than two dozen editions. Mittayippothi, Neypayasam, Manchaadikkuru, Kurinjiyum Koottukarum, Nadodi Cholkadhakal and Kudamanikal are some of her noted works.
Compilation of Pacha Malayalam Nikhandu is another important work.
“Sumangala’s works, including Mittayipothi and Neypayasam, led many generations of children to the world of reading. She wrote her books, whether it’s purana or others, like how a grandmother tells stories to her grandchildren. They are simple and readable for children. They helped to inculcate human values in children. She wrote the history of the Kerala Kalamandalam, another notable work,” recalled veteran writer and Kerala Sahitya Academy president Vaisakhan.
“Sumangala made great effort to introduce Indian mythology to children in a simple language. A member of the literally rich Olappamann family, she was a voracious reader of world literature but chose the fantasy world of children’s literature as her field,” said academy secretary K.P. Mohanan in the condolence message.
Sumangala was the recipient of many awards, including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for children’s literature in 1979 and the Bala Sahitya Institute Award for lifelong contribution to children’s literature in 1999. She wrote for decades in the children’s magazine Poompatta.
Daughter of Sanskrit scholars O.M.C. Narayanan Namboodiripad and Uma Antharjanam, she served in the Public Relations Department of the Kerala Kalamandalam for 22 years.
