U. A. Khader | |
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| Born | (1935-11-16)16 November 1935 |
| Died | 12 December 2020(2020-12-12) (aged 85) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Notable works | Thrikkotur Peruma, Raziya Sultana, Katha Pole Jeevitham, Shathru, Srishtavinte Khajana |
| Notable awards |
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Ussangaantakathu Abdul Khader (16 November 1935 – 12 December 2020) was an Indian author. He published inMalayalam, including novels, novellas, short stories, travelogues and non-fiction. His works have been translated to various languages including English, Hindi and Kannada. He was a recipient of theSahitya Akademi Award in 2009 for his novellaThrikkottur Novellakal and had earlier received theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1984 forThrikkottur Peruma.
Khader was born on 16 November 1935,[1] inBilin, Mon State, nearRangoon (now Yangon) in today's Myanmar.[2] His father Ussangaantakathu Moithootti Haji had migrated to Burma fromQuilandy, in the southern Indian region ofMalabar. His mother, Mamaidi, was of Burmese origin. His mother died three days after his birth, fromsmall pox.[2] With the outbreak of theSecond World War, a few years later, his family fled Burma and came to the Malabar Coast, when he was eight years old.[2][3]
On return to India, he grew up as aMalayali at his father's native place in Quilandy.[2] He completed his schooling from Koyilandy High School.[4] Describing his early days, he talked about the dilemma of straddling two distinct cultures. He also talked of his classmates finding him strange because of his features.[5] He would go on to obtain a degree in painting from theMadras College of Arts. During this period he got in touch with noted writers and social activists such as K. A. Kodungalloor andC. H. Mohammed Koya (who would later go on to become the chief minister of Kerala) during his days as a student in Madras (present day Chennai).[6] His association with Koya would be a turning point, introducing him to books and writing, starting with a copy ofVaikom Muhammed Basheer'sBalyakalasakhi.[5]
Khader started his writing career by writing for magazines and journals. His first story was published in the Malayalam weekly,Chandrika, in 1953. The story was based on a real-life incident in which the author had to sell his watch to buy a dinner set as a wedding present for a friend. Khader had written quite harshly about his father and step-mother in the original draft which was later tempered when he handed over the story to C. H. Mohammed Koya, who had it tweaked before publishing it inChandrika.[7] Khader would take Koya's message and leave his own personal stories out of his works through his career, with the note that the story was not a space for the author's personal grief, but should instead talk to society.[8]
He was the president ofPurogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham, an organization of artists, writers and art and literature enthusiasts based in Kerala.[9] Over his career, he wrote over 70 books spanning short stories, fiction and non-fiction novels, and travelogues.[10] Some of his notable works includedThrikkottur Peruma,Aghorasivam, Arabikadalinte,Arippravinte Premam, Chempavizham, Katha Pole Jeevitham, Kalasam, Khuraisikkoottam, and Krishnamaniyile Theenaalam, Raziya Sultana,Shathru,Srishtavinte Khajana, and Theeram.[3][11] His books were translated into many languages including English, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi.[11] In his travelogueOrmakalude Pegoda (transl. Pagoda of Memories), which was serialised inMadhyamam Weekly in January 2012, he describes his nostalgic experiences when he visited his hometown Yangon after 70 years.[12]
His works often focused on theNorthern Malabar region of Kerala and the rural life here, with stories building on local myths, customs, and rituals, including thenagappattu andtheyyam.[8] He notably shunned modernism in his works while sticking to local stories. He would say about his choice of stories, "Modernism pushed away the readers at the base. Writers were writing of urban life and alienation that the common man could not relate to."[8] His women characters were noted to have a "characteristic spunk" having independent views and having a mythical aura with celestial beings,Yakshinis, as physical manifestations of the metaphorical idea of beauty, making regular appearances.[8] He draws on celestial characters likeUnniyarcha to demonstrate bravery.[8] His works also spoke about familial migrations with households being run by women, when the menfolk emigrating for work to places like Myanmar and Singapore.[8]
Khader worked with the Kerala state government's health department administrative division between 1964 and 1990. During this time he was deputed to the KozhikodeAkashvani (Radio) division between 1967 and 1972.[3] He had also worked briefly with the Institute of Maternal and Child Health within the Government Medical College in Kozhikode.[11]
He was a recipient of theSahitya Akademi Award in 2009 for his novellaThrikkottur Novellakal and had earlier received theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award forThrikkotur Peruma in 1983.[3][13]
He died on 12 December 2020 at a private hospital in Calicut.[3] He had been suffering from respiratory ailments and was also undergoing treatment for cancer.[3][13] Earlier in 2019, the Kerala state government had decided to cover his treatment expenses.[14]
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