M. Leelavathy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1927-09-16)16 September 1927 (age 98) |
| Education | PhD |
| Occupation(s) | Critic,teacher |
| Spouse | C. Purushothama Menon |
| Children | Vinayakumar Jayakumar |
| Parent(s) | Kazhunkampilli Kunjunni Nambidi Mundanat Nangayya Maandal |
| Awards |
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Mundanat Leelavathy (born 16 September 1927) is aMalayalamwriter,literary critic andeducationist.[1] She taught at various colleges inKerala before retiring as Principal fromGovernment Brennen College, Thalassery. During her long literary career, she won several awards includingSahitya Akademi Award andKerala Sahitya Akademi Award. She is a contemporary of such noted critics in Malayalam includingK. M. George,S. Guptan Nair,N. Krishna Pillai,P. K. Balakrishnan,M. K. Sanu andSukumar Azhikode.[2] Leelavathy is a recipient of thePadma Shri Award.[3]
Leelavathy was born inKottapadi nearGuruvayur inThrissur district (then inMalabar district ofMadras State) on 16 September 1927.[4] Her parents were Kazhungampilly Kunjunni Nambidi and Mundanat Nangayya Mandal, and she was their eldest child. She attended school inKunnamkulam, another nearby town (Kottapadi is midway between Guruvayur and Kunnamkulam), before joiningMaharaja's College, Ernakulam for her BA degree. She received her MA degree fromMadras University. Leelavathy began her teaching career in 1949 as a lecturer atSt. Mary's College, Thrissur. After a brief stint atStella Maris College,Chennai, she joinedVictoria College, Palakkad in 1952 and subsequently taught at Maharaja's College andGovernment Brennen College, Thalassery. She was awarded her PhD degree fromKerala University in 1972.[5] For a brief period of time, she also served as a visiting professor inUniversity of Calicut. Leelavathy retired from Brennen College in 1983. She now lives inThrikkakkara inErnakulam district.
During her long literary career, she won several awards and honours includingOdakuzhal Award (1978)[5] andKerala Sahitya Akademi Award (1980) forVarnaraji,Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award (1986) forKavithadhwani, Nalapadan Award given by Nalapadan Memorial Cultural Society (1993) forAadi Prabhandhangal Sahithyathil Lalithambika Antarjanam Award (1999),Vallathol Award (2002),[6] Basheer Award (2005),[7]Guptan Nair Memorial Award (2007),[8]Vayalar Award (2007) forAppuvinte Anweshanam,[9] and FACT MKK Nayar Award (2009).[10] Leelavathy is also a recipient ofPadma Shri Award for her contribution to the Malayalam literature andeducation.[11] She wonEzhuthachan Puraskaram, the highest literary prize in Kerala, in 2010, for her outstanding critical works.[12] She was also conferred with many other literary awards including theMathrubhumi Literary Award (2011), P. S. John Award (2011),[13][14] K. P. Kesava Menon Award (2014),[15] andO. N. V. Literary Award (2020).[16] In 2021, she was also awarded with the prestigiousKendra Sahitya Academy Fellowship.[17]
| Year | Awards | Work | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Odakkuzhal Award | Varnaraji | |
| 1980 | Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Literary Criticism | Varnaraaji | |
| 1986 | Sahitya Akademi Award for Critical study inMalayalam | Kavitadwani | |
| 1999 | Lalithambika Antharjanam Smaraka Sahitya Award | Rosemary | |
| 2002 | Vallathol Award | ||
| 2004 | Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award (Thayat Award) | ||
| 2004 | Deviprasadam Trust Award | ||
| 2005 | Basheer Award | ||
| 2007 | Guptan Nair Memorial Award | ||
| 2007 | Vayalar Award | Appuvinte Anweshanam | |
| 2008 | Padma Shri | in Literature & Education field | |
| 2010 | Ezhuthachan Puraskaram | ||
| 2012 | Mathrubhumi Literary Award | ||
| 2018 | Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize | Sreemad Valmeeki Ramayana | [23] |
| 2020 | O. N. V. Literary Award | ||
| 2021 | Thakazhi Memorial Award |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
