Still life in Kerala: Portraits by Punaloor Rajan
Curated By:
Mexy Xavier
1934-2009
Kamala Das
Kamala Das is Kerala’s most famous poet, writer, feminist and iconoclast who converted to Islam later in life. She wrote about sex and gender boldly in Malayalam and English. In her poem, The Looking Glass, she writes: “Getting a man to love you is easy... Stand nude before the glass with him.” She wrote short stories in Malayalam under the pen name Madhavikutty. When she converted to Islam at the age of 65, she changed her name to Kamala Surayya. Rajan took this picture outside her home in Kerala in 1969. It was subsequently used for the cover of the CPI-owned magazine, Janayugom
Kamala Das
Kamala Das is Kerala’s most famous poet, writer, feminist and iconoclast who converted to Islam later in life. She wrote about sex and gender boldly in Malayalam and English. In her poem, The Looking Glass, she writes: “Getting a man to love you is easy... Stand nude before the glass with him.” She wrote short stories in Malayalam under the pen name Madhavikutty. When she converted to Islam at the age of 65, she changed her name to Kamala Surayya. Rajan took this picture outside her home in Kerala in 1969. It was subsequently used for the cover of the CPI-owned magazine, Janayugom
