Google Doodle today: Who was famous Malayalam poet Balamani Amma?

Digital Desk: Google created a special doodle to commemorate renowned Indian poet Balamani Amma's 113th birthday on Tuesday. She is regarded as 'amma' (mother) and 'muthassi' (grandmother) of Malayalam poetry.

Amma received several awards and medals, including the Saraswati Samman for Nivedyam in 1995 and the Sahitya Akademi Award for Muthassi in 1965. She was also given the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, in 1987.

A few of her other well-known works include Amma, Sandhya, and Mazhuvinte Katha (The Story of the Axe). Amma did not receive a formal education but was greatly influenced by her maternal uncle and his writings. Along with other works like translations, she also released more than 20 collections of poems.

The Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri is one of the writers who Amma has inspired. The Balamani Amma Award, named after her, is given to writers at the Kochi International Book Fair.

Kamala Das, Amma's daughter, also rose to fame as a well-known novelist. Ente Katha (My Story), Das' autobiography, is one of the most widely read and admired works in twentieth-century Indian literature.