Balamani Amma no more

After battling Alzheimer’s Disease for five years, 95-year-old Balamani Amma died here at 4 pm today. Balamani Amma — called the grandmother of Malayalam literature — had written 500-odd poems and had received most of the prestigious awards in the country, including the Saraswathi Samman.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Tourism Minister K.C. Venugopal and writers Sethu and M. Leelavathy paid their last respects. Balamani Amma was born on July 19, 1909. She married V.M. Nair, former managing director and editor of Mathrubhumi, when she was 19 years old. She stayed with her children after her husband’s death. Her son, Shyam Sunder, and her daughter, Sulochana, and their spouses were with her when she died. The cremation will be held at Ravipuram cemetery tomorrow at 12 pm.