Noted Malayalam poet and environmental activist Sugathakumari passed away following Covid -19 complications at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. She was 86.
Padma Shri Sugatha Kumari had been hospitalised with severe pneumonia after testing positive for Covid-19. She was on ventilator support after her body stopped responding to medication.
She was a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award, Kendra Sahitya Akademi award, Odakkuzhal award, Ezhuthachan award.
Literary critic and writer Dr. K Velayudhan Nair, who passed away in 2003, was her husband. They have a daughter.
Sugathakumari made her entry into social activism and was at the forefront of the Save Silent Valley agitation. Her poem ‘silent valley’ reflected her close relationship with nature.
Some of her notable works were ‘Rathrimazha’, ‘Ambalamani’, Paavam Manavahridayam, Swapnabhoomi, and ‘Pathirapookal’