Leela Nambudiripad

Leela Nambudiripad (16 May 1934 – 27 April 2021), known by her pen name Sumangala, was an Indian author of children's literature in Malayalam. Some of her notable works included Neypaayasam, Mithayippoti, as well as translations of the Panchatantra into Malayalam.

She was the recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 1979 and the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 2013.

Early life
Leela Nambudripad was born on 16 May 1934 as the eldest daughter of eminent Sanskrit scholars O M C Narayanan Nambudiripad and Uma Antharjanam in Vellinezhi (Palakkad District, Kerala, India).

Career
Nambduripad started her career as a writer in 1959, writing under her pen name Sumangala. In a career of over 40 years, she was referred to as the Enid Blyton of Malayalam and penned over 50 books, of which 23 are for children.

Her most celebrated works include Mithayippoti, Neypaayasam , Manchaatikkuru, Kurinjiyum Koottukaarum, Ee Kattha Kettittundo , Nadodi Cholkathakal, Rahasyam and Kudamanikal. She was most noted for her translation into Malayalam of the Panchatantra. Sumangala has also translated the Valmiki Ramayanam into Malayalam from Sanskrit. She also was the compiler of Pacha Malayala Nikhandu, a dictionary of colloquial Malayalam. The book was praised for its insights and diverse facts about the Malayalam language.

She wrote a song for the Malayalam film Chenda (1973) and was also a contributor to Poompatta, a Malayalam-language comic for children. She also wrote a book on the history of Kerala Kalamandalam, a center for performing arts and learning in Kerala.

Sumangala was the recipient of many awards, including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for the best work in children's literature in 1979 and the Bala Sahitya Institute award for lifelong contribution towards children's literature in 1999. She was the recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award for Children's Literature in 2013. The Kerala Sahitya Akademi president Vaisakhan praised her for leading generations of Malayalam children into the world of reading: her books instilled the importance of human values and were simple and readable for children. He compared the tone of her writing to that of a "grandmother telling stories to her grandchildren".

Personal life
Nambudiripad was married to Desamangalam Ashtamurthy Nambudiripad until his death in 2014. They had three children: Usha Nambudiripad, D. Narayanan and D. Ashtamurthy. She served in the Public Relations Department of Kerala Kalamandalam for 22 years. She resided in the town of Wadakkancherry in Thrissur District, in India.

Nambudiripad died on 27 April 2021 at her home in Wadakkancherry from age-related ailments, shortly before turning 87.