Tharavath Ammalu Amma

Tharavath Ammalu Amma was a Malayalam language writer and translator born in Madras presidency, British India (present-day Kerala, India). She translated many works from Sanskrit and Tamil to Malayalam. Ammalu Amma's 1914 novel Kamalabhai Athava Lakshmivilasathile Kolapathakam (Kamalabhai or the murder at Lakshmivilasam) was the first detective novel written by a woman in Malayalam. She was the only writer who was refused the "Sahitya Sakhi", the highest literary award in the then Kingdom of Cochin. Ammalu Amma was born on 26 April 1873, in the Tharavath family of present-day Palakkad district, Kerala to Tharavath Kumminiamma and Chinchamveetil Shankaran Nair who was a tehsildar. Tharavath Ammalu Amma's ancestors came from Malabar to Palakkad Parali during Tipu Sultan's invasion. She had one brother, doctor T. M. Nair. She was taught letters and elementary lessons by a native teacher. Along with this, she also studied Sanskrit and music at home. After that she started learning mathematics and later Tamil language from his father.