PRAMEELA DEVI J

Poet, English teacher, speaker, social activist, actor, writer, columnist, peace activist, promoter of inter-religious harmony, former Member of the State Women’s Commission, former Member of the Executive Committee of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, former Chairperson of the State Farm Information Bureau, former Leader of the NAAC Peer Team, former Director of Translation Studies (IGNOU), former Chairperson of the Anti-Harassment Cell (MG University), and Member of the Film Censor Board.

She has published seven Malayalam poetry collections, five English poetry collections, 12 academic books in English, 75 translations, and five children’s books.

She has received numerous literary awards including the Mahakavi T K Veluppillai Award, Mahakavi Kuttamath Award, Mahakavi Muloor Award, Venmani Poetry Award, SBI Poetry Award, Idasseri Award, Lalithambika Antharjanam Award, Poonthanam Poetry Award, Muthukulam Parvathyamma Award, Ayyappa Paniker Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award.

She has also received several honours for social service, including the Nilakkal Communal Harmony Award, Tattwamasi Award, multiple Women’s Excellence Awards, the British Parliament’s Woman Achiever of the Year 2015 Award, the Vasudeva Keerthi Award, and the Thailand Peace-Building Council’s Universal Peace Maker 2012 Award.

She led peace-building efforts in 14 countries and addressed the US Congress on September 28, 2008 for her work in resolving communal conflict among students at Addis Ababa University.

She has served as Visiting Professor in universities in Europe and the USA and represented Asia on the UN Peace Restoration Committee. She has undertaken peace work in many countries.