Vimala Menon, beloved writer of children's literature in Malayalam and a known face among writers' gatherings in Kerala, passed away on the evening of Saturday, June 11, at her house in Thiruvananthapuram. She was 76 years old and unwell.
For a number of years, Vimala remained the principal of the Kerala State Jawahar Balabhavan, a chain of institutes in the state that promotes creative talents in children. She wrote in all this time, about 38 books for children. In 1990, she won the state award for best children's literature, for writing Orazhcha (A week). Years later, she also won the SBT Award for her book Mandakini Parayunnathu (What Mandakini says).
Apart from this, she was also the secretary of the Thiruvananthapuram chapter of Chesire Homes, a home for people with disabilities, for 21 years. She was also the principal of the BUDS school in Venganoor, a school for children with mental disabilities from financially poor families.
Vimala was also active in women writers' circles, present for literary gatherings and discussions. Writer Chandramathi wrote a touching post, remembering memorable moments with Vimala Menon. Geetha Nazeer, active in gatherings of women writers and a member of the Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat, shared a talk by Vimala after the passing of writer Ashitha in 2019.
In a post by Sree Sarada Devi Sisuvihar where she served as manager for a brief period, is a description of a few of Vimala's books for children. In Orazhcha that won her the award, Vimala did a "sensitive depiction of the experiences of a group of children during a summer vacation at their ancestral home." In Mandakini Parayunnathu, she "paints the life of adolescents and the difficulties they face while growing up."
The post further adds, "In 2013 her book Njangalkku Ithrayokke Mathiyo? (Is this enough for you?) was released by Sugathakumari, her mentor. The book portrays the lives of children with disability, and of the need to create a disabled-friendly atmosphere for them. Her concern was to make life all-inclusive in which the so-called marginalised members of society can also live a normal life like others, a desire she nurtured during her many years spent at the Balabhavan as director."
Dr R Bindu, Minister for Higher Education, paid her condolences, adding that Vimala was not only a writer of children's literature, but also a poet and a translator. Originally from North Paravoor near Aluva, Vimala was the sister of environmentalist and academic RVG Menon.