Noted Malayalam writer U.A. Khader, died of cancer in Kozhikode on December 12, 2020. He was 85. He is known for his progressive and secular outlook on life and literature. He was deeply interested in writing as well as painting even during his school days. His early stories are based on his experiences of growing up as an orphan as his mother had died when he was just three days old. He brought regional history into focus through his stories.
Khader was born in 1935 to Moidootti Haji, a migrant to Burma (Myanmar). His mother was a Burmese.
His Works Khader published more than 70 novels, short stories, and travelogues that are considered among the finest works in Malayalam. He also published a collection of stories, Thrikkottoor Kathakal (Thrikkottoor Stories), that explored the multi-religious rural community of Thrikkotoor and its mythologies (Thrikkottoor is a region near Koilandi in Kozhikode, where he spent a part of his childhood). Thrikkottoor Peruma is one of the best works in Malayalam literature for its narration of subaltern life. Ormakalude Pagoda (A Pagoda of Memories) is based on his trip to the village he was born in Burma, in search of his relatives. Shathru (Enemy) was his last novel, published in 2011. Several of his novels and stories have been translated into English, Hindi, and other Indian languages. Besides writing, he also worked in the state health department, and served as the president of Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham (Progressive Writers’ Movement).
Awards The awards he received during his lifetime include Mathrubhumi Literary Award in 2019 (for Contributions to Malayalam Literature); Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel in 2002 (for Thrikkottoor Peruma); C.H. Mohammed Koya Award in 1999 (for Kalimuttam); Abu Dhabi Shakti Award in 1993 (for Oru Piti Vattu); S. K. Pottekkattu Award in 1993 (Katha Pole Jeevitham); and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 1983 (for Thrikkottoor Peruma). He received the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009 for his novella Thrikkotlur Novellukar.