Amritasya Putree

By Kamal Das
AWARD: Sahitya Akademi (1982)

Amritasya Putree was Kamal Das’s first novel. It has been translated into Odia and English as ‘Daughter of Immortality’. Enriched with the experiences of rural districts where her father was a judge and subsequent life in New Delhi, where her husband Debesh Das, a fellow writer and a member of the Indian Civil Service, was posted—the book follows the life of Amrita, the protagonist who has come to this world without any reference, i.e., of no origin that can be traced. The book later became the name of an endowment by the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, the royalties from the novel being used to support female Indian scholars and lecturers. Amritasya Putree received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1982.

About the Author
Kamal Das has produced six novels including Twamasi Momo (1983) and Amritam Bibhati (1984) and three intellectual travelogues—Jana Ajana (1977), Uttare Meru Dakshine Ban (1980) and Cake, Chocolate Aar Rupkatha (1981). Her extensive travels have given her a deep insight and understanding. Thus, much more than travelogues, these are a demonstration—through anecdotes and descriptions—of experiences, of deep feelings conveyed with rare wit and grace.