O. V. Usha

O. V. Usha Biography

O. V. Usha is a noted poet of Malayalam better known as the lyricist of State award winning movie of 2000 – Mazha. ‘Aaradyam Parayum’ – the popular nostalgic song of the movie was penned by Usha, for which she received state award for best lyricist. Four volumes of poems and a few short stories are her contributions to literary word and Shahid Naama is her first novel, published in 2001. She has served as the director of publications of Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam. She also had a brief stint at the Institute of Mass Communication as a research assistant. She is also known as a columnist who writes for many publications. Noted author and cartoonist O. V. Vijayan is her elder brother.

She was born in Palakkad in 1948 as the youngest child of her family. Her elder brother O. V. Vijayan was 17 years older to her. She was attracted to Malayalam literature at a younger age and her mother was behind this influence. Usha started writing poems at the age of 13. She wrote regularly for "Children's Corner" of Mathrubhumi till she reached 25. She completed Master’s in English at Delhi, staying with her elder brother. Usha started her career as an editorial trainee in Delhi and later became editor-in-chief. In 1971, one of her short stories, Inquilab Zindabad was made to a feature film with the same title. However a break happened in her writings in 1973 and she resumed writing only in 1982.

She has been associated with different publication houses of Delhi. Snehageethangal, Dhyaanam and Agnimitrannoru Kurippu are her noted poetry works while Nilam Thodaa Mannu is a popular short story. Her works are best known for her love towards nature and spirituality. Her latest work is a collection of essays titled `Puzhayozhukum Vazhi' which reflects her experiences in the Santhigiri Ashram at Pothencode.

Published: N/A

Updated: May 07, 2014