Google celebrated the renowned Indian-American poet Meena Alexander with a special Doodle on the first day of U.S. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Known for her evocative works such as Nampally Road, Illiterate Heart, and Raw Silk, Alexander’s poetry has left a lasting impact on literature.
Born in 1951 in Allahabad, India, Alexander spent much of her early years in Sudan, where her father worked as a visiting meteorologist. It was during her time in Sudan that she began writing poetry in both English and French, laying the foundation for what would become a remarkable literary career.
A prodigy, Alexander started college at the tender age of 13, attending the University of Khartoum. While there, she had her first poems published in a local newspaper, marking the beginning of her journey as a poet. She earned a degree in English and French before pursuing a doctorate in British Romantic literature. Her academic journey eventually brought her back to India, where she held various faculty positions.
In 1979, Alexander moved to New York to join the faculty at Fordham University. She began as an assistant professor and later rose to the position of a distinguished professor of English at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Despite her academic commitments, Alexander continued to write prolifically, with her works being translated into multiple languages. Her contributions to literature were recognized with the Distinguished Achievement Award from the South Asian Literary Association.
Meena Alexander passed away in November 2018, leaving behind a rich legacy of poetry and prose. Her son, Adam Kuruvilla Lelyveld, reflected on her life, saying, “Mama was an artist and a fighter. She believed deeply in the craft of her work and the search for something akin to truth. She was brave, adventurous, and joyful, seeking herself in many homes and in the art of poetry.”
The Google Doodle, created by guest artist Anjali Vakil, portrays Alexander at her writing desk, capturing the intensity and passion with which she approached her craft. Vakil drew inspiration from Alexander’s poetry, stating, “I could just see her fiercely hunched over her writing desk, trying to catch words that could describe her nomadic life in the late hours of the night, just as I did when designing her Google Doodle.”