# Anita Thampi: A poet’s eye on the ordinary in Malayalam 2026-08-07T12:37:59+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The New Indian Express profiles poet Anita Thampi's Malayalam poem 'Muttamadikkumbol' ('Sweeping the Front Yard') as an example of finding the extraordinary in the everyday. The poem describes a sweeper girl cleaning a front yard at dawn, contrasting her labour with the slumbering house and the hidden toil of earthworms building 'tiny homes of earth' that are swept away. Translator J Devika renders the images into English: the aching back, the mud sprouts, the coffee drunk to the dregs. The piece notes Thampi's academic role as an assistant professor of English at BCM College, Kottayam. ## Coverage - newindianexpress.com Tags: Anita Thampi, J Devika, Kottayam, literature, Malayalam poetry, translation Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/anita-thampi-a-poets-eye-on-the-ordinary-in-malayalam/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/anita-thampi-a-poets-eye-on-the-ordinary-in-malayalam/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.