The Poet and social activist Sugathakumari passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on December 23 morning following COVID-19-related health complications. She was an 86 aged lady. She was admitted in the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram earlier this week after her health got worse.
In a literary career spanning close to seven decades, she used poetry as a tool to express her concerns on the environment and oppression of women. She was at the forefront of some of the major environmental protests witnessed in the State in the past half-century, right from the Save Silent Valley Movement of the 1970s to the protests against the Aranmula airport in the 2000s. 
In 1992, she set up Abhaya, a home for destitute women, which became a shelter for many victims of abuse and oppression. In 1996, the government chose her to be the first chairperson of the Kerala State Women’s Commission.
In 2018, when she had cut down on public functions owing to her deteriorating health, she took part in a protest in solidarity with the nuns who were protesting against a rape-accused Bishop.