Sabeena Rafi

Sabeena was born on 6 October 1918 at Gothuruth, a small village in the periphery of present day Ernakulam district of the south Indian state of Kerala to Joseph and Mariamma.^[1] She earned two master's degrees, in History and Economics, and served our her career as a teacher. She married Ponjikkara Rafi in 1963,^[2] following a period of romance,^[3] but the couple did not have children.^[4] She died on 22 June 1990, at the age of 65;^[5] survived by Rafi, who died two years later, on 6 September 1992.^[2]

Sabeen Rafi's oeuvre consists of five non-fiction works and Chritumas Sammanam, her autobiography.^[6] Chavittu Nadakam - Oru Charithra Padanam, her 1964 publication on the history of Chavittu Nadakam, an operatic dance form originated in Ernakulam, is considered to be the first comprehensive book on the subject.^[7] Marxism, Oru Thirinjunottam, a book co-written with her husband, is a detailed study of the Marxian theory and its spiritual aspects; the book also has a critique on Mother of Maxim Gorky.^[8] Kaliyugam, again a Ponjikkara Rafi co-written work, is a study of human behaviour from early ages, with a philosophical perspective.^[4] The book fetched her the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Miscellaneous Works in 1972.^[9]

• Sabeena Rafi (1964). Chavittu Nadakam - Oru Charithra Padanam (in Malayalam) (1 ed.). Kochi: Avanthi Publications.
• Sabeena Rafi (1968). Christumas sammanam (in Malayalam) (1 ed.).^{[permanent dead link]}
• Ponjikkara Rafi; Sebeena Rafi (1982). Kaliyugam (in Malayalam) (1 ed.). D. C. B. Kottayam.
• Ponjikkara Rafi; Sabeena Rafi (1991). Marxism Oru Thirinjunottam, Emmavoosilekkula Yathrayum (in Malayalam) (0 ed.). Bamsuri Books.
• Sabeena Rafi; Ponjikkara Rafi (1992). Sukradasayude charitram. Kottayam: D.C. Books.^{[permanent dead link]}