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RAMENDRA KUMAR

[edit]
For the parliamentarian, see Ramendra Kumar (politician).

Ramendra Kumar
Ramendra Kumar in 2018
Ramendra Kumar in 2018
Born (1963-08-25) 25 August 1963 (age 62)
Hyderabad, India
OccupationWriter; communications manager
NationalityIndian
Period1997-present
Genre— Children's fiction: 'Here & now stories', folk tales, fables, fantasy — Adult fiction: Contemporary fiction, poetry, ghazals
Subject— Children's non-fiction: Biographies, graphic books — Adult non-fiction: Satires, memoirs, travelogues, parenting & relationship advice, cancer management
Notable works— Children: A Tail of Tales, Boond, Paplu the Giant, We Are Different — Adults: Mohini, Effective Parenting, Coping with Cancer: Hands-on Strategies for Managing the Big 'C'
Notable awardsA selected few: 41 prizes from the Children’s Book Trust (CBT) for stories in its Competition for Writers of Children’s Books & the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) ‘Hall of Fame’ award, crowning as 'Mr. Cancer Warrior of India 2025'
Website
https://www.ramendra.in


Ramendra Kumar is a multi-award-winning Indian children's author. He has also written for adults in a variety of genres.

Kumar is also known as a professional communicator from his many years of management at the Rourkela Steel Plant Communications Department in the state of Odisha, where he began his professional career by combining his engineering and business administration degrees with his lifelong interest in writing.

In addition, he is known as a storyteller on the stage and an inspirational speaker. These roles expanded after his 2021 diagnosis of Stage II colon cancer.

Early life

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Kumar was born in Hyderabad, India, to former Osmania University professor and Hindi Department head R. K. Khandelwal and Hindi fiction writer Deepti Khandelwal.[1] He attended Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, and is included by the school on a list of its prominent alumni.[2] He went on for a bachelor's degree in Engineering and a master's degree in Business Administration.[3]

The roots of Kumar's lifelong writing career he attributes to his father's effusive reaction to a few lines of verse that he wrote as a child around age seven.[4] His first serious forays into writing were satire and poetry contributions to his school and college magazines and later for newspaper supplements.[5]

Writing career

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Kumar's professional life began as a junior manager of communications in the Public Relations Department of the Rourkela Steel Plant in the Indian state of Odisha. There he met his future wife, who a few years later helped jump-start his children's writing career when, after the birth of their son, she felt need for more time to attend to him and asked Kumar to read stories to their four-year-old daughter. He decided, however, to create his own stories. Those he found that brought his daughter most enjoyment he began sending to publishing companies. In 1997 his first children's book, Just a Second and Other Stories, was published.[6]

As soon as the little boy reached the age for stories, he too wanted his own. Because his preference was for action and sports stories rather than the fairy tales preferred by his sister, Kumar began telling the children both sorts of stories. After doing this over many years, he came to refer to himself as 'Papa Scheherezade', the eponymous title he gave to a story he wrote about his experience.[7]

His writings have been brought out by major publishers, such as Penguin Random House; HarperCollins Publishers India; Hachette Book Group; National Book Trust (NBT); Children's Book Trust (CBT); and Rupa Publications. His stories are included in 11 anthologies published by the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC); Vikas Publishing House; Pustak Mahal; Readomania Publishing; and Blue Pencil Publishers, as well as in the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series; and have also been published and reviewed in newspapers, magazines, and e-zines. As of November 2025, Kumar's books published in English across genres and age groups totalled 53, of which 18 are also available in Indian languages and 14 in foreign languages.[6]

Children's books and stories

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Kumar has been named one of India's most prominent children's authors.[8][9] His writings for children—many of them best-sellers—'have indeed enriched children’s literature', comments Santosh Bakaya, one of the author's reviewers, adding that 'the adult with a child hiding inside has also immensely enjoyed his books'. According to this reviewer, Kumar's success rests on his ability to enter the child's world, a special demand of writing for children.[10]

Kumar considers children's stories his favourite writing genre because outreach to children with stories to inspire and elevate, not just entertain, is the one way he believes he can make a contribution to society.[11] He describes his writing as being mostly in the 'Here and Now' genre of children's stories: addressing contemporary values and concerns, with child characters who are ordinary but resiliently face 'extraordinary circumstances',[12] which he constructs for fast-paced reading with a touch of humour to retain interest and a value 'tucked in' rather than moralistically presented.[11]

Among the 'extraordinary circumstances' in his children's stories, Kumar lists 'hard core realities like communal violence, war, mental trauma, exploitation, abuse et al.' but always with an ending of hope. To criticism he has faced for such endings, Kumar counters that he wants to prevent children from growing up to be cynical because of their exposure today to 'angst and agony, sorrow and suffering within and without'.[5]

Despite the frequency of tough challenges in Kumar's stories, the stories also portray children's more playful and joyful side. For instance, Paplu the Giant is a story about a gentle young giant. It was selected by its publisher, Pratham Books, for storytelling sessions to mark 2013's International Literacy Day (8 September) with narration by volunteers in more than 25 languages across India and abroad.[1] A Ghost called Fachak and Other Stories—a collection of 10 stories—has been described as '[d]istinctively Indian flavoured and indigenous', thus a counter-balance to the many children's classics from the West now available in translation in India.[10]

Of his children's stories, 34 have been included in 26 Indian textbooks[6] and 11 in foreign textbooks, while six of his children’s books have been recommended by India's Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as supplementary readers.[13]

Kumar’s storytelling extends beyond conventional print format. Three of his books are in comic book format: A Special Act—A Comic Book on the POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012); the Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Protection of Children), 2006, endorsed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); and What, Why and How? Diabetes, A Common Non-Communicable Disease. A number of Kumar's stories have been have been featured as podcasts on platforms such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google, and Talking Stories (London). The Wise Kanyu has been dramatised in kamishibai format, a traditional Japanese form of storytelling in which a narrator gives a scripted performance using illustrated paper cards.[9] In addition, some of Kumar's writings have been published in Braille.[14]

Several of Kumar's books for children have been favourably singled out for their positive portrayal of disabled and other marginalised characters to challenge stereotypes and foster understanding, empathy, and affection towards those with differences; for instance, Against All Odds, about a boy who, though disabled, who wins the day for a team at a school sports event despite lack of support from his coach and teammates,[9][15][16] and A Tsunami Called Naani, about how a grandmother who, though elderly, reawakens her grandson's lost zest for life.[17][18]

In a comprehensive analysis of Kumar's place in Indian children's storytelling, Anand Patil—also an Indian children's author—finds many similarities between Kumar and such internationally recognised children's authors as J. M. Barrie, A. A. Milne, Hugh Lofting, and Nikolay Nosov because of their childlike sensitivity and immersion in the world of children, a tone and perspective sharply contrasting with that of traditional Indian children's literature.[19] Pathipaka Mohan, another Indian writer as well as critic, metaphorically compares Kumar's place in South Indian English children’s literature to a famous royal citadel of antiquity in Kumar's home town of Hyderabad, Golconda.[1]

Adult books and stories

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Kumar's writing for adult audiences has included fiction and non-fiction; articles and books on relationships and parenting; satire; poetry; ghazals; and travelogues.[20]

Mohini, his first book for adults, is a fictional romantic thriller portraying the struggle of a young woman from working as an 'extra' in Hindi films to becoming the top Bollywood heroine. The first edition of the book sold out during the first week of its release and remained an Amazon's Bestseller for several months.[11]

His first non-fiction book for adults, Effective Parenting: A New Paradigm, offers a framework of insights from his own childhood growing up in a broken home, his struggles as a parent—particularly as a father—and his observations as a children's author, focussing on modern parents' particular needs and challenges.[21]. The book is now in its second reprint.[6]

Mélange of Mavericks and Mutants—a book entirely of humourous insights that Kumar co-authored, in which each author providing a separate section—brought from one reviewer for his 'razor sharp observational skills' as a humourist and his 'juxtaposition of mortality with the hidden laughter in everyday life' that the reviewer described as 'brilliant'.[22]

Kumar has also become known for his writings and interviews about the cancer management, drawing from his personal experience, as will be discussed in the "Cancer warriorship" section below.

Participation in literary fests, conferences, and seminars

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Kumar's has made a number of literary appearances:

  • He presented papers at two gatherings of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) World Congress, considered the largest biennial global event on children's literature[23]: 'Here and Now Writing: An Indian Paradigm', about a genre of writing focussed on realistic direct experience and the present, at the 31st Congress in Copenhagen, 2008;[8] and 'The Brave New World of Indian Children’s Literature' at the 36th Congress in Athens, 2018—at which he also chaired two sessions.[23]
  • He has been invited to a number of literary festivals and conferences abroad, such as the Sharjah International Book Fair,[24] as well as in India, including the Jaipur Literature Festival[25] and Bookaroo; and to seminars organised by the National Book Trust, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and Sahitya Akademi, among others.[13]
  • He was selected as a jury member in the Best Children’s Author category of the 2019 AutHer Awards, jointly sponsored by JK Paper and The Times of India to celebrate and encourage women writers.[26]

Honours and awards

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Included among the honours and awards for Kumar's writing are the following:

  • A daylong seminar entitled Ramendra Kumar's Unique World of Children’s Literature, featuring speakers exploring his place as a children's author, was curated by three Karnataka literary organisations on 24 April 2024, Bengaluru. At this event, he was also felicitated,[27] which—in the English of India and south Asia—signifies that he received not only congratulations but an award or prize as well.[28]
  • He was similarly felicitated by the writers and publishers of Sri Lanka for making a significant contribution to children’s literature in 2017.[29]
  • His stories for children have won 41 prizes over the years in various categories in the Competition for Writers of Children’s Books organised by the Children's Book Trust (CBT),[1] which has been called 'a trailblazer in the field of children's literature'.[8]
  • One of his children's books, Shriek & Other Spooky Stories, won the Enlit Best Book Fiction - Young Adults Award in 2024;[30] and another, A Tsunami Called Naani, was nominated in the Best International Book category at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) Awards in 2017.[24]
  • In 2022 Kumar was selected as author and storyteller of the year by ‘Talking Stories’, a London radio programme focussing on storytelling as an art.[1]
  • In 2021 he received the Dr. Kashi Nath Bakaya Memorial Award for Humorous Writing for Chronicles of a Corporate Executive, a fictional account of events drawn from real life for adult readership.[31]
  • In 2020, Kumar received the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) 'Hall of Fame' award, one of the highest recognitions for public relations professionals in India, for his work in the Public Relations Department of the Rourkela Steel Plant.[32]

Kumar has also won recognition as a cancer warrior, including being crowned 'Mr. Cancer Warrior India 2025'.[33]

Cancer warriorship

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After having risen to the post of general manager of communications in the Public Relations Department of Rourkela Steel Plant, Kumar retired in 2020 and—planning to focus on writing—moved with his wife to Bengaluru to join their children.[6] The next year, however, he received a diagnosis of Stage II cancer that led to surgery, several life-threatening setbacks, and long recuperation. Kumar credits the support of his family as his own 'anchor in the storm', as well as the affirmation that despite life's unpredictability, 'the best in you can emerge' amid storms[34]—echoing the theme of many of his children's stories. [35]

Kumar's decision to 'fight the "tumour"with "humour"' has been described by Indian journalist and media academician Mrinal Chatterjee as a 'unique weapon', and his refusal to be defeated by cancer as similar to the old man in Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea but one step beyond in Kumar's additional decision to wage war against the scare of cancer by inspiring cancer patients to fight rather than give in to fear.[25]

His publication of Coping with Cancer: Hands-on Strategies for Managing the Big 'C' combines stories from his own personal experience and that of others, and also gives resources of interest. The book was favourably reviewed in PatientsEngage, a publication for patients and caregivers managing chronic diseases, for its provision of a wide range of experiences of people dealing with different types and stages of cancer for use as a reference in considering ways to address fear; and for the quality of its compilation, ease of reading, and engaging style.[36]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Mohan, Pathipaka (20 September 2024). "Indian Children's Literature in English: Ramendra Kumar, the Hyderabadi Signature". Learning and Creativity (excerpts from a talk presented by Anand Patil at a daylong seminar, Ramendra Kumar’s Unique World of Children’s Literature, 15 April 2024, Bengaluru, and sponsored by three Karnataka literary organisations: Abhinava, Makkala Sahityasakta Geleyar Balaga, and B. M. Shri Pratishthana). Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Alumni Relations". Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  3. ^ "Ramendra Kumar Award Winning Children's Author". Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  4. ^ Kumar, Ramendra. "Surviving Cancer and Spreading Positivity". Indian Cancer Society. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b Sharma, Sagar Kumar (December 2024). "Story of the Story-Teller: A Conversation with Ramendra Kumar". Creative Saplings (an international peer-reviewed, refereed, open-access journal). 3 (12): 3–4.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Ramendra Kumar: Award Winning Children's Author". Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  7. ^ Kumar, Ramendra (6 December 2018). "Papa Scheherezade". Reader's Digest India.
  8. ^ a b c Hasan, Sadia (February 2014). "It's a SMALL's World: Children's Fiction in English" (PDF). The Criterion: An International Journal in English (a bi-monthly refereed and indexed open-access e-journal). 5 (1): 199.
  9. ^ a b c Jaiprakash, Akshata (December 2024). "Interviewing Ramendra Kumar on Disability in Children's Literature". Ad Litteram: An English Journal of International Literati (a double blind, peer-reviewed, open-access, refereed annual e-journal). 9: 80.
  10. ^ a b Bakaya, Santosh (12 September 2022). "Book Review: A Ghost Called Fachak and Other Stories". Kashmir Newsline. Srinagar. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Bhatt, Anil (13 November 2017). "Writing To Me Is an OCD—Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Says Ramendra Kumar". Mycitylinks. Bhubaneshwar. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  12. ^ Kumar, Ramendra (27 April 2025). "Here and Now Writing: an Indian Paradigm". IBBY International Board on Books for Young People. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  13. ^ a b Mohanty, Rajesh (13 August 2018). "Author set for Athens event". The Telegraph Online. Kolkata. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  14. ^ Iyer, Aishwarya S (30 January 2016). "Story telling is a powerful mode of showcasing creativity, says Ramendra Kumar". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  15. ^ Kumar, Rekha; Prasad, Rajendra (July–September 2024). "Shaping Young Minds: The Role of Disability Representation in Indian Children's Books" (PDF). Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL) (a peer-reviewed, refereed, international journal). 12 (3).
  16. ^ Tamuly, Jayanta Madhab; Hazarika, Kalyani (September 2023). "Exploring Representations of Disability in Indian Children's Literature: A Study of two select texts Against All Odds by Ramendra Kumar and Big Bully and M-Me by Arti Sonthalia". Praxis International Journal of Social Science and Literature (a peer-reviewed and open-access e-journal). 6 (9).
  17. ^ Bose, Rhiti (21 August 2017). "A Tsunami Called Naani Review: A Euphoric Feel-Good Factor". Learning and Creativity (an online platform for writers, scholars, critics, artists, poets, and others). Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  18. ^ Karthik, Lavanya (16 October 2017). "Why this writer made an old person a superhero in her book (because real life demands it)". Scroll.in (bilingual, digital, in-depth news and commentary; featured in a Wikipedia article). Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  19. ^ Patil, Anand (1 May 2024). "Indian Children's Story World and Ramendra Kumar". Learning and Creativity (excerpts from a talk presented by Anand Patil at a daylong seminar, Ramendra Kumar’s Unique World of Children’s Literature, 15 April 2024, Bengaluru, and sponsored by three Karnataka literary organisations: Abhinava, Makkala Sahityasakta Geleyar Balaga, and B. M. Shri Pratishthana). Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  20. ^ Sharma, Sagar Kumar (December 2024). "Story of the Story-Teller: A Conversation with Ramendra Kumar". Creative Saplings (an international, peer-reviewed, refereed, open-access journal). 3 (12): 1.
  21. ^ Pariccha, Baskar (10 June 2018). "Parenting: How to Make It Effective". Odisha Live. Bhubaneshwar. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  22. ^ Joseph, Feby (October 2022). "Book Review: Mélange of Mavericks and Mutants". Setu (a peer-reviewed, monthly, bilingual journal of literature, arts, and culture).
  23. ^ a b "Eminent children's writer Ramendra Kumar honoured in Athens". India.com (Bilingual news of many topics about India.). 14 September 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Ramendra Kumars [sic] book inaugurated". India Today. Noida. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  25. ^ a b Chatterjee, Mrinal (2023). Window Seat 2022. Dhenkanal, Odisha: Chandrasekhar Press. p. 44.
  26. ^ "2019". AutHer Awards [Jury Member, Best Children's Author]. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  27. ^ Ramendra Kumar's Unique World of Children’s Literature, daylong seminar in Bengaluru, 15 April 2024, sponsored by three Karnataka literary organisations: Abhinava, Makkala Sahityasakta Geleyar Balaga, and B. M. Shri Pratishthana.
  28. ^ "Felicitate". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  29. ^ "Noted writer Ramendra Kumar felicitated in Sri Lanka". Business Standard. New Delhi. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  30. ^ "Shriek & Other Spooky Tales". Readomania (An initiative to nurture reading and writing). 17 September 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  31. ^ Bhatt, Arun (c. 2021). "Ramendra Kumar: The award winning writer & his "guts"". The Political and Business Daily. Bhubaneshwar. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
  32. ^ "RSP's Ramendra Kumar Gets 'Hall of Fame' Award by PRCI". PSU WATCH (News, updates, and analysis on public sector undertakings (PSUs)). New Delhi. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  33. ^ "Ramendra Kumar Crowned 'Mr. Cancer Warrior India 2025'". The Political and Business Daily. Bhubaneshwar. 13 October 2025. p. 4. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  34. ^ Kaushik, Shrimansi (22 February 2025). "Coping with Cancer: A survivor's journey of humor, hope". Deccan Chronicle (Bilingual online platform to inform patients and caregivers about managing their chronic conditions.). Hyderabad. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  35. ^ Chatterjee, Mrinal (2023). Window Seat 2022. Dhenkanal, Odisha: Chandrasekhar Press. p. 45.
  36. ^ Kumar, Smita Vyas. "Coping with Cancer - by Ramendra Kumar". PatientsEngage (Bilingual online platform of information to patients and caregivers about managing their chronic conditions). Retrieved 30 April 2025.

Bibliography

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Because Kumar is a prolific writer as well as actively engaged in related endeavours, the best place to go for up-to-date categorised listings of his books and stories, as well as awards and honours—along with videos of his interviews and presentations—is his website.
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