| Ramendra Kumar | |
| Birth Place: | Hyderabad, India |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Genre: | Children's fiction, satire, poetry, travelogues, fiction & non-fiction for adults |
Ramendra Kumar (also known as Ramen) is an Indian author of children's books. He has written 35 books in English, translated into 15 Indian languages and 14 others. Kumar also writes satire, poetry, travelogues, adult fiction, and non-fiction.[1]
Ramen was born in Hyderabad. He attended Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. After completing a degree in engineering and an MBA, he moved to Rourkela where he got a job at the Rourkela Steel Plant. His daughter Ankita and sons Aniket and Labrador Aryan are all public figures.[2]
The first edition of his first book for adults was entitled Mohini. It sold out in the first week of its release. His first non-fiction book entitled Effective Parenting: A New Paradigm,[3] was well received and is now in its second reprint.
Ramen began his career by writing satire and poetry. When his daughter started asking him for stories, he shifted to children's fiction. Ramen's first book for children was published in 1997.
Since 1997, his work has been published by Penguin, Duckbill Hachette, Pratham, National Book Trust (NBT), Rupa & Co., Children's Book Trust (CBT), Navneet, Readomania, Pauline & Ponytale.[4] His stories have been included in ten anthologies published by CBT as well as collections published by AWIC, Vikas, Pustak Mahal, Readomania and Blue Pencil. His stories were also published in the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul Series.'[5] Ramen's works have been published and reviewed by newspapers, and magazines.
Ramen has written several travelogues, satires, and articles on relationships and parenting issues which have been published on-and offline. His research based literary pieces which have been published in different anthologies.
His adaptation of Juvenile Justice Act in 2006 which was published in a graphic novel format was endorsed by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). His graphic novel on diabetes was published by Butterflies, an NGO involved with homeless and working children.
Ramen's work has been included in school curriculums and educational programs. One of his stories was included in a textbook for students in the ninth grade in Norway. Another story was adapted as Kamishibai, the traditional form of storytelling in Japan. His stories have also been published in 15 textbooks for schools following CBSE and ICSE and State Boards as well as in the curriculum in schools abroad. Six of his books were recommended by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India, as Supplementary Readers.
Ramen's read-aloud book Paplu the Giant was selected for storytelling sessions to mark the International Literacy Day, by its publisher Pratham. By September 7, 2013 the story was narrated in more than 25 languages in 27 states in India, and abroad. Paplu the Giant was published as an audio book by "Radio Mirchi" in five languages as a part of its CSR initiative 'Mirchi Cares.' Paplu the Giant was distributed by Pratham in collaboration with National Association for the Blind. The Department of Education, Government of Sri Lanka published a text book for students in the fifth grade which will be distributed free of cost to children in Sri Lanka.
An inspirational speaker and storyteller, Ramen has been invited to participate in festivals including Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, Jaipur Literature Festival, Hyderabad Literary Festival, Bookaroo, Bhubaneswar Festival of Storytelling (BhuFesto), Chandigarh Children's Literature Festival etc. as well as seminars organised by Sahitya Akademi, IGNOU and NBT among others. He presented a paper at the 31st IBBY World Congress held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2008. Ramen chaired two sessions at the 36th IBBY World Congress in Aug-Sept. 2018.
Ramen has also taught creative writing in Denmark, Kenya & Sri Lanka.[6]
Ramen won 5 prizes in the ‘Competition for Writers of Children’s Books, 2016 (English) organized by CBT. Ramen was honored by the writers and publishers of Sri Lanka[7] for his significant contribution to children’s literature in December 2017.
Ramen was conferred the ‘Hall of Fame’ award by Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) in March 2020.