imported>Scorpions13256: Removing from Category:21st-century Indian writers using Cat-a-lot

2021-07-10T04:40:23Z

Removing from Category:21st-century Indian writers using Cat-a-lot

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{{short description|Indian writer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Sowmya Rajendran
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|32|2018|07|31}}<ref name="PuneMirror-Retell-2018" />
| birth_place =
| language = English
| education = [[University of Sussex]], [[United Kingdom]]
| period =
| genre = young adult fiction, picture books, inspirational
| notableworks = ''Mayil Will Not Be Quiet''
}}

'''Sowmya Rajendran''' is an Indian writer. She is the winner of [[Sahitya Akademi]]'s 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar and has written over 20 books. She has written young adult fiction, picture books and inspirational books for children.<ref name="FinancialExpress-Reshape-2020">{{Cite web |last=Roy |first=Shriya |date=3 May 2020 |title=The book of life: Meet these contemporary writers who are helping reshape little minds |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/the-book-of-life-meet-these-contemporary-writers-who-are-helping-reshape-little-minds/1946285/ |access-date=9 December 2020 |website=The Financial Express |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Career==
Rajendran's writing challenges, among other diverse issues, the stereotypical notions of beauty. Her book, ''The Pleasant Rakshasha'', recounts the tale of Karimuga, a demon who is both pleasant and beautiful. ''The Boy Who Asked Why'' depicts the story of a young [[B. R. Ambedkar]] while ''Wings to Fly'' depicts para-athlete [[Malathi Holla]].<ref name="FinancialExpress-Reshape-2020" /> ''The Lesson'', released on [[International Women's Day]] 2015, began as a blogpost and sarcastically discusses gender-based violence, discrimination and the [[institution of marriage]].<ref name="Hindu-Horror-2015">{{Cite news |last=Daftuar |first=Swati |date=8 March 2015 |title=The horror within |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-horror-within/article6969497.ece |access-date=9 December 2020 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> ''The Weightlifting Princess'' (2019) depicts a princess who is passionate about weightlifting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roy Choudhury |first=Disha |date=30 August 2019 |title=Sowmya Rajendran's latest children's book is about a princess who is a weightlifter |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/learning/breaking-gender-rules-book-about-weightlifting-princess-sowmya-rajendran-5948033/ |access-date=9 December 2020 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> ''Suddenly Cow'' is a funny story about a cow that appears suddenly.

''Mayil Will Not Be Quiet'' has its 12-year-old protagonist, Mayil Ganesan, explore some issues like gender stereotyping and is written in the diary format. This book went on to win her the 2015 Bal Sahitya Puraskar awarded by the Sahitya Akademi.<ref name="FinancialExpress-Reshape-2020" /> The book was published in 2011 and was written in collaboration with Niveditha Subramaniam. The book has two sequels, ''Mostly Madly Mayil'' (2013) and ''This is Me, Mayil'' (2019). Mayil, the protagonist of the series, lives in Chennai and opines about the events that happen around her, including gender discrimination, domestic violence, identity politics, sexual harassment and caste conflict.<ref name="Hindu-Mayil-2019">{{Cite news |last=Krithika |first=R. |date=23 April 2019 |title=Why Mayil should not keep quiet: A chat with authors Niveditha Subramaniam and Sowmya Rajendran |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/a-free-wheeling-chat-with-authors-niveditha-subramaniam-and-sowmya-rajendran/article26920920.ece |access-date=9 December 2020 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

''Girls to the Rescue'' is an alternate retelling of conventional fairy tales. In this version of ''[[The Frog Prince]]'', the princess chooses to not marry the frog chosen as her spouse by her family. This story was chosen for the [[Indian Certificate of Secondary Education]] Class VI textbook. Further, this book's version of ''[[Cinderella]]'' has the largest feet in the kingdom and does not immediately agree to prince's marriage proposal and instead invites him for dinner. Rajendran's first book was ''The Underwater Friends'', which was later published as a series of picture books. It was written while she was still pursuing her master's degree in Gender Studies.<ref name="PuneMirror-Retell-2018" />

==Personal life==
Rajendran is based in [[Pashan]], [[Pune District]]. She has a masters in [[Gender studies]] from the [[University of Sussex]], [[United Kingdom]]. She has a daughter, born in 2011, named Adhira.<ref name="PuneMirror-Retell-2018">{{Cite web |last=Unnithan |first=Vidya |date=31 July 2018 |title=Small talk: Retell therapy |url=https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/others/sunday-read/small-talk-retell-therapy/articleshow/65182134.cms |access-date=9 December 2020 |website=Pune Mirror |language=en}}</ref> As a child, Rajendran enjoyed reading [[Enid Blyton]], [[Alfred Hitchcock]], [[Premchand]], [[RK Narayan]], [[Agatha Christie]] and children's magazines like ''[[Tinkle]]'', ''[[Chandamama]]'', ''Gokulam'' and ''[[Champak]]''.<ref name="Hindu-Mayil-2019" />

==Works==
* ''The Underwater Friends''
* ''The Pleasant Rakshasha''
* ''The Boy Who Asked Why''
* ''Wings to Fly''
* ''Girls to the Rescue''
* ''Suddenly Cow''
* ''Mayil Will Not Be Quiet'' (2011)
* ''Mostly Madly Mayil'' (2013)
* ''This is Me, Mayil'' (2019)
* ''The Lesson'' (2015)
* ''The Weightlifting Princess'' (2019)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajendran, Sowmya}}
[[Category:English-language writers from India]]
[[Category:Indian writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian novelists]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Indian women novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Pune]]
[[Category:1980s births]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Sowmya Rajendran - Revision history

imported>Scorpions13256: Removing from Category:21st-century Indian writers using Cat-a-lot