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| occupation              = Writer
| occupation              = Writer
| yearsactive            =
| yearsactive            =
| spouse                  = Mr. Virendra Singh Jafa
| spouse                  = Virendra Singh Jafa
| domesticpartner        =  
| domesticpartner        =  
| children                = Asim Jafa , Dr. Navina Jafa
| children                = Asim Jafa , Dr. Navina Jafa
| parents                =  
| parents                =  
| influences              =
| influenced              =
| website                =  
| website                =  
| awards                  = Star of Rising Sun - Gold and Silver Rays [[Padma Shri]]
| awards                  = [[Padma Shri]], [[Order of the Rising Sun]]
}}
}}
'''Manorama Jafa''' is an Indian author of more than 200 books for children, and over 15 adult feminist novels in Hindi. She has served as Secretary General of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children and as the Secretary General of the Indian National Section of the International Board on Books for Young People.<ref name="Nath 2014" />  
'''Manorama Jafa''' is an Indian author of more than 100 books for children, as well as feminist novels for adults, and academic research and writing on children's literature. She has served as Secretary General of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children and as the Secretary General of the Indian National Section of the International Board on Books for Young People.<ref name="Nath 2014" /> She was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] in 2014, and the [[Order of the Rising Sun]] in 2016.


In 2016, she was awarded by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akito the ORDER OF THE RISING SUN – GOLD & SILVER RAY for her contribution to  Children's Literature in the World <ref>1</ref>and in 2014 the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India.<ref>2</ref> Her Hindi novel DEVIKA won Sahitya Kriti Samman from Hindi Academy, Delhi (2008). She is an academic and a practitioner of the science and art of Children’s literature. 'The Manorama Jafa Collection on Children's Literature,' donated by her husband Virendra Singh Jafa to the Ashoka University. It comprises academic papers and books on Children's Literature, research material on Panchtantra (World's Oldest stories for Children), a unique collection of Award-winning and tactile books, original artwork for Children's Books, original cartoons by iconic Indian Cartoonists -Shanker Pillai and Ranga, autographed rare books, photographs, letters, storytelling tools, children's records among other material related to the Heritage of Creative Children's Literature.
==Early life and education==
Jafa was born in 1932.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Zipes |editor1-first=Jack |title=The Oxford encyclopedia of children's literature |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780195146561 |page=316 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VD4OAQAAMAAJ&q=Manorama+Jafa |access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref>
Jafa completed a master's degree in Geography from [[University of Allahabad]].<ref name="Nath 2014" /> She also later completed a course in writing for children at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology.<ref name="Nath 2014" />


==Early life and education==
Rafa completed a master's degree in Geography from [[University of Allahabad]].<ref name="Nath 2014" /> She also later completed a course in writing for children at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology.<ref name="Nath 2014" />


==Career==
==Career==
{{quotebox|align = right|width=22em|''Creativity starts at a very young age. To garner and hone it further, it is very important that it is polished and harnessed right from the very beginning'', says Manorama Jafa.<ref name="No child's play">{{cite news|last=Naim |first=Faisal M. | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/no-childs-play/article1102828.ece | title=No child's play | publisher=The Hindu | date=19 January 2011 | access-date=9 September 2014}}</ref>}}
{{quotebox|align = right|width=22em|''Creativity starts at a very young age. To garner and hone it further, it is very important that it is polished and harnessed right from the very beginning'', says Manorama Jafa.<ref name="No child's play">{{cite news|last=Naim |first=Faisal M. | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/no-childs-play/article1102828.ece | title=No child's play | work=The Hindu | date=19 January 2011 | access-date=9 September 2014}}</ref>}}
Jafa began writing in the late 1960s, first for local newspaper columns, but then began developing stories, and her first book for children was ''Donkey on the Bridge''.<ref name="Nath 2014">{{cite news |last1=Nath |first1=Dipanita |title=A Life of Stories |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/a-life-of-stories/ |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=May 13, 2014}}</ref> Other works for children include ''The Parrot and the Mynah'', ''Laughing Parrot'', and ''The Ladybird and the Butterfly'', which according to Dipanita Nath of ''[[The Indian Express]]'', make "clear that Manorama sticks to earthy values, especially unity in diversity."<ref name="Nath 2014" /> Some of her works, such as ''Gabbar and Babbar'' and ''I am Sona'', are designed for [[special needs|children with special needs]].<ref name="No child's play"/>
Jafa began writing in the late 1960s, first for local newspaper columns, but then began developing stories, and her first book for children was ''Donkey on the Bridge''.<ref name="Nath 2014">{{cite news |last1=Nath |first1=Dipanita |title=A Life of Stories |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/a-life-of-stories/ |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=May 13, 2014}}</ref> Other works for children include ''The Parrot and the Mynah'', ''Laughing Parrot'', and ''The Ladybird and the Butterfly'', which according to Dipanita Nath of ''[[The Indian Express]]'', make "clear that Manorama sticks to earthy values, especially unity in diversity."<ref name="Nath 2014" />  
 
In 1976, she began conducting workshops for authors of children's literature.<ref name="No child's play"/> She also co-founded the  Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC) with Shankar Pillai.<ref name="No child's play"/>
 
Around 2010, she founded Book Therapy, an initiative to support children who have experienced trauma, which has included the distribution of books to Afghanistan and areas of India impacted by tsunami.<ref name="No child's play"/>


Mrs. Jafa initiated an entire program on developing creative alphabet books in almost 8-9 Indian languages. For this, the funding came from Japan. Free books in languages are being distributed. Mrs. Jafa developed conceptual books with minimal text and large attractive illustrations in Dari and Pashto, and she and her husband went to distribute the books investing their pension in Afghanistan.
Some of her works, such as ''Gabbar and Babbar'' and ''I am Sona'', are designed for children with special needs.<ref name="No child's play"/> She has said ''I am Sona'' was inspired by a visit to South Africa and addresses children with HIV,<ref name="Tandon 2006">{{cite news |last1=Tandon |first1=Aditi |title=Life-saving knowledge: AIDS awareness fiction from an acclaimed children's writer |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060810/edit.htm#6 |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=Tribune India |date=August 10, 2006}}</ref> and her book ''Toru Nanu and Hipu'' is written for children who became orphans after the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|Indian Ocean tsunami]].<ref name="TOI 2011"/> In a 1996 discussion of her 1995 book ''Gandhi: The Man of Peace'' in ''Indian Review of Books'', she is referred to as "one of the pioneers of children's literature in English in India."<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Indian Review of Books |date=1996 |volume=6 |page=80 |publisher=Acme Books Pvt. Limited}}</ref> Her books written for adults, including ''Devita'', were described by Nath as having "a strong feminist accent."<ref name="Nath 2014" />


Mrs. Jafa revived the Indian board of Books for Young Children  (IBBY) by creating the first World Congress on Peace through Children’s books where she invited Empress Michiko to read the keynote paper.<ref name="Japan Times">{{cite web | url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/12/04/national/emperor-empress-revisit-india-center-after-53-years/#.VA5608vlrIU | title=Emperor, Empress revisit India center after 53 years | publisher=Japan Times | date=2014 | access-date=9 September 2014}}</ref> Mrs. Jafa has trained a large number of writers and provided guidance to artists and publishers to produce innovative and creative children’s literature in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and several other countries through workshops, academic papers, seminars, and conferences.
In 2011, Faisal M. Naim of ''[[The Hindu]]'' wrote, "over the past three decades, Jafa has been pioneering a movement for better books for children in India."<ref name="No child's play" /> In 1976, she began conducting workshops for authors of children's literature.<ref name="No child's play"/> Jafa has also produced many research papers on children's literature.<ref>{{cite news |last1=STP Team |title=Female Children's writers your kids should read |url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/female-childrens-writers-your-kids-should-read/ |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=[[SheThePeople.TV]] |date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> She also co-founded the  Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC) with the cartoonist [[K. Shankar Pillai|Shankar Pillai]],<ref name="No child's play"/> and served as director of its Children's Literacy Project beginning in 1995.<ref name="Tandon 2006"/> She has written a book about technical writing for children,<ref name="No child's play" /> ''Writing For Children'', and edited the AWIC quarterly children's literature journal ''Writer and Illustrator'',<ref name="TOI 2011">{{cite news |title='Children's literature is not just entertainment. It's a vital tool' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/interviews/Childrens-literature-is-not-just-entertainment-Its-a-vital-tool/articleshow/7835451.cms |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=Times of India |date=April 1, 2011}}</ref> which was founded in 1981.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jafa |first1=Manorama |title=The Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children |journal=The Book Review |date=1994 |volume=18-19 |page=23 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Book_Review/aiDhAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Manorama+Jafa&dq=Manorama+Jafa&printsec=frontcover |access-date=9 July 2021 |publisher=C. Chari for Perspective Publications}}</ref> By 2006, she was the head of the Khaas Kitaab Foundation, a publisher of children's books.<ref name="Tandon 2006"/>


Jafa has produced many research papers on children's literature and a book on writing children's literature<ref name="No child's play" /> and is pioneering a movement for better books for children.{{cn|date=February 2020}} She also conducts regular workshops for emerging writers to promote children's literature in countries like Singapore, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal,{{cn|date=February 2020}} which are said to have influenced the present boom in Children's literature. She is also credited with initiating a ''home library movement'' towards this end.
From 1999 through 2001, she served as a jury member for the [[UNESCO]] prize for Children's and Young People's Literature.<ref name="Tandon 2006"/> She was also involved with the Asian Cultural Centre for [[UNESCO]], as its children's book specialist.{{cn|date=February 2020}} She has served in the juries of the IIY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award (2000-2001) as its chairperson and the UNESCO Prize for Books on Tolerance (1999-2000) as a member.{{cn|date=July 2021}}  


Manaorama Jafa is also the General Secretary of the Indian National Section of the [[International Board on Books for Young People]]<ref name="IBBY">{{cite web | url=http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=427 | title=IBBY | publisher=IBBY | date=2014 | access-date=9 September 2014}}</ref> (IBBY).<ref name="Japan Times"/> She presided over the 26th Congress of the IBBY, conducted in 1989, as its Chairperson.{{cn|date=February 2020}} She was also involved with the Asian Cultural Centre for [[UNESCO]], as its children's book specialist.{{cn|date=February 2020}} She has served in the juries of the IIY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award (2000-2001) as its chairperson and the UNESCO Prize for Books on Tolerance (1999-2000) as a member.<ref name="Jury">{{cite web | url=https://www.amazon.in/Great-Tales-India-Manorama-Jafa/dp/818823642X | title=Jury | publisher=Amazon | date=2012–2014 | access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref><ref name="Midpoint">{{cite web | url=http://www.midpointtrade.com/book_detail.php?book_id=48694 | title=Midpoint | publisher=Midpoint | date=2014 | access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref>
Around 2010, she founded Book Therapy, an initiative to support children who have experienced trauma, which has included the distribution of books to Afghanistan and areas of India impacted by tsunami.<ref name="No child's play"/> She has also served as a consultant for the [[Children's Book Trust]].<ref name="NIE 2014">{{cite news |title=A Politically Correct Padma List |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2014/jan/05/A-Politically-Correct-Padma-List-559681.html |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=The New Indian Express |date=January 5, 2014}}</ref><ref name="No child's play" /> She has also been associated with the [[National Book Trust]], New Delhi as its editorial consultant.{{cn|date=February 2020}}


Manorama Jafa, along with noted cartoonist, [[Cartoonist Shankar|Shankar]], founded the ''Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children'' (AWIC),<ref name="No child's play" /> for which she has served as the Secretary General.<ref name="Japan Times"/> She is the editor of the quarterly journal published by AWIC, the only professional journal on children's literature.{{cn|date=February 2020}} She is also associated with the [[National Book Trust]], New Delhi as its editorial consultant.{{cn|date=February 2020}}
Jafa is the General Secretary of the Indian National Section of the [[International Board on Books for Young People]] (IBBY).<ref name="IBBY">{{cite web | url=https://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=427 | title=IBBY | publisher=IBBY | date=2014 | access-date=July 9, 2021}}</ref> She presided over the 26th Congress of the IBBY, conducted in 1998, as its Chairperson.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maissen |first1=Leena |title=1998 in New Delhi |url=https://www.ibby.org/subnavigation/archives/ibby-congresses/1998-in-new-delhi/ |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=International Board on Books for Young People}}</ref> In 1998, Jafa invited Empress Michiko of Japan to give the keynote speech at the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Congress in New Delhi and later visited Empress Michiko in Japan.<ref name="Japan Times">{{cite web | url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/12/04/national/emperor-empress-revisit-india-center-after-53-years/#.VA5608vlrIU | title=Emperor, Empress revisit India center after 53 years | publisher=Japan Times | date=2014 | access-date=9 September 2014}}</ref> In 2013, as Secretary-General of the IBBY India section, she met with the Empress and introduced her to members of the group, after previously meeting her in Japan in 2004.<ref name="Japan Times" />


In November 2020, she donated her books for thousands of children in the name of her life companion Mr. Virendra Singh Jafa at various NGOs like Deepalaya, Community Project Library, and various other schools including the Aaganvadaddi schools in Haryana under the Ministry of Child and Women Development. The collection includes -
The Manorama Jafa Collection on Children’s Literature was donated to [[Ashoka University]] by her husband, Shri Virendra Singh Jafa.<ref name="Ashoka">{{cite news |title=Recent Acquisitions |url=https://ashoka.edu.in/stories/welcome-612 |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=Ashoka Bulletin |publisher=Ashoka University}}</ref> The collection includes technical books on children's literature, some of her correspondence, her Hindi novels for adults, and other materials related to children's literature.<ref name="Ashoka"/>
1. Technical work on children's literature, ( writing for children of different age groups) art of illustrating for children's books, the area of publishing, and creative inventive events for promoting reading, storytelling, and libraries.
2. The collection incorporates Special old and new samples of children's magazines including Soundesh, Highlights, Cricket et
3. Special books like handmade, cloth, touch and sound, braille, and baby bath books books
4. Newbery, Caldecott and prizewinning collection of books since the 1970s from around the world.
5. Original artwork for Children's books.
6. Special collection on nature, environment, and wildlife books for children.
7. Correspondence with Issac Asimov, Satyajit Ray, Shanker Pillai, Empress Michiko
8. Autographed and personal presentations by people who have made landmark contributions to children's literature.
9. Publications of writers and illustrators from India, and other Asian countries trained by her.
10. Over 200 books written and published for children from the age of 3 to young adults written by Manorama Jafa.
11. Research work on Kathasarit Sagar, Hittopdesh, and Jatak tales.
12. An entire research on Panchtantra including the Iranian version Khalila was Dimna and the evidence of a multimedia exhibition on Panchtantra at IGNCA in partnership with Kapila Vatsyayan and another exhibit in Japan.                         
13. A collection of books which she got her team of writers to develop which include innovative alphabet books, illustrated dictionaries for children in Hindi. The literacy project under the Association of Writers and Illustrators launched by the money presented to Amma ( 60 lakhs) which she donated to the association to develop creative literature for children.
14. There are in the personal collection sets of unpublished original cartoons by Shanker and Ranga.  The cartoons are important since my mother developed with artist Rebati Bhushan a unique 4 color style of illustrations for children evolved from cartoon art.
15. Papers presented at different forums on various aspects of Children's literature, including the course she taught at Radcliffe on South Asian Children's literature.


==Awards and recognitions==
In November 2020, she donated her books for thousands of children in the name of her life companion Mr. Virendra Singh Jafa at various NGOs like Deepalaya, Community Project Library, and various other schools including the Aaganvadaddi schools in Haryana under the Ministry of Child and Women Development.{{cn|date=July 2021}}
Manorama Jafa has been recognized by several organizations. IBC, in 1999, rated Manorama as one of the top 2000 scholars of 20th Century.<ref name="No child's play" /> Nami Island International Children's Book Festival, Nambook Festival,<ref name="Nambook Festival">{{cite web | url=http://nambookfestival.tistory.com/6 | title=Nambook Festival | publisher=Nami Island | date=13 August 2012 | access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> named her as ''A living treasure of children's literature in India'', in 2010.<ref name="No child's play" />


The [[Government of India]] awarded [[Padma Shri]] to Manorama Jafa, in 2014, honoring her efforts to the cause of promoting Children's literature.<ref name="Padma">{{cite web|url=http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=102735 |title=Padma Awards Announced |publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India |work=Circular |date=25 January 2014 |access-date=23 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6NEu2cjx3?url=http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=102735 |archive-date=8 February 2014 }}</ref>
==Honours and Awards==
In 2014, she was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] from the [[Government of India]].<ref name="Nath 2014" /><ref name="Padma">{{cite web|url=http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=102735 |title=Padma Awards Announced |publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India |work=Circular |date=25 January 2014 |access-date=23 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222101141/http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=102735 |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}</ref> In 2016, she was awarded the [[Order of the Rising Sun]], the highest civilian award in Japan.<ref name="UNI 2016">{{cite news |title=Manorama Jafa gets Japan's highest civilian honor |url=http://www.uniindia.com/manorama-jafa-gets-japan-s-highest-civilian-honour/india/news/677530.html |access-date=9 July 2021 |work=United News of India |date=November 6, 2016}}</ref> Her Hindi novel ''Devika'' won Sahitya Kriti Samman from Hindi Academy, Delhi (2008).{{cn|date=July 2021}}


==Selected works==
==Selected works==
Line 79: Line 58:
* {{cite book | title=Great Tales from India | publisher=Khaas Kitab Foundation | author=Manorama Jafa | date=1 January 2009 | pages=16 | isbn=978-8188236428}}
* {{cite book | title=Great Tales from India | publisher=Khaas Kitab Foundation | author=Manorama Jafa | date=1 January 2009 | pages=16 | isbn=978-8188236428}}
* {{cite book | title=Hira | publisher=Ratna Sagar | author=Manorama Jafa | date=1 January 2009 | pages=12 | isbn=978-8170700487}}
* {{cite book | title=Hira | publisher=Ratna Sagar | author=Manorama Jafa | date=1 January 2009 | pages=12 | isbn=978-8170700487}}
* {{cite book | title=Kapil, El Amante De Los Libros (Spanish Edition) | publisher=Shinsekai Kenkyusho | author=Manorama Jafa | date=1 November 2003 | pages=22| isbn=978-4880126630}}
* {{cite book | title=Kapil, El Amante De Los Libros | publisher=Shinsekai Kenkyusho | author=Manorama Jafa | date=1 November 2003 | pages=22| isbn=978-4880126630| edition=Spanish }}
* Manorama Jafa In Kireet Joshi (ed.), [https://philpapers.org/rec/JAFVEC Philosophy of Value-Oriented Education: Theory and Practice: Proceedings of the National Seminar], 18-20 January, 2002. Indian Council of Philosophical Research. pp. 473 (2002)
* {{cite book |last1=Jafa |first1=Manorama |title=Writing for Children |date=1994 |publisher=EPB Publishers |isbn=9789971004736 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Writing_for_Children/JRQLNAAACAAJ?hl=en}}


==See also==
==See also==
Line 89: Line 70:


==External links==
==External links==
( http://www.uniindia.com/manorama-jafa-gets-japan-s-highest-civilian-honour/india/news/677530.html)
* {{cite web | url=https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AManorama%20Jafa | title=List of Books on Amazon | publisher=Amazon.com | date=2014 | access-date=9 September 2014}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2196448.Manorama_Jafa | title=List of Books on GoodReads | publisher=Good Reads.com | date=2014 | access-date=9 September 2014}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.bookdepository.com/author/Manorama-Jafa | title=Book Depository | publisher=Book Depository.com | date=2014 | access-date=9 September 2014}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.bookdepository.com/author/Manorama-Jafa | title=Book Depository | publisher=Book Depository.com | date=2014 | access-date=9 September 2014}}


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[[Category:Indian women children's writers]]
[[Category:Indian women children's writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian writers]]
[[Category:Novelists from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Novelists from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category: Women writers from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category: Women writers from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category: University of Allahabad alumni]]
[[Category: University of Allahabad alumni]]

Latest revision as of 07:05, 26 June 2022


Manorama Jafa
Born1932
India
OccupationWriter
Spouse(s)Virendra Singh Jafa
ChildrenAsim Jafa , Dr. Navina Jafa
AwardsPadma Shri, Order of the Rising Sun

Manorama Jafa is an Indian author of more than 100 books for children, as well as feminist novels for adults, and academic research and writing on children's literature. She has served as Secretary General of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children and as the Secretary General of the Indian National Section of the International Board on Books for Young People.[1] She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2014, and the Order of the Rising Sun in 2016.

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

Jafa was born in 1932.[2] Jafa completed a master's degree in Geography from University of Allahabad.[1] She also later completed a course in writing for children at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology.[1]


Career[edit | edit source]

Creativity starts at a very young age. To garner and hone it further, it is very important that it is polished and harnessed right from the very beginning, says Manorama Jafa.[3]

Jafa began writing in the late 1960s, first for local newspaper columns, but then began developing stories, and her first book for children was Donkey on the Bridge.[1] Other works for children include The Parrot and the Mynah, Laughing Parrot, and The Ladybird and the Butterfly, which according to Dipanita Nath of The Indian Express, make "clear that Manorama sticks to earthy values, especially unity in diversity."[1]

Some of her works, such as Gabbar and Babbar and I am Sona, are designed for children with special needs.[3] She has said I am Sona was inspired by a visit to South Africa and addresses children with HIV,[4] and her book Toru Nanu and Hipu is written for children who became orphans after the Indian Ocean tsunami.[5] In a 1996 discussion of her 1995 book Gandhi: The Man of Peace in Indian Review of Books, she is referred to as "one of the pioneers of children's literature in English in India."[6] Her books written for adults, including Devita, were described by Nath as having "a strong feminist accent."[1]

In 2011, Faisal M. Naim of The Hindu wrote, "over the past three decades, Jafa has been pioneering a movement for better books for children in India."[3] In 1976, she began conducting workshops for authors of children's literature.[3] Jafa has also produced many research papers on children's literature.[7] She also co-founded the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC) with the cartoonist Shankar Pillai,[3] and served as director of its Children's Literacy Project beginning in 1995.[4] She has written a book about technical writing for children,[3] Writing For Children, and edited the AWIC quarterly children's literature journal Writer and Illustrator,[5] which was founded in 1981.[8] By 2006, she was the head of the Khaas Kitaab Foundation, a publisher of children's books.[4]

From 1999 through 2001, she served as a jury member for the UNESCO prize for Children's and Young People's Literature.[4] She was also involved with the Asian Cultural Centre for UNESCO, as its children's book specialist.[citation needed] She has served in the juries of the IIY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award (2000-2001) as its chairperson and the UNESCO Prize for Books on Tolerance (1999-2000) as a member.[citation needed]

Around 2010, she founded Book Therapy, an initiative to support children who have experienced trauma, which has included the distribution of books to Afghanistan and areas of India impacted by tsunami.[3] She has also served as a consultant for the Children's Book Trust.[9][3] She has also been associated with the National Book Trust, New Delhi as its editorial consultant.[citation needed]

Jafa is the General Secretary of the Indian National Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).[10] She presided over the 26th Congress of the IBBY, conducted in 1998, as its Chairperson.[11] In 1998, Jafa invited Empress Michiko of Japan to give the keynote speech at the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Congress in New Delhi and later visited Empress Michiko in Japan.[12] In 2013, as Secretary-General of the IBBY India section, she met with the Empress and introduced her to members of the group, after previously meeting her in Japan in 2004.[12]

The Manorama Jafa Collection on Children’s Literature was donated to Ashoka University by her husband, Shri Virendra Singh Jafa.[13] The collection includes technical books on children's literature, some of her correspondence, her Hindi novels for adults, and other materials related to children's literature.[13]

In November 2020, she donated her books for thousands of children in the name of her life companion Mr. Virendra Singh Jafa at various NGOs like Deepalaya, Community Project Library, and various other schools including the Aaganvadaddi schools in Haryana under the Ministry of Child and Women Development.[citation needed]

Honours and Awards[edit | edit source]

In 2014, she was awarded the Padma Shri from the Government of India.[1][14] In 2016, she was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest civilian award in Japan.[15] Her Hindi novel Devika won Sahitya Kriti Samman from Hindi Academy, Delhi (2008).[citation needed]

Selected works[edit | edit source]

  • Manorama Jafa (15 October 2013). Sadako of Hiroshima. Ratna Sagar. p. 16. ISBN 978-9350360842.
  • Manorama Jafa (15 October 2013). The Parrot and the Mynah. Ratna Sagar. p. 16. ISBN 978-9350360804.
  • Manorama Jafa (1 January 2008). The Circle. Ratna Sagar. p. 16. ISBN 978-8170700692.
  • Manorama Jafa (1 January 2011). Tree Growers. Ratna Sagar. p. 16. ISBN 978-8170700425.
  • Manorama Jafa (1 January 2009). Great Tales from India. Khaas Kitab Foundation. p. 16. ISBN 978-8188236428.
  • Manorama Jafa (1 January 2009). Hira. Ratna Sagar. p. 12. ISBN 978-8170700487.
  • Manorama Jafa (1 November 2003). Kapil, El Amante De Los Libros (Spanish ed.). Shinsekai Kenkyusho. p. 22. ISBN 978-4880126630.
  • Manorama Jafa In Kireet Joshi (ed.), Philosophy of Value-Oriented Education: Theory and Practice: Proceedings of the National Seminar, 18-20 January, 2002. Indian Council of Philosophical Research. pp. 473 (2002)
  • Jafa, Manorama (1994). Writing for Children. EPB Publishers. ISBN 9789971004736.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Nath, Dipanita (13 May 2014). "A Life of Stories". The Indian Express. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  2. ↑ Zipes, Jack, ed. (2006). The Oxford encyclopedia of children's literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 316. ISBN 9780195146561. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Naim, Faisal M. (19 January 2011). "No child's play". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Tandon, Aditi (10 August 2006). "Life-saving knowledge: AIDS awareness fiction from an acclaimed children's writer". Tribune India. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "'Children's literature is not just entertainment. It's a vital tool'". Times of India. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Indian Review of Books. 6. Acme Books Pvt. Limited: 80. 1996. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ STP Team (5 May 2015). "Female Children's writers your kids should read". SheThePeople.TV. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  8. ↑ Jafa, Manorama (1994). "The Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children". The Book Review. 18–19. C. Chari for Perspective Publications: 23. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  9. ↑ "A Politically Correct Padma List". The New Indian Express. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "IBBY". IBBY. 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  11. ↑ Maissen, Leena. "1998 in New Delhi". International Board on Books for Young People. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Emperor, Empress revisit India center after 53 years". Japan Times. 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Recent Acquisitions". Ashoka Bulletin. Ashoka University. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Padma Awards Announced". Circular. Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 25 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Manorama Jafa gets Japan's highest civilian honor". United News of India. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2021.

External links[edit | edit source]

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