Shreekumar Varma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shreekumar Varma
Born	1955 (age 69–70) Satelmond Palace, Poojapura, Thiruvananthapuram
Occupation	Writer, poet, teacher

Shreekumar Varma is an Indian writer, known for his novels, plays, and especially his books for children. He is also a poet and writes for newspapers. His works include exciting stories for young readers like Devil's Garden and The Magic Store of Nu-Cham-Vu. He has also written many plays and novels for older readers.

His Life Story

Shreekumar Varma was born in 1955 in Thiruvananthapuram, India. When he was four, his family moved to Madras (now Chennai). He went to school and college there, studying English Literature. He also learned about Journalism.

Early Career and Family

As a young man, Shreekumar Varma took part in plays and created shows for All India Radio. He worked for newspapers like the Indian Express. He also edited a magazine and worked with a printing press. Later, he taught English Literature and Journalism at Madras Christian College. He also taught Creative English at the Chennai Mathematical Institute for many years.

Shreekumar Varma comes from a very interesting family. His grandmother was Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, who was the last ruling Maharani of Travancore. He is also the great-grandson of the famous artist Raja Ravi Varma. Today, Shreekumar Varma lives in Chennai with his wife, Geeta, and writes full-time.

His Books and Plays

Shreekumar Varma has written many different kinds of books. He writes novels, which are longer stories, and plays, which are stories meant to be acted out. He is also well-known for his children's books.

Books for Young Readers

Some of his popular books for children include:

• Pazhassi Raja: The Royal Rebel
• Devil's Garden: Tales Of Pappudom
• The Magic Store of Nu-Cham-Vu

Did you know that The Magic Store of Nu-Cham-Vu is also available as a "talking" book? This means people who are blind or have dyslexia can listen to the story.

Novels and Plays

For older readers, his novels include:

• Lament of Mohini
• Maria's Room
• Kipling's Daughter

Shreekumar Varma has also written many plays. Some of his plays have been performed by famous theatre groups like The British Council and The Madras Players. His play Midnight Hotel was performed many times and helped raise money for social service programs. Another play, Nathu's Dream, was even turned into a musical!

Newspaper Columns and Poetry

Besides books and plays, Shreekumar Varma writes regular columns for many newspapers and magazines. He also reviews books for the Deccan Herald. He has contributed his poems and stories to many different collections of writings. He has even translated poetry and stories from Malayalam into English.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Shreekumar Varma has received several awards for his writing.

• In 2015, he won the R. K. Narayan Award for Excellence in Writing in English.
• He received the Charles Wallace Fellowship in 2004. This allowed him to be a Writer-in-Residence at Stirling University in Scotland.

His books have also been recognized:

• His first novel, Lament of Mohini, was considered for the Crossword Book Award.
• His novel Maria's Room was considered for the first Man Asian Literary Prize.
• His children's book The Magic Store of Nu-Cham-Vu was a finalist for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in 2009.

His plays have also won awards:

• His play "The Dark Lord" won second prize in a British Council competition.
• His play "Bow of Rama" won first prize in The Hindu All-India Playscripts competition.

Shreekumar Varma has also been a judge for several writing contests, including The Hindu Fiction Award and short story contests.

See also

• Travancore royal family
• Raja Ravi Varma
• Sethu Lakshmi Bayi
• Theatre of India
• List of people from Kerala/ Writers