Maya Jayapal (born 1941) is an Indian historian, author, columnist, teacher, and
counselor
Counselor or counsellor may refer to:
A professional In diplomacy and government
* Counsellor of State, senior member of the British royal family to whom the Monarch can delegate some functions in case of unavailability
* Counselor (dipl ...
.
Early life and education
Maya Jayapal is a
Malayali
The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...
from
Palakkad
Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, India. She moved from
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
to
Bengaluru
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
to attend college in 1955, and graduated from
Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
Mount Carmel College (MCC) is an autonomous college located in Bangalore, India, affiliated to Bengaluru City University. Its ultimate aim is to empower women with the help of education. MCC has been featured on ‘India Today’ since its conce ...
. After her marriage to MP Jayapal, she resided in Bengaluru for a decade before moving to
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, for 11 years and then
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
for 13 years. Since 1993, Jayapal has lived in Bengaluru.
Career
Maya Jayapal is the author of several books, including ''Bangalore: Roots and Beyond'' and ''Bangalore: The Story of A City''. ''Bangalore: The Story of A City'' was released in 1997 during the commemoration of the 460th anniversary of the city, and includes her research about the Victoria Hotel and the BRV theatre. The book was one of the first histories of Bengaluru that specifically connected to its present, while ''Bangalore: Roots and Beyond'' contains additional research and photographs. While residing in Singapore, Jayapal expanded presentations she gave on the history of Singapore into a book, ''Old Singapore'', based on collections of letters and memoirs.
Jayapal has cited
Jane Austen
Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...
Yaa Gyasi
Yaa Gyasi (born 1989) is a Ghanaian-American novelist. Her work, most notably her 2016 debut novel ''Homegoing'' and her 2020 novel '' Transcendent Kingdom,'' features themes of lineage, generational trauma, and Black and African identities. A ...
as influences.
Personal life
Her daughter,
Pramila Jayapal
Pramila Jayapal (born September 21, 1965) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents most of Seattle, as well as some suburban areas of King County. Jayapal ...
, is a member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
and the first Indian-American woman elected to the House. Her elder daughter Susheela Jayapal resides in
Portland, Oregon
Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, and is the first Indian-American to serve on the
Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, its ...
Bangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
.
Works
* ''Old Singapore'' (1992)
* ''Old Jakarta'' (1993)
* ''Bangalore: The story of a city'' (1997)
* ''Bangalore: Roots and Beyond'' (2014)