Maya Jayapal

In this Indian name, the name Jayapal is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Maya.

Maya Jayapal (born 1941) is an Indian historian, author, columnist, teacher, and counselor.

Maya Jayapal
Born	1941 (age 83–84) Palakkad, Kerala, British Raj
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
Spouse	Jayapal Menon ​ (died 2025)​
Children	Susheela Jayapal Pramila Jayapal

Early life and education

Maya Jayapal is a Malayali from Palakkad, Kerala, India.^[1][2] She moved from Chennai to Bengaluru to attend college in 1955,^[3][4] and graduated from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.^[5][1] After her marriage to MP Jayapal,^[6][7] she resided in Bengaluru for a decade before moving to Jakarta, Indonesia, for 11 years and then Singapore for 13 years.^[8][6] Since 1993, Jayapal has lived in Bengaluru.^[3]

Career

Maya Jayapal is the author of several books, including Bangalore: Roots and Beyond and Bangalore: The Story of A City.^[3][9] Bangalore: The Story of A City was released in 1997^[10][11] during the commemoration of the 460th anniversary of the city,^[12] and includes her research about the Victoria Hotel^[13] and the BRV theatre.^[14] 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.^[15] While residing in Singapore, Jayapal expanded presentations she gave on the history of Singapore into a book,^[16] Old Singapore, based on collections of letters and memoirs.^{[17][18][19][20]}

Jayapal has cited Jane Austen, Amitav Ghosh, and Yaa Gyasi as influences.^[16]

Personal life

Her daughter, Pramila Jayapal, is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Indian-American woman elected to the House.^{[21][22][6][23]} Her elder daughter Susheela Jayapal resides in Portland, Oregon,^[8] and is the first Indian-American to serve on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.^[24]

Maya Jayapal lives in Langford Town in Bangalore.^[21]

Works

• Old Singapore (1992)
• Old Jakarta (1993)
• Bangalore: The story of a city (1997)
• Bangalore: Roots and Beyond (2014)