Born in Hyderabad on 25 August 1963, Ramen studied at the prestigious Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. After completing a bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a master’s degree in Business Administration, he moved to Rourkela, Odisha, where he joined Rourkela Steel Plant as a junior manager in the Public Relations Department.

Ramen’s passion for writing dovetailed seamlessly with a profession that revolved around communication, allowing him to pursue both with a fair degree of success. He eventually rose to become General Manager and Chief of Corporate Communications. His wife Madhavi was a General Manager in Marketing when, in 2020, they both decided to take voluntary retirement and pursue their passions.

They are now settled in Bengaluru with their daughter Ankita, son Aniket and black Labrador Aryan.

Writing, however, had begun much earlier.

What started with satire and poetry took an unexpected turn when Ankita became the first audience for the stories he began spinning for her. The ones she liked found their way to editors and publishers, launching a journey as a children’s writer that continues to surprise him even today.

Ramen’s books have been published by leading Indian publishers, including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette India, National Book Trust, Pratham Books, Rupa and Readomania.

He has participated in literary festivals and storytelling platforms across India and abroad, including the Jaipur Literature Festival, Bookaroo, Hyderabad Literary Festival, Bangalore Literature Festival, Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival and the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) World Congresses in Copenhagen and Athens.

Whether writing for a four-year-old, addressing an auditorium full of students or speaking to adults about life, Ramen believes in connecting through stories, humour and the human experience.

Ramen has had a tough life. A child from a broken home and a suicide survivor, he has also lived with brittle diabetes, silent thyroiditis and a rare condition called haemangioma.

Then, in November 2021, he was diagnosed with stage II colon cancer.

What followed was a tortuous and torturous journey: three septic shocks, four major surgeries, ten rounds of chemotherapy, five rounds of radiation and 40 days in the ICU.

Through it all, he held on to his exclusive mantra:

“Battling every tumour with humour.”

The experience led to his book Coping with Cancer, several talks and conversations on resilience and an entirely new dimension to his life as a cancer warrior.

His story has reached millions through Humans of Bombay and numerous interviews, talks and podcasts. In 2025, he was crowned Mr India Cancer Warrior at a unique pageant celebrating cancer survivors.

Apart from being obsessed with weaving words and ideas, Ramen has always been passionate about dancing. He has given both staged and delightfully extempore performances in different parts of the world.

Cancer certainly did not put an end to that passion. If anything, dancing has become an even stronger expression of celebration, gratitude and sheer joie de vivre.

Ramen firmly believes:

“One should dance like everybody in the world and her grandma is watching.”

After this introduction, retain the detailed existing sections:

Writing Career
Publishers
Stories in Anthologies
Stories in Children’s Textbooks
Literary Festivals, Conferences & Seminars
Awards, Accolades & Special Accomplishments
Publications

Update the numbers and add the latest books and achievements wherever required.

Already done, just add this:

Middle Grade Non-Fiction : 10-14 YRS
FOLK TALES OF ORISSA– Children’s Book Trust (CBT), New Delhi(2009)

IT TAKES A TRIBE : 25 Inspiring Tribal Leaders of India – Hachette, New Delhi (2016)