I, Shakuntala Rajagopal, (Sivaraam,) was born in Trivandrum, Kerala, South India.

I have stated more than once that I had to grow up twice. The first time, in the bosom of a warm extended family, growing up was a pleasure.

As a young bride I followed my husband Raj to Berwyn, a suburb of Chicago, and had to grow up all over again. In our early years here without any family, life was hard, and sometimes lonely. Our love and devotion to each other enabled us to make life here an adventure and a pleasurable experience.

After a long and distinguished career in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, I retired to be an active grandmother, while pursuing my passions of writing, painting, and gardening.

I came here with an attitude; that I could do anything, and that has helped in my evolution as a matriarch of fifty two family members, here in the United States.

I am a member of Barrington Writers Workshop, Off Campus Writers Workshop and the Desilit organization.

My first novel, RADHA, was published in November, 2007.

My works have appeared in ‘Tangled Webs,’ an anthology by the Algonquin Area Writers Group, in ‘Overcoming,’ an anthology from the Off Campus Writers Workshop, in “Chicago,” an anthology from the Story Studio of Chicago, and in the AKMG  (Association of Kerala Medical Graduates) annual Souvenirs.

‘Song of the Mountains,’ a memoir of my Pilgrimage to Maa Ganga, and the journey in the Himalayas, is awaiting publication in April 2015.

I enjoy reading from my works at the storytelling fests at local libraries, and learn from the audience feedback.

My Oil paintings were chosen by the Algonquin Township Public Art Program, on multiple occasions, and were displayed in their offices or the local schools for one year at a time.

Shakuntala Rajagopal

March 2015

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