Madhav Ajjampur

Writer & Cultural Commentator | Former Arts & Culture Editor, The South First | Kannada-to-English Literary Translator · Bangalore

I am a dedicated freelance editor and journalist with over 15 years of experience, driven by a deep concentration and determination to master the craft of storytelling. My approach blends creative insight with a commitment to ethical reporting, ensuring every piece I touch is both eloquent and impactful.

Experience

Freelance Editor

Freelance · Jun 2020 – Present

Not yet confirmed

• As a freelance editor, I undertake the editing of both academic and non-academic content.
• Since 2019, the work I've done includes editing the coffee table book brought out by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) for its 30th anniversary, a scientific manual and Alumni newsletter brought out by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the book 'Decentralising Digital' brought out by Quicksand and its partners, and the PhD thesis of a student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IISc.

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Creative Writer

mkajjampur.com · Mar 2019 – Present

Not yet confirmed

• I've been writing poems (and prose) for over ten years now.
• I began to share some of my writings publicly (on Facebook) in 2016 or thereabouts.
• Some three years later, I finally decided to take the plunge and start "publishing" my writings on a blog.
• Since I began in 2019, I have published almost 50 write-ups (both poetry and prose) on my blog-website.
• While I have stopped posting frequently these days (I have begun to submit my work to literary journals and magazines instead), the blog-website still functions as a home for a number of my writings.
• Having always been a strict self-editor, I would like to present the posts on my blog-website as examples of my creative writing, copywriting, and copyediting abilities.

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Writer and Translator

kannadatoenglish.com · Oct 2017 – Present

Not yet confirmed

• An offshoot of my work with Da Ra Bendre's poetry, the idea for this website came when I wanted a place to publish my English translation of one of the Kannada people's most-loved songs – 'The Song of the Cow'.
• I'm rather proud to be able to call its publication a 'hit'. (I was especially gratified to learn that several Kannada speakers in India had shared it with friends and relatives abroad who in turn took pleasure in sharing it with their non-Kannada-speaking children.)
• I continue to post miscellaneous translations of Kannada prose and poetry on the website.

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Writer, Translator, Author

Self-employed · Mar 2016 – Present

Not yet confirmed

• English translations and transcreations of the sublime lyric poetry of Kannada's heaven-touched poet-seer, Da Ra Bendre.
• A labour of love.
• A project I began casually (in late 2015) which took on a life of its own to become the largest project I have ever worked on and continue to work on.
• Since I set up the website in March 2016, this particular project has given me the chance to work (with) the English language in novel ways, write essays I might not otherwise have had occasion to write, experience the gratification of having more than 75,000 people from over 70 countries read and learn about Da Ra Bendre and his poetry, and become one of the central figures of a group engaged in popularizing Bendre's poetry within and outside Karnataka.
• For more information, you can do no better than visit the website.
• 2023 UPDATE: 26 of the poems first published on the blog have now been collected in a book.
• Titled 'The Pollen Waits On Tiptoe', the book was published in October 2022 by Manipal Universal Press (MUP).

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Visiting Faculty Member

Chanakya University · Aug 2023 – Nov 2024

Not yet confirmed

• I worked at Chanakya University, a newly-started liberal arts university, as a visiting faculty member.
• In my two semesters there, I took courses in Spoken English and English Writing for undergraduate and post-graduate students.
• I designed the syllabus for the courses myself.
• The courses I was teaching (and some others) have currently been put on hold by the University, but they are expected to resume sometime later this year (2025).

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Arts and Culture Editor (Karnataka)

South First · Mar 2023 – Jun 2023

Not yet confirmed

• I commission, edit, and translate articles – from Kannada to English – relating to Karnataka.
• Broadly speaking, the work I commission are articles about famous Kannada people, reviews of Kannada books (and books about Karnataka), articles about famous places in Karnataka, and general articles exploring aspects of Karnataka, e.g. music.
• If you would like to contribute an article, please send a proposal to me by email.
• My address is: [email protected]

Translator

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) · Aug 2020 – Dec 2022

Not yet confirmed

• I worked with the IISc's Office of Communications (Ooc), headed by Prof.
• Kaushal Verma.
• I was one of a group of translators that translated IISc's monthly online magazine, "Kernel", from English into Kannada.
• During this period, I also translated several IISc's press releases from English to Kannada.

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Content and Assessments Creator

DinoLab · Apr 2021 – Mar 2022

Not yet confirmed

• I'm presently creating assessments for G1-6.
• I finished working on assessments for Mathematics (for which I created some 1200+ questions and helped the Indian team meet and pass their targets) and moved to working on assessments for EVS.
• Working on KG Maths is next on the agenda, possibly content plus assessments.
• Creating content cards for Maths (and potentially EVS and English) are possible future projects.

Curriculum Designer

Cuemath (CueLearn Pvt Ltd) · Mar 2016 – Jan 2019

Not yet confirmed

• I was a Mathematics Curriculum Designer at Cuemath.
• Having been there from the beginning, I worked on every aspect of Cuemath's curriculum as it looked then.
• More importantly – as far as what I'm looking to do now goes – I was as the (undesignated, de facto) editor of all the curriculum team's work for the first eight months and continued to play the role of a (co)editor until I left the company.

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Actor

Osagé · Apr 2015 – Jul 2015

Not yet confirmed

• I acted in a socio-political adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear.
• Having only ever acted in "Jack and Jill" (in Grade 1) and a Sanskrit play (whose name I forget) in Grade 9, it was an interesting experience to play Lear's part and, later, the part of the wretched farmer (a character not found in the original).
• The production was meant to be staged in Rangashankara, but we only got so far as the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA).

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Subject Matter Expert

Educomp Solutions Ltd · Dec 2012 – Feb 2014

Not yet confirmed

• I was the only Mathematics SME (Subject Matter Expert) during my time there.
• I worked on creating supplementary assessments for students studying in grades 5 to 8 – mostly in schools in Texas, USA.
• These assessments were based primarily on two syllabi: the Common Core and TEKS.
• I also used the Geogebra software to create a number of questions.

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Project Assistant

Department of Management Studies, IISc · Jul 2011 – Dec 2011

Not yet confirmed

• I collected data for a DST project related to SMEs (Small and Medium Scale Enterprises).
• I didn't go on to complete the two-year project, but the conversations I had with a number of different types of entrepreneurs were quite an experience.

What drives their work

The Craftsman

You meticulously shape and refine existing works to elevate their form and impact.

Madhav's superpower

You possess an exceptional ability to transform and elevate existing content, making it resonate with new audiences while preserving its core essence.

How Madhav works

You excel in environments that value high-quality written communication and offer the flexibility to refine and adapt content or educational programs.