Maya Jayapal is a teacher, writer, columnist and counsellor residing in Bengaluru. Born in Chennai, she also studied in Bengaluru and Chennai, obtaining a Masters degree in English Language and Literature, from Presidency College, Chennai. In 1993 she returned to Bengaluru after spending 24 years in Jakarta and Singapore with her husband,  who worked in the oil industry. She joined a counselling organisation called Vishwas in Bengaluru. Maya did her CTA in 2009 and has worked as a therapist in Transactional Analysis since then. In her spare time she contributes to various periodicals and newspapers. She has also authored books about Jakarta, Singapore and Bengaluru. Other hobbies include walking, travelling, reading, writing and knitting and her more recent interests are drawing and painting.