Mona Melwani was author of ‘The Disco Comes to Town and Other Stories’ and some other books.
Mumbai
Mona Melwani was raised in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). After High School, she didn’t attend college, but educated herself at The British Council Library in Colombo. She also started contributing articles to The Ceylon Observer.
After her marriage to Murli Melwani, Mona enrolled in Sankardev College, Shillong, and obtained her BA degree. She also served as the Shillong representative of The Junior Statesman, later renamed JS. In 1981, she moved with her husband, a son and a daughter to Taipei, Taiwan, where she taught at an International School, The Taipei American School, for eighteen years. While teaching, she took online classes offered by the Michigan State University and earned a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction.
Saaz Aggarwal, an eminent author, writes on social media:
“Many readers will know her through her books. I had the privilege of publishing The Disco Comes to Town and Other Stories, a collection that brought out the warmth, wit and keen observation that characterized her writing.
Mona was raised in Sri Lanka, and educated herself at the British Council Library in Colombo before becoming a journalist. She completed her graduation in Shillong after she married Murli Melwani.
After she and Murli left Shillong and settled in Taiwan, she built a new life from scratch, raising their family while teaching at the Taipei American School, where she became a much-loved educator. She earned a Master’s degree while working full-time and went on to write books that helped teachers and introduced Indian cooking to readers around the world.
But to those of us who knew them, Mona was also one half of one of an extraordinary literary partnership.
Murli once told me that when it was time for him to marry, he insisted he would only marry someone who loved books and writing as much as he did. His parents took up the challenge and to his surprise and delight, they found Mona!
While Murli built his business and continued writing, Mona created a home, pursued her own career and writing, and together they raised a family while never losing their love of literature.
In recent years, as Mona’s health declined, I observed Murli care for her with a devotion that was very moving. He never spoke of her with sadness alone, but always remembered the brilliant, beautiful, talented and supportive woman she had always been. And he continued expressing his love through years of patience, dignity and unwavering care.
I met Mona only once, in the US nearly 10 years ago, but through many conversations with Murli I came to know how central she was to everything they built together.
“My deepest condolences to Murli Melwani, Arvind Melwani, Arpan Nandani, and everyone who loved Mona.”
About The Disco comes to Town
This collection of short stories is a nostalgic journey back in time to the trendy 1970s. Growing to adulthood holds its challenges – whether in Shillong, or in Bombay, or in Colombo, or in Kotmale. There are coming-of-age rituals to transcend, small but joyful victories, discovering the nobility of giving, and sometimes even the lifelong consequences of unchecked impulse. Adept in the metaphor of the young, Mona Melwani spins lively tales that find their way straight into a reader’s heart.
Other publications by Mona Melwani include:
Delicious Ways With Ginger, published by India Book House, Bombay in 1976
Indian Cooking Overseas: Traditional Cuisine Survives, published by Sterling Publishers, New Delhi in 1995
Just the Right Words: 201 Report Card Comments published by Scholastic Inc., New York in 2003. The blurb to Just the Right Words states, “She was inspired to write this book so that she might help others tackle one of the most challenging aspects of teaching – writing truly successful report cards narratives.”
With so many report cards to write, it can sometimes be tough to craft thoughtful, meaningful messages that both students and parents will appreciate. It’s a daunting and time-consuming task that has to be done—and it can be immensely frustrating when the words just won’t come. That’s where Just the Right Words: 201 Report Cards comes in.
Written by former teacher Mona Melwani, the idea for the book evolved out of her experiences teaching at international schools for almost twenty years. By her own admission, Mona struggled every quarter to find the right words and to fashion them into constructive feedback for the unique personalities in her classroom. The dilemma, as Mona puts it, is “to say what one has to, to not ‘sugar the pill,’ and yet to articulate the message in a productive way.”
Being honest and fair about assessment, and communicating that assessment effectively, are the core goals of writing a good report card. Because of course parents can be sensitive to the feedback you’re giving them on their pride and joy, which Mona fully acknowledges, and therefore bears the following core question in mind throughout the book: “What must Michael focus on now that will be the most helpful to him?” so that she remains objective. Ultimately, report cards are one of the most important communication tools that a teacher has, because not only do they inform parents about their child’s development in school, but they help students themselves monitor their learning progress.
Ultimately, this book was written to be a helpful resource for teachers so that they can write better report cards more easily during one of the most stressful times of the year. There are comments for every situation—for struggling students, for advanced ones, for kids who aren’t living up to their potential, and for everyone in between.
_____________
