Ashokamitran

IN 1952, when Tyagarajan (he had not yet assumed the pseudonym of Ashokamitran) left Secunderabad, where he was born, grew up and spent the first 20 years of his life, he thought it was going to be a clean break from the past. The last few years here had been so full of political and social turmoil and had caused him such disillusionment and anguish, he probably welcomed the shift to another city. For many years after that, Hyderabad and Secunderabad were farthest from his mind. Seventy-two years old now and many decades and writings later, he can now however, assert that the place and the people he encountered here had a shaping influence on him. In fact, he is yet to exhaust the creative possibilities they have been offering him.

After moving to Chennai, he went on to become one of the most influential figures in post-independent Tamil literature. His oeuvre includes now over 200 short stories, eight novels, some 15 novellas besides other prose writings.

Ashokamitran's fiction is almost exclusively focused on middle class urban life - of Chennai and Hyderabad. He is rather an unusual figure in Tamil literature by virtue of the sparse, chiselled quality of his prose, the self-effacing nature of most of his characters, his meticulous eye for detail and a subtle undercurrent of irony. Not for him the bluster of overarching idealism or grand manifestoes. And when you meet him in person, you can immediately see that this is not a mere writerly stance. But, of course, the ordinariness and the calm are deceptive. Deep down he is a troubled man puzzled by the deceptions and treacheries of men and time. Yet he never loses an opportunity to have a humorous take on them all and himself. Laurels and fame have come in ample measure to this unobtrusive writer. He has a sizeable following among discerning readers in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere.

He began his literary career with the prize-winning play Anbin Parisu, which was followed by many short stories, a collection of novellas, Viduthalai, and eight novels, including Karainda Nizhalgal, Padinettavathu Atchakodu, Indru, Manasarovar and Vizha Maalai Pothil. A distinguished essayist and critic, he has been the Editor of the influential Tamil journal, Kanaiyaazhi, for many years. He has been the recipient of many literary awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996.

Ashokamitran's work with Katha: "Water" translated from the Tamil by Lakshmi Holmstrom.

Kamleshwar

Kamleshwar (1932-2007) was among the pioneers of the Nayee Kahani movement in Hindi literature in the 1950s. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award in 2003 for his novel Kitne Pakistan, and the highest civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 2006 for his contribution to Hindi literature.

Kamleshwar's work with Katha: "Not Flowers of Henna" translated from the Hindi by Jai Ratan.

Indira Goswami

Also known as Mamoni Raisom Goswami, a celebrated name in the field of Asomiya literature, blends scholarliness with creativity. Writing from a very early age, she prefers to soak up the environment of the topic she is writing on – even if it means staying at Brindavan to research for her doctoral thesis or camping at the Kamakhya temple in Assam to gather first-hand experience for her novel. She has travelled extensively both within India and abroad.

She balances the intensive and extensive research for her writings with a full-fledged teaching job at the University of Delhi where she is the Head of the Department of Modern Indian Languages and Literary Studies. She has written several novels, hundreds of short stories and a number of research papers. Her works have been extensively translated into various bhashas including English. Several feature films, television serials, telefilms and stage plays have been adapted from her novels and short stories.

Her voluminous work, Ramayana from Ganga to Brahmaputra was released by the former President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma. She has received the International Tulsi Award on the occasion of International Conference on “Tulsi Das and His Works” from the Florida International University, Florida , USA.

She has been honoured with several national and international awards including the Jnanpith Award, Sahitya Akademi Award, Bharat Nirman Award, Assam Sahitya Sabha Award, Katha Award for Creative Fiction, the Kamal Kumari Foundation Award and the International Jury Award for the film Adarya based on her novel Une Khowa Hawda.

Her latest release from Katha: "The Man from Chinnamasta" translated by Prashant Goswami, from Asomiya.

The Man from Chinnamasta: The Launch
Indira Goswami's books at Frankfurt 2006
Blood Sacrifices and Peace talks

Alka Saraogi

She is a well-known contemporary Hindi writer. She has three novels and two short story collections to her credit. Her first novel, Kali-Katha: via Bypass, was seen as a sign of revival of the Hindi novel. It won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 2001 and Srikant Verma Award in 1998. It has been translated into Urdu, English, French, and Italian, and is being translated into Bengali, Marathi, Gujrati, Oriya, and Tamil. Her second novel, Shesh Kadambari, is being translated into Bangla, Urdu and Oriya besides Italian and French.

Alka Saraogi's work with Katha: "Over to you, Kadambari" translated from the Hindi by Vandana R Singh.

Kiran Nagarkar

Winner of the 2001 Sahitya Akademi Award for the novel Cuckold, he is author of the landmark Marathi novel Saat Sakkam Trechalis published in English by Katha as Seven Sixes Are Forty Three.

Nagarkar, born in Mumbai in 1942, has often spoken of his childhood, of how his grandfather was ostracised because he broke away from the vice-like grip of the Chitpavan Brahmin community, about how the Marathi people have never forgiven him for writing in English, and how his hybrid work has never been fully accepted.

Kiran Nagarkar's work with Katha: "Seven 6s are 43," has been translated from Marathi by Shubha Slee.

Kiran Nagarkar's interview
Kiran Nagarkar speaks at the Katha Asia Utsav
A conversation with Kiran Nagarkar

Gurdial Singh

An eminent writer, he had his first short story published in 1957. His creative works span a variety of genres – novels, short story collections, dramas, prose and books for children. Besides several literary and academic publications he has written several articles for journals and newspapers on serious cultural, social, political and economic problems of Punjab and Indian society. He has also translated a number of books from English and Hindi into Punjabi and from Punjabi into these languages. He has been honoured with several awards including the Padma Shri, Bharatiya Jnanpith Award, Shiromani Sahitkar Award, Sahitya Akademi Award, Punjabi Sahitya Akademi Award and many more.

He has been a member of various literary institutions like the Sahitya Akademi, Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjabi University, Patiala, et cetera. His novels have been widely translated into Indian and foreign languages. His novel Marhi Da Deeva was reproduced as a feature film by NFDC.

"For a long time, in India at least, what we will go on needing is ... a Gurdial Singh."

- The Hindu

Punjab's Unhoye

Gurdial Singh's work with Katha: "The Survivors" translated From the Punjabi by Rana Nayar

Maitreyi Pushpa

In the past nine years, she has become the urgent voice of blood, sweat and tears fiction about Bundelkhand and its people, especially the trodden but strong-willed women. Breaking convention, setting rules, she has to her credit five novels (Idannamum and Chaak being novels of note) and three collections of short stories.

Born in Sikurar Village, Aligarh district, UP, Maitreyi Pushpa is a recipient of many Awards, she has written consistently about rural India, keeping Panchayats as a central issue in her stories, and has endeavoured to explore the web of human relationships in a time of moral ambivalence and social uncertainty. She is the recipient of many accolades including the SAARC Literary Award for Alma Kabutari, the Premchand Samman and the Sahityakar Samman.

In her words, "Women have come a long way from their position of subordination to carving out a niche for themselves. They have had to bear harassment and torture to bring about this change. There are hopes resting on the new generation that they will be able to take up the challenges of the day and take this movement forward."

Her latest title with Katha, "Alma Kabutari" has been translated from Hindi, by Raji Narasimhan.

Krishna Sobti

Writer par excellence, Krishna Sobti's contributions to Indian literature transcends all cultural boundaries. Her innovative use of language, technique and refreshing delineation of strong women characters have opened new vistas in Hindi literature.

One of the most creative and engaging aspects of Krishna Sobti's writings is her lively language. Her contribution to Hindi is immense. She has not only added a multitude of new words and expressions to the language, but also experimented with and successfully introduced new styles and techniques of writing. Krishna Sobti has a number of enthralling and exquisite literary works to her credit, which include Daar Se Bichhudi, Mitro Marjani, Surajmukhi Andhere ke, Zindaginama, Ai Ladki, Hum Hashmat, Yaaron ke Yaar, Teen Pahad, Badalon ke Ghere, Sobti Ek Sohbat, and Samay Sargam, amongst others. Each of these works have an unusual use of the Hindi language, highly coloured with the flavour of the region the story is set in, Punjab in Daar se Bichhudi; and Rajasthan in Mitro Marjani.

Her writings cover a vast range of issues, including partition, upheaval and turmoil in Indian society, man-woman relationship, feudalism and dissolution of human values. Her works have been translated into various Indian and foreign languages - Ai Ladki into Swedish and English, Sobti Ek Sohbat into Swedish and Urdu and Mitro Marjani into Russian.

She is the first Hindi woman writer to receive the Sahitya Akademi Award for her magnum opus, Zindaginama. She is also the recipient of the first Katha Chudamani Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement, conferred on her in 1999. Other notable awards to her credit include the Hindi Akademi Award, Shiromani Award, Maithili Sharan Gupt Samman, Shalaka Samman, Sadbhavana Puraskar, and various fellowships including the exclusive Shimla and Punjab University Fellowships and the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship.

Krishna Sobti lives in Delhi and is currently working on a number of manuscripts including Gujrat se Gujrat. She stays in our minds as a gutsy, indomitable woman who likes to live life on her own terms and who - as a writer and as an individual - has created a niche for herself in Hindi literature that is rightfully hers.

The Tribune
"Here is a writer deeply rooted in the integrated human experience who believes in combining both male and female elements creatively in the content."

Outlook

"Krishna Sobti allows freedom even to her characters, so they can speak out her silences."

HindustanTimes.com

"Krishna Sobti is one of the revered sentinels of modern Indian literature."

Krishna Sobti's award-winning work "The Heart has its Reasons" has been translated from Hindi by Reema Anand and Meenakshi Swami, for Katha.

Bimal Kar

Born in Taki, North 24-Parganas, on 19 September 1921, Bimal Kar spent his early youth in Asansol and parts of Bihar. He was involved in myriad professions that later helped him write on varied subjects. His writings reflect a modern mind and have inspired many young writers whom he also supported at the start of their literary careers.

For children, Kar created the retired magician Kinkar Kishore Ray, alias Kikira who solved mysteries with his two assistants. Kar also has to his credit several novels that were successfully adapted for the screen. These include the classic comedy, Basanta-Bilap, the evergreen Balika Bodhu, Jadubangsha and Chhuti (based on his novel, Khar-Kuto). From 1954 to 1982, he was associated with Desh where his novel Grahan was published in 1964. Asamay, also published in Desh, won him the Sahitya Akademi award in 1975. Kar won the Ananda Puraskar in 1967 and the Saratchandra Award from Calcutta University in 1981, among other honours.

Bimal Kar's latest work with Katha "Satyadas" has been illustrated by Neeti Gangopadhya.

Udaya Narayana Singh

Udaya Narayana Singh is a poet, playwright, translator and linguist. He writes both in Maithili (under the pseudonym ‘Nachiketa’) and Bengali. He has several colletions of poems and essays, and many plays to his credit. Currently, he is the Director of the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore.

U N Singh's latest release from Katha: "Second Person Singular," a volume of Maithili poetry.

Merle Kröger

She is a Berlin-based artist and filmmaker. She is the co-founder of the ‘Botschaft e.V.’ and ‘dogfilm’ groups of authors and producers, and the platform ‘pong’, which brings together a publishing house and a production company.

Merle Kröger 's latest work with Katha, "Cut!" has been translated by Rubaica Jaliwala.

Pudumaippittan

Lakshmi Holmstrom recounts the great author's life.

"Why is pudumaippittan relevant to readers today?"

In the first place, he is rooted in the Tamil country and its culture, and has an important place in Tamil literary history. He was very award of being part of the Tamil renaissance which began with Subramanya Bharati and others at the turn of the nineteenth century, and of the new perspectives he and his colleagues on the literary journal Manikkodi were bringing to the Tamil short story in the 1930s and 1940s. In the second place, he began writing at an important moment in India both in terms of literary and political history. He was born in 1906 and began his literary career in 1934, when Premchand was at the end of his life. Thus the fourteen years during which he wrote happened to coincide with the new Progressive Writers’ Movement. Premchand himself, Ismat Chugtai, Mulk Raj Anand and Thagazhi Sivasankaran Pillai were among his great contemporaries. Although Pudumaippittan was not directly part of the Progressive Movement, he shared with these writers their social concerns and their attempts to present these in realistic fiction. But Pudumaippittan was also aware of being art of a yet wider Modernist Movement which included French, Russian, American and English writers as well as Indian, with whom he shared a passion for questioning and restating traditions that had thus far been accepted easily, both in literature and in life.

Pudumaippittan was a writer who engaged fully with contemporary life and times. In this he differed from (and complemented) his great contemporary, Mauni. Mauni’s stories are about the life of the mind and its imagination. Pudumaippittan’s stories reflect vividly the history of his times, the urbanization of Chennai, social change and mobility, the migration of his own community both to Chennai and to Sri Lanka and their alienation there, the spread of new political ideologies, the influence in Tamil Nadu of Subramanya Bharati, Gandhiji and Periyar. All these are seen with a finely observant as well as a sharply critical eye.

But primarily the stories reflect Pudumaippittan’s own felt experience. He wrote, in the introduction entitled “Warning!” to his collected stories Kanchanai, in 1943,

These stories were not written as the result of a vow to bring about cultural uplift, nor as a kind of service to the reading public. They are merely stories. Neither I nor my stories have the least desire to save the world or to enrich our culture. This is an anthology of episodes reflecting what I have heard, seen, dreamt, wanted to see, and also what I have not wished to see.

Hence the stories come out of his own life, and out of his insights about the community he knew best, the Saiva vellalas or pillais of Tirunelveli District – their tragedies, their dreams and their fantasies. Rooted as they are in the Tamil Nadu of their times, they also touch the timeless and the universal. It is this dual quality that the novelist Sundara Ramaswamy is referring to when he writes that “Chellammal” is one of the greatest of love stories in modern Tamil writing.

During his short working life, Pudumaippittan wrote nearly a hundred stories as well as numerous articles, reviews, poems and plays, much of this material has now been made available to us through the inspired work of A R Venkatachalapathy and the editors of Kalachchuvadu press. All readers of Pudumaippittan should be grateful to them and to the two publications, Annai Ita Thi (Uncollected and Unpublished Writings of Pudumaippittan), Kalachchuvadu Pathippagam 1998, and Pudumaippittan Kathaigal (The Complete Stories of Pudumaippittan: A chronological, variorum edition with critical notes and appendices), Kalachchuvadu Pathippagam 2001.

"Fictions: Pudumaippittan" has been translated from Tamil by Lakshmi Holmstrom for Katha.

T Janakiraman

One of the most popular Tamil writers of the 20th century, he was born in the village of Devangudi in Thanjavur district. Thi Jaa, as he was fondly known, was a leading light of the “Manikodi” school of writers in Tamil, the author of acclaimed novels such as Moghamul, Chembaruthi, Uyirthen, and Marappasu, short stories, travelogues and plays. His lyrical prose, arresting characters and unusual themes enthralled his audience. He received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1979 for his short story collection, Sakthi Vaidhyam. Thi Jaa was a scholar of English and Sanskrit, besides Tamil, and a connoisseur of music and drama.

Thi Jaa's work, "Remembering Amma," has been translated from Tamil by Malati Mathur, for Katha.

Joginder Paul

Joginder Paul has to his credit three novels, two novellas and many collections of short stories and “short” short stories – a genre enriched markedly by his contribution. Acknowledged as one of the leading Urdu writers of the subcontinent, his fiction has been translated into various Indian and foreign languages. He has been felicitated with a number of awards, the more recent being the Urdu Adab Award, the Modi Ghalib Award for Urdu Prose, the Shiromani Urdu Sahityakar Award, the All India Bahadur Shah Zafar Award, the Iqbal Samman, and an international award from Doha for his contribution to Urdu literature.

Joginder Paul's work with Katha "Sleepwalkers" has translated from Urdu by Sunil Trivedi and Sukrita Paul Kumar.

Intizar Husain

Born in 1925, he is one of the most prolific and talented of Pakistani writers. Best known to his Urdu readership as a master of short story, he has also experimented with novels, novellas, biographies and plays. He has won numerous literary awards in both India and Pakistan. He is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s largest circulated English daily.

Intizar Husain's Urdu work, "Stories" has been translated by Maozzam Sheikh

Anand

Anand is the pseudonym of P Sachidanandan who was born in 1936, in Irinjalakuda in Kerala. Having graduated in Civil Engineering from Trivandrum Engineering Colege, he worked in several places in the country, including a four-year stint as a Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army. He retired from Central Water Commission and is now living in Delhi. He is married and has two children.

Known for his serious and thought provoking works of fiction, Anand has also regularly written on current topics and social themes. His major works are Aalkoottam, Abayarthikal, Marubhoomikal Untakunnatu (which has been translated into English as Desert Shadows and published by Penguin India), Govardhante Yatrakal, Vyasanum Vighneshwaranum. He has also written a few collections of short stories, two plays and two articles, Jaiva Manushyan (a philosophical study of man as a part of nature and society) and Vettakkaranum Virunnukaranum (an inquiry into religious fundamentalism).

Anand has received various awards for his writings including the Kerala and Kendra Sahitya Akademi awards.

Anand's work with Katha Malayalam Library: "Vyasa and Vigneshwara," translated by Saji Mathew and edited by Rukmin Sekhar.

Santanu Kumar Acharya

He is an academician and an accomplished writer. His published works include fifteen novels and an equal number of short story collections, ten story collections for children and substantial feature writings based on real life experiences with the tribal societies of Orissa. His works are prescribed as textbooks at the post graduate level. He has received the Sahitya Akademi Prize, and the Konarka Prize for his short story collection, Chalanti Thakura (1993), and the Orissa Sahitya Akademi Prize for his novel, Nara Kinnara (1970). Twice he has received the National Award for Children’s Literature from the Ministry of Education, Government of India (1962 and 1963). A senior administrator in the Education Department, Government of Orissa, in 1992 he retired as the registrar of Utkal University, Orissa.

Santanu Kumar Acharya's latest release from the YuvaKatha series: Anoma's Daughter

Bani Basu

She has sixteen novels and six books to her credit. She has had her works published in periodicals like Anandamela, Desh, Ananda Bazaar, Bartaman, Manorama and Tathyakendra and has also contributed to Bengali magazines published from the USA. Her translations include two volumes of Somerset Maugham’s works, one volume of D H Lawrence’s short stories, and Shri Aurbindo’s lyrics and sonnets. She has also done English to Bangla translations for Srinvantu magazine. She has a masters in English literature and is a lecturer in English with Krishna Girls College, Howrah in addition to her busy writing career.

Bani Basu's forthcoming work with Katha: The Fifth Man

Pratibha Ray

She is undoubtedly one of the most gifted and accomplished amongst the contemporary short story writers and novelists in Orissa. She has an impressive corpus of eighteen novels, several short story collections, one travelogue, nine books for children and ten for neo-literates. She has received numerous awards and honours, including the Orissa Sahitya Akademi Award (1985) for her novel Shilapadma, the Sarala Award for her novel Yajnaseni, the Katha Award for Creative Fiction for the story “Shapya” (1994) and the Biswv Award (1995) for her contribution to Oriya literature. She is also the first woman to receive the Moorti Devi Award of the Bharatiya Jnanpith (1991) for her path-breaking work, Yajnaseni.

Her works have been translated into almost all major Indian languages. For her PhD in Education, she has lived with and studied the lives of the Bondas, one of the most primitive tribes of Orissa. She has been teaching in various government colleges of the state for the last twenty years.

Prathiba Ray's forthcoming work with Katha: Konark

Damodar Mauzo

He is a short story writer, novelist, columnist and screenplay writer and has been writing in Konkani for over three decades. He has two novels, four collections of short stories and three books for young adults to his credit. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Karmelin. This novel and his short stories have been translated into many languages. He is the recipient of Katha Award for Creative Fiction 1998, the Best Dialogues Award at the Goa State Film Festival 1997, the Goa Kala Academy Award and Konkani Bhasha Mandal Award.

Damodar Mauzzo's work with Katha: "They are my children, and other stories" has been translated from the Konkani by Xavier Cota.

Chandrasekhar B Kambhar

He is an eminent poet, playwright, novelist, folklorist, film maker and composer of film music whose contribution to literature is immense. His works are inspired by folk tradition, particularly the folklore and mythology of Northern Karnataka which is richly woven into his writings. He draws upon the rich resources from popular speech and folklore with effortless ease.

Kambar, who has been closely associated with folk theatre since childhood, says this rich folk background of his is acquired not inherited. His father was a blacksmith and folk theatre, for Kambar, was a refuge where he could hide from his parents and escape into its colours. Over the years, he has perfected a symbolic form that effectively communicates his vision of human conditions through a theatrical language which derives its vitality from the life of the people and is yet distinctly individual. His award-winning plays have made a tremendous impact on contemporary Indian theatre.

A natural poet, he perceives the world with a poet’s eyes and his poems present an astonishing variety of forms, themes and concerns. His approach to poetry is through the ballad rather than the lyric. According to him poetry when enacted is drama and drama when read is poetry.

A Fulbright scholar, Kambar has taught at the University of Chicago for two years, and in Bangalore University for more than two decades. He is the founder Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi and has also served as the Chairman of National School of Drama, New Delhi.

His repertoire includes plays, poetry collections, novels, research papers, as well as feature films and film music compositions. He has participated in the World Poetry Festival twice and has been felicitated with the Sahitya Akademi Award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Padma Shri for Literature.

Chandrasekhar Kambhar's work "Singarevva and the Palace" has been translated from Kannada by Laxmi Chandrashekar, for Katha. This is also Katha's first novel.

M T Vasudevan Nair

Littérateur, playwright, critic, travel writer, screenwriter M T Vasudevan Nair is one of the most outstanding writers of India.

Born at Kudallur village in Palghat, Kerala in 1933, MT began contributing to periodicals very early in life. The first collection of his short stories was published before he completed his graduation from Victoria College, Palghat. He joined the Malayalam magazine Mathrubhumi in 1956, and later became its editor.

He has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel, Kaalam; the President’s Gold Medal for the film Nirmalyam – written, produced and directed by him; The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award thrice for his novel, Naalukettu; his short story collection Swargam Turakkunna Samayam and play, Gopuranatayil. He received the Vayalar Award for his novel Randamoozham and the National Award for Best Screenplay for Oru Vadakkan Veera Gatha, Sadayam and Kadavu. MT was awarded the Katha Award for Creative Fiction for the story Cheriya Cheriya Bhookambangal in 1992. He received the prestigious Jnanpith award in 1995. The Padma Bhushan Award was conferred upon him in 2005. MT lives in Calicut.

M T Vasudevan Nair's work with Katha: "The Master Carpenter" was translated from the Malayalam by Gita Krishnankutty.

Sundara Ramaswamy

He was one of the finest contemporary Tamil writers. Despite a writing career spanning some fifty years, the volume of his writings is relatively small though it cuts across genres – short stories, novels, poems, essays, criticism, translation and polemic. His stories are marked by conscious experiments with form. All his three novels are watersheds in the history of the Tamil literary scene. Oru puliamaratthin Kadhai, is the first dialect novel in Tamil. He is known for his stylistic prose, the scalpel-like precision of his diction and the metaphorical use of language. He is the recipient of the Kumaran Asan Memorial Award for poetry from the University of Toronto and the Tamil Literature Garden of Canada. His works have been translated into Indian and European languages and he has travelled abroad extensively for literary talks and discussions.

Sundara Ramaswamy's works with Katha:

JJ: Some Jottings
That's it, but

La Sa Ra

(Lalgudi Saptharishi Ramamirtham)

Lalgudi Saptarishi Ramamirtham, familiar to his readers as La Sa Ra, is the author of seven novels, two memoirs, two books of essays and several short story collections, and has been translated into Czech and French. Like Kafka, Ramamirtham spent most of his working life in the bank. He won instant critical acclaim in 1948 with the publication of three short stories – Janani, Yogam and Pralayam. Despite his difficult style, Ramamirtham’s writing strikes a chord with the reader because of its arresting symbolism and musicality. In 1989 he won the Sahitya Akademi award for Chintha Nadi – his collection of autobiographical essays.

La Sa Ra's work "The Stone Laughs and Atonement" has been translated from Tamil by Padma Narayanan for Katha.

Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih

He writes in both Khasi and English. He has also translated many Khasi folktales into English and vice versa. His poetry has been widely published and anthologized in two volumes, Moments (1992) and The Sieve (1992). He has also published three other books in Khasi. Presently, he is working as a Publication Officer in North East Hill University.

For Katha, he has written U sier Lapalang and contributed stories in the Northeast collection for children, First Sun Stories.

Mamang Dai

Mamang Dai is a journalist who has travelled extensively in India and abroad. She is a member of the North East Writers' Forum and has published a number of poems and short stories in various journals and magazines. Her popular work includes Arunachal Pradesh: The Hidden Land and the River Poems.

For Katha, she written books for children: The Sky Queen, Once Upon a Moontime, and contributed stories for the collection, First Sun Stories.