MAMANG DAI

Dai is a poet and novelist writing in English. She was correspondent for the Hindustan Times, The Telegraph and The Sentinel newspapers and President, Arunachal Pradesh Union of working journalists. She also worked with World Wide Fund for nature in the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspots programme.

She has featured in several national and international forums, and her poems, fiction and articles have been published in numerous journals and anthologies. In 2003 Dai received the state Verrier Elwin Award for her book Arunachal Pradesh— the hidden land featuring the culture, folklore and customs of Arunachal’s different communities.

Dai was a Member, Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (2011-2017). In 2011 Dai was awarded the Padma Shri (literature and education), and is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, 2017, for her novel The Black Hill, in English. Dai is a member of the North East Writers’ Forum (NEWF) and Advisor, Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society.

Dai lives in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India.