Mamang Dai, a contemporary writer from Arunachal Pradesh, known for her gentle, melodious, and poignant poetry, became the Poet Laureate of the 14th Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest. Her works reflect the oral tradition of her Adi tribe and the natural landscape she is deeply attached to. Her poetry ranges across all aspects of life in the Northeast, including positive and negative aspects, political and ideological aspects, nature, and community, but is never harsh or opaque.
Mamang Dai’s poetry is a gift to students and readers, illuminating the beauty of the natural and cultural milieu of the Northeast and shifting the image of conflict and militancy often associated with the region. She has also written non-fiction and fiction, including The Hidden Land and Mountain Harvest, and has been awarded the Padma Shri in 2011. Mamang Dai has also been a journalist and worked with the World Wildlife Fund in the Eastern Himalayas Biodiversity Hotspots program.
Co-director of the Festival, Quasar Thakore Padamsee said, “We are excited and honored that Mamang Dai will be this year’s Poet Laureate at the Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest. The breadth and depth of her experience will add an uplifting dimension to the Poet Laureateship of the Festival.”
