Mamang Dai, a celebrated poet from Arunachal Pradesh, became the Poet Laureate of the 14th Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest. Dai’s poetry is evocative, reflecting the oral tradition of her Adi tribe and the natural landscape she is deeply attached to.
Her collections include River Poems, The Balm of Time, Midsummer Survival Lyrics, and the folk tale Hambreelmai’s Loom. Her poetry is gentle, melodious, and poignant, often reflecting the nostalgia for past traditions and denuded landscapes while also addressing political realities and unease.
Dai’s poetry covers all aspects of life in the Northeast, including positive and negative aspects, political and ideological, nature, and community, but is never harsh or opaque. She is a meticulous documenter and proponent of the social, environmental, aesthetic, and culinary aspects of Arunachal Pradesh. Dai has also written non-fiction and fiction, including The Black Hill.
Accepting the Poet Laureateship for Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2023, Mamang Dai said: “I am quite overwhelmed to be invited to be the Poet Laureate of the Tata Literature Live! 2023. I think it is wonderful that Tata Literature Live! Mumbai literature festival celebrates poetry. I feel honoured, and inspired”.
