Meghalaya writer Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih wins 2024 Shakti Bhatt award

Meghalaya writer Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih was awarded the 2024 Shakti Bhatt award. 

Along with the coveted title, Nongkynrih will also be receive a cash award of Rs 2 lakh.

The poet and novelist is renowned for his local folktales and legends, particularly in Khasi language. 
It must be mentioned that his latest novel "The Distaste of the Earth" has been longlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature 2024.

Amongst his other work, Nongkynrih's book "Funeral Nights" features writings on his Khasi tribe and his hometown, Sohra. 

As per reports, Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih writes poetry, drama and fiction in Khasi and English languages. His latest works include The Distaste of the Earth: A Novel, The Yearning of Seeds: Poems, Time’s Barter: Haiku and Senryu and Around the Hearth: Khasi Legends.

He teaches at the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU).

The Shakti Bhatt Prize is a literary award established in 2007 in memory of Indian publisher, Shakti Bhatt. From 2020 onward, the Prize has been awarded in recognition of a writer's body of work, instead of a first book.