As we celebrate every 9th of September as Himalayan day, let’s have a literary touch to it this time.
We bring you some of the most famous and resilient writers who had their connections to himalayas and a brief note on how they stand a pillar affirming rock solid in its culture.
Preliminary visionaries
Here are some preliminary famous authors from the Himalayan region, spanning countries such as India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet, who have either originated from or written extensively about the Himalayas:
🏔️ Indian Himalayan Region
1. Ruskin Bond (India)
Origin: Lives in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand
Notable Works: Rain in the Mountains, The Room on the Roof, A Flight of Pigeons
Contribution: Known for his evocative writing about life in the hills of North India.
2. Anuradha Roy (India)
Origin: Based in Ranikhet, Uttarakhand
Notable Works: An Atlas of Impossible Longing, Sleeping on Jupiter
Contribution: Her writing is often rooted in remote mountain towns and explores identity and displacement.
3. Namita Gokhale (India)
Origin: From Nainital, Uttarakhand
Notable Works: Mountain Echoes, Things to Leave Behind
Contribution: Often weaves the history and culture of the Himalayas into her fiction and non-fiction.
4. Deepak Aryal (India/Nepal)
Contribution: Writes about Garhwal and Kumaon regions; a rising voice from the Uttarakhand hills.
🏔️ Nepal
5. Manjushree Thapa
Origin: Kathmandu, Nepal
Notable Works: The Tutor of History, Forget Kathmandu
Contribution: One of Nepal’s first internationally recognized English-language authors.
6. Samrat Upadhyay
Origin: Born in Nepal, based in the USA
Notable Works: Arresting God in Kathmandu, The Guru of Love
Contribution: Writes compellingly about contemporary Nepali society.
🏔️ Bhutan
7. Ashi Kunzang Choden
Origin: Bhutan
Notable Works: The Circle of Karma, Tales in Colour
Contribution: First Bhutanese woman to write a novel in English; explores the spiritual and cultural life of Bhutan.
🏔️ Tibet
8. Tsering Wangmo Dhompa
Origin: Tibetan, raised in exile
Notable Works: A Home in Tibet, Rules of the House
Contribution: One of the first Tibetan female poets writing in English, blending memoir, poetry, and politics.
Other Notables
Kiran Desai – Though not from the Himalayas, her The Inheritance of Loss is set in Kalimpong and powerfully evokes Himalayan life.
Rahul Sankrityayan – Known as the father of Hindi travel literature; traveled widely in Tibet and the Himalayas.
Visually impaired authors of Himalayas
To cap it further, Here is the list of visually impaired authors from the Himalayan region:
🏔️ Visually Impaired Authors from the Himalayan Region
🇳🇵 From Nepal
Krishna Baral – Blind poet and author from Pokhara; known for inspirational poetry and disability rights advocacy.
Devendra Raj Panday – Wrote under visual challenges later in life; known for policy memoirs and socio-political reflections.
Bishnu Bhakta Pokharel – Blind literary activist from Jhapa; published essays and Braille-accessible stories.
Rajendra Pokharel – Poet and motivational speaker who lost his vision; focuses on resilience and human rights.
🇮🇳 From Himalayan India
Dr. Yogesh Kumar Sharma – From Himachal Pradesh; a visually impaired academic and poet in Hindi and English; focuses on inclusive education and accessibility.
Anurag Chauhan – From Uttarakhand; poet who has worked through severe visual impairment; known for Hindi poetry and social literature initiatives.
Saurabh Pant – From Nainital, Uttarakhand; author of Burning Asia, Den of Death, and Thoughts Beyond Measure; active in global literary and disability rights platforms.
As the Himalayan literary tradition becomes huge in stature, let’s not forget those who made it a standing pillar to carve upon: wishing you all happy Himalayan day.
