Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih wins Shakti Bhatt Award
Eminent Khasi writer Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih has won the prestigious Shakti Bhatt Award for his exceptional contributions to Indian literature. Known for his retellings of Khasi folktales and legends, Kynpham’s work bridges cultural traditions and modern storytelling, with celebrated works like Funeral Nights and The Distaste of the Earth.
In a delightful turn of events, the eminent Khasi writer Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih has bagged the prestigious Shakti Bhatt Award – and it’s safe to say that the literary world is abuzz with excitement. Known for his compelling retellings of local folktales and Khasi legends, Kynpham has long been a torchbearer for the culture and traditions of Meghalaya, and now, his work has earned him one of India’s most coveted literary prizes.
“I am humbled and elated,” Kynpham remarked in one of the interviews with The Shillong Times, rather modestly, as though he wasn’t expecting such a fuss to be made over his outstanding contributions to Indian literature. Well, it seems the cat’s out of the bag now! And frankly, we’re all chuffed for him.
For those unfamiliar with Kynpham’s impressive portfolio, he’s not just a one-trick pony. Along with co-editing Late-Blooming Cherries: Haiku Poetry from India and Dancing Earth: An Anthology of Poetry from Northeast India, his work has graced publications like Wasafiri and PEN International. If that’s not enough to make your head spin, he’s also been anthologised by The HarperCollins Book of English Poetry and The Penguin Book of Indian Poets. Talk about an eclectic mix!
His latest novel, The Distaste of the Earth, was shortlisted for the prestigious JCB Prize for Literature 2024, following on from his 2021 novel Funeral Nights, which he intriguingly describes as taking place in “the wettest desert on earth”. Only in India, right? Add to this his teaching post at North-Eastern Hill University, and it’s a wonder he has time to breathe, let alone win awards.
The Shakti Bhatt Prize, founded in 2008 in memory of the late editor and writer, is no small beans. It celebrates a writer’s entire body of work, far from any parochial inclinations. Arundhathi Subramaniam, the renowned poet, once noted that Kynpham regards Khasi as the language of his tribe and English as the tool that allows him to bridge cultures, rejecting the notion of isolationism. In a world that’s becoming more insular by the day, this outlook is refreshing. And it’s precisely this cross-cultural fluency that sets him apart.
Kynpham’s fascination with Khasi folktales is woven into many of his works, none more so than his iconic Around the Hearth. This treasure trove of regional stories, myths, and legends showcases the cultural richness of the Khasi people, well before the introduction of the Roman script by missionary Thomas Jones in 1842. One of the standout tales is that of Manik Raitong, the orphaned outcast who dares to fall in love with a princess, only to be spurned by society. With his trusty flute in hand, Manik spends years wandering, heartbroken, until fate reunites him with his long-lost love, now a queen. This story, with its blend of human tragedy and resilience, is just one of the many Kynpham has used to reanimate Khasi traditions for a modern audience.
The cherry on top? Kynpham takes home a tidy Rs 2 lakh for his troubles. No doubt he’ll put it to good use – though we wouldn’t be surprised if he quietly returned to his musings in the hills, with a notebook and a pen, dreaming up his next masterpiece.
The prize, funded privately and administered by a collective of writers, is an independent nod to literary talent and, in Kynpham’s case, a well-earned one. For now, the world of Indian literature continues to celebrate a man who has elegantly straddled the line between preserving tradition and embracing modernity. Quite the balancing act, wouldn’t you say?
Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih has taken the local and made it universal, proving once again that great stories, whether born in the Khasi Hills or anywhere else, are timeless.
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