Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi is a prominent novelist and short story writer. He began his literary career by writing a poem called ‘Joonbai.’ Initially, he confined himself to writing poetry and plays but later expanded his literary work to stories and novels.
Many of his stories are scattered in the pages of magazines like Sangam, Manoranjan, Prantik, and Gariyasi. He received the Sahitya Academy Award and Bhasha Bharati Sahitya Puraskar for his novel ‘মৌন ওঁঠ মুখৰ হৃদয়’ and the Bishnu Rabha Award of the Assam Sahitya Sabha for his collection of short stories “পাপৰ পুখুৰী.”
In 2020, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, India’s fourth civilian honor, in recognition of his contributions to Literature and education.
Thangchi was born in 1952 in Jagang (Ji) village of Kameng border division of Nepal (now West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh) to a family of Cherdukpen community. He attended Jigaon Primary School, Bomdila Government Higher Secondary School, and Cotton College. He graduated with honors in Assamese from cotton college. He then obtained his Master’s degree in the Assamese Language from the University of Guwahati.
He joined the Arunachal Pradesh Administrative Service in 1992; later, he was promoted to the Indian Administrative Service. He served as the Commissioner of Tawang, South Sovansiri, Changlang, Lohit, and East Kameng districts since 1993 and is currently the Secretary to the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Urban Development, Housing and Planning, Government of Arunachal Pradesh.
In the year, 2005 Thongchi receives Sahitya Academy Award. Later he received the Bishnu Rabha Award from Assam Sahitya Sabha. In the year 2017, he received the highest award in Assamese Literacy, Assam Valley Literacy Award (অসম উপত্যকা সাহিত্য বঁটা) and the same year; he received Bhupen Hazarika National Award. In the year 2020, he was awarded Padmashree Award.
Founder and president of Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society, Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi not only leads the literary movement in Arunachal Pradesh but is also a source of inspiration for hundreds of young writers who want to tell the story of the little-known frontier state to the outside world. He lives in Itanagar.
