Dileep Chandan

Dileep Chandan is a senior journalist working in Assam for the last 30 years. A student of English Literature (MA from Gauhati University), he started his journalistic career with Ajir Somoy magazine and later moved to The Sunday (now defunct), a publication from the ABP Group, Kolkata. He has been editing Asam Bani, a 61-year-old newspaper published by the Assam Tribune Group, from 1997 onwards. Dileep Chandan has been awarded the Sarojini Naidu Prize for Best Reporting on Women and Panchayati Raj (Delhi), Harivansh Rai Bachchan Award for Journalism (Mumbai), The Sentinel Rural Reporting Award, K.K. Birla Foundation Fellowship (Delhi Hindustan Times), National Foundation for India fellowship (Delhi), among others. He is also a member of several national and regional organisations and a guest lecturer in journalism at several universities. He is also a popular novelist and writer in Assamese language with some 18 books on various facets of society and the North-East to his credit. Among them are biographies, essays and novels. His new novel, Kazirangar Ballad, has been awarded the prestigious Sayed Abdul Malik Literary Award in Assam. His first novel, Majulit Etiya Godhuli, was based on the Majuli river-island., The novel is now in its third edition with several thousand copies sold. This book deals with the problems faced by the biggest river-island in the world, Majuli. His other novels are based on various issues such as insurgency that have been plaguing the region for a long time. He is currently involved in research work for his next novel.