Bio
Arup Kumar Dutta is an author and freelance journalist based in Guwahati, Assam. He writes short-fiction, long-fiction, non-fiction, newspaper articles and columns, satirical pieces as well as novels for young adults. His longer works of fiction like The Anagarika’s Swansong, Red – Camellia Green, The Ahoms (an imaginative depiction of a dynasty which ruled the Brahmaputra Valley), have received critical acclaim, as have his meticulously researched 15 non-fiction books like The Brahmaputra, Unicornis – The Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, Cha-Garam – The Tea Story, The Final Frontier, Hammer Blow, The Roving Minstrel. His 17 juvenile adventure novels include The Kaziranga Trail, Blind Witness, Smack, Lure of Zangrila, Revenge, Save the Pool, Oh Deer, Footprints in the Sand, The Counterfeit Treasure, A Story About Tea, The Crystal Cave, The Boy who became King etc. Among his awards are Shankar’s Award, Journalist Welfare Foundation Award, Kamal Kumari National Award and Lifetime Achievement Honour by AWIC, the Indian Chapter of International Board for Books for Young People. Between 2004-2008 the Government of India appointed him Director, Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Centre, Jakarta, and Indian Cultural Centre, Bali, with the rank of a Counselor in the Indian Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia.