View source for Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih

{{Short description|Indian poet, novelist and writer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox writer
| name           = Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih
| image          = Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih . jpg.jpg
| birth_date     = 4 April 1964
| occupation     = Poet, novelist, writer
| language       = [[Khasi language|Khasi]], [[English language|English]]
| notable_works  = {{Unbulleted list
|''Funeral Nights''
|''The Distaste of the Earth''
|''The Yearning of Seeds''
|''Time's Barter: Haiku and Senryu''
|''Around the Hearth''
|''Lapbah: Stories from the North-East''
|''Late-Blooming Cherries: Haiku Poetry from India''
|''Dancing Earth: An Anthology of Poetry from North-East India''}}
}}

'''Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih''' (born 4 April 1964) is an Indian poet, novelist and writer. Born and brought up in [[Sohra]] (aka [[Cherrapunjee]]) but living in [[Shillong]], he writes in two languages: [[Khasi language|Khasi]] and [[English language|English]].<ref name=PI>{{cite web |title=Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Poetry International |url=https://www.poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems/poets/poet/102-6289_Nongkynrih |access-date=30 October 2025}}</ref>

He is a faculty member at [[North-Eastern Hill University]] in [[Shillong]], [[India]].<ref name=NEHU>{{cite web |title=Faculty profile: K. S. Nongkynrih |website=North-Eastern Hill University |url=https://nehu.ac.in/faculty/display/275/K.S.%20Nongkynrih |access-date=30 October 2025}}</ref> His most notable work is the 1024-page, epic novel ''Funeral Nights'', published in 2021.<ref name=Guardian>{{cite news |title=Funeral Nights by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih review – an ode to storytelling |work=The Guardian |date=17 July 2024 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jul/17/funeral-nights-by-kynpham-sing-nongkynrih-review-an-ode-to-storytelling |access-date=30 October 2025}}</ref><ref name=Wire>{{cite news |title=Book review: Kynpham's ''Funeral Nights'' is an unconventional novel about the Khasis |work=The Wire |url=https://thewire.in/books/book-review-kynphams-funeral-nights-is-an-unconventional-novel-about-the-khasis |access-date=30 October 2025}}</ref> He was awarded the Shakti Bhatt Prize in 2024 for his body of work.<ref name=IE>{{cite news |title=Fabulist writer Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih wins Shakti Bhatt award |work=The Indian Express |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/fabulist-writer-kynpham-sing-nongkynrih-wins-shakti-bhatt-award-9605432/ |access-date=30 October 2025}}</ref>

== Reception ==
''[[The Guardian]]'' called Nongkynrih's novel ''Funeral Nights'' "an enchanting and revealing epic ensemble", adding that "reading it feels like being exposed to the warmth of the fire, listening in on an honest conversation between friends."<ref name=Guardian/>

''[[The Conversation Australia]]'' nominated his second novel,''The Distaste of the Earth'', as one of the ''Best Books of 2024'' and praised its "Aesop-like vision of our contemporary moment" and described it as "Part poetry, part philosophy and part critique".<ref>name=TCA>{{cite news |title=Best Books of 2024: our experts share their standout reads |work=The Conversation Australia |url=https://theconversation.com/best-books-of-2024-our-experts-share-their-standout-reads-244149 |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>

== Works ==
{{expand section|date=October 2025}}
|His fictional works in English and Khasi include ''Funeral Nights'' (2021),<ref>{{cite web|title=Author Page: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=And Other Stories Publishers |url=https://www.andotherstories.org/authors/kynpham-sing-nongkynrih/ |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Goyal |first1=Sana |title=Funeral Nights by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih review – an ode to storytelling |website=The Guardian |date=17 July 2024 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jul/17/funeral-nights-by-kynpham-sing-nongkynrih-review-an-ode-to-storytelling |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> ''The Distaste of the Earth'' (2024),<ref>{{cite web|title=The Distaste of the Earth Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Penguin India |url=https://www.penguin.co.in/book/the-distaste-of-the-earth/ |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> ''Around the Hearth: Khasi Legends'' (2007),<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|title=Author page: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Penguin India |url=https://www.penguin.co.in/book_author/kynpham-sing-nongkynrih/ |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref>'' U Sier Lapalang: A Khasi Tale '' (2005)<ref>{{cite web|title=U Sier Lapalang: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Katha |url=https://books.katha.org/product/u-sier-lapalang/ |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref> and'' Ki Kyrwoh: Ki Khana Phawer '' (''A Collection of Moral Stories'') (2015)<ref>{{cite web|title=Ki Kyrwoh: Ki Khana Phawer: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=North-Eastern Hill University Library |url=http://library.nehu.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=177754&shelfbrowse_itemnumber=516101 |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>

|His plays in English and Khasi include ''Manik, A Play in Five Acts'' (2018),<ref>{{cite web|title=Manik: A Play in Five Acts: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Northeast Reads |url=https://northeastreads.com/books/manik-a-play-in-five-acts/  |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> '' Ki Miet ka Jingtriem: Ka Sawangka ha ki Lai Bynta'' (2011) <ref>{{cite web|title=North-Eastern Hill University Library: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=North-Eastern Hill University Library |url=http://library.nehu.ac.in/bib/97766 |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> and '' Ka Jingngiew Ka Mynsiem Briew: Ka Sawangka ha ki Lai Bynta'' (2022) <ref>{{cite web|title=North-Ka Jingngiew Ka Mynsiem Briew: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Jaintia Eastern College |url=https://jecollege.org/wp-content/uploads/FYUP-Syllabus-Khasi.pdf|access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref> |'' Manik '' was published in Hindi by Setu Prakashan as '' Manik Raitong: Paanch Akt ke Natak '' (2023) <ref>{{cite web|title=Manik Raitong: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Setu Prakashan |url=https://www.setuprakashan.com/books/manik-raitong-by-kynpham-sing-nongkynrih/?srsltid=AfmBOoplGZP6QenMpLDEaOg4V5WneU0Z6tf70jX6MhREFqPIUpISqvZW  |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>
|His Khasi play '' Ki Miet ka Jingtriem'' (''Nights of Terror'') was adapted into a film and serialised by Doordarshan Kendra Shillong (2020)<ref>{{cite web|title=Ki Miet ka Jingtriem: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=DD Meghalaya Official |url=https://www.youtube.com/live/xpCHdFkR-uo |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>

|Among his poetry collections in English and Khasi are ''Moments'' (1992),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nongkynrih |first1=Kynpham Singh |title=Google Books: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |date=1992 |publisher=Writers Workshop |isbn=978-81-7189-360-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=16kXAAAAIAAJ |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> ''The Sieve: Love Poems'' (1992),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nongkynrih |first1=Kynpham Singh |title=Google Books: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |date=1992 |publisher=Writers Workshop |isbn=978-81-7189-359-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=18JlAAAAMAAJ |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref>  ''The Yearning of Seeds'' (2011),<ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Author page: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=HarperCollins Publishers India |url=https://harpercollins.co.in/author-details/kynpham-sing-nongkynrih/ |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> ''Time's Barter: Haiku and Senryu'' (2015),<ref name="auto"/> ''Ka Samoi jong ka Lyer'' (''The Season of the Wind'') (2002),<ref>{{cite web|title=Internet Archive: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Internet Archive |url=https://ia801504.us.archive.org/32/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.464634/2015.464634.Ka-Samoi_text.pdf |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref>  ''Ki Mawsiang ka Sohra'' (''The Ancient Rocks of Cherra'') (2002),<ref>{{cite web|title=Speak Your Roots: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Speak Your Roots |date=29 July 2023 |url=https://www.speakyourroots.com/post/ki-mawsiang-kulong-kumah-ka-sohra-da-i-kynpham-sing-nongkynrih |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> ''Ki Jingkynmaw'' (''Remembrances'') (2002)<ref>{{cite web|title=Internet Archive: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.464665 |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> and '' Ka Jingshai ha ka Miet'' (''Light in the Night'') (2023)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nongkynrih |first1=Kynpham Singh |title=Google Books: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |date=2023 |publisher=Pine Cones Publications |isbn=978-93-5914-988-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZrHJ0AEACAAJ |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> |''The Yearning of Seeds'' was translated into Bengali as'' Jibanta Shikarer Setu '' by the Translation Department of Calcutta University  (Calcutta University, 2023)<ref>{{cite web|title=Jibanta Shikarer Setu: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Calcutta Comparatists 1919 |url=https://calcuttacomparatists.in/publications/ |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>

|He also has several nonfictional works in English and Khasi, including '' Hiraeth and the Poetry of Soso Tham: A Study of the Great Unconventional Elegy and the Poetry of the Khasi National Bard '' (2011),<ref>{{cite web|title=Hiraeth and the Poetry of Soso Tham: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=North-Eastern Hill University Library |url=http://library.nehu.ac.in/bib/160535 |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref> ''Ban Sngewthuh ia ka Poitri'' (''Understanding Poetry'') (1998)<ref>{{cite web|title=Internet Archive: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=Internet Archive |date=1998 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.464877 |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> and '' Ka Pyrkhat Niam ki Khanatang'' (''Sacred Myths and the Religious Content'') (2011)<ref>{{cite web|title=Ka Pyrkhat Niam ki Khanatang: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=New York Public Library |url=https://www.nypl.org/research/research-catalog/bib/cb11609480 |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>

|His most notable coedited works are ''Anthology of Contemporary Poetry from the Northeast'' (2003),<ref name=PI/> ''Dancing Earth: An Anthology of Poetry from North-East India'' (2009),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ngangom |first1=Robin S. |last2=Nongkynrih |first2=Kynpham Singh |title=Google Books: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih  |date=2009 |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-14-310220-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r1OfLmmI8kwC |access-date=31 October 2025}}</ref> ''Late-Blooming Cherries: Haiku Poetry from India'' (2024)<ref name="auto"/> and ''Lapbah: Stories from the Northeast'' (Vols I & II, 2025)<ref name="auto1"/>

|*|[[Nigel Jenkins]] described his poetry as 'an exuberant, liberating, "sad and happy" conflation of social satirist, political sleuth and whistle-blower, hymnist of embattled nature, love poet and people’s remembrancer.'<ref>name="HCPI">{{cite web|title=The Yearning Of Seeds:Poems: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=HarperCollins Publishers India |url=https://harpercollins.co.in/book-details/kynpham-sing-nongkynrih/ |access-date=11 November 2025}}</ref>

== Awards ==
* Veer Shankar Shah Raghunath Shah National Tribal Award (From the Madhya Pradesh Government, 2008) <ref>{{cite web|title=Khasi writer wins Madhya Pradesh's first national award |website=Oneindia |date=October 2008 |url=https://www.oneindia.com/2008/10/01/khasi-writer-wins-madhya-pradeshs-first-national-award-1222843075.html |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>
* The Bangalore Review June Jazz Award (2021)<ref>{{cite web|title=June Jazz & 8 years of TBR: Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih |website=The Bangalore Review|date=14 June 2021 |url=https://bangalorereview.com/2021/06/june-jazz-8-years-of-tbr/ |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>
* SPARROW Literary Award (2022) <ref>{{cite web|title=SPARROW-R. Thyagarajan Literary Award 2022 |website= Meghalaya Monitor|url=https://meghalayamonitor.com/tag/sparrow-r-thyagarajan-literary-award-2022/ |access-date=1 November 2025}}</ref>
* Shakti Bhatt Prize (2024)<ref name=IE/>
* Meghalaya State Literary Award/ U Tirot Sing Award for Arts and Literature (2026)<ref>{{cite web|title=Guv Gives Away Awards to Achievers on R-Day |website=Meghalaya Monitor |date=January 2026 |url=https://meghalayamonitor.com/guv-gives-away-awards-to-achievers-on-r-day/|access-date=18 March 2026}}</ref> 

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.andotherstories.org/authors/kynpham-sing-nongkynrih/ And Other Stories author page]
* [https://www.poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems/poets/poet/102-6289_Nongkynrih Poetry International profile]
* [https://www.monash.edu/arts/monash-indigenous-studies/literary-commons/literary-commons-participants/kynpham-sing-nongkynrih]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nongkynrih, Kynpham Sing}}
[[Category:Khasi people]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian novelists]]
[[Category:Indian male novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Novelists from Meghalaya]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]