Condoling her death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet, “Saddened by the passing away of Dr. Temsüla Ao, who played a pivotal role in popularising the wonderful Naga culture through her literary works. Her efforts in the fields of education and culture were noteworthy. Condolences to her family and friends. May her soul rest in peace.”
Temsula Ao was a leading writer from northeast India and an academic. She had also served as the Chairperson of the Nagaland State Commission for Women. Apart from being conferred with the Padma Shri in 2007, she had also won several awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award, Nagaland Governor’s Award for Distinction in Literature, among others.
During her lifetime she wrote several poems, short stories, and novels. Some of her noteworthy works include: ‘Books of Songs’, ‘Poetry Here and There’, ‘These Hills Called Home’, ‘The Tombstone in My Garden’, among others. Her works have also been translated in to many languages like German, French, Hindi, Bengali, etc.
Our condolences to her family, friends, and readers.