Gita Upadhyay

Gita Upadhyay (14 February 1939 – 12 July 2026) was an Indian educator, writer and translator from Assam. She is known for her contributions to both Assamese and Nepali literature, particularly through translation works aimed at fostering cultural understanding. She was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2025 in the field of literature and education. She is noted as the first woman from the Gorkha community of Assam to obtain a post-graduate degree.

Early life and education Gita Upadhyay was born on 14 February 1939, in the village of Gangmouthan, then part of Darrang district (now Biswanath district) in Assam Province, British India. She is the eldest daughter of Tankanath Upadhyay and Bhagirathi Devi, and the granddaughter of Chabilal Upadhyay, a prominent freedom fighter and the first president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee. Her father was a translator and reader. Upadhyay has also been actively involved in social and literary organisations. She has served as the President of Nepali Sahitya Parisad (Assam), Akhil Asom Lekhika Sanstha, and the Assam Branch of the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha.

Literary works Upadhyay's literary career began alongside her academic profession. She was fluent in both Assamese and Nepali, and has authored and translated around two dozen books. won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2016. Other original works include the biography Mahapurush Shankardev: Jeevan Ra Karma (2003), the travelogue Mandakini Ra Alakanandako Tiraitir Badri Kedarsamma (2003), and her autobiography Jiwanlai Pharkera Herda (2018).

Selected works The Diary of a Young Girl (Nepali translation, 1972) The Diary of a Young Girl (Assamese co-translation with Basanti Laskar, 1975) Aamaa Ma First Bhayen (Children's novel, 1997) Mahapurush Shankardev: Jeevan Ra Karma (Biography, 2003) Mandakini Ra Alakanandako Tiraitir Badri Kedarsamma (Travelogue, 2003) Kathanjali (Collection of short stories, 2005) Janmabhumi Mero Swadesh (Novel, 2013) Jiwanlai Pharkera Herda (Autobiography, 2018)

Awards and recognition Padma Shri (2025)—awarded by the President of India for Literature and Education Padma Prasad Dhungana Award (2001) Sahitya Akademi Award (2016)—for her novel