Where Is Temsula Ao From? What Is The Theme Of The Short Story Laburnum For My Head?

Renowned writer Temsula AO hails from Jorhat, Assam, India.

She had attended Ridgeway Girls’ High School, Golaghat; and bagged her first degree from Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung, Nagaland, before she proceeded for her Master’s degree in English from Gauhati University, Assam.

What Is The Theme Of The Short Story Laburnum For My Head?

Laburnum For My Head is a collection of eight short stories by the late author, Temsula Ao.

The narrative is a form of ridicule at the quest for immortality by humans.

It is centred around a widow who is so fascinated by the Laburnum tree that she wishes to have it put on her grave rather than the typical marble or granite gravestone.

Who Was Temsula Ao?

Dr. Temsula Ao, was a former head of the Nagaland State Commission for Women.

She was a recipient of several awards including the Padma Shri award, the Nagaland Governor’s Award for Distinction in Literature, the Sahitya Akademi Award, and the Meghalaya Governor’s Gold Medal.

Dr. Temsula Ao taught English at North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), until her retirement in 2010.

Some of her works can be found in other languages such as German, French, Hindi, Assamese, and Bengali.

Her poetic works include Songs that Tell (1988), Songs that Try to Say (1992), Songs of Many Moods (1995), Songs from Here and There (2003), Songs From The Other Life (2007), Book of Songs: Collected Poems 1988-2007 (2013), and Songs along the Way Home (2019).