Biography

Lila Bahadur Chhetri was born on March 1, 1933 in Guwahati, Assam Province, British India. She was a writer, known for Basain (2005). She died on March 13, 2025 in Guwahati, Assam, India.

At least two generations of Nepalis know Basain (2005) almost by heart because it was a literature textbook at Tribhuvan University. Like thousands of others, Chettri's family migrated to Assam from the mountains of eastern Nepal, and the novel was about push factors like indebtedness, poverty and discrimination that were driving Nepalis out..

In 2016, he was awarded the Jagadamba Shree prize by Madan Puraskar Guthi in Nepal and got the Padma Shri from the President of India in 2021 for his contribution to literature and education.

He was also a recipient of India's Sahitya Academy Award.

Graduated from Guwahati University with a Masters in Economics.