Dhirendra Kumar Shah

Joint Academic Coordinator & Guest Faculty
Department of English
Darjeeling Hills University

BIO

Dhirendra Kumar Shah is an educator, poet, and translator with over a decade of experience in higher education and publishing. He holds an MA in English from the University of Mumbai and qualified for the UGC-NET in 2018. Most recently, he served as an Assistant Professor at SRM University, Sikkim, where he also supervised postgraduate dissertations and acted as the Research Coordinator for the Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities.

As a scholar and creative writer, his work explores shifting ideas of masculinity, Buddhism as a lived practice, and Eastern Himalayan poetry. He has been recognized for his academic contributions, notably receiving the Best Faculty Research Paper Award in 2021. Dhirendra is the former editor of the Kao – Hillfolks Art Journal and co-founder of the poetry journal Teesta Rangeet. His diverse research interests include Migrant and Exile literature of South Asia, Masculinity Studies, and Indian Nepali literature in translation.

EDUCATION

MA, University of Mumbai, 2012

BA, Ramnarian Ruia College, 2010

UGC-NET, 2018

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dhirendra Kumar Shah’s research focuses on the intersection of identity, place, and spirituality within South Asian and Himalayan contexts. His work explores Masculinity Studies, particularly the social construction of Nepali identity, and the lived practice of Buddhism in the digital and contemporary age. He is deeply engaged in the decolonial interrogation of Eastern Himalayan epistemologies, examining how regional fiction and poetry challenge dominant narratives. Additionally, his interests encompass Migrant and Exile literature, literary theory, and the aesthetics of Indian Nepali literature in translation.

EXPERIENCE

Chief Editor, Teesta Rangeet, Aug 2012 to September 2013.

Academic Content Writer, Trutech Webs, July 2012 to December 2012.

Sub-Editor, Sikkim Mail Daily, January 2013 to June 2013.

Cambridge English Teacher, Taktse International School, October 2013 to December 2015.

Sub-Editor, Sultan Chand & Sons Pvt. Ltd., 2016.

Editor, KAO – Hillfolks Art Journal, 2018-19.

Assistant Professor in English, SRM University Sikkim, July 2019 to August 2024.

PUBLICATIONS

Shah, Dhirendra K. “Intersection of Masculinity and Ethnicity: The Social Construction of Nepali Men in IB Rai’s Fiction in Translation.” In Gender, Sexual/Other Identities in the Eastern Himalaya, edited by Dr. Mona Chettri with Ktien Hima & Nikita Rai. Rachna Books, 2022, pp. 101-117.

Shah, Dhirendra K. “Buddhism: Podcast Experience and Personal Spiritual Journey.” In God Online: Indian Spirituality in the Digital Space, edited by Dr. Namrata Chaturvedi and Dr. Preeti Oza. Authorspress, 2022, pp. 42-53.

“Stairway Companion”. The Passionate Transitory, 2012.

“Belief”. Misty Mountain Review, 2012.

“Mauli: A Transnational Tale of Nepali Cultures and History”, Sikkim Express, 2023.

‘The Journey of My Voice’ & Other Poems, The Bombay Literary Magazine, 2025.

Witnessing the Wounded Hills: The Poetry of Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih, Forthcoming Book Chapter, 2026.

The Republic of Tenderness” Decolonial Affect, Geo-Aesthetics, and Minor Transnationalism in Rajendra Bhandari’s Poetry, Forthcoming Routledge Book Chapter, 2026.

CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

To be updated.

GRANTS AND AWARDS

Best Faculty Research Paper Award (2021) for “Myriad Roots, Routes & Registers of Geo- Memories in Contemporary Women Writing of Arunachal Pradesh”, SRM University Sikkim.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

To be updated.