Urmila Pawar was born in a small village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. As the youngest child of a Dalit family, she learned early in life the meaning of her subordination as a woman and as a Dalit. Her autobiography, Aaydan (2003; The Weave of My Life, 2009) continues to touch the hearts of all lovers of literature. She has published ten books including three short story collections. Some of her stories have been translated into English in the collection, Mother Wit (2013). She has won many prestigious prizes for her sensitive portrayal of the lives of Dalit women in India. 
Year: 2016