Dinesh Nandini Dalmia, born
on 16 February 1928, was an Indian poet, short story writer and novelist
of Hindi literature. She was the fifth wife of Ramkrishna Dalmia, founder of
the Dalmia Group, and three of his four previous wives were still alive and
married to him when she became his fifth wife. Nevertheless, she positioned
herself in opposition to gender discrimination and purdah system, and published
poems, prose poems, short stories and novels on the theme of women's
emancipation. Shabnam, Niraash Aasha, Mujhe Maaf Kama and Yeh Bhi
Jhooth Hai are some of her notable works. The Government of India awarded
her the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 2006, for her
contributions to literature.
