A prominent English writer. She was a professor and dean of the School of Humanities and Education at the North Eastern Hill University in Shillong. She has also served as the Director of the North East Zone Cultural Centre in Dimapur and the Chairperson of the Nagaland State Women's Commission. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007 and the Governor's Gold Medal from the Meghalaya government in 2009. 'Ente Thalakkal Konnu' won the 2013 Central Sahitya Akademi Award. In addition to five collections of poetry, four collections of short stories and a novel, Ao has also published a detailed study book on the oral tradition of the Naga tribals. He was a member of the General Council of the Central Sahitya Akademi. Died on October 9, 2022