The Smell of Bamboo Blossoms is a collection of stories by Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi. It’s title story is set against the rare phenomenon of bamboo flowering that happens after an interval of 60 – 120 years. In most cultures, the phenomenon is perceived as an indicator of an impending famine. In this stunning story, set during the aftermath of such an event, an entire region faces the challenge of famine and the birth of millions of rodents that attack the crops. The rest of the stories capture the unique life of people in Arunachal, caught between tradition and modernity as its traditional societies interact more and more with a neoliberal, globalized India.

Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi, a writer from the state of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India, where Hindi, Assamese, and English are official languages, writes in Assamese—his adopted language. Yeshe Dorje Thongchi belongs to the Serdukpen tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. For his contribution to Assamese literature, he has been conferred more than twenty-two literary prizes in South Asia, such as the Sahitya Akademi Award, Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha Award from Asom Sahitya Sabha, and the Padmashri Award—the fourth-highest civilian honor provided by the Indian government. Thongchi’s novels, short stories, and essays are widely read in India and are the subject of numerous scholarly dissertations.