About Mahadai Das
Mahadai Das was born in Eccles, East Bank Demerara in 1954 and is most known for her poetry. She first studied at the University of Guyana, then Columbia University and the University of Chicago. Her first poetry collection was entitled I Want to Be a Poetes of My People (1977)—note that “They Came in Ships” and “Militant” from her collection are featured on this site. In addition to her poetry writing, she was civically engaged vocally disapproved of Guyana's politicians. Like Rajkumari Singh and Shana Yardan, she is known for being among the first published Indo-Caribbean women poets who discussed feminism, identity, and cultural reshapings. Unfortunately, Das passed away in 2003 at only 49 years old. Das’s work continues to circulate and make waves in the Indo-Diasporic literary field.
