Patricia Mukhim

Biography

Patricia Mukhim was born in Shillong, the capital city of the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. She is known to have had a difficult childhood as her parents divorced when she was young and was brought up by her single mother. She did her schooling and college education in Shillong and secured graduate degrees in Arts (BA) and education (BEd). She started her career as a teacher but turned to journalism in 1987 as a correspondent and, since 2008, is the editor of the Shillong Times, the first English language daily in Meghalaya. She also contributes articles to other publications such as The Statesman, The Telegraph, Eastern Panorama and The North East Times.

Patricia Mukhim is the founder of Shillong, We Care a non governmental organization involved in the fight against the militancy in Meghalaya. She is a member of the National Security Advisory Board of the Government of India and serves as a member of the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, India. She sits on the education board of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.

Mukhim is the director of Indigenous Women's Resource Centre, Shillong and is involved with the District Consumer Forum, Shillong as a member, the State Commission for Consumer Affairs as a member, with the Centre of North East Studies and policy research (CNES) as its Trustee and with Indo Global Service Society as its vice president. She sits on the board of Women's Regional Network, a cross border women's forum involving women from the Indian subcontinent. A former member of Meghalaya Planning Board, Mukhim is also an advisor to the North Eastern Institute of Development Studies (NEIDS).

Mukhim is credited with several articles on the socio-political milieu of Meghalaya. She has contributed a chapter to book on matriarchy by Heide Göttner-Abendroth under the title, Khasi matrilineal society - Challenges in the 21st century and is working on a book, When Hens Crow. She has attended many conferences and seminars in places such as Japan, Thailand, Hawaii, Switzerland, Palestine, Israel, North and South Korea, UK, and the African continent and has delivered keynote addresses. She has also appeared on several television and radio programs.

Patrica Mukhim is a divorcee and has three children, two of her children having died earlier.

Awards and recognition

Patricia Mukhim received the Chameli Devi Jain Award in 1996 from the Media Foundation, New Delhi. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) conferred on her their FLO award for excellence in journalism in 2008. A few months later, in 2008, she received the Upendra Nath Brahma Soldier of Humanity award. The next year, in 2009, she received the Siva Prasad Barooah National Award. One year later, the Government of India included her in the Republic Day honours list for the civilian award of Padma Shri. In 2011, she was selected for the Northeast Excellence Award. She received the O.N.E. India award in 2014.