Established in 1973, North-Eastern Hill University (https://nehu.ac.in) is the oldest central university in the Northeastern region of India which has the objectives to disseminate and advance knowledge by providing instructional and research facilities in such branches of learning as it may deem fit; to pay special attention to the improvement of the social and economic conditions and welfare of the people of the hill areas of the Northeast, and, in particular, their intellectual, academic and cultural advancement. Ensconced in the midst of pine forests spread over an area of about 1100 acres, NEHU has 44 academic departments, with 36 of them located on the Shillong campus and 11 of them on the Tura campus. At present, there are 53 undergraduate colleges affiliated with the University, including 8 professional colleges. The Department of English, established in 1973, is one of the oldest departments of the university with a distinctive history of producing several authors, poets, and critics considered the most eminent in the Northeast of India.