Dhan Gopal Mukerji

Dhan Gopal Mukerji (1890-1936), an Indian author who emigrated to the United States, was the first successful Indian man of letters there and won the 1928 Newbery Medal for his children's book Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon. Born near Calcutta into a Bengali Brahmin family, he wrote prolifically about Indian jungles, folklore, and culture in works like Kari the Elephant, The Chief of the Herd, and his autobiography Caste and Outcast. His writings bridged Eastern and Western worlds, emphasizing harmony between humans and nature, until his suicide in New York City at age 46, [Kids Kiddle].