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Remembering Nisha da Cunha: Inspirational Teacher and Writer, 1934-2026
Nisha da Cunha was a teacher and writer who recently passed away.
She taught English at St Xavier's College in Mumbai for about 25 years.
Her students admired her brains, her style, and the way she pushed them to think for themselves.
When she retired from teaching, she started writing books at the age of 57.
Her stories were about women, feelings like sadness and loss, and things people often do not talk about.
She also directed famous plays and wrote about Goa and old Bombay.
Even at 91, she was still reading and talking about books.
One of her books was named among the 25 best Indian fiction books in English by author Jerry Pinto.
The writer of this article remembers her as a fierce and inspiring teacher who taught her to ask, "What do you think?"
Nisha da Cunha, professor of English Literature at St Xavier's College for about 25 years and head of its English department, died on August 11.
Born in 1934, she spent part of her childhood in Germany during the Second World War and studied at Miranda House in New Delhi and Newnham College, Cambridge.
After retiring from teaching in 1985, she began writing at 57, publishing 'Old Cypress: Stories' (1991) and later works including 'The Permanence of Grief' and 'No Black, No White: Short Stories.'
Her stories explore female voices, loss, separation, death, rejection, desire, memory, ageing, and things usually left unsaid.
She also directed plays such as Chekhov's 'Three Sisters' and Lorca's 'The House of Bernarda Alba,' and at 91 was still reading and talking about books.
Her book 'The Old Cypress' is on author Jerry Pinto's list of the 25 best Indian fiction books in English.
- Who
- Professor Nisha da Cunha, an English Literature teacher, writer, and theatre director; the tribute is written by her former student Saumya Balsari.
- What
- A tribute marking the death of Nisha da Cunha and celebrating her legacy as an educator, writer of short stories, and theatre director.
- Where
- She taught at St Xavier's College in Mumbai (Bombay); her education included Miranda House in New Delhi and Newnham College, Cambridge, and she wrote about Goa and old Bombay.
- When
- She died on August 11; her lifespan is given in the article title as 1934-2026.
- Why
- The author wrote to mourn her passing and share her memory as a relentless, fierce educator of young minds whose fearless voice remains relevant today.
Key facts
- Born
- 1934
- Died
- August 11
- Teaching career
- Approximately 25 years at St Xavier's College, Mumbai; head of the English department
- Retirement
- 1985
- First book
- 'Old Cypress: Stories' (1991), published when she was 57
- Other notable works
- 'The Permanence of Grief' (1993), 'Set my Heart in Aspic' (1997-98), 'No Black, No White: Short Stories' (2001), 'Of Age and Merry Wisdom' (2001), 'The Quiet of the Birds: Collected Stories' (2005)
- Education
- Miranda House, New Delhi; Newnham College, Cambridge
- Theatre
- Directed Chekhov's 'Three Sisters' and Lorca's 'The House of Bernarda Alba'
Quotes
Nisha da Cunha
Former professor of English at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
“"Yes, Ellis‑Fermor says this, but what do YOU think?"”
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“"The thought of writing never leaves," she said.”
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Sources
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