Vijay Lakshmi Chauhan was born to Dewan Chand and Subhadra Devi on April 25, 1943, in Kashmir, India. She was educated in India and the United States. Her awards include a Senior Fulbright Fellowship, Yale University; EH Summer Fellowship; the English-Speaking Union’s Research Grant, London; and a residency at Can Serrat International Art Center, Spain. She is an associate professor of English at the Community College of Philadelphia.