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Laburnum For My Head
Every May something extraordinary happens in the new cemetery of the sleepy little town's laburnum tree, with buttery yellow blossoms, flowers over the spot where Lentina is buried. A brave hunter, Imchanok, totters when the ghost of his prey haunts him, till he offers it a tuft of his hair as a prayer for forgiveness. Pokenmong, the servant boy, by dint of his wit, sells an airfield to unsuspecting villagers. A letter found on a dead insurgent blurs the boundaries between him and an innocent villager, both struggling to make ends meet. A woman's terrible secret comes full circle, changing her daughter's and granddaughter's lives as well as her own. An illiterate village woman's simple question rattles an army officer and forces him to set her husband free. A young girl loses her lover in his fight for the motherland, leaving her a frightful legacy. And a caterpillar finds wings.
From the mythical to the modern, Laburnum for My Head is a collection of short stories that embrace a gamut of emotions. Heartrending, witty and riddled with irony, the stories depict a deep understanding of the human condition.
From the mythical to the modern, Laburnum for My Head is a collection of short stories that embrace a gamut of emotions. Heartrending, witty and riddled with irony, the stories depict a deep understanding of the human condition.
110 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2009
About the author
Temsula Ao
8 books46 followersTemsula Ao was born in October 1945 at Jorhat, Assam. She received her B.A with Distinction from Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung, Nagaland. She received her M.A in English from Gauhati University, Assam. From Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (presently English and Foreign Languages University,) Hyderabad she received her Post Graduate Diploma in the Teaching of English and Ph.D from NEHU. From 1992-97 she served as Director, North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur on Deputation from NEHU, and was Fulbright Fellow to University of Minnesota 1985-86. She is a retired Professor of English in North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), where she has taught since 1975.
She received the honorary Padma Shri Award in 2007. She is the recipient of the Governor’s Gold Medal 2009 from the government of Meghalaya. In 2013, she received the Sahitya Akademi Award for her short story collection, Laburnum For My Head, given by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Literature. Ao is widely respected as one of the major literary voices in English to emerge from Northeast India along with Mitra Phukan and Mamang Dai.
She received the honorary Padma Shri Award in 2007. She is the recipient of the Governor’s Gold Medal 2009 from the government of Meghalaya. In 2013, she received the Sahitya Akademi Award for her short story collection, Laburnum For My Head, given by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Literature. Ao is widely respected as one of the major literary voices in English to emerge from Northeast India along with Mitra Phukan and Mamang Dai.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
February 17, 2016
Getting home from an extended vacation translates into a current of exhilaration; ‘home sweet home’ uttering many, feel a certain sense of succulent energy run through them as they slump into couches long undone and waiting. The unkempt bed appears inviting and one does well to forget the fluffy hotel bedding just left behind. The home-made food seeps easy on the palate, almost cleansing all the toxic junk that had hijacked the vacation binge. And it feels like heaven to be back home. However, a few days pass and a mundane air sets in; the usual, habitual one that typifies our homes and comes eventually to settle its imprints into every corner of our abodes. The bed loses its sheen and the food, its allure. And once again, an urge starts taking birth inside our pits to take flight to a new sky, leaving the familiar warmth of our dwellings.
Gliding through the various rooms of this crisp collection by Temsula Ao was a similar experience. Laying my hands on a viewfinder to locate the little nooks and corners of Nagaland, a north-eastern state in India, was exciting. The stories carried a certain freshness, an earthy scent. The patriarchal hegemony and the cultural nuances, the familial derivatives and the unabashed youth, they all served the purpose of an industrious harbinger sweeping the stunning landscape of emerald beauty. The stories covered a gamut of everyday events that carry an inherent seed of a delectable story: a boy illegally selling an airfield; three women bound beyond blood ties, a hunter attending his own burial and a tattered letter carrying a child’s future were just few of the core premises from this assortment that made the reading, endearing. But its prospects of going into my favorites were dimmed by the missing undulation in its spine. Predictability set in somewhere half-way and the language didn’t entice me anymore. Perhaps, over the years, I have come to love the way of expression as much as the content being expressed. So, this book reaches out to the zenith but falls short somewhere of embracing it; it doesn’t trip and instead, finds a comfortable step to burrow into and sit cozy. A good place to visit if an atypical, albeit short, outing is what the climber is looking for.
Gliding through the various rooms of this crisp collection by Temsula Ao was a similar experience. Laying my hands on a viewfinder to locate the little nooks and corners of Nagaland, a north-eastern state in India, was exciting. The stories carried a certain freshness, an earthy scent. The patriarchal hegemony and the cultural nuances, the familial derivatives and the unabashed youth, they all served the purpose of an industrious harbinger sweeping the stunning landscape of emerald beauty. The stories covered a gamut of everyday events that carry an inherent seed of a delectable story: a boy illegally selling an airfield; three women bound beyond blood ties, a hunter attending his own burial and a tattered letter carrying a child’s future were just few of the core premises from this assortment that made the reading, endearing. But its prospects of going into my favorites were dimmed by the missing undulation in its spine. Predictability set in somewhere half-way and the language didn’t entice me anymore. Perhaps, over the years, I have come to love the way of expression as much as the content being expressed. So, this book reaches out to the zenith but falls short somewhere of embracing it; it doesn’t trip and instead, finds a comfortable step to burrow into and sit cozy. A good place to visit if an atypical, albeit short, outing is what the climber is looking for.
May 29, 2012
This Temsula Ao's second short story collection; I still haven't read the first ('These Hills Called Home'). Ao lives and teaches in Shilong, in the North-East of India, a part of the country that faces problems of endemic neglect by the centre and ongoing conflicts between the Army and Maoist rebels. It is also, from what I've gleaned from pictures and accounts by friends from those parts, a beautiful land of green hills and fertile valleys.
Ao's stories take us into the heart of this conflict-torn land, telling us the stories of characters such as the old woman who saves her husband, the village headman, from both the rebels and the army by her quick thinking. Then there's a woman who used to be in a relationship with a charismatic young man who leaves her to join the rebels, only to wind up assassinated by his own comrades, leaving her an uneasy legacy in the form of painful memories, uncertain associations and a mysterious floppy disk.
Not all the stories draw on insurgency and counter-insurgency for their context. There's a powerful story which weaves the lives of a woman, her daughter and granddaughter into a brilliant harmony expounding the traumas, sorrows and joys of women's lives. My favourite story tells us of a formidable hunter who is frequently stirred with misgivings about hunting, leading to a climactic encounter with a possibly supernatural wild boar.
Ao loves and values stories and people; these stories touch upon the dilemmas, sacrifices, defeats and victories of ordinary people, but gives them an epic, universal resonance
Then why the 3-star rating? Simply because the stories fall short in the areas of language and plot. Ao spends too much time telling rather than showing; the story of a young boy who emerges as something of trickster figure could have had great zest and vitality if penned by someone like Bohumil Hrabal; here, it falls a little flat because of the deadpan, declamatory narrative. Another story, 'The Letter' seems like an uneasy hybrid between dry reportage and fiction; the ending, a fairly obvious twist, loses the impact that a willingness to probe deeper below the surface and to plunge further into the world of the story could have given it. Too many characters are left hollow, if not altogether unnamed and all too often we are told of the emotional upheavals they face rather than simply shown the signs of this upheaval. There are messy mixed metaphors: 'from the moment he joined their ranks he had to walk a tight-rope in the multi-headed ideological minefield within'.
And yet, there are passages of great vividness, like this depiction of the wordless rapport of a hunting party: 'Imchanok was fully awake; he sensed the weariness in his companions and let them doze for a few precious moments before nudging the nearest one awake with a gentle kick to his side. As the chain of similar kicks went around, everyone sat up and tried to adjust his vision in the eerie darkness that seemed to have swallowed up the lush green jungle. They waited, each lost in his own thoughts. Then came the time in the dying night when you think that the day is breaking but cannot see anything except darkness even though the daybreak is so clear in your mind. This sensation came first to Imchanok and he silently shifted his body-weight from left to right. The one next to him caught his movement and did the same; then the next and the next until every single man held his position as if freshly energized by this slightest of movements.'
Then there's this powerful passage describing childbirth: 'The growl she emits is like nothing these women, who have participated in many deliveries, have ever heard, and as the last hiss leaves her throat, one of them shouts,'I see the head, one more push,baby, just once more'. Martha hears her and with an ultimate effort gives another push and the baby slithers out of her exhausted body. The baby's wet and slimy contours as it surges through the passage produces such a sensuous effect on Martha that she will always remember it as more sublime than the transient ecstasies of sex'.
But there isn't enough that reaches this pitch; too much is bogged down in the baggage of late-Victorian phrasing with all its distancing and formality that too many Indian writers in English struggle to shake off. Ao tells stories that deserve to live in the hearts of all her readers; but she needs a better editor, needs something to hone her pen into a scalpel.
Ao's stories take us into the heart of this conflict-torn land, telling us the stories of characters such as the old woman who saves her husband, the village headman, from both the rebels and the army by her quick thinking. Then there's a woman who used to be in a relationship with a charismatic young man who leaves her to join the rebels, only to wind up assassinated by his own comrades, leaving her an uneasy legacy in the form of painful memories, uncertain associations and a mysterious floppy disk.
Not all the stories draw on insurgency and counter-insurgency for their context. There's a powerful story which weaves the lives of a woman, her daughter and granddaughter into a brilliant harmony expounding the traumas, sorrows and joys of women's lives. My favourite story tells us of a formidable hunter who is frequently stirred with misgivings about hunting, leading to a climactic encounter with a possibly supernatural wild boar.
Ao loves and values stories and people; these stories touch upon the dilemmas, sacrifices, defeats and victories of ordinary people, but gives them an epic, universal resonance
Then why the 3-star rating? Simply because the stories fall short in the areas of language and plot. Ao spends too much time telling rather than showing; the story of a young boy who emerges as something of trickster figure could have had great zest and vitality if penned by someone like Bohumil Hrabal; here, it falls a little flat because of the deadpan, declamatory narrative. Another story, 'The Letter' seems like an uneasy hybrid between dry reportage and fiction; the ending, a fairly obvious twist, loses the impact that a willingness to probe deeper below the surface and to plunge further into the world of the story could have given it. Too many characters are left hollow, if not altogether unnamed and all too often we are told of the emotional upheavals they face rather than simply shown the signs of this upheaval. There are messy mixed metaphors: 'from the moment he joined their ranks he had to walk a tight-rope in the multi-headed ideological minefield within'.
And yet, there are passages of great vividness, like this depiction of the wordless rapport of a hunting party: 'Imchanok was fully awake; he sensed the weariness in his companions and let them doze for a few precious moments before nudging the nearest one awake with a gentle kick to his side. As the chain of similar kicks went around, everyone sat up and tried to adjust his vision in the eerie darkness that seemed to have swallowed up the lush green jungle. They waited, each lost in his own thoughts. Then came the time in the dying night when you think that the day is breaking but cannot see anything except darkness even though the daybreak is so clear in your mind. This sensation came first to Imchanok and he silently shifted his body-weight from left to right. The one next to him caught his movement and did the same; then the next and the next until every single man held his position as if freshly energized by this slightest of movements.'
Then there's this powerful passage describing childbirth: 'The growl she emits is like nothing these women, who have participated in many deliveries, have ever heard, and as the last hiss leaves her throat, one of them shouts,'I see the head, one more push,baby, just once more'. Martha hears her and with an ultimate effort gives another push and the baby slithers out of her exhausted body. The baby's wet and slimy contours as it surges through the passage produces such a sensuous effect on Martha that she will always remember it as more sublime than the transient ecstasies of sex'.
But there isn't enough that reaches this pitch; too much is bogged down in the baggage of late-Victorian phrasing with all its distancing and formality that too many Indian writers in English struggle to shake off. Ao tells stories that deserve to live in the hearts of all her readers; but she needs a better editor, needs something to hone her pen into a scalpel.
August 11, 2020
***Amazingly written
**Nine beautiful short stories
*Heart-rending 💔
🖤Full review will be up in a few hours🖤
**Nine beautiful short stories
*Heart-rending 💔
🖤Full review will be up in a few hours🖤
May 15, 2018
In my search for reading contemporary Indian literature, I realized that we have maybe consciously ignored a very important part of India, in our study of literature, history or even geography. So when Amazon recommended me this book, I was fairly surprised to see the ease of storytelling and the uniqueness of plot that each of the eight short stories presented to the reader. The only thing they had in common was their setting- somewhere in the north-eastern part of our country. It is an easy, enjoyable read that can be enjoyed both at a stretch or with glorious intermissions in between, mulling over the complexity of diverse human emotions that each story throws unto the readers.
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December 15, 2014
There are so many highly acclaimed literary awards. Booker, Pulitzer, Orange, what-not. In fact, how many Booker winners and shortlisted have I read! I have read a few Indian literary awards too - like Shakti Bhatt First Book and Hindu Literary Prize - but I have left behind the father of them all - Sahitya Akademi Award! The official literary award of India. When I came across this book on some online book selling portal, I felt some kind of a patriotic urge to read the book. And so here I am done with it finally...
It is a bunch of eight short stories, the first one being the Laburnum For My Head is very touchy. In fact, all the short stories were touch, with nothing as much as an ant same. Each story is unique in it's own way. The only similar all the story share is that their settings are all North Eastern India, but even the time spaces differ from story to story. While Laburnum For My Head could be a modern day story, The Boy Who Sold an Airfield and Death of a Hunter are from pre-Independence.
Having nothing much to say about the stories, I decide to conclude the review stating that the language and the narration of the book is one of the best. Serenity is in every word in the story. When I was reading the book, it felt like I was living in a lush forest, among the other human-inhabitants, spending a uneventful, peaceful and a tranquilizing life.
I doubt there would be people who wouldn't enjoy reading this book...
It is a bunch of eight short stories, the first one being the Laburnum For My Head is very touchy. In fact, all the short stories were touch, with nothing as much as an ant same. Each story is unique in it's own way. The only similar all the story share is that their settings are all North Eastern India, but even the time spaces differ from story to story. While Laburnum For My Head could be a modern day story, The Boy Who Sold an Airfield and Death of a Hunter are from pre-Independence.
Having nothing much to say about the stories, I decide to conclude the review stating that the language and the narration of the book is one of the best. Serenity is in every word in the story. When I was reading the book, it felt like I was living in a lush forest, among the other human-inhabitants, spending a uneventful, peaceful and a tranquilizing life.
I doubt there would be people who wouldn't enjoy reading this book...
November 25, 2020
Laburnum for my Head is Temsula Ao’s second collection of short stories, all based in her home state of Nagaland, which brought her the Sahitya Akademi Award for English in 2013.
Most of the stories depict the conflict of the common people, who are caught between the rebels and the Indian army. (Nagaland has witnessed insurgency since decades, with armed rebel movements demanding a separate, independent state).
Ao has no sympathies for either group, as she shows how the people who work hard to earn their living, are forced to pay taxes for the “freedom cause” and then punished by the army for assisting the rebels. Resist the rebels, and you could be killed. Resist the government and you could be killed. Where does one go from here?
While the stories themselves are powerful, the writing is almost too plain, and does not end up being too convincing. I felt the stories lacked the right emotion, and didn’t feel compelling enough, especially given the highly sensitive subject matter.
My favorites were the titular “Laburnum for my Head”, a beautifully narrated story about a widow who wants to have a laburnum plant over her graveyard when she dies, rather than the traditional, grandiose headstone. As she puts it “This consecrated ground (the town graveyard) has thus become choked with the specimens of human conceit. But nature has a way of upstaging even the hardest rock and granite edifices fabricated my man.”
Next is “Three Women”, about three generations of women, where the grandmother’s secret has shaped the lives of her daughter and granddaughter in ways unimaginable. The old lady’s depiction of sexual desire, which natured bestowed equal on man and woman, but society turned into a farce where the man can be aggressive but the woman must be submissive, makes for powerful writing, which is missing in most of the other stories.
“The Letter” stands out for its brutal twist about a villager who tries to make ends meet for his family by turning to the worst means possible.
“Death of a Hunter” captures the conflict between man and animal, and the ever present concern of living together in a habitat increasingly encroached upon by humans.
3/5 for compelling stories that deserved sharper writing.
Most of the stories depict the conflict of the common people, who are caught between the rebels and the Indian army. (Nagaland has witnessed insurgency since decades, with armed rebel movements demanding a separate, independent state).
Ao has no sympathies for either group, as she shows how the people who work hard to earn their living, are forced to pay taxes for the “freedom cause” and then punished by the army for assisting the rebels. Resist the rebels, and you could be killed. Resist the government and you could be killed. Where does one go from here?
While the stories themselves are powerful, the writing is almost too plain, and does not end up being too convincing. I felt the stories lacked the right emotion, and didn’t feel compelling enough, especially given the highly sensitive subject matter.
My favorites were the titular “Laburnum for my Head”, a beautifully narrated story about a widow who wants to have a laburnum plant over her graveyard when she dies, rather than the traditional, grandiose headstone. As she puts it “This consecrated ground (the town graveyard) has thus become choked with the specimens of human conceit. But nature has a way of upstaging even the hardest rock and granite edifices fabricated my man.”
Next is “Three Women”, about three generations of women, where the grandmother’s secret has shaped the lives of her daughter and granddaughter in ways unimaginable. The old lady’s depiction of sexual desire, which natured bestowed equal on man and woman, but society turned into a farce where the man can be aggressive but the woman must be submissive, makes for powerful writing, which is missing in most of the other stories.
“The Letter” stands out for its brutal twist about a villager who tries to make ends meet for his family by turning to the worst means possible.
“Death of a Hunter” captures the conflict between man and animal, and the ever present concern of living together in a habitat increasingly encroached upon by humans.
3/5 for compelling stories that deserved sharper writing.
April 15, 2023
A collection of 8 short stories based in and around the Naga community of Assam.
Why this was picked:
1. Quest to explore more Indian states.
2. Sahitya Akademi Award Winner 2013
Most of these stories have presence of Naxalites and Indian army, and deals with common people's suffering, caught in cross fire between the two.
Three Women and Sonny were my favorites.
A decently packed collection depicting the human layer of the culprit as well as the victim.
Overall this is a fast and easy read.
Why this was picked:
1. Quest to explore more Indian states.
2. Sahitya Akademi Award Winner 2013
Most of these stories have presence of Naxalites and Indian army, and deals with common people's suffering, caught in cross fire between the two.
Three Women and Sonny were my favorites.
A decently packed collection depicting the human layer of the culprit as well as the victim.
Overall this is a fast and easy read.
July 8, 2015
This is a book of short stories by the Padma Shri winner Temsula Ao, a retired English professor at the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. In 2013, she was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award based on this collection of stories.
Because this is a diverse collection, encompassing many themes and writing styles, I will give a brief introduction to each.
"Laburnum for my head"
A woman loves the Laburnum flower, but has no success at cultivating them in her garden. She decides that it would be better to have a Laburnum plant on her gravestone rather than an ugly tombstone.
"Death of a Hunter"
The best hunter in the area finds himself, once again, being forced to hunt a wild animal that he does not really want to hurt. He is worried about the creature's intelligence and what it will mean if he kills it.
"The Boy Who Sold an Airfield"
Set at the end of WWII, a young boy makes his way into the confidence of some American soldiers, ending up with some property that he needs to sell.
"The Letter"
The normally peaceful people of a village are tired of threats and extortions by the insurgents hidden in the nearby hills. Finally an attack by a group of freedom fighters proves to be the last straw, and the villagers retaliate.
"Three Women"
In a series of connected stories, a grandmother, mother, and daughter find their pasts intertwining with the concepts of motherhood and family.
"The Question"
When villagers are forced to give supplies to insurgents, the national army arrests them and accuses them of aiding the enemy. One of the women goes to the army camp to try to convince them to let her husband go.
"Sonny"
A woman returns to his hometown only to hear news that her former lover has died - a man who had left her to join a rebel group of freedom fighters and has been killed under mysterious circumstances.
"Flight"
A caterpillar turns into a butterfly in a young boy's sick room.
Not all of these stories were particularly compelling. "Death of a Hunter" in particular was not very interesting to me. I will talk about the common theme of war, especially war between freedom fighters and the army, and then talk about my two favorite stories, "Three Women" and "The Boy Who Sold an Airfield."
War and difficult choices
Three of these stories - "The Letter," "The Question," and "Sonny" deal with the difficult situation of common people during a guerrilla war. These stories were sparked by a deep understanding of the current situation in the states of Northeast India, where various factions of "freedom fighters" have been campaigning for their own states or to break away from India altogether. Ao's stories address the personal trials of the people who are not directly involved with these movements, but whose lives are severely impacted by the situation around them.
Read the rest on my blog: http://thegloballycurious.blogspot.co...
Because this is a diverse collection, encompassing many themes and writing styles, I will give a brief introduction to each.
"Laburnum for my head"
A woman loves the Laburnum flower, but has no success at cultivating them in her garden. She decides that it would be better to have a Laburnum plant on her gravestone rather than an ugly tombstone.
"Death of a Hunter"
The best hunter in the area finds himself, once again, being forced to hunt a wild animal that he does not really want to hurt. He is worried about the creature's intelligence and what it will mean if he kills it.
"The Boy Who Sold an Airfield"
Set at the end of WWII, a young boy makes his way into the confidence of some American soldiers, ending up with some property that he needs to sell.
"The Letter"
The normally peaceful people of a village are tired of threats and extortions by the insurgents hidden in the nearby hills. Finally an attack by a group of freedom fighters proves to be the last straw, and the villagers retaliate.
"Three Women"
In a series of connected stories, a grandmother, mother, and daughter find their pasts intertwining with the concepts of motherhood and family.
"The Question"
When villagers are forced to give supplies to insurgents, the national army arrests them and accuses them of aiding the enemy. One of the women goes to the army camp to try to convince them to let her husband go.
"Sonny"
A woman returns to his hometown only to hear news that her former lover has died - a man who had left her to join a rebel group of freedom fighters and has been killed under mysterious circumstances.
"Flight"
A caterpillar turns into a butterfly in a young boy's sick room.
Not all of these stories were particularly compelling. "Death of a Hunter" in particular was not very interesting to me. I will talk about the common theme of war, especially war between freedom fighters and the army, and then talk about my two favorite stories, "Three Women" and "The Boy Who Sold an Airfield."
War and difficult choices
Three of these stories - "The Letter," "The Question," and "Sonny" deal with the difficult situation of common people during a guerrilla war. These stories were sparked by a deep understanding of the current situation in the states of Northeast India, where various factions of "freedom fighters" have been campaigning for their own states or to break away from India altogether. Ao's stories address the personal trials of the people who are not directly involved with these movements, but whose lives are severely impacted by the situation around them.
Read the rest on my blog: http://thegloballycurious.blogspot.co...
March 30, 2014
I do not know why I kept putting off reading this slim book for more than 2 years. Today when I started, I was done in a seating.
This is Temsula Ao's second book. Stories are beautifully crafted in simple, lyrical language that it is imperative that you finish a story in a single sitting.
I loved the first two stories: a) the title story, The Laburnum for my head, about a women's desire to have beautiful laburnum grow in her land. b) 'Death of a Hunter' is beautifully crafted stories about inner fears and dilemmas of a ferocious hunter. 'Three Women' is another story weaving an interconnected web of inner and outer relationships. It is also about love and desire.
There are two stories focusing on Nagas' predicament crushed between Indian army and the underground fighters. It reminded me of Kashmir. 'Sonny' was a good story about a complex relationship with 'ex' but I couldn't quite related with the path protagonist takes, sometimes somethings are bigger than one's individual desires. I didn't much care for the last story about the caterpillar, but rest I would revisit again for simplicity and pleasure.
P.S: Wiki tells me that this collection brought its author the 2013 Sahitya Akademi Award for English, by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.
This is Temsula Ao's second book. Stories are beautifully crafted in simple, lyrical language that it is imperative that you finish a story in a single sitting.
I loved the first two stories: a) the title story, The Laburnum for my head, about a women's desire to have beautiful laburnum grow in her land. b) 'Death of a Hunter' is beautifully crafted stories about inner fears and dilemmas of a ferocious hunter. 'Three Women' is another story weaving an interconnected web of inner and outer relationships. It is also about love and desire.
There are two stories focusing on Nagas' predicament crushed between Indian army and the underground fighters. It reminded me of Kashmir. 'Sonny' was a good story about a complex relationship with 'ex' but I couldn't quite related with the path protagonist takes, sometimes somethings are bigger than one's individual desires. I didn't much care for the last story about the caterpillar, but rest I would revisit again for simplicity and pleasure.
P.S: Wiki tells me that this collection brought its author the 2013 Sahitya Akademi Award for English, by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.
December 24, 2019
There are never enough books that you have read. Never. Despite having tried to read more Indian literature the past few years, I realized that there’s a gaping chasm in my reading - books from the North-East part of India are painfully few.
Temsula Ao’s ‘Laburnum For My Head’ I read in one sitting at a time I should have ostensibly been working. But what can I do? The stories here were such that I could not tear myself away! There’s a quiet beauty to Temsula’s writing, most of which seem to be set in Nagaland and give a picture of a world that was only present to me in fleeting glimpses when I last visited there.
Temsula Ao’s ‘Laburnum For My Head’ I read in one sitting at a time I should have ostensibly been working. But what can I do? The stories here were such that I could not tear myself away! There’s a quiet beauty to Temsula’s writing, most of which seem to be set in Nagaland and give a picture of a world that was only present to me in fleeting glimpses when I last visited there.
September 12, 2018
A beautiful collection of stories in the north-eastern part of India!
December 9, 2022
As I behold the cover page gingerly, I find the most treasured memory of a gift (from Subhasree). A book with a cover of the flower Laburnum (golden shower). The only flower that makes our otherwise dry campus ever so vibrant! And since then... even before I sniffed it, I knew I'll love this book.
Coming to Ao's writing, it's absolutely brilliant and poignant! I can't stress enough on her skill of weaving threads of misery, joy and struggle into the span of a short story. She does the job of sensititizing the world about Nagaland. A much hidden story and less known history. And its people, who are far away from being rebel or thinks twice to call themselves Indian. Always caught in between their breath, questioning the way of the world against their very existence. With a varied taste of love, growth and life in small and wide scale, Ao's writing projects a kaleidoscopic view where the Naga people's misery seems to be the epitome of the universal one, but also makes Naga plight stand alone with its intrinsic proposition and complexity.
Coming to Ao's writing, it's absolutely brilliant and poignant! I can't stress enough on her skill of weaving threads of misery, joy and struggle into the span of a short story. She does the job of sensititizing the world about Nagaland. A much hidden story and less known history. And its people, who are far away from being rebel or thinks twice to call themselves Indian. Always caught in between their breath, questioning the way of the world against their very existence. With a varied taste of love, growth and life in small and wide scale, Ao's writing projects a kaleidoscopic view where the Naga people's misery seems to be the epitome of the universal one, but also makes Naga plight stand alone with its intrinsic proposition and complexity.
October 30, 2015
Temsula Ao is another strong voice from our North-East. The eight stories here show us a glimpse of Nagaland. The Naxal movement is the dominant theme of the stories. 'The Letter' shows the helplessness of the people caught in the crossfire of violence caused by the Indian government and the underground government. 'Sonny' shows the disillusionment with the Naxal movement. 'A Simple Question' shows the exasperation of the Naga people with the government.
The stories depict how adversely the insurgency has affected the women and children of the region. Women trying to save their men from people in power. Children urging parents to pay their exam fees. A hunter can't get an animal he killed out of his mind. There is a sense of loss and melancholy that runs through the stories.
I think these are stories which are not meant to be read in one stretch. These are to be read slowly, one at a time. Then only we are able to connect and understand the complex human emotions behind them.
The stories depict how adversely the insurgency has affected the women and children of the region. Women trying to save their men from people in power. Children urging parents to pay their exam fees. A hunter can't get an animal he killed out of his mind. There is a sense of loss and melancholy that runs through the stories.
I think these are stories which are not meant to be read in one stretch. These are to be read slowly, one at a time. Then only we are able to connect and understand the complex human emotions behind them.
April 19, 2021
" I live on with the debris of a passionate carnival because I had once loved a dream chaser."
Temsula Ao's Laburnum For My Head is a collection of short stories depicting certain crucial instances in relation to Nagaland and Naga tribes who inhibit the scenic state of India.
Her writing style and characters are epitomes of simplicity which stood out for me. Specifically, the story of "Three Women" was very rich in emotional portrayal. However, I missed the depictions of Nagaland geographic territory, culture and practices in all these stories which could have made this book a 5 star read!
Overall, would you really recommend her book for bringing in the much needed literary point of view and refreshing writing from Falcon Capital of the World!
Temsula Ao's Laburnum For My Head is a collection of short stories depicting certain crucial instances in relation to Nagaland and Naga tribes who inhibit the scenic state of India.
Her writing style and characters are epitomes of simplicity which stood out for me. Specifically, the story of "Three Women" was very rich in emotional portrayal. However, I missed the depictions of Nagaland geographic territory, culture and practices in all these stories which could have made this book a 5 star read!
Overall, would you really recommend her book for bringing in the much needed literary point of view and refreshing writing from Falcon Capital of the World!
April 6, 2026
I picked up Laburnum for My Head and Other Stories again after several years and had that odd, slightly embarrassing experience of remembering that I had liked the book when I had first read it, and then almost immediately realising I remembered almost nothing of it. Not a scene, not a character, not even the shape of a plot. That’s what happens when you read with only half your attention – stories don’t lodge themselves in you. They rise, shimmer, and disappear.
Reading more carefully this time, I know why I liked the collection the first time around. It was mainly for the human content rather than the prose. The language often feels unadorned and slightly distant, with a whiff of that Victorian-style composure Indian English writing has historically carried, where the sentence behaves politely even when the story is carrying something sharp. Still, the collection is full of people who feel very real. And when a few sentences do bloom into beauty, it’s striking and it reminded me that I personally tend to love books where story and language meet each other halfway and mingle.
The book begins with the title story “Laburnum for My Head”, which was one of my two favourites in the collection. It featured a memorable premise: a woman’s lifelong attachment to a laburnum tree begins in her garden and slowly becomes something like a private compass for her whole life. It isn’t just that she likes the tree, it’s that it becomes a symbol she returns to again and again, a way of imagining beauty, rootedness, and continuity. As she ages, this fascination turns into a very clear desire about death: she does not want a headstone. She actively dislikes headstones, finds them heavy and grim and unnecessary, and insists instead on a laburnum being planted for her when she passes, something living that will flower and change and return with seasons. The story is about autonomy more than mortality, and about how a single passion can quietly fuel an entire life. It’s also one of the places where the writing occasionally turns genuinely lovely, spare but luminous.
This sentence for example: “Each year as the bush grew taller and the blossoms more plentiful, the phenomenon (of the laburnum tree in full bloom in a corner of the cemetery) stood out as a magnificent incongruity, in the space where man clings to a make-believe permanence, wrenched from him by death. His inheritors try to preserve his presence in concrete structures, erected in his homage, vying to outdo each other in size and style. This consecrated ground has thus become choked with the specimens of human conceit.”
And in the same ethos: “And the seasons play out a pantomime of beauty and baldness on the tree standing on the edge of lifeless opulence, spread over the remains of the assorted dead: rich and poor, young and old, mourned and un-mourned.”
Then the collection moves straight into “Death of a Hunter”, the other story I absolutely loved and the one that, for me, feels like the strongest piece here. The crux is a professional hunter’s internal transformation through three encounters with his prey. What I appreciate here is that Ao doesn’t preach. She lets the transformation happen inwardly, gradually, as a genuine reckoning rather than a moral lesson.
After those two weightier pieces, “The Boy Who Sold an Airfield” shifts into a different register. It’s about a boy whose life is shaped by the idea of an airfield and what it represents, not just a physical place but a doorway to possibility, status, escape, imagination. The story explores how ambition and innocence can mingle, how a young mind can turn a grand idea into something actionable, even if it’s naive or audacious. There’s something almost fable-like about it, but it remains grounded in human desire, that universal hunger to trade the smallness of one’s circumstances for something vast and open.
Then comes “The Letter”, which is, the first introduction in the series to the undercurrent of tension in the Northeastern state of Nagaland between the Indian government, the underground rebels who aspire for an independent state, and the villagers who get caught in the middle. This theme appears in several stories in the collection, reflecting the stark reality of a region that has seen bloodshed and conflict for decades. In sharp contrast, “Three Women” brings the focus to women’s lives, and the title is almost literal: we’re invited to observe three distinct female experiences, three ways of moving through the world, three portraits that together form a small mosaic of womanhood across generations. The story is not about grand rebellion; it’s about the textures of constraint and endurance, and the choices women make within limited spaces.
“A Simple Question” is about exactly that, a question that seems harmless when asked, the kind of thing that could pass in a conversation without leaving a mark. But the story shows how a “simple” question can expose what a fundamental societal problem that threads itself through the lives of everyday people. Then comes “Sonny”, which centres on a figure named Sonny and the love of his life and the disparate routes their lives take, all within the backdrop of the independence movement and conflicts therein. This is one of the stories I can imagine slipping from memory if read quickly, because it’s built from quiet human observation and flashbacks rather than big plot turns.
And finally, “Flight” closes the collection with movement. It is the smallest story in the collection and told from the point of view of a caterpillar who shares a room with a dying child while transforming into a butterfly. It is utterly heartbreaking in its clarity about how life simply happens and must be accepted, and when the time comes to move on, that’s what must be done.
That’s the shape of the collection as it landed for me on rereading: not a book that dazzles stylistically, but one that keeps returning to people and their stations in society and situations in life, to moral and emotional pivots, to the quiet moment when something inside a person shifts. For my taste, the prose is often restrained to the point of distance, and I wanted a little more warmth in the sentences. But the stories are solid, compassionate, and attentive to human life. And when the language does flare into beauty, especially in “Laburnum for My Head” and “Death of a Hunter”, it’s enough to show what Ao can do when story and sentence meet in balance.
So yes, I’d still place it at 3.5 stars for myself: a humane, thoughtful collection that rewards careful attention, even if its style is not consistently the reason you keep reading. To conclude however, I would like to express my admiration for Ao who was a Padma Shri awardee and recipient of one of India’s highest literary awards – the Sahitya Akademi Award, which she incidentally received for this very book. She was a trailblazer in bringing Northeast Indian life and literature to the forefront, allowing readers like me - hitherto clueless about that part of the country to get a glimpse into a lush region, rich culture, and sadly, an intensely conflict-riddled history that has shaped the lives of generations.
Reading more carefully this time, I know why I liked the collection the first time around. It was mainly for the human content rather than the prose. The language often feels unadorned and slightly distant, with a whiff of that Victorian-style composure Indian English writing has historically carried, where the sentence behaves politely even when the story is carrying something sharp. Still, the collection is full of people who feel very real. And when a few sentences do bloom into beauty, it’s striking and it reminded me that I personally tend to love books where story and language meet each other halfway and mingle.
The book begins with the title story “Laburnum for My Head”, which was one of my two favourites in the collection. It featured a memorable premise: a woman’s lifelong attachment to a laburnum tree begins in her garden and slowly becomes something like a private compass for her whole life. It isn’t just that she likes the tree, it’s that it becomes a symbol she returns to again and again, a way of imagining beauty, rootedness, and continuity. As she ages, this fascination turns into a very clear desire about death: she does not want a headstone. She actively dislikes headstones, finds them heavy and grim and unnecessary, and insists instead on a laburnum being planted for her when she passes, something living that will flower and change and return with seasons. The story is about autonomy more than mortality, and about how a single passion can quietly fuel an entire life. It’s also one of the places where the writing occasionally turns genuinely lovely, spare but luminous.
This sentence for example: “Each year as the bush grew taller and the blossoms more plentiful, the phenomenon (of the laburnum tree in full bloom in a corner of the cemetery) stood out as a magnificent incongruity, in the space where man clings to a make-believe permanence, wrenched from him by death. His inheritors try to preserve his presence in concrete structures, erected in his homage, vying to outdo each other in size and style. This consecrated ground has thus become choked with the specimens of human conceit.”
And in the same ethos: “And the seasons play out a pantomime of beauty and baldness on the tree standing on the edge of lifeless opulence, spread over the remains of the assorted dead: rich and poor, young and old, mourned and un-mourned.”
Then the collection moves straight into “Death of a Hunter”, the other story I absolutely loved and the one that, for me, feels like the strongest piece here. The crux is a professional hunter’s internal transformation through three encounters with his prey. What I appreciate here is that Ao doesn’t preach. She lets the transformation happen inwardly, gradually, as a genuine reckoning rather than a moral lesson.
After those two weightier pieces, “The Boy Who Sold an Airfield” shifts into a different register. It’s about a boy whose life is shaped by the idea of an airfield and what it represents, not just a physical place but a doorway to possibility, status, escape, imagination. The story explores how ambition and innocence can mingle, how a young mind can turn a grand idea into something actionable, even if it’s naive or audacious. There’s something almost fable-like about it, but it remains grounded in human desire, that universal hunger to trade the smallness of one’s circumstances for something vast and open.
Then comes “The Letter”, which is, the first introduction in the series to the undercurrent of tension in the Northeastern state of Nagaland between the Indian government, the underground rebels who aspire for an independent state, and the villagers who get caught in the middle. This theme appears in several stories in the collection, reflecting the stark reality of a region that has seen bloodshed and conflict for decades. In sharp contrast, “Three Women” brings the focus to women’s lives, and the title is almost literal: we’re invited to observe three distinct female experiences, three ways of moving through the world, three portraits that together form a small mosaic of womanhood across generations. The story is not about grand rebellion; it’s about the textures of constraint and endurance, and the choices women make within limited spaces.
“A Simple Question” is about exactly that, a question that seems harmless when asked, the kind of thing that could pass in a conversation without leaving a mark. But the story shows how a “simple” question can expose what a fundamental societal problem that threads itself through the lives of everyday people. Then comes “Sonny”, which centres on a figure named Sonny and the love of his life and the disparate routes their lives take, all within the backdrop of the independence movement and conflicts therein. This is one of the stories I can imagine slipping from memory if read quickly, because it’s built from quiet human observation and flashbacks rather than big plot turns.
And finally, “Flight” closes the collection with movement. It is the smallest story in the collection and told from the point of view of a caterpillar who shares a room with a dying child while transforming into a butterfly. It is utterly heartbreaking in its clarity about how life simply happens and must be accepted, and when the time comes to move on, that’s what must be done.
That’s the shape of the collection as it landed for me on rereading: not a book that dazzles stylistically, but one that keeps returning to people and their stations in society and situations in life, to moral and emotional pivots, to the quiet moment when something inside a person shifts. For my taste, the prose is often restrained to the point of distance, and I wanted a little more warmth in the sentences. But the stories are solid, compassionate, and attentive to human life. And when the language does flare into beauty, especially in “Laburnum for My Head” and “Death of a Hunter”, it’s enough to show what Ao can do when story and sentence meet in balance.
So yes, I’d still place it at 3.5 stars for myself: a humane, thoughtful collection that rewards careful attention, even if its style is not consistently the reason you keep reading. To conclude however, I would like to express my admiration for Ao who was a Padma Shri awardee and recipient of one of India’s highest literary awards – the Sahitya Akademi Award, which she incidentally received for this very book. She was a trailblazer in bringing Northeast Indian life and literature to the forefront, allowing readers like me - hitherto clueless about that part of the country to get a glimpse into a lush region, rich culture, and sadly, an intensely conflict-riddled history that has shaped the lives of generations.
December 30, 2021
This slim compilation of short stories by Sahitya Akademi Award winner author Temsula Ao proved to be a small packet with a big bang. Centred around varying and quite unusually beautiful themes, the stories are a breath of fresh air in a hot summer day. refreshing and evocative, they are often drawn from the daily humdrum of simple people, but with their own twist that goes unlooked for, and exceeds our expectation.
Some of them were remarkable in terms of plot- a homeless boy finding his way throughlife and selling something he never owned, how a hunter finds his redemption, a lady with an unworldly obsession with blooming a flower, tale of three generations of women who defined motherhood in their own way.
Apart from these, What caught my attention was how some of them incorporateda clear image of the political unrest that domineered over the region for a long time. She laid her loyalty with none but the poor village men who were torn between paying taxes to the 'underground government' in the name of 'freedom work', and being punished by the army for doing so.
While I loved most of them, I might have liked some of them to be more lyrical and hard hitting, nonetheless it was a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, qualifying for an essentialreaf that gives glimpses of the author's inherent love for her roots, a region which more often than not, gets devoid of the recognitionit deserves.
Some of them were remarkable in terms of plot- a homeless boy finding his way throughlife and selling something he never owned, how a hunter finds his redemption, a lady with an unworldly obsession with blooming a flower, tale of three generations of women who defined motherhood in their own way.
Apart from these, What caught my attention was how some of them incorporateda clear image of the political unrest that domineered over the region for a long time. She laid her loyalty with none but the poor village men who were torn between paying taxes to the 'underground government' in the name of 'freedom work', and being punished by the army for doing so.
While I loved most of them, I might have liked some of them to be more lyrical and hard hitting, nonetheless it was a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience, qualifying for an essentialreaf that gives glimpses of the author's inherent love for her roots, a region which more often than not, gets devoid of the recognitionit deserves.
July 24, 2020
This isn't merely a book or a collection of stories, it's also not about the literary talent for me. It's a collection of voices that speaks of the shortcoming of our society and governments. It's a voice of people, the ones who are unseen behind the cloudy politics and unfulfilled promises, every story is a hard slap and a blanket of warmth that leaves you with mixed feelings about where we stand as humans.
Temsula Ao manages to take you through a range of emotions and a diverse set of stories about the part of India that most Indians seem to just not care enough to know about, the North East.
Be it about the dying wish of an elderly woman and the companionship of a master and servant, the life of a hunter in India, the aching love of a woman for her lover who dies a revolutionary, the plight of villagers who are exploited by their nation's government and others who promise of a better future.
This book is a must-read for every Indian.
Temsula Ao manages to take you through a range of emotions and a diverse set of stories about the part of India that most Indians seem to just not care enough to know about, the North East.
Be it about the dying wish of an elderly woman and the companionship of a master and servant, the life of a hunter in India, the aching love of a woman for her lover who dies a revolutionary, the plight of villagers who are exploited by their nation's government and others who promise of a better future.
This book is a must-read for every Indian.
May 10, 2018
Temsula Ao is a strong voice from North-east. Her book Laburnum For My Head is a slim book with collection of eight short stories. These stories are crafted beautifully with rich language and can be read in one sitting.
I loved the stories Laburnum for My Head, Death of a Hunter, Three Women, Flight, The Boy Who Sold an Airfield, first two being the best. The first one is the story of woman who desires to plant Laburnum trees in her garden but all her efforts fail. She finally decides to plant these trees on her grave. The second story deals with the inner conscious, dilemmas and confusions of a brave hunter who was forced by Govt. to hunt what they wanted him to for them. 'Three Women' shows the interwoven lives of three women affected by one woman's secret. Also there are few stories on Naga's predicament crushed between Indian army and the underground fighters.
The Naxal movement is the dominant theme of the stories. 'The Letter' shows the helplessness of the people caught in the crossfire of violence caused by the Indian government and the underground government. 'Sonny' shows the disillusionment with the Naxal movement. 'A Simple Question' shows the exasperation of the Naga people with the government. The stories depict how adversely the insurgency has affected the women and children of the region. Women trying to save their men from people in power. Children urging parents to pay their exam fees. A hunter can't get an animal he killed out of his mind. There is a sense of loss and melancholy that runs through the stories.
All the stories are simple and pleasure read. The author was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award of this book.
I loved the stories Laburnum for My Head, Death of a Hunter, Three Women, Flight, The Boy Who Sold an Airfield, first two being the best. The first one is the story of woman who desires to plant Laburnum trees in her garden but all her efforts fail. She finally decides to plant these trees on her grave. The second story deals with the inner conscious, dilemmas and confusions of a brave hunter who was forced by Govt. to hunt what they wanted him to for them. 'Three Women' shows the interwoven lives of three women affected by one woman's secret. Also there are few stories on Naga's predicament crushed between Indian army and the underground fighters.
The Naxal movement is the dominant theme of the stories. 'The Letter' shows the helplessness of the people caught in the crossfire of violence caused by the Indian government and the underground government. 'Sonny' shows the disillusionment with the Naxal movement. 'A Simple Question' shows the exasperation of the Naga people with the government. The stories depict how adversely the insurgency has affected the women and children of the region. Women trying to save their men from people in power. Children urging parents to pay their exam fees. A hunter can't get an animal he killed out of his mind. There is a sense of loss and melancholy that runs through the stories.
All the stories are simple and pleasure read. The author was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award of this book.
September 13, 2018
A female perspective of the social and political lives in North-Eastern India. Interesting insight on a slice of life mainstream India wouldn't be exposed to but for the writings of able authors like Temsula. Strong female protagonists abound, strong rural characters not catering to stereotypes that urban society demand. A quick read, collection of stories which keep you hooked till the end.
December 1, 2022
Ao deftly weaves humor and pathos to highlight the issues encumbering the lives of the Naga, and their role in the national conflict. There is some problematic sexism in a couple of stories and it's hard to disambiguate Ao's personal thoughts from the zeitgeist. Overall these are wonderful stories, and at least a few of them should make their way into popular literature.
January 7, 2023
Stories set in a rural background that could be from any part of India – but for one difference. All have strong-willed women protagonists – understandable since the author is a lady herself. All stories except one depicts the effects of the Naga insurgency/freedom struggle vs the forces of the Indian state. The last one is a whimsical anthropomorphic account of a metamorphosing butterfly.
A set of brilliantly crafted yarns. I wish there were more to the anthology.
A set of brilliantly crafted yarns. I wish there were more to the anthology.
September 25, 2025
sunny, I will get you a laburnum for your head
March 9, 2026
This is my second book by Temsula Ao. What stands out in her writing is how deeply unbiased she remains. She neither glorifies the government army nor the underground forces, but writes from the perspective of the people caught in between.
In Laburnum for My Head, she articulates the everyday struggles of ordinary people negotiating tradition, conflict, and change. The narratives open a window into the societal, political, and emotional realities of life in the region.
A slim book, yet emotionally profound.
In Laburnum for My Head, she articulates the everyday struggles of ordinary people negotiating tradition, conflict, and change. The narratives open a window into the societal, political, and emotional realities of life in the region.
A slim book, yet emotionally profound.
January 8, 2016
Books are meant to tell stories which are so far unheard of. They transport us to new places, new culture, and sometimes help us see the things that are ubiquitous yet go unnoticed. But the charm, or the soul, of the book does not lie in the stories of far away places. They are merely a tool wielded in different ways by different authors to tell a far deeper motive. The soul of the book lies in its emotional appeal, which is the ultimate motive of the author.
Emotions, unlike stories, are relatable. You may have not heard of particular place but you very well understand the emotions that the characters of the story are going through. It is this connection that the author likes to exploit. The grief, the anger, the loneliness, the longing, the love, the joy, the justice and the injustice, we the readers have all faced in our lives. And when we see a character going through the same emotion, the compassion ensues and the book which was meant to be just a sequence of lyrical words transform into a life that is believable.
Temsula Ao seems to have mastered the art of emotional appeal in her 3rd literary expedition. Ao uses short stories to explore separate sect of emotion in separate settings. This way, Ao has told the untold stories with easily relatable emotions.
The book opens up with a story of an old lady that wants to get rested after her life in a place full of blooming laburnum flowers. The anguish of woman against the materialization of even the grave sites lead her to decide to be cremated at a place where laburnum and not human conceit flourished. The next story follows the life of a hunter who is haunted by his previous hunts. I found the story disconcerted after a moving first story. However, it was the only average part of the book in my view and the stories that followed were quite brilliant.
One of my personal favorites was the story of 3 women. Their lives have been connected and shaped by both cruel and compassionate incidents. The story, while impressive in its content and story-telling, wins the heart through its take on multiple facets of human emotions: alienation and relations, heartbreaks and love, anguish and sympathy. The author also touched upon women sexuality in a very strong way, in a manner that shocks you first and then enlighten you.
There were some other really good ones too on which I won't delve. The book is a testament to the author's great writing skills. It opens a door to new places and helps you breath some fresh air. The stories are nice and short, and never loses momentum, except on few occasions. The prose is something that will make you re-read sentences for the sake of their beauty. But this book becomes the book that it is for the emotional contact it makes with its readers. Ao, through her firm grip on telling the emotions through stories (or vice-versa), has achieved her ultimate motive: transform the book to a life that is believable and touchable through evocation of recognizable emotions.
Emotions, unlike stories, are relatable. You may have not heard of particular place but you very well understand the emotions that the characters of the story are going through. It is this connection that the author likes to exploit. The grief, the anger, the loneliness, the longing, the love, the joy, the justice and the injustice, we the readers have all faced in our lives. And when we see a character going through the same emotion, the compassion ensues and the book which was meant to be just a sequence of lyrical words transform into a life that is believable.
Temsula Ao seems to have mastered the art of emotional appeal in her 3rd literary expedition. Ao uses short stories to explore separate sect of emotion in separate settings. This way, Ao has told the untold stories with easily relatable emotions.
The book opens up with a story of an old lady that wants to get rested after her life in a place full of blooming laburnum flowers. The anguish of woman against the materialization of even the grave sites lead her to decide to be cremated at a place where laburnum and not human conceit flourished. The next story follows the life of a hunter who is haunted by his previous hunts. I found the story disconcerted after a moving first story. However, it was the only average part of the book in my view and the stories that followed were quite brilliant.
One of my personal favorites was the story of 3 women. Their lives have been connected and shaped by both cruel and compassionate incidents. The story, while impressive in its content and story-telling, wins the heart through its take on multiple facets of human emotions: alienation and relations, heartbreaks and love, anguish and sympathy. The author also touched upon women sexuality in a very strong way, in a manner that shocks you first and then enlighten you.
There were some other really good ones too on which I won't delve. The book is a testament to the author's great writing skills. It opens a door to new places and helps you breath some fresh air. The stories are nice and short, and never loses momentum, except on few occasions. The prose is something that will make you re-read sentences for the sake of their beauty. But this book becomes the book that it is for the emotional contact it makes with its readers. Ao, through her firm grip on telling the emotions through stories (or vice-versa), has achieved her ultimate motive: transform the book to a life that is believable and touchable through evocation of recognizable emotions.
October 24, 2025
#1(Laburnum in my head):
Its one of the strangest or what really a woman craves are flowers as per her tradional way of being let go and be back to the universe. Lentina who became a window, after multiple attempts of failing to grow laburnum (Flowers that point to earth) symbolize humility for Lentina. She planned to purchase a plot from her husbands, friends son and confided in her driver about the progress: If the flowers bloomed or not. Once she knew that flowers bloomed, she passed away.
#2(Death of a hunter):
Its a story where corruption was shown where a primary, school teacher was forcibly given weapons and threatened him to maintain symbiotic relationship between human settlements and the beasts living adjacent to the forest reserves. His respect being a hunter was demolished from within by himself when he killed an elephant, monkey and a giant beast. He became depressed after a night when he killed the giant beast. It bothered him a lot. Dismantled the weapon, didnt found the remains of the beast, but he found its thorn or a tooth and commited suicide by burying himself, along with a gunny-sack containing the thorn or tooth from the lake in which his relative who drank water when he went for hunting a huge beast. The young boy didn't understand why hunter's wife was opposing to use the utensils from the kitchen when Head monkey was killed. Society made the teacher into a hunter, when his responsibity was to teach in a primary school and take care of his farm. Its a difficult situation when most of the fruits or ag commodities being gone when many farmers rely on it as primary source of income. I think a good enclosure between national parks will resolve many issues and some land must be reserved for other beings which create so much wealth in many forms.
#Part ||| (Unknown little boy who sold airfield):
Little boy ran away did multiple jobs and worked in the house owned by the officer, who worked for railways. Later he worked for soldiers, who said they are from USA to the boy and they looked pale. His work impressed and ate food with them. Every sunday, when they went to church, the boy went to nearby village and spread the news. Created trust among them as villagers are interested to know when the war actually ended and interested in the people who looked different. Many didn't know if the war was still going on. Boy told them the war are stopped long back. Villagers were happy and wanted to know the soldiers habits and interested to know about them. Boy on sundays, told to the villagers, that entertained and created trust between the villagers and the boy.
Once the soldiers left, unable for him to go to USA, gave the leftovers with a letter. He sold the airfield to the villagers for Rs. 500 and gave away the letter to the villagers. One officer or govt official or who looked like one took the letter and said they were gullible and naive. Author, didn't mention the contents or the will or it was a way for him to go back to USA or it could be many things.
#Part_4(Letter):
In this story author has showed the uprise of maoists and about the corrupt leaders having ties with them. Leader or a village chieftain were tracked and monitores by naxals and ruled the village with violence.
Fear was among the postmans too as they were monitored and tracked because these maoists have wives that relied money. Postal man job was at risk too. Leader has promised that he took care of his sons exam fee, but came with a letter he needed Rs.49 rupees and went about to kill the leader, but a woman who showed him the wrong address and indirectly incited the mob to lynch him. Author never mentioned the guy who was mob-lynched, joined the maoists group. Letter was understood by one person as the author mentioned his physical appearance that his name or has long legs.
#Part_V (3 Woman):
Its the most difficult story or any reader needs more attention while reading. It has too many secrets and confessions. Medemla's real father secret was hidden from her mother Lipoktula, but Martha's wasn't by Medemla. I never understood why Medemla was told to resign when she chose to adopt Martha, whose father didn't want another girl and whose mother passed away due to birth complications or maybe fathers ignorance for refusing scientific methodologies that are uncommon. In the end Martha's baby was attending a ceremony that is foreign: I agree because Martha looked different from the rest of the village.
#Part_6(A simple ?):
Its a story about a couple who were working for the government as agents to maintain stability and peace between people working in different streams of occupation. When Base was set up, maoists threatened the volunteers and stole the supplies. Due to misunderstanding the officer apprehended the husband. Woman went to the base and security officer at the entrance assumed that she could be an informer and let her in. After that, she squatted, argued and requests the officer for the match box to smoke home-grown tobacco or its a euphemism for something else out of her pipe and asked one question "What do you want from us?". Later, he let her husband go and to calm his nerves when captain wanted to smoke, matchbox was stolen by a woman named Im-dong-la. It angered the captain more. Author has told homegrown tobacco, but I am guessing its a euphemism for something else as its a fictional story.
Dong is a Vietnamese currency that is out of context, but it reminded me someone who recommended me to read "Forrest Gump". I ended up learning a bit of the history and economy of (Viet)-nam.
#Part 7[Sonny]:
Its a great story about a woman, whose name wasn't mentioned but his ex-boyfriend who was influenced by anti-national separatist movement, ideology being scattered across the world. It was a time when people were suffering from famine and poverty. Many vulnerable people were taken advantage of. Woman, who is a journalist and who loved him once because of his goals, started hating when she recieved a letter saying his marriage to his fellow comrade was inevitable. Sonny was shot and before the funeral, local newspapers commented for cash that his friend who was shot is in town. She planned to leave and receives an envelope with a floppy and a letter about Sonny. She hides the floppy in the sanitary pad and letter under her inner- private pocket. After arriving at the airport, she leaves the floppy and Jewellery in the bank, but has the letter with her. I think it could be his last will, thats not mentioned in the book. Importantly, floppy reader was not available in that village.
Author used as 'I' to describe the ex-lover of Sonny, but right after she arrived, his lover was assasinated and in between the past and later she leaves implying that driver could have been who shot as he became the next leader plus he knew about the letter and the contents she received. Its a hardest story to comprehend, just like those floppy readers.
#Part-VIII [Flight]:
Its a very simple story about the life cycle of a worm that was surprised about its own wings and wanted to leave and decide its own destiny than being locked or preserved untill it gets its wings in a shoebox. Just like a bird that builds a safe nest to its kids until they are old enough to fly and hunt.
***Applauding the author***:
Temsula Ao is an outstanding author and a distinguished scholar who spent time in Minnesota understanding different people made her realize the importance of her own community:Naga from northeastern part of India. I saw the Sahitya academy award winner-list and opted one more author, after Anita Desai. I think I spent my money and time wisely because this thin 107-page book of 8 short-stories has so much depth. Temsula Ao will never be forgotten. I must thank many who made this book available for me to read.
Its one of the strangest or what really a woman craves are flowers as per her tradional way of being let go and be back to the universe. Lentina who became a window, after multiple attempts of failing to grow laburnum (Flowers that point to earth) symbolize humility for Lentina. She planned to purchase a plot from her husbands, friends son and confided in her driver about the progress: If the flowers bloomed or not. Once she knew that flowers bloomed, she passed away.
#2(Death of a hunter):
Its a story where corruption was shown where a primary, school teacher was forcibly given weapons and threatened him to maintain symbiotic relationship between human settlements and the beasts living adjacent to the forest reserves. His respect being a hunter was demolished from within by himself when he killed an elephant, monkey and a giant beast. He became depressed after a night when he killed the giant beast. It bothered him a lot. Dismantled the weapon, didnt found the remains of the beast, but he found its thorn or a tooth and commited suicide by burying himself, along with a gunny-sack containing the thorn or tooth from the lake in which his relative who drank water when he went for hunting a huge beast. The young boy didn't understand why hunter's wife was opposing to use the utensils from the kitchen when Head monkey was killed. Society made the teacher into a hunter, when his responsibity was to teach in a primary school and take care of his farm. Its a difficult situation when most of the fruits or ag commodities being gone when many farmers rely on it as primary source of income. I think a good enclosure between national parks will resolve many issues and some land must be reserved for other beings which create so much wealth in many forms.
#Part ||| (Unknown little boy who sold airfield):
Little boy ran away did multiple jobs and worked in the house owned by the officer, who worked for railways. Later he worked for soldiers, who said they are from USA to the boy and they looked pale. His work impressed and ate food with them. Every sunday, when they went to church, the boy went to nearby village and spread the news. Created trust among them as villagers are interested to know when the war actually ended and interested in the people who looked different. Many didn't know if the war was still going on. Boy told them the war are stopped long back. Villagers were happy and wanted to know the soldiers habits and interested to know about them. Boy on sundays, told to the villagers, that entertained and created trust between the villagers and the boy.
Once the soldiers left, unable for him to go to USA, gave the leftovers with a letter. He sold the airfield to the villagers for Rs. 500 and gave away the letter to the villagers. One officer or govt official or who looked like one took the letter and said they were gullible and naive. Author, didn't mention the contents or the will or it was a way for him to go back to USA or it could be many things.
#Part_4(Letter):
In this story author has showed the uprise of maoists and about the corrupt leaders having ties with them. Leader or a village chieftain were tracked and monitores by naxals and ruled the village with violence.
Fear was among the postmans too as they were monitored and tracked because these maoists have wives that relied money. Postal man job was at risk too. Leader has promised that he took care of his sons exam fee, but came with a letter he needed Rs.49 rupees and went about to kill the leader, but a woman who showed him the wrong address and indirectly incited the mob to lynch him. Author never mentioned the guy who was mob-lynched, joined the maoists group. Letter was understood by one person as the author mentioned his physical appearance that his name or has long legs.
#Part_V (3 Woman):
Its the most difficult story or any reader needs more attention while reading. It has too many secrets and confessions. Medemla's real father secret was hidden from her mother Lipoktula, but Martha's wasn't by Medemla. I never understood why Medemla was told to resign when she chose to adopt Martha, whose father didn't want another girl and whose mother passed away due to birth complications or maybe fathers ignorance for refusing scientific methodologies that are uncommon. In the end Martha's baby was attending a ceremony that is foreign: I agree because Martha looked different from the rest of the village.
#Part_6(A simple ?):
Its a story about a couple who were working for the government as agents to maintain stability and peace between people working in different streams of occupation. When Base was set up, maoists threatened the volunteers and stole the supplies. Due to misunderstanding the officer apprehended the husband. Woman went to the base and security officer at the entrance assumed that she could be an informer and let her in. After that, she squatted, argued and requests the officer for the match box to smoke home-grown tobacco or its a euphemism for something else out of her pipe and asked one question "What do you want from us?". Later, he let her husband go and to calm his nerves when captain wanted to smoke, matchbox was stolen by a woman named Im-dong-la. It angered the captain more. Author has told homegrown tobacco, but I am guessing its a euphemism for something else as its a fictional story.
Dong is a Vietnamese currency that is out of context, but it reminded me someone who recommended me to read "Forrest Gump". I ended up learning a bit of the history and economy of (Viet)-nam.
#Part 7[Sonny]:
Its a great story about a woman, whose name wasn't mentioned but his ex-boyfriend who was influenced by anti-national separatist movement, ideology being scattered across the world. It was a time when people were suffering from famine and poverty. Many vulnerable people were taken advantage of. Woman, who is a journalist and who loved him once because of his goals, started hating when she recieved a letter saying his marriage to his fellow comrade was inevitable. Sonny was shot and before the funeral, local newspapers commented for cash that his friend who was shot is in town. She planned to leave and receives an envelope with a floppy and a letter about Sonny. She hides the floppy in the sanitary pad and letter under her inner- private pocket. After arriving at the airport, she leaves the floppy and Jewellery in the bank, but has the letter with her. I think it could be his last will, thats not mentioned in the book. Importantly, floppy reader was not available in that village.
Author used as 'I' to describe the ex-lover of Sonny, but right after she arrived, his lover was assasinated and in between the past and later she leaves implying that driver could have been who shot as he became the next leader plus he knew about the letter and the contents she received. Its a hardest story to comprehend, just like those floppy readers.
#Part-VIII [Flight]:
Its a very simple story about the life cycle of a worm that was surprised about its own wings and wanted to leave and decide its own destiny than being locked or preserved untill it gets its wings in a shoebox. Just like a bird that builds a safe nest to its kids until they are old enough to fly and hunt.
***Applauding the author***:
Temsula Ao is an outstanding author and a distinguished scholar who spent time in Minnesota understanding different people made her realize the importance of her own community:Naga from northeastern part of India. I saw the Sahitya academy award winner-list and opted one more author, after Anita Desai. I think I spent my money and time wisely because this thin 107-page book of 8 short-stories has so much depth. Temsula Ao will never be forgotten. I must thank many who made this book available for me to read.
December 10, 2020
(Read this for our currently ongoing readathon #wordsofnortheast)
"Laburnum for my Head" is an anthology of short stories by Temsula Ao. All the short stories have their unique set up yet tied to a single thread of similarity. The stories give us a spectacular opportunity to peek into the Naga and Assamese culture.
The interesting thing about all these stories is that we often get a glimpse or two of the underground forces forcing the villagers in giving up a share of their monthly income to prevent themselves from inhumane torture and on the other hand, the army ends up accusing the villagers to have ties with the underground forces. The dilemma of the villagers, the simplicity in their nature and their zeal to overcome all these obstacles is very well portrayed by the author.
My personal favourite is "Three Women" where all the three of them have their own little secrets locked shut from their daughters. One of them was raped (The rape scene was described quite vividly. If there's any possibility that you'll be triggered, skip this story.), one of them went against half the world to adopt a daughter who was demonized by her biological father and the other woman who had conceived out of wedlock. But all of them are mothers in their own rights and no soul could snatch their motherhood from them.
The last story is a rather short one about a caterpillar who was held captive by a little boy. Though it showcases a little boy's intrigue with a caterpillar and keeping the caterpillar confined in a box, and later on when it turns into a butterfly he is disgusted and abandons it, but I feel it can be interpreted as domestic abuse. The boy liked the caterpillar because it was helpless when it was found in a field, so he decided to keep it to himself, confining it into a box, away from the sunlight but when the caterpillar turned into a butterfly, he was disgusted. Isn't that what abusers do? Isolate their victims. The butterfly's wings represented how the victim found their own voice and eloped to find their own path.
I'll recommend this book to anyone who loves short stories or want to read literature from North East India.
DISCLAIMER: My interpretation about the last story, is solely mine. The author never says anything about domestic violence, I interpreted it. My interpretation might be wrong. We all had that English teacher who told us that the poet had blue curtains because they indicate his sorrow and grief but maybe it was just his favourite color! Well, guess what? I am that teacher in disguise. Ahem. Just kidding.
"Laburnum for my Head" is an anthology of short stories by Temsula Ao. All the short stories have their unique set up yet tied to a single thread of similarity. The stories give us a spectacular opportunity to peek into the Naga and Assamese culture.
The interesting thing about all these stories is that we often get a glimpse or two of the underground forces forcing the villagers in giving up a share of their monthly income to prevent themselves from inhumane torture and on the other hand, the army ends up accusing the villagers to have ties with the underground forces. The dilemma of the villagers, the simplicity in their nature and their zeal to overcome all these obstacles is very well portrayed by the author.
My personal favourite is "Three Women" where all the three of them have their own little secrets locked shut from their daughters. One of them was raped (The rape scene was described quite vividly. If there's any possibility that you'll be triggered, skip this story.), one of them went against half the world to adopt a daughter who was demonized by her biological father and the other woman who had conceived out of wedlock. But all of them are mothers in their own rights and no soul could snatch their motherhood from them.
The last story is a rather short one about a caterpillar who was held captive by a little boy. Though it showcases a little boy's intrigue with a caterpillar and keeping the caterpillar confined in a box, and later on when it turns into a butterfly he is disgusted and abandons it, but I feel it can be interpreted as domestic abuse. The boy liked the caterpillar because it was helpless when it was found in a field, so he decided to keep it to himself, confining it into a box, away from the sunlight but when the caterpillar turned into a butterfly, he was disgusted. Isn't that what abusers do? Isolate their victims. The butterfly's wings represented how the victim found their own voice and eloped to find their own path.
I'll recommend this book to anyone who loves short stories or want to read literature from North East India.
DISCLAIMER: My interpretation about the last story, is solely mine. The author never says anything about domestic violence, I interpreted it. My interpretation might be wrong. We all had that English teacher who told us that the poet had blue curtains because they indicate his sorrow and grief but maybe it was just his favourite color! Well, guess what? I am that teacher in disguise. Ahem. Just kidding.
January 16, 2026
Born in Jorhat, Assam, the author is a member of Sahithya Academy, a Padma Shri award winner, Professor of English and also a Dean at School of Humanities and Education, North Eastern Hill University of Shillong. She breathed her last in 2022. She has many writings to her credit some of which highly recognized are These Hills Called Home : Stories from a War Zone and Laburnum for my Head, a collection of local short stories. She uses simple English and all her stories are quite native and nature-blended with sentiments and culture of the people of North Eastern States of India.
STORYLINE
Laburnum for My Head: A short story based upon a widow called Lentina, highly obsessed with splendour and beauty of a bright yellow flowering tree called Laburnum. She is so attracted towards the glory of this Laburnum’s full bloom that she decides to plant it near the head of her grave after she dies. For this she buys a small plot of land adjacent to a graveyard from her relative and entrusts the job to her driver cum confidant, named Babu. After years of efforts by Babu, who understood her mistress’s final wish, he successfully grows a beautiful flowering Laburnum plant in one corner of the plot earmarked for Lentina’s final resting place. In the meantime, Lentina’s health deteriorates and finally passes away the night after hearing the long awaited news of her favourite Laburnum bloom at her favourite eternal resting place, from Babu.
Death of a Hunter: This is a short story about a highly talented village hunter called Imchanok, who is constantly troubled by a wild boar that feeds on his and his neighbours’ paddy fields every time the crop is ripe for harvesting, causing him huge financial losses. Though Imchanok has saved the village earlier by hunting down a wild elephant and monkey destroying the same paddy fields and crop, he somehow gets into a depression seeing them die a slow painful death, with his bullet. But when finally he shoots down the monster boar with the help of his villagers, he gets so saddened and guilty that he finally quits his hunting profession forever after giving the animal’s tooth, a proper rituals laden burial.
The Boy Who Sold an Airfield: A short story about a boy called Pokenmong, who ran away from his home and settled down as a house help in a far-off village of Assam. The story narrates as to how this clever lad dupes an entire village and makes a fortune out of a small hand written paper given to him by the American soldier whom he was working for, at the time when they were evacuating an airfield after the Indo-Burma war. The adjacent village headman being illiterate, mistakes the paper for ownership deed of the airfield and buys it from Pokenmong, only to be surprised later when government officials inform him that it was only a piece of paper containing ownership of some used furniture, shoes and an old jeep of the American soldiers.
The Letter: One of the most poignant short stories I ever read. Its about a small village somewhere in Assam which is troubled by extortionists belonging to a group posing themselves as underground government (anti-Government). Amongst the villagers lives a poor laborer, whose hard-earned wages, are taken away forcibly by these crooks which he saved for his son’s education purpose. This dejected angry laborer now tries the same method of extortion with the villagers, one day, in a disguised attire of the underground government. But to his surprise, he will be confronted by the local youth and beaten up to death. The story ends with the local youth discovering the letters of his son begging to send money for his exam fee in the pocket of dead man.
Three Women: An emotional story of three women in the same family. Lipoktula (grandmother) is raped when she was young by a local politician when her husband was out at farm. She gives birth to Medemla, due to the pregnancy caused by that secret rape, who later falls in love with the politician’s son. Knowing this Lipoktula disallows the marriage of Medemla, as the boy is none other than his brother. Medemla, under ignorance of this secret, remains spinster for the rest of her life. Later she adopts Martha, who is orphaned at the hospital Medemla is working to enjoy the void created in her life. The story ends with Martha giving birth to a child after getting pregnant through her lover, even before marriage. The sexual and spiritual emotions of a woman towards a man’s physical touch, law of attraction, intimacy and absurd power of sex are so well narrated by the author through the hearts of Lipoktula, Medemla and Martha.
A Simple Question: A Short story about an illiterate, smart daughter of a village headman, in a remote village of North Eastern India, living with her family under constant fear of extortion, sandwiched between Indian Government and Nagas fighting for independence. Being from the family of village headman, their husbands are constant victims of atrocities from both sides on the grounds of suspicions of allegiance to either side. Her simple and brave question to the Deputy Commissioner once, when she denied to leave the place of arrest of her husband and his subsequent release elicits the stupendous bravery of this simple illiterate village woman in challenging the basic military confidence of the officer in the land that doesn’t belong to him.
Sonny: A beautiful tragic love story of a woman journalist, abandoned by her lover Sonny, on the pretext of his larger motive to fight for independence of his land from Indian occupation. The fathomless depth of a woman’s love towards the man she loves is wonderfully chronicled in this story. The journo, on her visit back to her hometown after several years of separation is suddenly encountered with assassination of her ex-lover by his peers. She is forced to leave the place immediately instead of attending his funeral with the final love letter and secret floppy disk to be aired on her television channel, but, only to permanently store it in her locker without checking the content of that disk. With that action, she closes the chapter and memories of Sonny in her future life and from the world, forever.
Flight: A very short story narrated from within an ugly caterpillar picked up by an ailing little boy called Johnny, as a pet, after his father agreed to his request, maybe as a last wish. The caterpillar’s woes of being locked in a small box by Johnny only to be checked once in a while and its emotional detachment from the sick boy while flying off into its own universe from Johnny’s room, after being metamorphosed into a beautiful butterfly, are absolutely tear-shedding towards the end.
Pros: Each and every story in the book has a marvelous emotion and sentiment attached. The reader is taken deep into abyss of personal attachment to his life somewhere, in every story. The author seems to have dived deep into every emotion of a woman in her life. Else, such feelings are impossible to put on paper and pen.
Cons: Most of her stories are women-centric. There should have been an ear to the man’s side also.
My favorite quote from this book : ‘If you want to gain from investments in land, go for inconspicuous plots, but ones which have future prospects. That way no one will pay attention when you buy it, and when the town expands, your holdings will appreciate in value many times over.’
My rating: 3.5 out of 5
STORYLINE
Laburnum for My Head: A short story based upon a widow called Lentina, highly obsessed with splendour and beauty of a bright yellow flowering tree called Laburnum. She is so attracted towards the glory of this Laburnum’s full bloom that she decides to plant it near the head of her grave after she dies. For this she buys a small plot of land adjacent to a graveyard from her relative and entrusts the job to her driver cum confidant, named Babu. After years of efforts by Babu, who understood her mistress’s final wish, he successfully grows a beautiful flowering Laburnum plant in one corner of the plot earmarked for Lentina’s final resting place. In the meantime, Lentina’s health deteriorates and finally passes away the night after hearing the long awaited news of her favourite Laburnum bloom at her favourite eternal resting place, from Babu.
Death of a Hunter: This is a short story about a highly talented village hunter called Imchanok, who is constantly troubled by a wild boar that feeds on his and his neighbours’ paddy fields every time the crop is ripe for harvesting, causing him huge financial losses. Though Imchanok has saved the village earlier by hunting down a wild elephant and monkey destroying the same paddy fields and crop, he somehow gets into a depression seeing them die a slow painful death, with his bullet. But when finally he shoots down the monster boar with the help of his villagers, he gets so saddened and guilty that he finally quits his hunting profession forever after giving the animal’s tooth, a proper rituals laden burial.
The Boy Who Sold an Airfield: A short story about a boy called Pokenmong, who ran away from his home and settled down as a house help in a far-off village of Assam. The story narrates as to how this clever lad dupes an entire village and makes a fortune out of a small hand written paper given to him by the American soldier whom he was working for, at the time when they were evacuating an airfield after the Indo-Burma war. The adjacent village headman being illiterate, mistakes the paper for ownership deed of the airfield and buys it from Pokenmong, only to be surprised later when government officials inform him that it was only a piece of paper containing ownership of some used furniture, shoes and an old jeep of the American soldiers.
The Letter: One of the most poignant short stories I ever read. Its about a small village somewhere in Assam which is troubled by extortionists belonging to a group posing themselves as underground government (anti-Government). Amongst the villagers lives a poor laborer, whose hard-earned wages, are taken away forcibly by these crooks which he saved for his son’s education purpose. This dejected angry laborer now tries the same method of extortion with the villagers, one day, in a disguised attire of the underground government. But to his surprise, he will be confronted by the local youth and beaten up to death. The story ends with the local youth discovering the letters of his son begging to send money for his exam fee in the pocket of dead man.
Three Women: An emotional story of three women in the same family. Lipoktula (grandmother) is raped when she was young by a local politician when her husband was out at farm. She gives birth to Medemla, due to the pregnancy caused by that secret rape, who later falls in love with the politician’s son. Knowing this Lipoktula disallows the marriage of Medemla, as the boy is none other than his brother. Medemla, under ignorance of this secret, remains spinster for the rest of her life. Later she adopts Martha, who is orphaned at the hospital Medemla is working to enjoy the void created in her life. The story ends with Martha giving birth to a child after getting pregnant through her lover, even before marriage. The sexual and spiritual emotions of a woman towards a man’s physical touch, law of attraction, intimacy and absurd power of sex are so well narrated by the author through the hearts of Lipoktula, Medemla and Martha.
A Simple Question: A Short story about an illiterate, smart daughter of a village headman, in a remote village of North Eastern India, living with her family under constant fear of extortion, sandwiched between Indian Government and Nagas fighting for independence. Being from the family of village headman, their husbands are constant victims of atrocities from both sides on the grounds of suspicions of allegiance to either side. Her simple and brave question to the Deputy Commissioner once, when she denied to leave the place of arrest of her husband and his subsequent release elicits the stupendous bravery of this simple illiterate village woman in challenging the basic military confidence of the officer in the land that doesn’t belong to him.
Sonny: A beautiful tragic love story of a woman journalist, abandoned by her lover Sonny, on the pretext of his larger motive to fight for independence of his land from Indian occupation. The fathomless depth of a woman’s love towards the man she loves is wonderfully chronicled in this story. The journo, on her visit back to her hometown after several years of separation is suddenly encountered with assassination of her ex-lover by his peers. She is forced to leave the place immediately instead of attending his funeral with the final love letter and secret floppy disk to be aired on her television channel, but, only to permanently store it in her locker without checking the content of that disk. With that action, she closes the chapter and memories of Sonny in her future life and from the world, forever.
Flight: A very short story narrated from within an ugly caterpillar picked up by an ailing little boy called Johnny, as a pet, after his father agreed to his request, maybe as a last wish. The caterpillar’s woes of being locked in a small box by Johnny only to be checked once in a while and its emotional detachment from the sick boy while flying off into its own universe from Johnny’s room, after being metamorphosed into a beautiful butterfly, are absolutely tear-shedding towards the end.
Pros: Each and every story in the book has a marvelous emotion and sentiment attached. The reader is taken deep into abyss of personal attachment to his life somewhere, in every story. The author seems to have dived deep into every emotion of a woman in her life. Else, such feelings are impossible to put on paper and pen.
Cons: Most of her stories are women-centric. There should have been an ear to the man’s side also.
My favorite quote from this book : ‘If you want to gain from investments in land, go for inconspicuous plots, but ones which have future prospects. That way no one will pay attention when you buy it, and when the town expands, your holdings will appreciate in value many times over.’
My rating: 3.5 out of 5
December 13, 2024
3.5 stars!
July 24, 2022
Laburnum for My Head a short story collection by Temsula Ao
Dr. Temsula Ao (1945-), Nagaland's most eminent contemporary folklorist, academic and author was born in Jorhat, Assam, British India. She is a poet as well as a short story writer. She collected Naga folklores and gave them her own innovative touch and identity. She received her M.A. in English from Gauhati University and her PhD from the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong. Later she joined North Eastern Hill University as a lecturer in English in 1975. She retired from service in 2010. From 1992 to 1997, she served as the Director of the North East Zone Cultural Centre.
Her most significant collections are:
Once Upon a Life: Burnt Curry and Bloody Rags (memoir, 2013)
Songs That Tell (collection of poems, 1988)
Her collections of short stories:
These Hills Called Home: from a War Zone (2006) Laburnum for My Head (2009)
She was honoured with Padmashri in 2007 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2013 for her Laburnum for My Head. Her works have been widely translated into many Indian and foreign languages.
Laburnum for My Head
Her story collection, Laburnum for My Head is a slender volume comprising her eight short stories:
Laburnum for My Head
Death of a Hunter
The Letter
Three Women
A Simple Question
Sonny
Flight
“ …stories live in every heart, some get told, like the ones on these pages…”
The book is named after the 1st story “Laburnum for My Head”
It is about a middle-aged woman, Lentina. She lives with her family in Nagaland. She possesses an obsessive desire to have a laburnum tree in her garden. She was engrossed and mesmerized by the beauty of yellow followers. But all her efforts to grow such a free in her garden failed. Her family never approved of her passion for such a tree Anyway her suppressed obsession found a way when her husband died suddenly.
At her husband's funeral, she determined what to do to fulfil her dream of a laburnum tree. She decided to plant a laburnum tree in her grave in the place of a tombstone. So she along with her driver a faithful friendly man) bought a place in the graveyard and later shifted the place elsewhere. There she planted the tree. Gradually she became old and died when her dear tree flourished in resplendent.
Her next story Death of a Hunter narrates the story of a hunter, Imchanok who is renowned for her hunting skill. But the hunter who hunted vicious animals was haunted by their spirit. He finally gives up hunting.
“One day when he was alone in the house, he took out his gun from its sack and dismantled it. The next morning, Tangchetla watched as her husband dug a hole in the backyard humming a tuneless song. And in that gaping wound of the earth, he buried the boar’s tooth, the dismantled gun and Imchanok the hunter.”
We can discuss and interpret Ao’s story from the ground of ecological feminism that probes into the inter-relations between women and nature. Ecofeminism generally portrays the deplorable condition and victimization of women and nature by the patriarchal society. In her stories, Temsüla Ao portrays female characters who protect nature and also protect their identity through it.
“Stories live in every heart; some get told, many others remain unheard—stories about individual experiences made universal by imagination; stories that are jokes, and sometimes prayers; and those that are not always a figment of the mind but are, at times, confessions.”
The stories are narrated with great compassion and tenderness and a deep understanding of the human condition and emotion.
She is more a poet than a storyteller. That’s why her stories are easy to read, simple in approach and poetic in their flow.
blogalvina.com
Dr. Temsula Ao (1945-), Nagaland's most eminent contemporary folklorist, academic and author was born in Jorhat, Assam, British India. She is a poet as well as a short story writer. She collected Naga folklores and gave them her own innovative touch and identity. She received her M.A. in English from Gauhati University and her PhD from the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong. Later she joined North Eastern Hill University as a lecturer in English in 1975. She retired from service in 2010. From 1992 to 1997, she served as the Director of the North East Zone Cultural Centre.
Her most significant collections are:
Once Upon a Life: Burnt Curry and Bloody Rags (memoir, 2013)
Songs That Tell (collection of poems, 1988)
Her collections of short stories:
These Hills Called Home: from a War Zone (2006) Laburnum for My Head (2009)
She was honoured with Padmashri in 2007 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2013 for her Laburnum for My Head. Her works have been widely translated into many Indian and foreign languages.
Laburnum for My Head
Her story collection, Laburnum for My Head is a slender volume comprising her eight short stories:
Laburnum for My Head
Death of a Hunter
The Letter
Three Women
A Simple Question
Sonny
Flight
“ …stories live in every heart, some get told, like the ones on these pages…”
The book is named after the 1st story “Laburnum for My Head”
It is about a middle-aged woman, Lentina. She lives with her family in Nagaland. She possesses an obsessive desire to have a laburnum tree in her garden. She was engrossed and mesmerized by the beauty of yellow followers. But all her efforts to grow such a free in her garden failed. Her family never approved of her passion for such a tree Anyway her suppressed obsession found a way when her husband died suddenly.
At her husband's funeral, she determined what to do to fulfil her dream of a laburnum tree. She decided to plant a laburnum tree in her grave in the place of a tombstone. So she along with her driver a faithful friendly man) bought a place in the graveyard and later shifted the place elsewhere. There she planted the tree. Gradually she became old and died when her dear tree flourished in resplendent.
Her next story Death of a Hunter narrates the story of a hunter, Imchanok who is renowned for her hunting skill. But the hunter who hunted vicious animals was haunted by their spirit. He finally gives up hunting.
“One day when he was alone in the house, he took out his gun from its sack and dismantled it. The next morning, Tangchetla watched as her husband dug a hole in the backyard humming a tuneless song. And in that gaping wound of the earth, he buried the boar’s tooth, the dismantled gun and Imchanok the hunter.”
We can discuss and interpret Ao’s story from the ground of ecological feminism that probes into the inter-relations between women and nature. Ecofeminism generally portrays the deplorable condition and victimization of women and nature by the patriarchal society. In her stories, Temsüla Ao portrays female characters who protect nature and also protect their identity through it.
“Stories live in every heart; some get told, many others remain unheard—stories about individual experiences made universal by imagination; stories that are jokes, and sometimes prayers; and those that are not always a figment of the mind but are, at times, confessions.”
The stories are narrated with great compassion and tenderness and a deep understanding of the human condition and emotion.
She is more a poet than a storyteller. That’s why her stories are easy to read, simple in approach and poetic in their flow.
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