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Escaping the Land
Combining history, myth and contemporary politics, Escaping the Land is a saga of a beautiful but sometimes turbulent land and its people. Acclaimed poet-novelist Mamang Dai takes us on an unforgettable journey from the land of Kojum-Koja, a sacred place beyond time, to the formation of the modern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Maying, a woman who has lived away from the state, returns in order to write a history of the people she has known and who have shaped her land. As she speaks to them and leafs through old records, a myriad stories and destinies unfold—an ancient flood and a lake full of stars; conflict and curiosity that led to the establishment of NEFA (North-east Frontier Agency); hardy men and women like Lipun, who walked the highest mountain passes and thick forests establishing connections with remote tribes; the ‘rainman’, who can read the elements because he is so closely tied to them; Umsi, who has to go far away in order to know herself; and Lutor, the shaman’s child, who can feel the pulse of his people, even when he is disillusioned with public life.
But there are also land and forest mafia, corrupt politicians in cahoots with violent militants, and friends who can turn foes to satisfy their ambitions. Maying recoils from the murky theatre of the modern state, but realizes, too, that ‘our hearts are taken, given, mistaken, lost’ but ‘what is never lost is the original obsession that was a dream of love’.
Lyrical, vital and epic in scale, Escaping the Land is the story of a people and a place that is, like the best novels, the story of all humanity.
Maying, a woman who has lived away from the state, returns in order to write a history of the people she has known and who have shaped her land. As she speaks to them and leafs through old records, a myriad stories and destinies unfold—an ancient flood and a lake full of stars; conflict and curiosity that led to the establishment of NEFA (North-east Frontier Agency); hardy men and women like Lipun, who walked the highest mountain passes and thick forests establishing connections with remote tribes; the ‘rainman’, who can read the elements because he is so closely tied to them; Umsi, who has to go far away in order to know herself; and Lutor, the shaman’s child, who can feel the pulse of his people, even when he is disillusioned with public life.
But there are also land and forest mafia, corrupt politicians in cahoots with violent militants, and friends who can turn foes to satisfy their ambitions. Maying recoils from the murky theatre of the modern state, but realizes, too, that ‘our hearts are taken, given, mistaken, lost’ but ‘what is never lost is the original obsession that was a dream of love’.
Lyrical, vital and epic in scale, Escaping the Land is the story of a people and a place that is, like the best novels, the story of all humanity.
- GenresIndiaIndian Literature
304 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
4 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Mamang Dai
22 books61 followersMamang Dai is a poet and novelist writing in English, from Arunachal Pradesh in India’s northeast. Her mother tongue is Adi. Dai is the first woman of her state to have been selected to the IAS/IFS. However she gave up her career in the Civil Service to pursue a career in journalism. Dai was correspondent with the Hindustan Times, the Telegraph and the Sentinel newspapers and was President, Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists. She also worked with World Wide Fund for nature in the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspots programme.
Her first publication River Poems hailed her as one of the most intensely poetic voices from the North East region. In 2003 Dai was honoured with the state’s Verrier Elwin Award for her book Arunachal Pradesh: the Hidden Land that documented the culture and customs of her land. She has featured in several national and international forums to promote the disappearing traditions of her state in the face of modernity and give voice to its people through the imaginative space of prose and poetry.
A long-time member of the North East Writers’ Forum (NEWF). She lives in Itanagar. Her books include: The legends of Pensam (Novel), Stupid Cupid (Novel), River Poems (Poetry, 2nd edition 2014), Midsummer – Survival Lyrics (Poetry, 2014), El bálsamo del tiempo (The balm of time) (Poetry), Arunachal Pradesh – The Hidden Land (Nonfiction), Mountain Harvest- The Food of Arunachal, The Sky Queen and Once Upon a Moon Time (Illustrated folklore for young readers), Hambreelmai’s Loom – (Folklore, 2014), The Black Hill (Novel, 2014).
Her first publication River Poems hailed her as one of the most intensely poetic voices from the North East region. In 2003 Dai was honoured with the state’s Verrier Elwin Award for her book Arunachal Pradesh: the Hidden Land that documented the culture and customs of her land. She has featured in several national and international forums to promote the disappearing traditions of her state in the face of modernity and give voice to its people through the imaginative space of prose and poetry.
A long-time member of the North East Writers’ Forum (NEWF). She lives in Itanagar. Her books include: The legends of Pensam (Novel), Stupid Cupid (Novel), River Poems (Poetry, 2nd edition 2014), Midsummer – Survival Lyrics (Poetry, 2014), El bálsamo del tiempo (The balm of time) (Poetry), Arunachal Pradesh – The Hidden Land (Nonfiction), Mountain Harvest- The Food of Arunachal, The Sky Queen and Once Upon a Moon Time (Illustrated folklore for young readers), Hambreelmai’s Loom – (Folklore, 2014), The Black Hill (Novel, 2014).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 5, 2023
Escaping the Land centres on contemporary political tensions in the north-eastern Indian region of Arunachal Pradesh and explores the history behind it becoming a state in 1987. The reader witnesses the complicated political upheavals through the eyes of Maying, a woman native to the area who returns after pursuing her career in Delhi.
I enjoyed the novel when it was at its most personal, narrating the stories, local traditions and the relationships of several of the protagonists, or describing the physical beauty and wildness of this remote land. I would have liked it more had the author expanded upon these aspects of the story, and delved deeper into the personalities. But this is, above all, a political novel and I felt myself becoming disengaged and, frankly, a little lost with the politics.
I purchased this novel from India, after it had been shortlisted for the 2022 JCB Literary Prize. If it fell short of my expectations, I guess that is perhaps down to me, having no knowledge or connection to the area, much less of the turbulent political background, and that the book was not really aimed at me.
I enjoyed the novel when it was at its most personal, narrating the stories, local traditions and the relationships of several of the protagonists, or describing the physical beauty and wildness of this remote land. I would have liked it more had the author expanded upon these aspects of the story, and delved deeper into the personalities. But this is, above all, a political novel and I felt myself becoming disengaged and, frankly, a little lost with the politics.
I purchased this novel from India, after it had been shortlisted for the 2022 JCB Literary Prize. If it fell short of my expectations, I guess that is perhaps down to me, having no knowledge or connection to the area, much less of the turbulent political background, and that the book was not really aimed at me.
March 20, 2022
Mamang Dai creates a vivid world and goes deep into the description of Arunachal Pradesh, through a protagonist who is a politician and through him we got to meet various characters representing various shades of the life in Arunachal Pradesh. Dai is able to create some really good moments through her deft writing. It is the romantic scene writing which seems to be her core strength. In writing matter of heart, she is good, not so in description of the hills life and polity part. Overall, a much needed peace of writing from the enigmatic yet beautiful state of Arunachal Pradesh.
December 31, 2022
A heartfelt work, a bridge between the old and the new, this book is definitely worth reading. The character of Lutor is truly memorable. The author writes of place without ever exoticizing it.
February 4, 2026
Set against the history and political tensions of Arunachal Pradesh, Escaping the Land offers rich insight into the region’s landscape and culture. I enjoyed reading about the characters and their intimate relationship with one another and the land. However, the political drama felt dense and dry at times. I would have appreciated the novel more if the focus had remained stronger on the characters’ personal narratives.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews