Set in the post-world war ii era, this title deals with the naga revolt and their search for identity in a newly independent india a story of the tangkhul nagas of ukhrul, manipur, it offers a glimpse into the problems of tribal awareness and the fallout of indias independence in this region
Set in Ukhrul during the post colonial era, this novel gently weaves friendship, love, patriotism and the idea of independence, in a transitory society. Through the lives of Sharengla, Rishang, Phantiphang, the ideas of chastity, religion and community are explored, making it a memorable read.
What I love about this novel is the depth of the characters and the conflicts they go through. Characters are beautifully written, set in the colonial era India. The story tells about the Naga society and their struggles.
-- "what is divine love? That love which teaches us to sacrifice oursleves for the ones we love, is what should be regarded as divine-love."
"Yaruingam" sings to us of such love, "Yaruingam" teaches us to leave ourselves to the embrace of such love and needles the core threads of divinity-humanity-love- and sacrifice, upon its cotton white pages and weaves out a sweater that comforts the cold world with the warmth of peace and harmony.
Based on the tragic story of the Tangkhul tribe of Nagas, Birendra Kumar Bhattacharjee penned this painful yet splendid saga of the Naga youths, whose lives were utterly shattered by the cruel events of WW2 as well as by the great struggle of Indian Independence; the outcome of such raucous phenomenas was the Naga Civil War. "Yaruingam" is about the three Naga youths who set out on their own courses that clearly lacked clarity and mutual understanding, but aimed for the very similar end- to bring peace and development to their village, the Ukhrul village.
The author had beautifully brougth to light the crawling affects of modernity and European education upon the Tangkhuls that resulted in an artificial generation gap between the aged Tangkhuls and the young ones.
The book's end leaves the readers in a complete uncertainty. It ends in an abrupt pause from the ongoing restlessness among the villagers, government and the violent Naga-liberals.
"Yaruingam" is a bildungsroman novel. The story deals with the two childhood friends, Sarengla and Rishwang, who, through the novel, kept struggling against fate, against the biased beliefs of their villagers and sailed out to tend to the gradually deteriorating wounds of the Tangkhuls. The essence of their struggle was the lessons from Christ. Both of the characters were the warriors of morality, their temperaments were tested, their beliefs were tried to be overthrown, but after all this higgledy piggledy, Sarengla and Rishwang were keen to serve the poor people of their community.
As a student of English literature, I have always admired English novels or poems or any other literary genre. But my heart will always surrender to the grandeur and magnanimity of Assamese literature and works. Birendra Kumar Bhattacharjee had impregnated "Yaruingam" with the richest amalgamation of symbols, metaphors, similes, etc. He had described the beauty of hills, rivers, flowers and wild birds and dipped the romance of the characters and their untornable affections towards each other in such nectar of heavenly pulchritude.
This is a historical fiction, no wonder one of the best in Assamese. Jnanpith-Winner Mr.Bhattacharjee and his creations in the literary field will always be unmatched.
"Yaruingam" ends with a hope that the tyrannical powers will eventually lose grip from the Naga society, and soon, a new era would rise, throwing the seeds of a new Ukhrul which would be reigned by no mere groups of people or tyrants, but by the Tangkhul people themselves.