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Love In The Time Of Insurgency
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
247 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 3, 2016
This Sahitya Akademi Award Winning novel tells the story of Nagaland and its people just after the outbreak of WW II upto a few years following India's Independence.
The story follows the lives of various actors that represent the different viewpoints about state-building post Independence. It is also the story of the actors' journey towards self-discovery and towards understanding the different meanings that are engulfed in the term "love". This, I felt, was the strongest point of the novel.
The characters are well etched out and (my favourite) full of foibles and self-doubt that they learn/continue to learn to overcome/live with. Moreover, the book has been translated from Assamese by the author himself and so the prose isn't too clunky or formal as many translations are.
At few points in the book, I felt, the views that the author adopted about/for women were archaic and primeval, which reduced the charm of the novel for me a bit and this is my biggest complaint about the novel.
Overall I found the book well-researched, thought-provoking and while being thoroughly enjoyable, it also managed to teach me something important about humanity, humanism and without a doubt, love.
The story follows the lives of various actors that represent the different viewpoints about state-building post Independence. It is also the story of the actors' journey towards self-discovery and towards understanding the different meanings that are engulfed in the term "love". This, I felt, was the strongest point of the novel.
The characters are well etched out and (my favourite) full of foibles and self-doubt that they learn/continue to learn to overcome/live with. Moreover, the book has been translated from Assamese by the author himself and so the prose isn't too clunky or formal as many translations are.
At few points in the book, I felt, the views that the author adopted about/for women were archaic and primeval, which reduced the charm of the novel for me a bit and this is my biggest complaint about the novel.
Overall I found the book well-researched, thought-provoking and while being thoroughly enjoyable, it also managed to teach me something important about humanity, humanism and without a doubt, love.
July 2, 2020
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.
June 12, 2023
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.
October 3, 2022
"মহত্তৰ প্ৰেম কি?
যি প্ৰেমে প্ৰেমাস্পদৰ বাবে জীৱন দান দিবলৈ শিকায়, সেই প্ৰেম মহত্তৰ প্ৰেম।"
-- "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.
যি প্ৰেমে প্ৰেমাস্পদৰ বাবে জীৱন দান দিবলৈ শিকায়, সেই প্ৰেম মহত্তৰ প্ৰেম।"
-- "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.
March 20, 2018
47. A book where the main character (or author) is of a different ethnic origin, religion, or sexual identity than your own
the first novel about the nagas though written by an assamese. translated by the author himself. not always a good decision.
posits the naga freedom struggle against the indian freedom struggle. ultimately seems to argue for naga place within indian union. or at least against a militant struggle
dichotomies of purity-chastity; violence/militant-non-violent struggle; ancient-modern; etc
interesting positioning of the ancient inward-looking tribal view modernised into movement for naga freedom.
the first novel about the nagas though written by an assamese. translated by the author himself. not always a good decision.
posits the naga freedom struggle against the indian freedom struggle. ultimately seems to argue for naga place within indian union. or at least against a militant struggle
dichotomies of purity-chastity; violence/militant-non-violent struggle; ancient-modern; etc
interesting positioning of the ancient inward-looking tribal view modernised into movement for naga freedom.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews