books and nostalgia

Gobbled up Indira Goswami’s ‘In the shadow of Kamakhya’ – a collection of short stories set in Assam. Of late, i have started seeking out home-grown writers. Of course, i will always love Maugham and Lawrence and the Bronte sisters and Ayn Rand but, like they say, variety is the spice of life. And written words are my intoxication. And more varied the intoxicants, the better for me.. OK, no more digression. As i was saying, rather, writing, no typing (ok, shut up, we get you), i am trying to discover new authors (as in, authors who are new to me..i am no literary agent…J). Goswami’s book was, well, good. It kept me engrossed well into the quiet of the night. The stories are on the depressing side of the wall. And since some of the stories are set in a militant-infested background, i could empathise with them.

i was wondering whether we have any translation of Manipuri authors in English. Not that i can’t read Manipuri but i am slow at it. i remember ema reading out Mahabharat for me when i was a kid. And ‘phungga wari” – laikhutsangbi, hanuba hanubi pan thaba, mabung taretki thabaton, pebet….

i miss home..i miss home..now that it is yaosang matam, i am drenched with nostalgia.

“for the people we love the most, we seem to spend the least amount of time” (or something in that line)
--from nisha da cunha’s the quiet of the birds