RSA 5th Talk : Conversation With Dr. Achinglu Kamei
Date : 26th February 2022

RONGMEI SCHOLARS ASSOCIATION
5th TALK
IN CONVERSATION WITH DR. ACHINGLU KAMEI
AUTHOR OF NAGA TALES DAWN (2017),
SONGS OF RAENGDAILU (2021), AND
LIANGTUANGPU (2022)

Moderator: Dr. Senganglu Thaimei
Date: 26th February, 2022
Rapporteur: Khangamlung Goimei
Time: 6 PM (IST)

The Vice President of the Rongmei Scholars Association Dr. Senganglu Thaimei welcomed the virtual audience to the event and introduced the author Dr. Achinglu Kamei. She gave a brief overview of the speaker's journey as a short story writer, a poet, and a novelist.

The conversation on Dr. Kamei's three books - Naga Tales Dawn (2017), Songs of Raengdailu (2021) and Liangtuangpu (2022) - commenced with added information that Dr. Achinglu Kamei is also an ultra-marathon runner, a rare combination of a scholar-creative writer and a high achieving runner.

Dr. Achinglu Kamei talked about her first book Naga Tales Dawn published in 2017. The book speaks of the life and culture of the Nagas in general and the Zeliangrong-Inpui people. She also said that her second book called Songs of Raengdailu, published in 2021, is a collection of 52 poems which draw inspiration from the life of the people and nature that surrounds the people group.

She also said that the poems also talked about the position of women in the society as women were silenced or ignored in the decision-making processes in many important matters. Though women were comparatively given more freedom among the Zeliangrong-Inpui, they were still under the dominance of men in the society. Men extract new fire in the beginning of the year, but it's the women who keep the fire burning throughout the year, she said.

Liangtuangpu, is a novella published at the fag end of 2021. She wanted to bring awareness and unity among the Zeliangrong-Inpui people through her works. In continuation with the discussion on the marginalized role of women Dr. Senganglu Thaimei observed that in Liangtuangpu the character of the grandmother seems to represent the women who are knowledge keepers, storyteller, and repository of traditional knowledge though not allowed to participate in certain important roles.

Liangtuang's grandmother who was a medicine woman passes on some secrets to her grandson, the Liangtuang. While the popular legends are populated with Rongmei(Kabui) medicine men, it's in Dr. Kamei's book that one gets to read of a women with equal amount of knowledge or more. The Speaker said that she drew inspiration about the character of the grandmother from the many women who know much about medicine, especially the herbal medicines as practiced by the tribal people.

She added that grandmothers often know about herbal medicines and even ritual prayers but they were kept silent by the society. Stories of women were rarely told in the society so she wanted to talk about the grandmother. Had she not cured Liangtuang's father, the prophesied Liangtuang would not have been born.

Dr. Senganglu Thaimei brought out another theme in the book Liangtuangpu i.e., famine and talked about the projection of how helpless humans are in the face of natural calamity. To this the Speaker said that she wanted to write about stories that are a reality. She wanted tell her readers not only about the good times in life but also about the bad times without any biasness. Moreover, a lot of calamities we face are man-made.

The moderator read out the a poem titled, Memory from Songs of Raengdailu which according to her is a powerful verse. She asked the author to elaborate on the multifaceted nature of womanhood spoken in the poem. The Speaker responded by saying that the women played an important role in the society. Womenfolk in their childhood days played a game called "Gahtoumei" which has a cultural significance to the Zeliangrong-Inpui people in particular or the Nagas in general.

She also said that the women are also history keeper in the sense that the patterns they made as they weaved the shawls and wraparound has lots to tell about the history and culture of the people. Womenfolk would keep the amber in the hearth covered with ash so that the charcoals would still be red hot the next morning to start the fire again. The author compared women to the bamboos that grow yet stand against the strong wind and storm.

Then the moderator talked about the significance of the Puangbiu Puang (Princess Flower), the illustration on the cover of the book of poems. The Speaker said that in the olden times when women went to the field (usually paddy field) with their husbands, their husbands would eat a better portion of the lunch and by evening women would be hungry on their way back home. Therefore, to subdue the pang of hunger, they would break the stem of puangbiu puang and chew it as it has a sweet taste.

Then the Speaker added the significance of the use of plants, flowers and barks in her poems and how they are close to the life of the community. Youth would go for hiking in dry season such as the December and the men would collect/harvest the bark of the yellow orchid (the common orchid) which the women used to decorate their shawls and mekhelas. However, once the girl got married, she is no longer allowed to wear it.

The moderator then open the floor for question and answer session. Few of the participants gave their observations on the conversation and raised their questions regarding the similarities between the Africans stories and the stories the Speaker is writing, about the challenges she faced, or what time she writes? The Speaker answered their queries with much clarity. The Speaker also talked about the challenges and difficulties she faced.

For instance, there are several versions of the same story and sometimes she was sure which version to pick. She also feared if she has not done enough research on the stories or topics she chose or if she would be portraying the society in the wrong or bad light to the world. She also said that running help her focus on the writing too. She pointed out that she started writing since her high school days.

She also draw inspiration from the Psalms and Song of Solomon (from the Bible). She writes during her University days too and even won prize for it. Somehow her writing and running got merged along the way and she said that running also need lots of mental strength too. She pointed out that she wanted to write on the behalf of women because women are usually silent about their opinions.

She used the lockdown period (due to Covid-19) for a productive purpose and write Haiku, a Japanese form of poetry writing. She also said that she mentor young or beginners in running. She also have a Facebook page Endurers where one can get registered for the running program.

The moderator then asked the Speaker to encourage the younger generations to continue the trend of writing. The Speaker then encouraged the younger generations to draw inspiration from nature and write about anything that is close to their hearts. She said that they should write about the everyday life of the people like their sufferings, enjoyment and the everyday activity of the people. She said that what they wanted to say is not only important to them but also to others too.

Then the moderator took over and appreciated the Speaker and all the participants in the conversation. The moderator opined that the Speaker Dr. Achinglu Kamei is an inspiration to the younger generations and also wished the best for her in future too. She also welcomed everyone for the upcoming RSA's talks. She once again thanked everyone and close the talk.