"Kangphalgee Aroiba Lamdamdei"
- From Chandel to Kanyakumari -
- a critic's odessey in the peninsular India to reach the southern end of the Country—

Oinam Anand*

The name 'Ibosana Yambem' is not a new name in the literary circle of Manipur today. He is a literary critic of repute and his comment and views whether it is poetry, prose, short stories etc are regularly appeared in papers, periodicals and journals.

Those of us who have read his comments, arguments, views about the literary products of many poets, story writers, essayist and dramatist will fondly remember the varied ways in which this college lecturer sharpened and shaped many works of individual writers from the last three decades.

Critics are also poets and vice-versa. As the saying goes A literary critic is just like a parasite who lives on the blood of the poets until and unless he himself makes his contribution in the creative process and makes his own creation so that others also can guage the creativity and sensibility which have already stored in the critics conscious and sub-conscious level of mind.

If it is the test of a literary critic then Ibosana Yambem passed the test with distinction. His travelogue 'Kangphalgee Aroiba Lamdamdei" is a valid example in which he blends the sweet memoirs of his jouney to the peninsular India with his artistic skill of presentation as a literary critic.

The journey begins from Chandel, the south-east part of Manipur and culminates at the southernmost point of India-Kanyakumari. The travelogue divides into two chapters - first, from chandel to Goa, to Bombay and the second, again from Chandel to Mysore. Amidst and the beauties of the ranges of the Niligiri he halted for a while in Ooty and finally reached KanyaKumari.

The travelogue opens its first page with the enthrallig description of the beauties of the surrounding hills, about the meandering Chakpi River that coils the United College Chandel, telling the very interesting story behind the name 'Chandel' which is a derivation from the name of a man called 'chamdil'.

This is the first place of posting of the writer (still he is serving as a lecturer in this college). The long association of 20 years with Chandel enables the writer to write this book and the Chandel had embraced him fondly when he first stepped into the district as a college lecturer wayback in 1987 and the reflective mind which was already in the poet-critic's mind did not fail to respond to the beauties of Nature.

And from here the writer found time to visit south-India as a part of the official visit along with the Principal of the college and some members of the teaching staff.

As most of the travel book do, giving the description of the cities, roads, temples, mosques and sea-beaches, this book has its unique in its searen for 'roots' and 'history' The writer doesnot fail to deliver the readers about myth, legends associated with a temple or a place.

This grand picture depicted in the mind of the readers is what every reader wants with all its fascinating details. The early period of Goa and the making of Bombay (Mumbai) in the 15th to 17th century, this book gives an authentic detail and it is equal also in the portrayal of lives of the early settlers from Europe (Portuguese and English)

The name 'Kanya Kumari' is sweet. It evokes an image of purity, of virginity. Ibosana Yambem picks up the legends associated with Kanyakumari, the sweet episode of Lord Shiva and Devi which refreshes the mind of the readers. Ibosana did learn to express ommiscient comments more skillfully.

Probably he wanted a method that would permit a reader to know not only the present self of the narrator's description of a place but about the historical past even related to mythology.

Ibosana did not want objective narration or a single centre of interest, he wrote the simplest, the most Lucid. His internal discourse is almost continuous with the outward form of the surroundings and places and always carefully, and abviously guided by connectives.

Thus the travelogue integrates past and present. The journey fromMysore to Kanyakumari through the ranges of the blue Nilgiri mountains moves between the present time of our day and the past of the mythological days.

As done in almost all the travelogues, this book is also told through recollection. But, here often the writer himself withdraws totally from the centre stage often, taking the role of a simple narrator 'Sutradhar' and brings up the readers to his seat and readers find as if he or she is also travelling along with Ibosana Yambem in the buses, ships and trains. In short, the writer can carry the reader along with him in his journey.

One prominient character, who comes to the forefront during the journey in both the occassion is one Mr. Thumbi Oliver Monsang, the Principal of the United College, Chandel.

It is Mr Oliver who shouldered the entire journey whether it is Goa-Mumbai or Mysore-Ooty. The responsibility of the entire journey falls on him in matter of arranging the requistes of the journey and Ibosana Yambem knows this well and has paid his due tribute and compliment to him where it is due on the pages of the book.

Moreover, despite the effort at elucidation from various legends and mythological stories to which Ibosana Yambem is driven, it is clear that at every period of narration, he has not completely broken free from the central convention of 'travelogue' which forms an essential part of any definition of the genre.

Without seeking to minimize the wish to make something new, nor the originality of the means employed to attain the end of a travelogue, Ibosana Yambem has delicately handled a journey which begins from Chandel, a remote district of Manipur to KanyaKumari, a virgin rock island, at the last point of land in South India.

This book must be read by all.