Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup

Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup

The best stories are the ones that are still to come… Close enough to hear, smell, and admire. Yet out of reach.

Latitudes of Longing is a saga-like gem of a book where lives of characters are intertwined in fate, love, generations, decades and geographies. This debut novel by Shubhangi Swarup, touches the intrinsic human emotions—of love; of desire; of loss; of chasing dreams; of liberation. Written in great lyrical intensity, Swarup’s style of writing is pure and rhythmic. She writes with such beauty and clarity that one feels soaked in with the characters’ dispositions.

Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup

Islands are mindless chatter in a meditative ocean

Divided into four sections, Latitudes of Longing tells the tale of characters who are caught in between life and death; latitudes and longitudes; survival and existence. Yet all these characters’ lives are connected and transformed after certain periods of time. Set in the Andaman Islands, Myanmar, Nepal and the Antarctica, Swarup tells a captivating story of love, colonisation, relationship and loss.

What is the purpose of belief if even god can’t put the world back the way you worshipped it ?

The novel stems from the story of Girija Prasad and Chanda Devi who are posted because of work in the Andaman Islands. They nurtured desires, relationship, emotions and made the islands their true home. The arranged marriage of Girija and Chanda took them some time to open up. Girija is a dedicated scientist and Chanda is considered a clairvoyant who could talk to ghosts and trees. Their relationship builds up as the novel progresses. The novel is slow-paced as it progresses but the essence of narration and writing is never lost. Swarup’s expression of the geographical details, historical contexts and narration are commendable. Novice yet Swarup’s adroit narration is mesmerising!

Nostalgia, it seemed, was a being with short-term memory. It yearned for things that were quickly receding, but rarely for the distant past.

Pages- 344

Genre- Fiction

Publisher- Harper Collins India

Price:399

The Legends of Pensam by Mamang Dai

The Legends of Pensam

…beyond the mountains and down the river, that those left behind learned to live without them. Sometimes they were remembered in songs and stories, like the dead.

The Legends of Pensam is my first Mamang Dai and I absolutely love it. This book is a collection shorts stories spanned within three generations. Mamang Dai weaves the stories around lives of the Adi tribe of the Siang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. As the author explains , Pensam means “middle ground or in-between”, Pensam, the village acts as a middle ground between the spirit world and the reality.

Life moved on quite normally, except that, they hid their pain, while the seasons turned.

Dai narrates with such ease and perfection that each stories comes alive like magic. The short stories are connected in a way which makes these short stories more like a novel. True to the sense of being a tribal, Mamang Dai exudes essences of tribal life and the tribal world through her writing. The forest spirits; the stories of old; the migluns (britishers) invading tribal areas; a romance that blossomed between a tribal girl and a British officer; the boy who is believed to fall from the sky; of strange creatures that roamed the ancestral land; of life that’s savage and traditional at the same time. Mamang Dai writes it all.

We descend from solitude and miracles.

It’s no surprise that when you read a book by tribals you get the feels, you get a sense of belongingness. Dai’s style of writing is charming and subtle. Hers words and narration are a perfect blend of creativity and curiosity. The Legends of Pensam is intriguing and ingenious. Mamang Dai asserts the tribal way in such vivid mode that one is transported to the village of the spirit world while reading this book.

No one dies of love. I loved him, and now I am enough on my own.

Pages: 192

Publisher: Penguin Books

Genre: Fiction (short stories)

The Last Light of Glory Days by Avinuo Kire

The Last Light of Glory Days by Avinuo Kire

The storehouse of storytelling resources lies in the past. The cultures and the traditions that the forefathers hold dear somehow find their way back into the lives of their progeny. Avinuo Kire’s third book, The Last Light of Glory Days unfurls lucid stories of the past of Naga, the cultural practises of the Naga forefathers and stories of characters that are reminiscent of the past.

It was turbulent years for Naga after the end of the Second World War. The Naga declared its independence from the British to the world on 14th August 1947. But deviating from the usual norm, the Declaration of Independence and the departure of the British from the Naga soil heralded the beginning of The Disturbance. As soon as the British moved out the Indian troops had immediately moved in to occupy the hills.

Divided into two parts, Kire’s book of short stories touches on the stories of The Disturbance; of the spirits; of the supernatural and of the one that got away.

Neimeü is one such character through which the readers are acquainted with the experiences of The Disturbance and the life she had to live in loss. Sample this from Neimeü: “The Disturbance devastates my life but ironically , it saved me too. Because during war, there is no time to mourn, not time to grow wild with grief. Men wear and grow silent, women beat their chests and raged, but after that, they all pick themselves up and continue the business of surviving.”

And then there are stories of the forest spirit who is unhappy with the stone thief; an unrequited love that prompted one to use love herb; of the one that got away. Kire extracts the intricacy of the Naga culture by acquainting the readers with the story of inter-community marriage. For marrying outside of the Naga community was considered a taboo of sorts. Quoting one of the characters, “Grandmother Neimenuo stopped talking to me the day I married. You see, I had married an outsider from beyond our hills; worse, he was a tephremia.”

Kire addresses the issue of non-inclusivity that’s been the “talk” in all its subtleties. “Being outsiders, the tephremia classmates were always vulnerable targets for local bullies. I witnessed them harassing Sanjeev and Rajesh many times.”

Kire has undoubtedly mastered her unique technique of preserving the Naga history and culture in fiction. Kire’s writing style is commendable— a true story teller that exudes curiosity in the reader. It may not be the perfect analogy, but while The Last Light of Glory Days is a reminiscence of the glory days, it no less is a reminder of the present scenario of the Naga people. It bridges the past and the present.

Publisher- Speaking Tiger 

Pages – 183

Price- 350

Raw- perfectly flawed by Chirmi Shimray

Raw- perfectly flawed by Chirmi Shimray

“She will love herself, Like no man ever did”, writes Chirmi Shimray in her new poetry book, Raw. Women, since time immemorial have been the subject of a lesser sex. Shimray’s poetry book defies this subjugation and rises like the Phoenix— where there’s renewal and rebirth.

“Raw— perfectly flawed” by Chirmi Shimray is a collection of 117 poems divided into ten sections. Based on her personal experiences, Shimray penned down these poems relating to the general outbreaks that occur in the lives of women in particular. These poems are bold and fierce, bringing out the anguish in a repressed woman’s heart. But there’s more to this than the repressive soul! This once repressed soul now discovers self love and comes out indestructible. No adversity can raze her. No soul can demean her. She’s risen above adversity. Like performing an ablution, she is renewed and now lives life on her own terms. She is her own master.

These collected poems take the universal courses of outburst ranging from agony to hope.

The first section is titled, “The Black Sea”. This section speaks about a woman’s misery of being stuck in a toxic relationship.

“I was a fool to believe in his painted lies And fell for the traps set by the devil”

The second section titled, “The Healing” talks about a tattered soul who is getting the healing that’s required. The poems in this section celebrate being broken and empty. The soul searches for peace and healing, walking past all the brokenness and heartache.

“I wish I can tell you

That there are people like you out there, Who are broken and free – That we are alike and you are never alone;

I wish I can tell you

That it will break you and tear you apart But I know you’ll make it,

And darling, I wish I can tell you

That once you get the taste of it – It is empowering”

In the third section titled, “Bloom”, Shimray delves on the subject of forgiveness and loving the self. The fourth section titled, “Invincible Warriors” is an ode to the mothers. Here the poet speaks about the sacrifices made by mothers for the welfare of their children. She talks about the pain that mothers go through in trying to give the best to the future generation.

“The gods work hard But our mothers work harder lately.”

The fifth section, “Wildflowers” and the sixth, “Daughters” celebrates women. While sections  seventh and eighth talk about youth and frenemies based on the poet’s own experiences. The ninth section concentrates on giving birth. The last section of the collection is titled, “Leo” which is a special ode to the poet’s two-year old  son, Leo. Through this section, Shimray prepares her son to grow into a man that knows humanity.

“The only thing that kept me alive was the miracle kicking inside of me, Each kick reminding me that he wanted to live – That life was worth living.”

Chirmi Shimray’s Raw- perfectly flawed is a reminder that self love and speaking up for oneself is important. In this book Shimray explores themes like heartache, pain, regret, acceptance, women empowerment, self love, agony, rebirth and appreciation. This is a book that churns the soul in you into coming closer to empowerment and self love.

Pages- 158

Publisher – self-published 

Price- Rs.318

Love, Lust and Loyalty by Yuimi Vashum

Love, Lust and Loyalty

Love, Lust and Loyalty by Yuimi Vashum tells the truth about something not often said or something often hushed. Divided in two parts, Vashum speaks about sexual abuse in the first part. Love, relationship and heartbreak dominates the second part.

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Love, Lust and Loyalty is far from what a superficial society would call, “conventional”. This collection of poems is powerful and unostentatious. These poems does not hold back nor do they put you on shackles. Rather these poems are liberating because sexual abuse is a thing we need to talk about right now…because relationship and heartbreak is nearly every person’s experience. Vashum’s poetry addresses sexual abuse, the issue of consent , misogyny , violence, sexism, relationship and love. But it’s beautiful things also , it’s pleasure , it’s sex, it’s falling in love. And these issues affect everyone as well.

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As Vashum writes in The Survivors , “ I write for the battered souls like me

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To forgive, forget , and only live;

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That, what is done to us in the shadows

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Shall not stop us from living life.

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We are air

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We don’t bend

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We don’t break

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We are unprecedented “

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Love, Lust and Loyalty bares it all but then rises like a Phoenix— an ablution yet sheltered and secured with scars.

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Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Wide Sargasso Sea

I loved Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre but Wide Sargasso Sea made me reimagined Mr Rochester. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys tells the story of Antoinette Cosway or Bertha Mason, from her youth in Jamaica to her unhappy marriage to Jane Eyre’s Mr Rochester. I love Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre for what it is. When reading it, the character of Bertha Mason, the mad wife of Mr Rochester triggered me. So I have always been curious about how she went mad or why would Mr Rochester keep his wife locked away in an attic. Rhys tells the circumstances leading to the wretched life of Bertha Mason of Jane Eyre in Wide Sargasso Sea.

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Wife Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Rhys gives a voice and identity to Mr Rochester’s first wife Antoinette Cosway or Bertha Mason , the madwoman in the attic. This novel becomes a gateway text to post-colonialism and feminist theory. Its has three parts where the first part is narrated by Antoinette in Jamaica as a child. Rhys points out the evils of slavery and post colonialism which leads to the wretched life of Antoinette. The narration of the part two alternates between Antoinette and her unnamed English husband during their honeymoon to Granbois, Dominica. Part three is narrated again by Antoinette, who is now renamed Bertha by her English husband. She is mostly confined to a big house in England.

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Antoinette , a wealthy creole heiress is married off by his stepfather, Mr Mason to Mr Rochester of England. Mr Rochester is penniless and hence he accepts this marriage as a form of business deal for money. An ill-fated marriage emerged where Mr Rochester begins to hate and distant himself from his wife after listening to the evil machinations of Daniel who claims to be the illegitimate half-brother of Antoinette. Mr Rochester becomes unfaithful and emotionally abusive. These changes leads to Antoinette ‘s paranoia and the bitter disappointment of her marriage aggravated her mental health.

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Rhys gives us a crueller Rochester in Wide Sargasso Sea. Brontë’s Rochester is depicted as dark and brooding. But in Wide Sargasso Sea, he changes from a romantic lead to a cruel villain, cowardly and bullying at the same time, a man who marries woman for money and uses women for sex and whose behaviour likely sends his wife mad. He stripped Antoinette of her name before taking her away from her home, keeping her money for himself and imprisoning her in his attic . Whereas in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë , Rochester’s unhappiness is the fault of Bertha or Antoinette.

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Wide Sargasso Sea explores post-colonial themes like racism, slavery, displacement and assimilation. One needs to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte before reading Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.

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Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe by Madeline Miller

I have always been enthralled by the ancient Greek mythology and this book comes as the icing on the cake. Circe by Madeline Miller brings alive the ancient mythology in a feminist perspective. Miller critically analyses the magnification of masculinity and heroism through the protagonist, Circe, of the novel.

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A daughter is born to the Titan Sun god, Helios and nymph, Perse. But she’s a misfit for neither does she look like god nor does she sound divine. Circe grew up neglected and unloved. Her powers are weak, not like the other gods. As she grew, she discovered she’s more than who she is said to be. She found an unexpected talent in witchcraft and sorcery. She’s a witch —someone who’s very existence is a threat to the Titans’ realm. Witchcraft—a power forbidden to the gods, became Circe’s strength.

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The wrathful Helios banishes Circe to a remote island of Aiaia for practicing witchcraft. Circe considers this banishment not as a punishment but as a catalyst for liberation. She learns to harness her occult craft. Many passes through Circe’s place of exile entwining their fates through her. Be it her casual lover Hermes, the messenger god or the great craftsman, Daedalus or the many pack of sailors who took shelter in her home which she turned everyone into swine or the brave Odysseus on his epic voyage home after fighting in the Trojan war.

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There so many solid themes present in Circe. Taking control of one’s destiny, breaking away from the expectation of one’s lineage, love, parenthood, power, finding inner peace, drawing boundaries, and loving oneself. Circe is such a pleasurable read. A coming of age book where the protagonist, Circe, turns herself form an awkward, self doubting least loved child to a witch , goddess, mother and a woman of power who commands her own destiny.

The Princess and the Political Agent by Binodini (translated from Manipuri by L Somi Roy )

The Princess and the Political Agent

Sanatombi is fierce, unruly, defiant and independent. Sanatombi is the eldest child and daughter of Maharaja Surchandra of Manipur. As a child , Sanatombi is favoured by her grand queen mother ,Maharani Kumudini. The grand queen mother recognised the boldness in Sanatombi and never stopped her from becoming who she wants to be. Sanatombi grew up how and who she wants to be — free-spirited and unrestrained.

Born in an era where women are silenced, Sanatombi is often wished by people around her that she’d been a son rather than a daughter. She spoke up for her place to succeed the throne. But that did not materialise because she’s a woman. She was given off in marriage to Manikchand of the Nongmaithem family as a royal arrangement. But there really was no love in the marriage.

After four years of Maharaja Surchandra’s reign in Manipur his half brothers started a rebellion which was led by Prince Koireng ( Bir Tekendrajit) to overthrow the ruling king. The rebellion was a success and Maharaja Surchandra (Princess Sanatombi’s father) was exiled to Calcutta. Maharaja Kulachandra becomes the new king. In an unknown circumstance Sanatombi’s father dies in Calcutta and she becomes traumatised by this incident.

During Maharaja Kulachandra’s reign Manipur is attacked by the British which leads to the Anglo- Manipuri War or the battle of Khongjom. The British emerged victorious leading to the execution of Prince Koireng and the imprisonment of Maharaja Kulachandra. The seven-year-old cousin of Princess Sanatombi , Churachand is installed as the Maharaja of Manipur by the British after the Anglo-Manipuri war.

The Princess and the Political Agent is a translated work of Binodini (Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi , the youngest daughter of Maharaj Sir Churachand Singh of Manipur) by her son Somi Roy from Manipuri to English. This book is a historical fiction that entails the love story of Princess Sanatombi of Manipur and the British representative to Manipur , Lt Col Henry St P Maxwell. The book is written is flashback technique where Sanatombi’s younger days and older days dashes back to back. In what may seem a love story there exist the political and family feud in the backdrop of the story . The Manipur royal family where the sons started fighting for the throne after the death of their father Maharaj Chandrakirti and the eventual subjugation of Manipur Kingdom by the British leading to the downfall of Manipur

“What bothered Maxwell most was not being able to express all that he wanted to say, and not being able to understand all that Sanatombi was saying. He thought, ‘How difficult Meiteilon is!’”

In this turmoil was born a love that defies cultural norms— a member of the royal family falling in love with the enemy! Princess Sanatombi and Maxwell’s love was more of a vanquished than that of a defeated. People began to question the Princess’ integrity . The royal family is struck with an arrow but the madness between the two lovebirds could not be undone. The Princess left her husband Manikchand and went away with the Saheb (British man Maxwell). But Maxwell knew he cannot settle in Manipur forever. Someday he has to return to his land. True to her nature, a carefree soul, Sanatombi refuses to leave Manipur. She could never leave her beloved Father’s land. Did they truly love each other ? Was it really true love ? Well, read on and decide .

“But Sanatombi could now understand what he was saying. She had gotten used to the way he spoke. She was getting used to him.”

I have not read the Manipuri version of this book so I cannot tell how much justice is done to this translated book but the vocabularies used in this book is commendable. Themes such as gender disparity , family feud, love, political and historical accounts take the centre stage. I love how this book educated me immensely on the history of the royal family of Manipur. Binodini’s vocal quality is prominent in this book. She intricately weaves her rebellious aunt’s story in a manner that will remain a treasure in Manipur’s literary sphere.

This is a translated work of Binodini by L Somi Roy from Manipuri to English.

Publisher : Penguin Random House (2020)

Pages : 312

Price: Rs: 399

You can buy the book here https://amzn.to/3fKSmVN

The Courage to be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi

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“The courage to be happy also includes the courage to be disliked. When you have gained that courage, your interpersonal relationships will all at once change into things of lightness.”

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The Courage to be Disliked is a sprawling Japanese analysis of the work of 19th-century psychologist Alfred Adler, who established that happiness lies in the hands of each human individual and does not depend on past traumas. This book is written by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi. .

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The book tells the story of an unhappy young man, who visits a philosopher on the outskirts of his city. Over the course of five conversations, the teacher helps him take control of his own life and happiness.

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By referring to Adler’s work, the book fills a gap in our current pop psychology conversation. It provides a useful, level-headed approach to living a happy and fulfilled life.

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Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor Garcia and Francesc Miralles

The happiest people are not the ones who achieve the most. They are The ones who spend more time than others in a state of flow.

Judging only by the book cover I had imagined this book to be somewhere in between learning some exotic Japanese art and some easy, calm and soothing enlightenment about happiness. But it is not so! Rather this book draw us to an assortment of art of living topics ranging from the Blue Zones (regions in the world that are home to world’s oldest people. Here the authors talk about Japan’s Okinawa prefecture); Anti-aging secrets like mindfulness, zero stress and eating well; Victor Frankl’s Logotherapy – the psychological philosophy which is founded on the belief that human nature is motivated by the search for a purpose in life; going with the flow theory; longevity ; eternal youth; diet; yoga, tai chi and resilience.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying life’s pleasure as long as they do not take control of your life as you enjoy them

Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search got Meaning is closely related with Ikigai. Ikigai (生きがい) is the Japanese word that is roughly translated into “reason to live”. As rightly mentioned it the book Ikigai is something or that driving force which makes one jump out of bed every morning . In short, a purpose , a meaning in life that drives an individual to go forward.

Ikigai is written by combining symbols that mean “life” with “to be worthwhile” which translates as “the happiness of always being busy”. According to the book there is a passion inside each individual that gives meaning to one’s own life. That is Ikigai. Some have found it but some are yet to find their Ikigai.

Morita explained the idea of letting go of negative feelings with the following fable: A donkey that is tied to a post by a rope will keep walking around the post in an attempt to free itself , only to become more immobilised and attached to the post. The same thing applies to people with obsessive thinking who become more trapped in their own suffering when they try to escape from their fears and discomfort.

Okinawa prefecture of Japan is the island with the most centenarians in the world where there are 24.55 people over the age of 100 for every 100,000 inhabitants. You ask them their secret to longevity and they’ll reply that the simple life in the outdoor is their Ikigai that shapes their lives. Further down the north end of Okinawa the authors discovered Ogimi village which is known as the Village of Longevity. They realised that there was endless cheer and happiness in the Ogimi villagers. They could feel that something more powerful than natural resources was behind their happiness. Rather than harbour animosity towards outsiders these villagers treated everyone like a brother even if they’ve never met them before. These turns out to be one of the secrets to happiness of Ogimi people – feeling like part of a community .

Be led by your curiosity , and keep busy by doing things that fill you with meaning and happiness.

There are several testimonies about the secret to happiness and long life from centenarians in this book. The secrets can be summarised as –

1.Don’t Worry

2. Cultivate good habits

3. Nurture your friendships every day

4. Live and unhurried life

5. Be optimistic

All the testimonies regarding secret to happiness and long life by the centenarians adhere one or the other of the above mentioned points.

The authors talks about finding flow in everything that you do. Discovering the meaning of life and completely immersing into the course of life without any external distractions from surroundings is the means to achieve this flow.

Then there is the longevity diet which simply means being mindful of whatever we take in in our body. The process of eating 80% full and skipping that dessert or taking in more of green leafy vegetables and having body movements everyday . In short keeping oneself busy.

There is no future , no past. There is only present .

In the later part of the book, the authors writes about the techniques that will keep the mind calm and body healthy –

– Yoga

– Taichi

– Radio Tosai

-Meditation

– Qigong

– Shiatsu

The book concludes with resilience and Wabi -Sabi- facing life’s challenges without letting stress and worry age you.

Cultivating an outlook to stay focused on the important things in life rather than what is most urgent , and to keep ourselves from being carried away by negative emotions has become the need to happiness.

Wabi- sabi is a Japanese concept that shows that beauty is fleeting , changeable and imperfect. This concept talked about finding beauty in imperfect and incomplete things. Flawed is perfection.

To sum it all , the secret to happiness and long life simply means communicating with people, worrying less and being mindful of what we eat . It’s an inspiring book although it’s more of a heavy book than light! I would recommend all to read this book to find greater meaning in life.

Let me wrap this up with the ten rules of Ikigai –

1. Stay active, don’t retire.

2. Take it sow.

3. Don’t fill your stomach.

4. Surround yourself with good friends.

5. Get in shape for your next birthday .

6. Smile.

7. Reconnect with nature .

8. Give thanks.

9. Live in the moment.

10. Follow your igikai (the passion inside you).

Publisher – Penguin Random House UK

Year – 2016

Pages- 194

Price- Rupees 499