Bhubaneswar: In 1982, she was the first Naga poet to have her collection of poems published in English. Easterine Kire has come a long way since then with over 200 works to her credit, including novels and short stories.
While delivering the 25th Gopinath Mohanty memorial lecture at Jayadev Bhavan here, the 56-year-old author spoke about the struggles of writers from the Northeast, as well as the need to highlight the positive sides of the place.
“In the 1980s, I realised that it was important to write about the insurgencies and bring out the actual picture of the situation that the people were in,” said Kire during her talk on the title ‘Voicing the Silences.’
But, the author admitted that the Northeastern state had a lot to offer beyond the killing and atrocities, The Telegraph reported.
“Yes it is part of our reality, but that is not the ultimate thing. In each of my book, I have also tried to highlight the cultural vibrancy of the area. It is very sad that many a times publishers only want writers to highlight the violence, which most authors are tired of,” said Kire whose latest book When The River Sleeps is creating a lot of buzz.
She is at present based in Norway with her children, but often travels to Nagaland to spend time with her mother. She has translated over 200 oral poems from her native language Tenvidie into English. Her fifth children’s book The Dancing Village that was released recently was on display at the event.
“The poems that I wrote were in Tenvidie language, which is very different from Naga. So, it was important to translate those writings into a language that everybody would understand. It is the same for every regional literature,” said Kire, who also considers translation as a creative activity.
She had read translated versions of Gopinath Mohanty’s books and also Sitakant Mahapatra’s poetry, The Telegraph reported.
“It has helped me understand the culture of this place,” she said.
“I have been writing since 16. I started with poetry. Novels happened gradually. Today, when I want peace of mind, I go back to poetry,” said Kire.
For her, Bhubaneswar has always been a mysterious place.
“When I was five, my older brother came to study here at the Sainik School. In fact, many children from the Northeast had come here to study. But after sometime there was some trouble and all the kids had to leave this place. It remained a mystery what led them to go to Nainital all of a sudden. Since then, I wanted to visit this place. Now, that I am here, I see that it is very beautiful, clean and planned. No wonder, it has become the number one smart city,” said Kire, who made her debut as a novelist with A Naga Village Remembered.
Yesterday, she also interacted with readers at the Walking Bookfairs bookstore, where she showcased a unique combination of jazz and poetry. “My father was jazz musician so the affinity came from there. Combining musical beats with poetry makes it very interesting,” said Kire.