TEMSULA AO AS AN EXAMPLARY TRIBAL POET OF NORTH-EAST INDIA

TEMSULA AO AS AN EXAMPLARY TRIBAL POET OF NORTH-EAST INDIA  Project/Assignment

1.INTRODUCTION 

 Dr Temsula Ao is an Indian English poet, scholar, novelist and ethnographer from Nagaland. Born in October 1945 in Jorhat, Assam, she grew amidst challenging circumstances. She attended Nagaland‟s oldest college, Fazl Ali College in Mokokchung and passed her BA with distinction. She obtained her M.A. in English from Gauhati University, Assam, and then completed her Post-Graduate Diploma in the Teaching of English from the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (now English and Foreign Languages University), Hyderabad and her PhD from North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, Meghalaya. She retired in 2010 as Professor, Department of English, and also as Dean of the School of Humanities and Education at North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, where she had been teaching since 1975. From 1992-97 she served as Director, North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur on Deputation from NEHU, and was Fulbright Fellow to University of Minnesota, 1985-86. A Padma Shri Awardee, she is widely respected as one of the major literary voices in English to emerge from North East India along with Mitra Phukan and Mamang Dai. She is the recipient of the Governor‟s Gold Medal 2009 from the government of Meghalaya. Her works have been translated into German, French, Assamese, Bengali and Hindi. Temsula Ao has written 5 books of poetry, 2 books of short stories, a book of literary criticism titled Henry James and the Quest for the Ideal Heroine, and a book on her own culture called The Ao-Naga Oral Tradition. Her poems and articles have appeared in many anthologies and one of her short stories has been translated into German, while her first book of short stories called These Hills Called Home: Stories From A War Zone was translated into Kannada. She received the Nagaland Governor‟s Award for Distinction in Literature in 2009. In 2013, she was the recipient of the Sahitya Akademy Award for her short story collection Laburnum for my Head (2009). 

2. LITERATURE REVIEW 

The Literature review has been made to review Temsula Ao‟s important works and her contribution in literature as well as representing the North-East India as an exemplary to the youth and up comings generation by encouraging and uplifting them by her works that she had set and example. So, here are some of her works: She has published seven poetic works.  Songs that Tell (1988),  Songs that Try to Say (1992),  Songs of Many Moods (1995),  Songs from Here and There (2003),  Songs From The Other Life (2007).[1]  Book of Songs: Collected Poems 1988-2007 (2013).  Songs along the Way Home (2019).[14] Journalist Aheli Moitra describes the 50-poem collection Songs along the Way Home as "a deep philosophical exploration of life–personal, social, political–as it has passed her [Ao]‟ Ethnography Ao Naga. After returning from the University of Minnesota, she worked on the oral tradition for about twelve years. She collected the myths, folktales, folklore, rituals, law, custom, belief system. This ethnographic work was published in 1999 as the Ao-Naga oral tradition from Bhasha Publications, Baroda. This book is the most authentic document about the Ao-Naga community. Short story Temsüla Ao has published three short story collections. These Hills Called Home: Stories from the War Zone, Zubaan (2005), Laburnum for my Head, Penguin India (2009)[1] and The Tombstone in my Garden: Stories from Nagaland, Speaking Tiger Books (2022). These Hills Called Home consists of ten short stories and deals with insurgency in Nagaland fired by right to self-determination of the Naga people. Literary criticism She published a book of literary criticism Henry James' Quest for an Ideal Heroine. It was published in 1989 from Writers Workshop. Online works  Essay: When in doubt Books  Laburnum for My Head (Penguin, 2009)  These Hills Called Home: Stories From A War Zone (Penguin, 2005 / Zubaan, 2013)  Ao-Naga Oral Tradition (2000) Awards  Padma Shri, 2007  Governor's Gold Medal, 2009  Sahitya Akademi Award, 2013  Kusumagraj National Literature Award, 2015 Legacy Zahan writes that Ao was more than a writer and scholar for the Nagas. She summarises Ao's work as, She was the guardian, the voice, and the mirror of the Naga society who brought the everyday lives of the Nagas blurred between insurgency and counter-insurgency in front of the world through her poetry, short stories, and memoirs. Recalling her body of work and life, Walter Fernandes, founder-director of the North Eastern Social Research Centre based in Guwahati, called her an "institution of a scholar. 

3. BASIC 

 North East India is one of the most culturally vibrant regions of the Indian subcontinent. It is the amalgamation of people belonging to different ethnic groups, communities and tribes. The region is constantly pushed to the margins for its nonconformity to the superimposed norms and concepts of „Indian-ness‟. The portrayal of the region is in a fashion which Homi Bhabha would call „Tantalization of Culture‟. Needless to say that as a literary genre, „Tribal literature of North East‟ remains a contested terrain, for both the terms „North East‟ and „tribal‟ hints at an attempt to view the region in terms of the self and other binary. Women‟s voices have been historically marginalised and undervalued in many fields, including literature. Despite the fact that women have made significant contributions to the field of literature throughout history, their voices have often been overlooked, silenced, or marginalised. However, female writers around the world have continued to produce powerful and important works that challenge and expand our understanding of the world around us. One such writer is Temsula Ao, an Indian author, and poet who made significant contributions to literature and advocacy work in her home state of Nagaland. Temsula Ao is one of the most critically acclaimed writers of Northeast. A professor by profession, she has been the recipient of many awards including Padmashri in 2007 and the Sahitya Akademi award in 2013. Her most widely known works include two collections of short stories called These Hills Called Home(2006) and Laburnum for My Head (2009) and an essay called Henry James‟ Quest for the Ideal Heroine. Songs That Tell (1998),Songs That Try To Say (1992), Songs Of Many Moods (1995), Songs From Here and There (2003) and Songs From The Other Life (2007) are some of her notable collections of poetry.An Ao Naga by birth, her works heavily reflect the cultures, traditions, practices and beliefs of the Ao people of Nagaland, a tribe with its own overflowing cultural archive. Though Temsula Ao deals with the issues concerning the Ao tribe in particular, in many ways, her works also capture the quintessence of the „tribal poetry of Northeast India‟ in general. Reading through Ao‟s works is almost like reading through a cross section of the kind of poetry being written in this region. Some of the salient features of Northeastern tribal poetry present in Temsula Ao‟s collection of poem Songs From the Other Life have been briefly discussed below, with examples from selected poems of the collection. 

4. INDEPTH DISCUSSION 

 Temsula Ao is one of the most critically acclaimed writers of Northeast. Ao‟s literary career spanned several decades and encompassed a wide range of genres, including poetry, fiction, and essays. Her poetry is notable for its evocative imagery and its use of language to convey the beauty and richness of the natural world. Ao‟s writing seeks to capture the rhythms and textures of everyday life in northeastern India and to celebrate the resilience and strength of the people who lived there. Her works are marked by a deep empathy for the struggles and joys of ordinary people, and by a commitment to social justice and equality. She was a passionate advocate for education and the empowerment of women. She believed that education was the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and inequality, and she worked tirelessly to promote literacy and education in her home state of Nagaland. Aao was also a passionate advocate for the preservation of indigenous cultures and knowledge systems. She played a key role in developing the Ao Naga script, which helped to preserve and promote the Ao language. Tribal poetry of Northeast India laments the loss of indigenous culture, traditions, beliefs and history that has come to plague the tribal societies over the years. Tilottoma Mishra (2011) states that,“an intense sense of awareness of the cultural loss and recovery that came with the negotiations with „other‟ cultures is a recurrent feature of the literatures of the seven Northeastern states.” (p. xiii) 3 The writers of the land, through their writings, attempt a kind of “cultural revivalism”. Theyattempt to overcome the culture shocks they have received by trying to revive and preserve the nuances of their histories and traditions in their works and also by proliferating their histories amongst the younger generations. And this is precisely what Ao does in Songs From the Other Life. The very name of the collection hints at this fact, for these are songs from an „other life‟- a life that once was, but is no longer continuing. In versified epigraph of the collection, which is named History, Ao clearly states her objective behind writing -- “to redraft history.” Temsula Ao (2013) writes: “These Songs From the other life Long lay mute In the confines Of my restive mind ………………….. …………………. They now resonate In words of new Discernment To augment the lore Of our ancient core.” (p.239)4 Northeast India is also a land with a rich and exquisite oral tradition. Histories, beliefs, saying, anecdotes and most importantly stories that embody all of these others have continued to be orally passed down to the younger generations. Orality and the collective memory are core components of every tribal society of Northeast. These stories capture the very essence of the people‟s identity. Ben Okri‟s words “We are part human, part stories” are very true in the case of the different ethnic groups of the Northeast. Here, every community is in possession of a vibrant story-telling tradition. There are bristling galaxies of stories archived in the collective memory of the people which to a large extent determine their ways of life and beliefs. These stories are a dominant influence on the literary creation of the region. Temsula Ao‟s The Songs From Other Life also draws heavily from these indigenous lores, myths and legends. Almost every poem in this collection is preceded by a brief stating of the story that the poem deals with. These help the non-Ao readers to understand the poems better. From the myth of origin of the Nagas from the six stones at Lungerteok,to the tales about the stealth of the Naga script, Ao delves into a number of folk tales. In The Old Story Teller, she writes: “Story telling was my proud legacy …………………………………………. I told stories As though they ran in my blood …………………………………………. and each story reinforced my racial reminiscence” (p.240)5 Another significant feature of Northeastpoetry is that it talks extensively about the issues pertaining to „colonialism‟ and its impacts. Colonialism brought in concepts of „modernity‟ and „christianity‟ to the virgin lands of Northeast India. It led people to question and abandon their native faiths, beliefs and cultures. With modernity grew unchecked ambition and greed that soiled the chaste minds of the tribal folks. Tilottama Mishra (2011) states that “The invasion of an alien culture that lay exclusive claim to modernity and compel the indigenes to be apologetic about their own culture has been the subject matter of much of the writings from the region.” (p. xix) Ao‟s Songs From the Other Life also deals with these issues. In Blood Of Other Days, a depiction of the process of colonization and its aftermath is also found. Ao writes: “We borrowed their minds, Aped their manners Adopted their gods And became perfect mimics.” (p. 297) 7 Many of her poems carry an undercurrent of skepticism about the supposed civilization and refinement of the tribals brought about by the colonizers. She is also skeptic about the stigma and derision that has come to be associated with the indigenous ways of life. In the poem Blood of Other Days, Ao also succinctly describes the advent of Christianity and the “hybridization of culture” that resulted out of embracing Christianity. Empowering women through advocacy In addition to her literary work, Ao was a passionate advocate for education and the empowerment of women. She believed that education was the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and inequality, and she worked tirelessly to promote literacy and education in her home state of Nagaland. Aao was also a passionate advocate for the preservation of indigenous cultures and knowledge systems. She played a key role in developing the Ao Naga script, which helped to preserve and promote the Ao language. Through her work with the Nagaland Women‟s Welfare Society, Ao was able to help countless women gain access to education, healthcare, and other vital resources. Her advocacy work stands as a testament to the transformative power of education and the importance of preserving indigenous knowledge systems. Legacy Despite the significant progress made in recent years toward gender equality, women‟s voices and contributions continue to be marginalized and undervalued in many spheres of society. However, the contributions of writers like Ao have helped to change this narrative and to create a space for women‟s voices to be heard and valued. Ao‟s life and work offer a powerful example of the ways in which women‟s voices can shape and enrich our understanding of the world around us. Her writing provides a window into the rich tapestry of northeastern Indian culture, and her advocacy work stands as a testament to the transformative power of education and the importance of preserving indigenous knowledge systems. Ao‟s commitment to education and the empowerment of women was born out of her own experience of poverty and arginalization. She believed that education was the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and inequality, and she worked tirelessly to promote literacy and education in her home state of Nagaland. Her work continues to inspire people around the world to this day. She received several awards for her contributions to literature and advocacy, including the Sahitya Academy Award in 2013, one of the highest literary honours in India. Aao was also a respected academic and served as a professor of English literature at North-Eastern Hill University. 

5. CONCLUSION 

 Today, Ao‟s legacy lives on through the countless people she inspired during her lifetime. Her writing and advocacy work continues to inspire young women and men to pursue their dreams and to work towards a more just and equitable society. Her contributions to literature and advocacy have helped to create a space for women‟s voices to be heard and valued in the literary world and beyond. Temsula Ao was a remarkable woman whose contributions to literature and advocacy continue to inspire people around the world. Her work as a poet, fiction writer, and essayist captured the rhythms and textures of everyday life in northeastern India and celebrated the resilience and strength of the people who lived there. Her advocacy work on behalf of women and indigenous communities helped to promote education, healthcare, and other vital resources for those who had been marginalized or silenced. Ao‟s legacy stands as a testament to the transformative power of education and the importance of preserving indigenous knowledge systems. Her work continues to inspire the new generation of writers, activists, and scholars, and her voice remains a powerful reminder of the importance of women‟s voices in understanding the world around us. 

References  

1: Baruah, Sanjib, 2005. Durable Disorder: Understanding the Politics of Northeast India.New Delhi: Oxford University Press. 

 2: https://feminisminindia.com/2023/03/08/temsula-ao-celebrating-a-legacy-of-literatureand-advocacy/ 

 3, 6: Misra, Tilottama, 2011. The Oxford Anthology of Writings From Northeast India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. 

 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14: Ao, Temsula, 2007. Songs From The Other Life in Ao, Temsula, 2013. „Book of Songs: Collected Poems 1988-2007.‟ Nagaland: Heritage. 

 13: Ao, Temsula, 2006. These Hills Called Home.New Delhi: Pengui