Easterine Kire has done it again with ‘Mari’ (published by Harper Collins India). The book has been doing the rounds gaining both National and International recognition. Born and brought up in Kohima, Easterine did her journalism from Delhi University and her Phd from Poona University. Besides ‘Mari’ Easterine has a number of books to her credit including ‘A terrible matriarchy’ (published by Zubaan), ‘The Windhover Collection’, ‘A Naga village remembered’, ‘Naga folktales retold’ and Kelhoukevira (a collection of poetry). Easterine has also written and edited a number of academic books as well. Here, she talks to Keren Rose Ovung of The Morung Express about her works.
1. When did you actually start writing? Did you start from at a young age?
Easterine: I wrote my first poem at 16 years. That is not very young. I read a lot but did not try writing before I turned 16.
2. What inspires you to write, your poetry especially?
Easterine: Life inspires me. It could be joy and grief, and the whole gamut of emotions in between situations of life.
3. 'A terrible matriarchy’ was an interesting read, what inspired that?
Easterine: I guess it was reflection upon our society’s treatment of girl-children in the past and how it has changed because the girl child herself has fought hard to find her place in the community. If you are looking for inspiration behind the book, I can say it was Naga society itself that was the biggest inspiration. It is itself a book waiting to be written.
4. People say your writing is very romanticised...what do you have to say for yourself?
Easterine: I am not sure if that is to be taken as negative or positive criticism. My writing may be seen as romantic when I write about the past and events in the past because there is a tendency to romanticise the past.
I also wrote poems on nature and different moods of the seasons, and on love. Is that what they mean by romanticised writing? Is that good or bad? The readers can decide for themselves. If by romanticised, the critics mean it is unrealistic, I think the whole of my writing has to be read and not just a handful of poems. But I don’t mind this kind of response. Makes me sit back and ponder. Can one write about life and be indifferent to the romance of creator and creation that pervades all of life in all aspects?
5. Who are your favourite writers? What are you presently reading or what was the last book you read?
Easterine: I greatly admire a Canadian writer from the 50s, Hugh Mclennan, I have read and reread Turkish writer, Moris Farhi’s books. Ben Okri’s early books were delightful. Reading Dylan Thomas’s collected works now.
6. I read your book - ‘A Naga village remembered’..and it is very similar to Achebe's 'Things fall apart', were you inspired by that book? I understand you did a comparative study of the two cultures also.
Easterine: It’s interesting for me that you find similarity between *Things fall Apart* and *A Naga Village Remembered.* Since both are tribal cultures and both came under British colonisation, points of similarity are unavoidable. Certainly I was inspired by the African writers to start writing Naga novels. Of course, the protagonist in ‘A Naga Village Remembered’ is not Okonkwo, but I can see it would be fruitful to do a comparative study of the two novels. My book, ‘Folk Elements in Achebe’ studies the affinity between Tenyimia culture and that of the Igbo.
7. Coming to 'Mari' I spoke to some people from 'that' generation and to be very frank they were of the opinion that the story has been overtly romanticised, Mari (the protagonist) in particular. What do you have to say about that?
Easterine: I spoke to and interviewed several survivors of World War II in Kohima village for a booklet called ‘The battle of Kohima.’ They all told me the war was the most wonderful period of their lives. Exciting to be evacuated, to see aircraft, air fights, shelling of villages, intense military activity and soldiers from different nations. I wrote from the standpoint of the people who had experienced it. They felt that in spite of the horrors of war, there was an excitement about the times that they had never seen before or after it. Since the Nagas were not directly involved in the war, they participated like spectators.
Mari, the protagonist in MARI, is 16 and a half when the war begins. She falls in love, she gets engaged and wants the war to be over so she can live happily ever after with her fiancé. How do I write about that without the situation becoming romantic? Many younger readers were happy to read that people in their grandparents’ generation had the same emotions back in their day that they have today. The main character speaks in her own voice throughout the book as it is presented as a diary. To me, that voice has been honest about decisions made wrongly and the pain of parting from those not meant to be a part of her life.
8. How has the international response to 'Mari' been?
Easterine: Harper Collins India does not have rights to sell it outside the Indian sub-continent. So MARI is yet to be translated into European languages as ‘A Terrible Matriarchy’ has been. But readers in UK, and the US and Australia wrote to say they were moved to tears by the book.
9. Is there something you are working on now? What is it going to be like?
Easterine: Two books on Nagaland. Fiction based on real life. ‘Bitter Wormwood’ – one man’s journey through the Indo-Naga conflict and ‘Life on Hold’ – on life in Nagaland in the 80s and 90s. I am also working on two children’s books.
10. Among Naga writers, whom do you admire?
Easterine: I enjoy the poems of Anungla Imdong, Nini Lungalang, Paul Chasie, Temsula Ao, and other young Naga poets. I greatly admire the poets of oral poetry in Tenyidie. They have used language so metaphorically and contributed so much to literary language. Sadly, many of these poems are anonymous. The Naga poets from the 50s and 60s which I admire are Dino Phewhuo, T.Sakhrie, J.B.Jasokie, Tuonuo Kesiezie, Miriam Yhome and Meguo-o.
11. Would you like to pass on any message for aspiring Naga writers?
Easterine: Revise and Edit several times, leave a manuscript alone for some months and go back to it with new eyes. Grow a thick skin and subject your manuscript to brutal criticism from others before publishing anything. You’ll never regret it.
1. When did you actually start writing? Did you start from at a young age?
Easterine: I wrote my first poem at 16 years. That is not very young. I read a lot but did not try writing before I turned 16.
2. What inspires you to write, your poetry especially?
Easterine: Life inspires me. It could be joy and grief, and the whole gamut of emotions in between situations of life.
3. 'A terrible matriarchy’ was an interesting read, what inspired that?
Easterine: I guess it was reflection upon our society’s treatment of girl-children in the past and how it has changed because the girl child herself has fought hard to find her place in the community. If you are looking for inspiration behind the book, I can say it was Naga society itself that was the biggest inspiration. It is itself a book waiting to be written.
4. People say your writing is very romanticised...what do you have to say for yourself?
Easterine: I am not sure if that is to be taken as negative or positive criticism. My writing may be seen as romantic when I write about the past and events in the past because there is a tendency to romanticise the past.
I also wrote poems on nature and different moods of the seasons, and on love. Is that what they mean by romanticised writing? Is that good or bad? The readers can decide for themselves. If by romanticised, the critics mean it is unrealistic, I think the whole of my writing has to be read and not just a handful of poems. But I don’t mind this kind of response. Makes me sit back and ponder. Can one write about life and be indifferent to the romance of creator and creation that pervades all of life in all aspects?
5. Who are your favourite writers? What are you presently reading or what was the last book you read?
Easterine: I greatly admire a Canadian writer from the 50s, Hugh Mclennan, I have read and reread Turkish writer, Moris Farhi’s books. Ben Okri’s early books were delightful. Reading Dylan Thomas’s collected works now.
6. I read your book - ‘A Naga village remembered’..and it is very similar to Achebe's 'Things fall apart', were you inspired by that book? I understand you did a comparative study of the two cultures also.
Easterine: It’s interesting for me that you find similarity between *Things fall Apart* and *A Naga Village Remembered.* Since both are tribal cultures and both came under British colonisation, points of similarity are unavoidable. Certainly I was inspired by the African writers to start writing Naga novels. Of course, the protagonist in ‘A Naga Village Remembered’ is not Okonkwo, but I can see it would be fruitful to do a comparative study of the two novels. My book, ‘Folk Elements in Achebe’ studies the affinity between Tenyimia culture and that of the Igbo.
7. Coming to 'Mari' I spoke to some people from 'that' generation and to be very frank they were of the opinion that the story has been overtly romanticised, Mari (the protagonist) in particular. What do you have to say about that?
Easterine: I spoke to and interviewed several survivors of World War II in Kohima village for a booklet called ‘The battle of Kohima.’ They all told me the war was the most wonderful period of their lives. Exciting to be evacuated, to see aircraft, air fights, shelling of villages, intense military activity and soldiers from different nations. I wrote from the standpoint of the people who had experienced it. They felt that in spite of the horrors of war, there was an excitement about the times that they had never seen before or after it. Since the Nagas were not directly involved in the war, they participated like spectators.
Mari, the protagonist in MARI, is 16 and a half when the war begins. She falls in love, she gets engaged and wants the war to be over so she can live happily ever after with her fiancé. How do I write about that without the situation becoming romantic? Many younger readers were happy to read that people in their grandparents’ generation had the same emotions back in their day that they have today. The main character speaks in her own voice throughout the book as it is presented as a diary. To me, that voice has been honest about decisions made wrongly and the pain of parting from those not meant to be a part of her life.
8. How has the international response to 'Mari' been?
Easterine: Harper Collins India does not have rights to sell it outside the Indian sub-continent. So MARI is yet to be translated into European languages as ‘A Terrible Matriarchy’ has been. But readers in UK, and the US and Australia wrote to say they were moved to tears by the book.
9. Is there something you are working on now? What is it going to be like?
Easterine: Two books on Nagaland. Fiction based on real life. ‘Bitter Wormwood’ – one man’s journey through the Indo-Naga conflict and ‘Life on Hold’ – on life in Nagaland in the 80s and 90s. I am also working on two children’s books.
10. Among Naga writers, whom do you admire?
Easterine: I enjoy the poems of Anungla Imdong, Nini Lungalang, Paul Chasie, Temsula Ao, and other young Naga poets. I greatly admire the poets of oral poetry in Tenyidie. They have used language so metaphorically and contributed so much to literary language. Sadly, many of these poems are anonymous. The Naga poets from the 50s and 60s which I admire are Dino Phewhuo, T.Sakhrie, J.B.Jasokie, Tuonuo Kesiezie, Miriam Yhome and Meguo-o.
11. Would you like to pass on any message for aspiring Naga writers?
Easterine: Revise and Edit several times, leave a manuscript alone for some months and go back to it with new eyes. Grow a thick skin and subject your manuscript to brutal criticism from others before publishing anything. You’ll never regret it.
