MODERNISM arrived quite latein the domain of Bodo litera-ture. Bodo writers came under

the impact of modernism after it hadswept through Bengali and Assameseliterature. The effect of this literarymovement was, however, more pro-nounced on Bodo poetry. It was evidentfrom the emergence of a young gener-ation of poets who wrote poems as a ve-hicle for self-assertion, emancipationand identity of the community. Until the ’50s and ’60s nature, love

and patriotism were the dominantthemes of Bodo poetry. The poets thenfollowed the old technique and rhetor-ical style. But a perceptible changegradually came about when young po-ets like Jagadish Brahma, PrasenjitBrahma and Samar Brahma Choud-hury, influenced by the wave of mod-ernism, engaged in verse writing. Theirpoems marked a breakaway from therigid format and confines of the clas-sical, romantic and mystical poetry ofthe Bibar-Alongbar epoch. The harshrealities of life and the politics of dom-ination that impeded the developmentof their language and culture inspiredthem to write poems about ethnic lib-eration and salvation. In 1954-55, twoepoch-making poems – ‘Ang Thwiya’by Prasenjit Brahma and ‘Sijou Gerem-sa’ by Samar Brahma Choudhury –were published in Okhaphwrmagazine. ‘Ang Thwiya’ reflects the indomitable spirit driving a Bodo awakening:

The steamrollerWith gusto and forceOf new lightHe thinks,Here it comesThe ruthless still heartOf the black ironTo devourThem all.

‘Sijou Geremsa’, written in a new id-iom, is about the cultural heritage of theBodos and the awakening among them.

We are the people of this landDry and shrunken soil of winterSoften and simmerWith the first fresh showerUshered in by Bardoisikhla* * *We are the people of this landDimapur, our DimapurGolden city of ours

Brahma Choudhury, who started offwith romantic poems, contributed im-mensely to the enrichment of modernBodo poetry. ‘Daoshri Gwba Nagirdwng Ang’ (In Search of theMorning Star), another landmarkpoem by Choudhury, gives voice to theBodo youth’s longing for the morningstar, the eternal symbol of liberationand illumination:

The world around is bereftOf the sunThe world around is bereftOf lightGoddess AirakhiWill never awakenCan you tell me, Sonashri?When will Goddess AirakhiWake up And the eclipsed sunBe released?

Jagadish Brahma is well known forhis poem ‘Daimani Phisa: Dimasa’(Sons of the Great River: Dimasa) whichdemonstrates the intensity of the poet’sconcern for the roots of Bodo civilisa-tion and culture:

No one knows where came fromThis river of life***This is my lifeI’m the son of this riverThe proud son of the great river.

Jagadish Brahma’s ‘Duphangni Solo’(Tale of the Autumn) bears the stamp ofnovelty of style and originality in the treat-ment of the familiar theme of nature andthe poet’s reflective self.Charan Narzary is well acclaimed for

his poem ‘Anaru Thu Sigang’ (Anaru,March On). Anaru represents the poorand exploited community which is strug-gling to earn its land rights. The poet callsupon Anaru to act as an avant-garde Bodoand help his people march forward:

Beloved son you areOf your mother.Oh Anaru!You can never forget your mother.Tread on,Marching along the pathOf new creation

‘Bwswar Gwdan’ (The New Year) and‘Daobayari’ (The Traveller) are two im-mortal creations by Narzary.Monoranjan Laharay also contributed

to modern Bodo poetry with a handfulof works – ‘Mwnjarwngi’ (The Starving),‘Dabi San Jutani’ (Demand Day of theShoes), ‘Host’ and ‘Khonthaigiriya NoaoGwiya’ (The Poet is not at Home). In writ-ing his later poetry Lahary discarded ro-manticism to confront the harsh reali-ties of life in a language that broke loosefrom the conventions of metre andrhyme. In ‘Mwnjarwngi’ we see Lahary’snew style or idiom that approximatesnormal speech:

On the busy platformA dozen beggars begDown Kamrup Express arrivesAnd stops for a whileThe passengers throw awayThe leftoversUpon which the beggarsJostle like vultures

Like Monorajan Lahary and other po-ets of the time, Kamal Kumar Brahma,also a dramatist and grammarian,switched over to modernist poetry.‘Bibayari’ (The Beggar) and ‘GarbwnaiDwithun’ (The Lost Wave) are memo-rable poems penned by him. Many ofhis poems are in praise of man.Brojendra Kumar Brahma is the most

prolific and influential of the modernBodo poets. His first collection,Okhrang Gongse Nanggou (In Searchof A Sky) published in 1975, is charac-terised by novelty of imagery and sym-bolism. In the poem ‘Okhrang GongseNangou’ Brahma longs for an open sky, where one can breathe freely andthink fearlessly:

Today we need a skyFree and fresh airWhere a narrow boundaryDoes not find any place.

‘Balmikini Somaijung’ (By thePromise of Valmiki), ‘BodhidvumniArw Horwi’ (Beyond: Bodhidrum),‘Mwdwijwng Swrjinai’ (Created withTears), ‘Dubri Bilai (Carpet Grass),‘Embu'’ (Frog) and ‘Biswr Color Blind’(They’re Colour-blind) are some of thebest poems included in this collection.Brahma may claim the credit for ush-ering in a new trend of imagism andsymbolism in Bodo poetry.Dharanidhar Wary has written re-

markable poems like ‘Bemaje’ (TheCoxcomb), ‘Geosranai Mohor’ (Un-furled Self) and ‘Thwisam’ (ThickBlood), all bearing novelty of style andoriginality in the treatment of themes.Some of his contemporary poets –Nileswar Brahma, Baneswar Ba-sumatary, Phuleswari Swargiary, Bha-gawati Basumatary, Ranjit Bargoyary,Kamakhya Brahma Narzary and UrkaoBrahma – wrote poetry eulogising thenationalist feelings and sentiments ofthe Bodos. Dahal (Waves), an anthol-ogy of poems published in 1969 by Ka-makhya Brahma Narzary and IswarChandra Brahma, was intended to givea new life to modern Bodo poetry.What mark Surath Narzary off fromother modern Bodo poets are his treat-ment of themes and style. He has com-posed excellent lyrics dedicated to thespiritual emancipation of the individ-ual self (Aroj). Angni Thwinai Swinai(My Lost Beloved), his collection of po-etry, was published in 2002. But he had,by then, become a well-establishedpoet. The poems included in this bookare cast in the mould of dramaticmonologue. The same style was adopt-ed by Assamese poet Devakanta Baru-ah in his famous poem ‘SagarDekhicha’ (Hast Thou Seen The Ocean)and emulated by many other modempoets, including Navakanta Baruahand Hari Barkakati.Aurobindo Uzir and Anju (Anjali) Ba-

sumatary are true inheritors of the mod-ernist tradition in Bodo poetry. A gifted

poet, Aurobindo shot to fame with thepublication of Mwndangthini Rwjabthai(1995). We see in his poetry the mark ofan imagist and symbolist influenced byTS Eliot and continental poets. He is re-garded by many as an obscure poet. Itwould be more appropriate to call himan intellectual poet in search of an elitistconcept of serious poetry.Anju made her mark with Phasini

Doulengao Okhaphwr, her second po-etry book. Anju, alongside Aurobindo,can be considered the most gifted mod-ernist poet. Her poetry is characterisedby a unique picturesque presentationof the familiar facets of life in a languagefused with rare artistry and economy of expression.Ramdas Boro, another modem poet of

repute, has published two collections ofpoetry – Phwiphin (1976) and Dabw Uru-langkhwi. His poetry is marked by a hu-manitarian appeal and allusiveness. Inmany of his poems we come across amythical figure with a pan-India charac-ter. Daniram Basumatary, GuneswarMoshahary, Urno Brahma, KamakhyaBrahma, Iswar Brahma and Ranjit Bor-goyary have written lyrical poetry on thethemes of love, humanity, national lib-eration and social oppression.A group of young poets have composed

poems protesting against social repre-hension, exploitation and abject pover-ty. These poets are influenced by the ide-ologies of Marx, Nazrul, Sukanta, DhirenDutta, Bhabananda Dutta, Hiren Bhat-tacharyya, Hikmat and Neruda. Nan-deswar Boro is the pioneer of this schoolof poetry. He is considered the master ofBodo limericks. He has two poetry booksto his credit – Gwswni Barhunkha (1976)and Subungni Raha (1984).Bineswar Brahma has brought out

two collections of poems – Aini Arojand Bardwisikhla. His poems embodynationalist fervour and social concerns.Madhuram Boro, Mangal Singh Ha-jowary, Sitaram Basumatary, SomnathBasumatary, Rupnath Mwshahary andmany other poets have contributed tothe efflorescence of modem Bodo po-etry. We see snippets of experimenta-tion in the poetry of Gopinath Brah-ma, Bijoy Baglary, Badal Basumataryand Gohin Basumatary.Anil Boro is not a full-timer in the field

of poetry writing, though he has pub-lished two books– Siphungni Denkhwand San Mwkhangari Simang. A pro-gressive ideology runs through manyof his poems in San MwkhangariSimang, which are devoted to the down-trodden masses. The rest of his poemsare modern love lyrics composed in sim-ple and pictorial language. AngniGamiyao Dwijlang and Delfini OnthaiuMwdai Arw Gubun Gubun Khonthai arehis latest poetry collections.Magazines like Somni Aganand Khon-

thaimala, published from Kokrajhar,have also nurtured a number of poets.�

POSTscriptA P R I L 2 9 , 2 0 1 2

SEVEN SISTERS

NELit review2

FIFTHWALL

UDDIPANAGOSWAMILiterary Editor

PHUKAN CH BASUMATARY

BRAJENDRA Kumar Brahma’sOkhrang Gongse Nanggou isa milestone in contemporary

Bodo poetry. Brahma, a prolific poet since the

’70s, is a literary critic, socialthinker and lover of humanism.He was honoured with the Tagore

Literature Award, 2009 by SahityaAkademi for his contribution to In-dian literature. A good number ofhis poems have been translatedinto English, Assamese and Hindiin recent times. He has authoredfive collections of poems and fourbooks comprising articles on var-ious literary topics.Okhrang Gongse Nanggou (1975),

a book of 34 poems, is consideredthe best of his poetry collections.It has been rendered into As-samese, titled Ekhani Akas Lage,by Diganta Ramchiary.During the ’70s, Brajendra Ku-

mar Brahma’s poems, marked byinnovative themes, inspired manyBodo poets. In fact, OkhrangGongse Nanggou added a new di-mension to Bodo poetry. The po-ems in this collection are a reflec-tion of social crises at the time.They also have an autobiographi-cal touch.Okhrang denotes the sky, a sym-

bol of widespread love, freedom,and of a broader view of the world.The poet

calls for a sky, the epito-me of peace and calm insociety. Using symbol-ism, he writes:

Gongse okhrangniangkhal jwnghaNanggou jwngnwdinwi

Udang gwthar barJayni khathiaoGuseb simani habilas gwiya(Okhrang Gongse Nanggou/ InSearch of A Sky)

[We are witnessing the destructionof a sky/now we need fresh air/

where there is nospace

for narrow thoughts, where onlyhumanism is found].

Brahma’s poems are laced withbeautiful imagery. He uses natureimagery to express his poetic ideas.For instance, the term ‘oasis’ in ‘Ji-uni Thakhai’ signifies hopes andaspirations of human beings. Whenone loses all hope and desire oneneeds some amount of inspirationto carry on with the journey of life.

Thwi gwiwi bwlw gwiwiBiswrni mengnai megonaManjrang manjrang gidingna na-girbaywBobeaoba oasis dongo khwma!(‘Jiuni Thakhai’/‘In Favour of Life’)

[The melancholic eyes of distressedpeople/crawling here and therebut searching in vain/ an oasis thatis far and far away!]

The most important message thatmany of Brahma’s poetry carry is:have an optimistic view of life.‘Balmikini Somaijwng’ (ThePromise of Valmiki) is one suchpoem through which the poet ar-ticulates the need to cultivate apositive outlook on life.

Gwswjayw dabwBalmikini gwgwm somayjwngLwithw thenw ramkhwu lananwiJwnwm jathwng ramayan arwgangsebao(‘Balmikini Somaijwng’/ ‘The

Promise of Valmiki’)

[Have a desire still today/with astrong will and promise/ to builda dam on the ocean with the helpof Ramachandra/Let us composea new Ramayana]

Here Valmiki and Rama are sym-bols of the struggle for humanism.Triumph of humanism is whatOkhrang Gongse Nanggou seeks topromote in society. �

Owning identity

��������

JAGADISH Brahma,Prasenjit Brahma andSamar Brahma Choudhuryplayed a pioneering role inheralding modernism inBodo poetry. Aurobindo Uzirand Anjali Basumatary aretrue inheritors of themodernist tradition

Anil Boro chartsthe course of how

modern Bodopoems became a

vehicle for theidentity and

emancipation ofthe community

Longing for love, freedomCLOSEREADING

OKHRANG GONGSE NANGGOU

Brajendra Kumar BrahmaBodo Sahitya Sabha, 1993

(2nd ed.)NA, 36 pages

Paperback/Poetry

��������

BRAHMA’S poems, lacedwith beautiful imagery,are reflective of socialcrises. They containundertones of optimism and humanismASOMIYA SAMAJ

JIBANAR BIBARTANDiganta OzaBhabani Print and Publications,2011`280, 1320 pagesPaperback/ Non-fiction

AN insight into whatcontinues to ail the

Assamese nation

NEW PRINTSA HANDBOOK ON PARENTING - ASCHOOL’S PERSPECTIVEAshutosh AggarwalPallabita BarooahChowdhurySanskriti Gurukul, 2012NA, 191 pagesHardcover/ Non-fiction

Abook for parents whowant their children to

grow into great adults

INSURGENCY, COUNTERINSURGENCY AND IS-SUES OF HUMAN RIGHTSArindam Borkataki (ed.)Anandaram Dhekial Phukan College, 2011`399, 314 pagesHardcover/ Non-fiction

AN anthology of articles onhuman rights by Bhaskar

Jyoti Mahanta, Bertil Lintner andSubir Bhaumik among others

Modernism, Poetry andIdentity among the Bodos

FRONTISPIECE

IHAVE always felt that if oneclaims to be Axamiya, onemust have a little bit of Bodo

in one’s self. After all, the Ax-amiya language uses so manyBodo words; its syntax is alsoheavily derived from the Bodos’.The Axamiya love their river Luit,the old man Brahmaputra. Butif the Bodos did not call it Bhul-lungbuthur, could they have wo-ven the legend of the son of Brah-ma into its name and given it anew genealogy? Could they havecelebrated Bihu if they didn’t de-rive it in some measure from theBodo Baisagu? Ever since I started travelling to

Bodoland as a researcher, I havefelt a lot of warmth emanatingfrom the people there – despitethe fact that my forefathers (ormothers) must have, at somepoint, treated some Bodo indi-vidual in a demeaning way. Theywould have done it because theywould have internalised a senseof superiority deriving from theirAryan heritage, unmindful thattheir Axamiya identity would nothave evolved without their inter-actions with Bodos, or Misings,or Karbis, or Dimasas, or the var-ious other ethnic communitiesthat have been in Assam longerthan they have. But I have beenenriched immensely by my ex-periences in working among thesevarious communities and haveunderstood the true import of be-ing Axamiya from them.On their part, these communi-

ties have also been distancingthemselves from the Axamiyaidentity. It is an identity theyhelped shape and over which theyhave equal ownership. It is sadthat the marginalising machina-tions of one community amongthe many constituent Axamiyacommunities have been suc-cessful. Culturally and political-ly marginalised, the Bodos andother ethnic groups have re-nounced their share of the Ax-amiya identity instead of stakingtheir claim to it as integral partsof it. Rising middle class aspira-tions and the promise of parallelpolitical rewards by a State thattries to control one ethnic con-flict by propping up another, havecontributed in this regard. In theinterest of durable peace howev-er, the peoples of Assam must allcome together and reconcile theirdifferences. One kind of periph-eralisation cannot be fought bycreating newer peripheries. It istime we learnt that. �