As one of the most celebrated writers of Nagaland, Easterine Kire never fails to entertain and awe her readers with beautifully drawn imageries and skillfully knitted stories.
When the River Sleeps is a novel, written by Easterine Kire, which won her The Hindu Award in the year, 2015. This novel is her interpretation of the historic Naga life, and brings to us a feeling of forbidding and melancholia.
When the river sleeps’ takes us on a mystical journey filled with suspense and fear, pushing us to the edge of our seats. The book fills us with a spark for the unknown and makes us crave for more. The book is not only just a story but a guide of our history. It is filled with references, accounts and experiences of our elders and ancestors who lived a life we can only imagine through such writings.
When the river sleeps’ walks us through Naga’s murky history, filled with spirits, magic, witchcraft, superstition and supernatural beings. Every Naga tribe has their own legends and stories passed down from generations, and likewise, this book is a take on the lore of the Tenyimi Naga’s. In this book, the Naga society is drawn in the setting of ages old and shows us how live could have been or how live used to be and it is shown humanely through the eyes of an ordinary man who saw life just like any other.
The novel leads us through the protagonist, Vilie’s life, who goes through many hardships and trials on his quest for the sleeping river to retrieve a heart-stone from the river bed that was rumored to grant wishes. He persists on his journey with no concrete evidence and meets unexpected individuals and creatures unbeknownst to man. But all through such encounters, Vilie preservers and achieves what he set out to do.
The book opens with the protagonist having a nightmare about drowning and this is further solidified as we read further that the dream has been incessant and constant, owing to which the protagonists become more aware of the rumor of the heart–stone and sets out on an adventurous and thrilling journey that spans the whole book. The opening scene of the novel indicates the importance of dreams in the Naga society, and emphasizes on the role it plays in a typical Naga household. Naga society is closely knitted with superstition and they believe in dreams, as a sign shown for a forthcoming event. This tradition is closely followed by every tribe, and still continues in some household. The author, by starting with Vilie’s dream, shows how traditional views and beliefs, manipulate the Naga’s, whose ancestral roots trace back to deity worships and animism. The author further makes known the gravity of the feeling of belongingness among the Naga people. She shows how the Naga’s give importance to emotional attachments and the Naga society even as of today, shares the same feeling as Vilie does for his village.
The novel, is in a third person narrative/omniscient, and has a strong rhythm, that sways with the change in the themes and plot of the novel. But the flow of the novel stays constant. The author has left many unanswered questions, leaving the readers questioning themselves and thinking of scenarios that would fit the scene. The book is as enchanting as it is eerie and unconsciously makes us look behind our backs as well. It is highly engaging and very easily digestible, making it more appealing to the readers.
Easterine Kire, in this novel has also brought to us the known, yet unattended issues of the Naga society that is of great concern. It includes the seldom occurrence of violence, the orthodox mentality of the people, inter-village disturbances, and belief in superstition and oral beliefs. All in all, this book is a testament of the lives our ancestors lived through, and it is not only fascinating and intriguing but also horrifying and sad at the same time. We can only hear of the stories that has been passed down from generations to generations and not of the many that has been lost to time and ignorance.
In conclusion, I can say that the author has done a favorable and admirable work with this novel. She has given us, the readers, a treat of what it is like to be a Naga, and has left the readers with questions that intrigue and prick their minds and adventurous spirit. This novel by Easterine Kire, is yet another great accomplishment, for herself as well as the Naga’s. Through this novel, she has shared with the world, a piece of the Naga bread, which in the moment is being tasted and judged by the many critics and writers alike. And just like this wonderfully written work of art, she has many other books under her belt that tells a tale of her ability to bring history and people to live.
