Elongshila Jamir is an author and a student currently pursuing her Masters at Nagaland University in Literature. Her love for books and reading led her to write her debut book ‘Serendipity’ in 2021. She said she was inspired by Rupi Kaur, a Canadian poetess while writing her poems.

Jamir describes her book as “Serendipity is a book of poems written in free verse and is divided into five sections. A book about growing up and seeing the bigger picture of childhood, life, society, mental health, patriarchy, women, love and of God. It’s all over the place – a mess, because that’s what life has been. Some poems are very dear and personal, while some will show you how much of a dreamer and over-thinker I am but in the end, it is God who envelopes my Serendipity because it starts with a wistful nostalgia ends with a bliss. A journey of growing up turns out, it can be a beautiful mess when we put it into poetry.”

Through her work, she simply wants to give comfort to those who would resonate with it and offer hope or a reason to those who are looking for it. She always wanted to be a published author but never thought it was possible. Heritage Publishing House, she believes, played a significant role in her achievement. Not only did they publish her first manuscript but also the experiences she gained as an intern at the publishing house helped her and motivated her to go further with the publication.

On asking about her future plans, she said, “Honestly, I cannot say what my degree would lead me to, whether or not I would achieve what I have been dreaming to become ever since I was a child but perhaps I’m determined when it comes to writing, I would love to write more. ‘Serendipity’ is my debut book. I believe this is the first milestone as an author and also the beginning of many milestones God has in store for me.”