Jatinga, a small tribal village and Assam's only hill station, is known for the mysterious suicide of birds during certain weeks of the year. While scientists and ornithologists have been trying to explore and understand the mystery as to why birds behave in a particular manner during those weeks in Jatinga, Guwahati-based poet and award-winning author Tapati Baruah Kashyap has chosen to tell the stories of the birds, the beautiful place and the people living there through her poems.
"In Love With Jatinga" is a collection of 50 poems through which the poet not only asks the often-repeated question as to why the birds of Jatinga meet death in such a mysterious manner, but also takes readers through this place, which is located on the lap of the lofty Borail mountain (in southern Assam).
"Jatinga is not about birds alone. It has lovely people, lovely oranges and pineapples, and breath-taking natural scenery all around. It is a little paradise on earth," Kashyap says. The poet, in the opening of her book has dedicated it to "serene people, serene place, spotless nature, in the lap of Jatinga."
The mysterious birds' phenomenon has made Jatinga, only nine km from the mountainous Haflong, the district Headquarters of Dima Hasao in Assam, world famous for the strange behaviour of the migratory birds that takes place during the months of September to November. As many as 24 of the 50 poems are about this village, its people, its birds, winding pathways, sweet breeze, the headman, its founding fathers, its hard-working women, and so on.
She begins her poem called "The bird-watching tower" with the lines: "Welcome the coming birds, Let them live and add attraction, To the Jatinga Valley, Perched on the mountain slope, This watch-tower, Welcomes us, and those unknown guests." And then, she introduces readers to a few women who walk up the mountain slope after toiling hard in the "jhum" or slash-and-burn fields in the adjoining hill slope -- "The smiling face of a Jaintia damsel, Along with a wrinkled-face old lady, back from their jhum, on the other fold of the Borail, what is your name? I asked, But they only blushed. I asked again. Panchi, said the younger lady, softly. But the old lady gave only a smile."
About the unfortunate birds which reportedly come to Jatinga to commit suicide, the poet calls them winged angels: "Fog, and mist, And a small drizzle, the wind must blow from south to north, on a moonless night, Are you a kind of Bermuda Triangle, You, this mysterious poetry of Jatinga. Why do you come, O'winged angels, Through fog and wind?"
Now look at the description of the village itself. She has titled this poem 'Your Jatinga, my Jatinga,' and then goes on to say -- "Dainty little houses, with roofs of red, green and black, Dot the slopes. Ripe oranges and pineapples, Call out the river below, It calls back too, A few seconds later, echoing through the Borail dear."
The poet then gives more than a 360-degree view of Jatinga and the adjoining places. She begins with her description of the rising sun from behind the Borail mountain, introduces us to the mountain as well as several rivers that flow down from it, takes readers to the bird-watching tower of Jatinga and to a few households there, walking along the winding mountain pathway, engages in conversations with several local people, who relate different colourful stories, tastes fresh fruits plucked from the village households, tries to find out various historical facts and episodes about the place and then, stands spellbound watching the sun bid goodbye at the end of the day.
Kashyap is definitely a very discerning tourist, who finds poems in anything and everything around the places she visits. She introduces her readers to the few rivers like Dollong, Kopili and Diyung that keep playing hide-and-seek with the mountain ranges, takes them to the Panimoor waterfall, as also to Umrongso, Garampani, Harangajao and Semkhor, and then to a few local families too -- all through the medium of poetry.
As she says in the poem which has also become the title of the collection, "The whole world.. will one day fall in love..with you, dear Jatinga."
The 1967-born poet also digs out stories from the pages of history, to tell the story of Sambhudhan Phonglo, Maan Singh and Molongthong -- all of whom had bravely fought against the British colonialism, and continue to remain unsung heroes of forgotten chapters of India's freedom struggle.
The serpentine railway track through the mountains that has so many tunnels much to the delight of the travellers also begins to speak out through Kashyap's poems: "As the rusty red train.. Slowly begins to 'lap the miles'.. And runs up the mountain.. Along the winding metre-gauge tracks.. I take out my note book.. Stations wait since the morning..To greet us, one by one.. As the sun plays hide-and-seek with the clouds..And a 'pile of mountains'.. And nineteen tunnels, big and small..Growing taller each passing moment."
Published by Mumbai based publisher Become Shakespeare.com, this is Kashyap's fourth collection of poems. Forty of her poems have also come out as a compilation in Malayalam, while she has also written two research-based books on Assamese women poets, one in English, the other in Assamese.
A frequent traveller who loves to go to places not commonly visited, she also writes two regular fortnightly columns in Assamese newspaper, one of which is about people and places.
Late Niranjan Mohanty, an eminent Indian poet in English, had once said that Kashyap's "simplicity of expression, plain and de-intellectualised image pattern, undiminishing human concern get woven through a web of sensations to perpetually harp on the phenomenon of festivity we call life. In her treatment of life's pulsations, variegated disjunctions, rejoinings, hopes and dreams -- Kashyap tries to orchestrate her emotions, concatenate the fear of diffusing her own dreams with a view to putting a stamp of authenticity and originality in her poems."
"In Love With Jatinga" is a apt tribute to the mysteries of nature.
LS polls: First phase sees 60.03 per cent voting against 69.43 per cent in 2019
Voting for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections was held on Friday for 102 constituencies across 21 states and Union Territories (UTs) amid reports of violence from some parts of West Bengal and Manipur.
6 Eastern Nagaland districts abstain from voting amid shutdown call over ‘frontier territory’ demand
Despite the indefinite shutdown call given by the Naga bodies from Thursday evening, the Election Commission made all efforts to conduct polling in the six districts covering 20 of the state's 60 Assembly segments.
Tripura LS Poll: 80.40% voting turnout recorded till 5 PM
Addressing a press conference here in his chamber on Friday evening, RO Dr Vishal Kumar said, “The voting turnout rested at 80.40% till 5 pm today and the figure is expected to cross the record of the previous Lok Sabha election which recorded 82.4%.”
Congress, INDIA bloc against development & farmers: PM Modi says in Maharashtra
Criticising the Congress and the INDIA bloc, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the unwavering faith of the people in 'Modi's Guarantee' is giving sleepless nights to the Opposition alliance leaders.
BJP rules out oppositions’ allegation of proxy voting; thanks EC, police of ensuring peaceful voting
At a time when the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc had alleged of proxy voting and targeted the ruling BJP of turning the election into a farce, the ruling BJP on Friday thanked the election commission for ensuring peaceful voting.
Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Wayanad shows 'lack of confidence': BJP President Nadda
Accusing Rahul Gandhi of "promoting corruption, nepotism, and appeasement", BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Friday that the Congress leader's decision to contest from Wayanad shows a "lack of confidence" in winning his long-standing Lok Sabha seat of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
INDI alliance loses ground, resorts to false allegations: CM
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha said on Friday that the INDI alliance has lost its ground, leading them to resort to making false and misleading allegations. Dr. Saha said this while traveling by train to participate in election programs in North District and Unakoti District.
Tripura records highest 79.83 pc voter turnout in Northeast
Tripura witnessed around 79.83 per cent voter turnout registered till 5 p.m. in the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat on Friday in the first of the seven-phased general polls, as per the data provided by the Election Commission of India (ECI).