The Naga Story


Book Description




The Naga Story


Book Description

There was complete darkness in the room. Rumi and Shekhar shuddered on seeing the sadhus with ash on their bodies and matted hair engaged in silent meditation. The desire to know about Naga sadhus had drawn them there. Some sadhus were meditating; some were chanting loudly, some seemed to be doing silent meditation. Those sadhus were doing penance in the bone-chilling cold in the snowy solitude. Long matted hair was wrapped around their heads. The face was rough; the whole existence was covered with flames of anger - unperturbed, neutral and free from worldly troubles. One would think twice before stepping into this lonely world, but those who have passion, courage to do something, what fear do they have? The life of Shiva devotees and armed Naga Sadhus was no less than an unsolved mystery for them. They are seen in thousands in Kumbh and then suddenly disappear. Who are Naga Sadhus, how is their life and why are they called Dharmarakshak warriors - know all this in this interesting and completely new style novel.




A Naga Odyssey


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Visier Meyasetsu Sanyu, his family and fellow villagers of Khonoma, fled for their lives to the jungles of Nagaland in 1956. He and his family survived privations and starvation for over two years, though many others did not. Visier emerged from the jungle aged eight into a turbulent world altered by Western influence, civil war and colonial oppression. He found refuge from war in Australia, where during two decades he faced the loss of home and tradition, and found healing and a second home. This powerful story tracks Visier's fascinating journey from indigenous religion to Christianity, from village school to a professorship, and from small town life to appearances before the United Nations. His kaleidoscopic sixty-year odyssey to find peace, tranquillity, and forgiveness for others, is vividly told against the rich tapestry of the Naga quest to be free. Visier Meyasetsu SanyÃ?Â?Ã?Â1/4 is an Elder of the Meyasetsu clan of the Angami tribe, Khonoma, Nagaland. He has a Batchelor of Theology, a PhD in History, and was the inaugural Head of the DepartÃ?Â?Ã?Â-ment of History and Archaeology at the University of Nagaland. He has addÃ?Â?Ã?Â-ressed many forums across the world, including the United NatÃ?Â?Ã?Â-ions. He is the current President of the Overseas Naga Association, an InterÃ?Â?Ã?Â-national Elder of Initiatives of Change, headÃ?Â?Ã?Â-quartered in Caux, SwitzÃ?Â?Ã?Â-erland, and is a Board member of the Melbourne Interfaith Centre. Richard Broome is Emeritus Professor of History at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and the author of twelve books, including three on Indigenous Australians, notably Aboriginal AusÃ?Â?Ã?Â-tralians 4th edition (2010). He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, a Fellow and vice president of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, Melbourne, and Patron of the History Teachers' Association of Victoria. (Series: Investigating Power) [Subject: Politics, Asian Studies, Religious Studies, Biography]




A Naga Story


Book Description




A Respectable Woman


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‘It took my mother, Khonuo, exactly forty-five years before she could bring herself to talk about the war.’ These powerful words introduce the reader to Easterine Kire’s stunning new novel, A Respectable Woman. In Nagaland, the decisive Battle of Kohima has been fought and won by the Allies, and people in and around Kohima are trying hard to come to terms with the devastation, the loss of home and property, and the deaths of their loved ones. Forty years after the event, Khonuo recreates this moment, stitching together her memories, bit by painful bit, for her young daughter. As memory passes from mother to daughter, the narrative glides seamlessly into the present, a moment in which Nagaland, much transformed, confronts different realities and challenges. Using storytelling traditions so typical of her region, Kire leads the reader gently into a world where history and memory meld — where, through this blurring, a young woman comes to understand the legacy of her parents and her land.




A History of the Dasnami Naga Sannyasis


Book Description

Organized Naga military activity originally flourished under state patronage. During the latter half of the sixteenth century and the early part of the seventeenth century, a number of bands of fighting ascetics formed into akharas with sectarian names and identities. The Dasnami Sannyasis constitute perhaps the most powerful monastic order which has played an important part in the history of India. The cult of the naked Nagas has a long history. The present volume aims to explore new findings which are available in various archives and repositories in order to fill up the lacuna in Jadunath Sarkar’s work on the subject as elaborated in the present introduction. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.




The Last Light of Glory Days


Book Description

Description Profoundly compassionate and a masterful storyteller, Avinuo Kire describes a world that is as breathtaking as it is shattering; where military occupation and magic co-exist. 'The Disturbance' holds three interconnected stories, set against the backdrop of the Indo-Naga conflict that began in the late 1940s and remains unresolved to this day. Told through the eyes of women from three succeeding generations of the same family, the stories recount how Naga people remained determined to hold on to normalcy even in the face of occupation, state torture, the tearing apart of families and racism. In 'New Tales from an Old World', everyday events in the mountains are infused with an element of the supernatural. Naga myths and folk legends slip effortlessly into tales of hard farm life, childhood terrors and adventures in the countryside, love and mourning. In these stories, hunters, predators, Tekhumevi (weretigers), secret potions, shadowy-demons called Kamvüpfhi, strange spirits and enchanted forests, find a place in contemporary Nagaland with remarkable ease. This volume, both a political declaration and a personal love-note to her land, establishes Avinuo Kire as a writer of formidable skill. The Last Light of Glory Days is an exquisite unravelling of the tired tropes that cast Nagaland as another undistinguishable piece in the 'Northeast'.




When the River Sleeps


Book Description

A lone hunter, Vilie, sets out to find the river of his dreams: to wrest from its sleeping waters a stone that will give him untold power. It is a dangerous quest, for not only must he overcome unquiet spirits, vengeful sorceresses and daemons of the forest, there are men – armed with guns – on his trail. Easterine Kire’s novel transports the reader to the remote mountains of Nagaland, a place alive with natural wonder and supernatural enchantment. As Vilie treks through the forest on the trail of his dream, we are also swept along in this powerful narrative and walk alongside him in a world where the spirits are every bit as real as men and women, and where danger – or salvation – lies at every turn. Kire’s powerful narrative invites us into the lives and hearts of the people of Nagaland: the rituals and beliefs, their reverence for the land, their close-knit communities – the rhythms of a life lived in harmony with their natural surroundings. It is against this spellbinding backdrop that Kire tells the story of a solitary man driven by the mysterious pull of a dream, who must overcome weretigers and malignant widow-spirits in the search for his heart’s desire. Published by Zubaan.




Bitter Wormwood


Book Description

Kohima, 2007. A young man has been gunned down in cold blood—the latest casualty in the conflict that has scarred the landscape and brutalized the people of Nagaland. Easterine Kire’s novel traces the story of one man’s life, from 1937 to the present day. The small incidents of Mose’s childhood, his family, the routines and rituals of traditional village life paint an evocative picture of a peaceful way of life, now long-vanished. The coming of a radio into Mose’s family’s house marks the beginning of the changes that would connect them to the wider world. They learn of partition, independence, a land called America. Mose and his friends become involved in the Naga struggle for Independence, and are caught in a maelstrom of violence that ends up ripping communities apart. The herb, bitter wormwood, was traditionally believed to keep bad spirits away. For the Nagas, facing violent struggle all around, it becomes a powerful talisman: “We sure could do with some of that old magic now.” Bitter Wormwood gives a poignant insight into the human cost behind the political headlines from one of India’s most beautiful and misunderstood regions. “Once opened [the book is] tough to close, so congenial are the leading characters and so riveting the events in their lives.” —Cairns Media Magazine Published by Zubaan.




N a G A


Book Description

NAGA spans three realms from the ancient world Middle Kingdom during the Tang Dynasty, Nagara and Bhumi Semenanjung Melayu. It is the story of three adventurers, Sri Gemom, Srikandi and Kemboja and how fate set their worlds on a collision course that shook the very foundations of an ancient civilisation. More than that, against the background of sorcery and magic, the tragic tale of survival and loyalty shines through.