Stories of a Shillong boy Part 1: Hill Boy and the Desert

There is a little 10 year old boy in Shillong who has a funny way of looking at things. I call him “Ray” – A named derived from his Khasi first name. I am his mother and this is one of the many stories I have about him.

Now Ray had an intense hate for two subjects in school – science and geography. I’m still drawing nonsensical circles around science, but I think I’ve cracked geography and a geography lesson is one of the most fun things we do together now. I want to talk about a lesson we did a little while ago.

In this lesson, we read about the Thar Desert. The book said something really scary to Ray. It told him that the desert is expanding because we cut down forests and let our cattle eat away all our grasslands. This really worried him. Before we could go on with the lesson, he said, “But I don’t want the desert to reach the Meghalaya.”

I looked at him and said, “It won’t.”

“But the book says that it will.” He insists. “I don’t want to live in a desert.”

I had to think for a bit. See Ray has this way of getting fixated on something and then he dwells on it – a reason why I tutor him myself by redoing every chapter that his teachers have taught in school. His head is full of questions that he would never ask in a classroom kind of space, but he would demand an answer out of me.

“It will not happen tomorrow Ray.” I said, “We’ll all be dead and gone by then. There is no need to stress.”

This did not put him at ease at all. He was worried. “I don’t want to live in India anymore if the desert is growing mei. We have to leave India.”

“There are deserts everywhere.” I said.

“This can happen all over the world?” he asked sounding completely helpless.

“Yes.” I said thinking of Mad Max Fury Road. “But it won’t happen anytime soon. It will probably happen during the time of your great great great great grandchild so you have nothing to worry about.”

This calmed him down for a little while and I was able to finish the lesson. He had his dinner after that, brushed his teeth and got into bed.

As I was tucking him in he said softly, “But I want my great great great great grand son or daughter to live also.”

And it suddenly struck me that even I want my great great great great great grandchild to live.

(This piece has been written by Dalariti Nongpiur with illustrations by Hazel Kharkongor)

Meghalaya’s legendary musician Lou Majaw releases Riniki Marwein’s ‘Brittle’

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 8: A poetry book titled, ‘Brittle,’ written by Riniki Chakravarty Marwein was launched today at Dylan’s Café, in Shillong.

Meghalaya’s legendary musician Lou Majaw, widely known for his Bob Dylan tribute shows, graced the occasion as the chief guest.

Marwein’s debut work ‘Brittle’ is a collection of poems about childhood and family, love, loss, and memory; and how she dealt with the challenges of the pandemic.

In her words, “I got pretty nostalgia-struck during the lockdown. My childhood and the time spent in India kept roaming in my head in flashback form over and over again. I was home-belted like everyone else and very worried about my loved ones. It got kind of scary, so I had to find a way to let my anxiety out. This is when I started writing the book and I can’t believe it is finally published.”

Marwein further added, “Nostalgia, for me, is always connected to intimacy maintenance: I want to remind myself of the people and places, and what they meant to me. For eg: some poems in my book do have elements of loss, longing, and sadness, but that also reflects the positive experiences – such as how close we are as a family.”

The book launch was followed by an engaging discussion between Marwein and the audience on poetry, music, inspirations, and other subjects.

Majaw, in his trademark denim shorts, leather wristbands and mismatched socks, recited some of the poems from Brittle along with Riniki and performed songs for the crowd that gathered in support of the launch. Ending the event on a high note and praising the author, Majaw said, “I bought Brittle last month from an e-commerce site. I loved all her poems; each so poignant and beautiful, however, a particular composition ‘Sired Evening’ caught my attention. It’s a simple poem but quite moving and introspective at the same time. There’s something about poetry that actually transcends everything else, just like music. I’m so glad to be a part of this beautiful occasion today.”

Brittle is currently available on all leading e-commerce platforms and at select bookstores across the country.

Brittle is Riniki’s debut collection of poems. It is a gathering of family and childhood, love, loss and memory. Brittle is the fuel the poet wrote with during the pandemic, which guides the pieces to come together as a theme. They are simplistic in form and style while bolstering vivid unrests to reveal the poet’s path to finding herself.

Riniki Chakravarty Marwein was born in Shillong and completed most of her education there. She spent most of her career in the PR industry in Mumbai before moving to Singapore in 2008. She holds a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. Riniki has been seriously writing poems since the pandemic. This year, she finally got to organise the pieces in Brittle. She is now gathering gumption for a stint in spoken word poetry.