Photo: IANS
New Delhi, July 26: In his latest, inspired by the history of his region and how it is placed within the colonial afterthought, Mmhonlumo Kikon writes a book of poems 'Slingstones' on the historical and spiritual landscape of Naga communities.
"The compulsion of colonial interaction amidst the entire spectrum of culture and war and spirituality informs my poetry. It is not just a reflection on the past but a coming to terms with the present that the past has wrought. It is in the simple everyday life and the symbols of culture and spirituality that infuses the variegated themes of the poems," says the author who has penned two poetry collections: The Penmi Poems (2018) and The Village Empire (2019).
The publication was announced in a statement by Rupa Publication who say that the book "isolate(s) and examine the unchanging nature of space and time, the past and the present, the here and now. He takes a penetrating look at the banalities of daily life that actually shape and define the contours of identity, both within communities and outside".
"Kikon's poems identify the constructs of the modern world that seeks to replace the indigenous. He explores the process of self-preservation employed by tribes against the onslaught of material and ideational forces. From the habits of culture to the distinct quandary that communities have to face, from the struggle to come to terms with the evolving world to the rush to educate the so-called 'savage', and from abandoning the ruins of colonialism to taking a measured approach to change, this collection is an intimate and brave review of lives lived in the wide of the expanse of nature and their interactions with the outside world."
"This is a searing portrayal of the innate and native desire to revive a cultural ethos that has been drowning in a vortex of complex and systemic institutions. The path of these poems and their sweeping swathe is magnificent and painful," the publication house added.
An Aspen Fellow Mmhonlumo Kikon is currently an MLA in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly and BJP national spokesperson.
The book 'Slingstones' will be available for pre-order on Amazon starting from August 15.
