Rongbong Terang’s first novel, Rongmilir Hanhi was published in series in the monthly magazine Prakash. It was the year 1979. We were high school students at the time. The picture of “one greyish evening in winter..”-the lines I read long ago in Prakash, is still fresh in the mind. The story impressed us so much that we used to wait much eagerly for the next issue of the magazine. Long after the last part of the novel appeared in 1980, the various characters of the novel kept dangling in the memory, refusing to disappear. In the year 1981, Rongmilir Hanhi came out in paper-back edition and I was overjoyed in getting the opportunity of reading it once again in the book form.
When studying in Cotton College, in the year 1985, I got the chance of seeing the dramatized version of Rongmilir Hanhi at Rabindra Bhavan. It was quite enjoyable, but the dramatist was not much successful in presenting it on the stage clearly.
After my studies, I appeared for an interview for the post of Programme Assistant in Doordarshan Guwahati in 1993. The interviewers were the Station Director himself and the eminent dramatist Dulal Roy. After the initial general questions, Dulal Roy questioned me on Rongmilir Hanhi ,I was thrilled to talk about my favorite novel.
After that, my government job took me to different parts of Assam and ultimately I came to west Karbi Anglong. There I heard about the shooting of the widely read and popular novel Rongmilir Hanhi for TV serial. Later on,when being telecast from DD Guwahati,people welcomed it warmly. Little controversy also arose over the depiction of some scenes. So, to get a clear picture, I borrowed the novel from a friend to read it once again. My second reading enlightened me more. I discovered that my present work place Rongkhang, is the back ground of the novel. I have already been to many of the places cited in the novel. Rongmilir Hanhi is an Assamese novel, delineating the life and culture of Karbi people living in the Rongkhang area of Karbi Anglong. It shows the Karbi society in the pre-independence era,the people and their dilemma between the old and the new values in the society. Sra-ik Terang is the headman of Rongmili village-an idealistic man who stands for modern idea. On the other hand,Sikari Teron,the Habe,chief of that area is conservative and evil minded. Through the events like the coming of christianity,education,commerce,connection with Kampur, refugees from east Bengal and Nepal,occupying Karbi land,the curse of opium,the story moves on. Habesiko Sikari Teron by his authority removes Sar-ik Terang from his position. Yet good prevails over evil. People supports Sar-ik Terang,who statrs a firm step towards progress and modernity by sending his son Hemai for education to Kampur.Habesiko’s own village faces near destruction. The turn of events force the king to dethrone Sikari Teron.Sar-ik Terang’s beautiful daughter Amphu sacrifices her love for the unity of her village and got married to a young man from far-off Rongmandu.So Rongmili smiles and keeps on smiling because of Sar-ik Terang’s progressive ideas and Amphu’s far-sightedness.
I always had a desire to meet my favorite novelist and get answers to many questions that arose in my mind.So,one fine evening I went to meet the creator of Rongmilir Hanhi at his residence in Diphu. He was sitting by the fireside. He smiled his warm smile and invited us to his drawing room. But we preferred to sit by the fire as it looked cosy that wintry evening. He ordered tea for all. So, the whole evening was spent talking about various topics regarding Rongmilir Hanhi, the novel- an evening warm, sweet and so memorable.
My first question was on the inspiration behind the novel-something I yearned to know for years. In his own words- Firstly it is the lack of reflection of Karbi social life in the vast fold of Assamese literature, then Dr.Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya’s Iyaruingam (1960) and Lumber Dai’s beautiful depiction of tribal life in Prithibir Hanhi (1963). Moreover, the contemporary situation in Assam and the feeling that literary culture can bring about the integration between the people of the hills and the plains and make it one whole like the water of the Brahmaputra-an endless flow. My dream had always been to introduce the land and the people of Karbi Anglong to the outside world. Rongmilir Hanhi became the medium to make that dream come true.
After the inspiration behind the novel, I wanted to know more about the background of the novel. Karbi Anglong is a vast area, yet the places written about in the novel are from Baithalangso or Vothat langso and it adjacent areas in Rongkhang,west Karbi Anglong. Terang Sir himself is not from Rongkhang area. In that case,why he choose that particular background for the novel?
Terang Sir told us- when Joysing Doloi was CEM (1972-78),the Karbi Anglong District Council made a documentary film called Pragotir pothat Karbi Anglong,the renowned film Director,Shiva Prasad Thakur was the director. The responsibility of writing the screenplay was given to me and Mr. Roy Enghee.Later on, Roy Enghee left the project.So, I was left alone with Shiva Thakur to travel all around Karbi Anglong.That gave me the opportunity to visit west Karbi Anglong,The Rongkhang area starting from Ronghang Rongbong to Umrasi,Umteli,Tika and Rongmandu.I was much influenced by the rich and unique socio-cultural traditions of the Karbis in Rongkhang area.The Karbi king,his ministers,the pinpo,habe still occupy prominent place in the social system of this area. That was the reason why Rongkhang had become the background for my novel. It was at Hongkram that I saw the bamboo house on stilts build in rows, met the Habe and Pinpos.So in drawing the village of Rongmili,Hongkram surely played an important role.
Rongbong Terang married Kanam Hansepi,hailing from the village Hongkram,in west Karbi Anglong.Rongbong Terang hails from east Karbi Anglong.He was born at Langbungdingpi in Bokoliaghat on 13th January 1937.he was born of Mr.Binhum Terang and Mrs.Ba-ik Ronghangpi.He did his schooling at Langka and College at Nogaon.He got his MA in Assamese literature from Gauhati University and taught at Diphu Government College.He took his retirement while serving as Principal.
Rongbong Terang sir said while talking about the story and the characters in it –As the story is about the Karbi society in pre-independence era, many influential names have to be brought into story in some context. I have no intention any disrespect to these great people. So they have been kept in isolation from the other characters and events in the novel. Moreover both the story and the characters in it are completely imaginary.
So, some real characters were included in the novel but the fictional characters like Sar-ik, Amphu,Kadom-did any real characters influence the writer in drawing these characters? We heard that the character of Sar-ik was influence by your Father-in-law Joysing Hanse.was it true?
Without answering directly he said-as I said earlier there is surely an indirect influence of Hongkram on the novel. I married from there and that region is the background of my novel. So it’s likely a few personalities may influence my characters. It is natural, whereas my personal experiences and imaginations have gone into the creation of some of the characters. For example, the description of Hemai, crossing the river Kopili to go to Kampur for his schooling. It reflects my own childhood experience of crossing the river Jamuna to go to Langka and the experience of the people of Hongkram going to Kampur for their studies. All these are bound together and brushed up with some of my own imagination. So, the influence of Hongkram is surely there.
In the literary genre, the novel, there is a category called the Regional Novel. According to KDM Snell, it is “fiction that is set in a recognizable region and which describes features distinguishing the life, social relations, customs , language ,dialect or other aspects of the culture of that area and its people. Fiction with a story sense of local geography, topography or landscape is also covered by this definition. In such writing a particular place or regional culture may perhaps be used to illustrate an aspect of life in general, or the effects of a particular environment upon the people living in it. And one usually expects to find certain characteristics in a regional novel; detailed description of a place setting or region, whether urban or rural, which bears an approximation to a real place.”By Regional novel we remind ourselves of Thomas Hardy’s famous Wessex novel. The environment around Wessex area influence the people living there, in their ways of life, their conversation, musings and mannerism. They are very realistically focused in the novel. The influence of the area over the novel is so strong and so far-reaching that no character can be kept in isolation from it.
According to critics to be a perfect Regional novel, it must produce that particular area’s life, mannerisms, song, dance etc. clearly and to such an artistic level that it gets strongly implanted in the minds of the readers.
In Rongmilir Hanhi, the people of Rongkhang area, their lives,conversations, colloquialism, social customs and the various places are reflected so realistically that even the non-karbi readers find it interesting. The social system, and its traditions leave a mark on the minds of the readers. Can we term Rongmilir Hanhi as a successful regional novel?
Sir answered most humbly- I don’t mind calling Rongmilir Hanhi a regional novel. But I can’t say how far it has succeeded or not, the readers will judge it. I have written it only-its value will be judged by the people.
Terang sir told us that it took almost six months to complete this novel. Moving all over Karbi Anglong district for one whole year, he caught a serious malady. He was bed-ridden for six months. He completed his novel in that period of time, encouraged by his wife to keep his mind active.
He revealed that many women related issues had been interpreted by his wife, otherwise he alone could never have fully drawn the social life of the people. His wife’s knowledge of the Rongkhang area, its customs and traditions of the people had been of great help.
Asked about the TV serial of Rongmilir Hanhi,Terang sir said that he was not much satisfied with it. Novel and cinema are completely different mediums. It is difficult to transform a novel into a film. It is impossible. Because feelings can never be transformed into a picture-it can only be read and felt.
The last question was what was his latest venture? Sir told us that he was at the moment writing his autobiography called My life and Literature. It was almost completed and would be soon published. ###
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