Source : Literature News
North-East – the moment you hear this magical word, only a few things come to your mind and sadly, the first, often, is tension on the border with the Chinese army. However, the second and other things must be beauty, nature and beauty and nature only. What about Sikkim? The land of love, culture and serenity… what do you think when you hear Sikkim? Well, that might be changing soon because an Indian from Sikkim has decided to let his fellow countrymen know what Sikkim stands for – Sikkim in my Love Story is the latest book by a popular author (Nepali language) Narsing Nirzat. Though his first book in English, the book tells very aptly his urge to let the readers know what Sikkim means.
A collection of nine ‘long’ short stories, the book tries to communicate to the readers the historical background of Sikkim and the blisters of time which can easily be traced if you try your efforts carefully. However, reading it in the form of short stories is a beautiful enough experience which no one (loving literature) would like to miss!
“Although each of the nine stories in this book has its own distinct and exclusive storyline, a sense of the passage of time in a particular era in a particular place binds all stories together.”
The author writes this important message in the preface to his book Sikkim in my Love Story and it’s true. Once you start reading the story, you are transported back into the time – ranging from 1888 to 2007 – the Sikkim to that long ago and the Sikkim of the last decade. Narsing Nirzat has done well in making the things look perfect word portraits of the places, the people, the culture and even the living style. You will get a sure reflection or the time-stamp of time in his words. One thing that constantly keeps peeping out of the pages is Sikkim – you will get closer and closer to it as you progress.
“Three roadways to approach Damthang: one stretching from Namchi, another from Rabongla and the third one from Singtam comes to meet here. All throughout the autumn, this place remains hidden behind the curtain of dense fogs, and during cold winter, chilling pain on the nose tip brings out tears from the eyes. However, in spring & summer, the place is a paradise to dwell on.”
And if you plan a trip to Sikkim somedays in future, you will always remember this wise words of author-turned-to-tour-guide! The book is full of such episodes where you get the detailed information about the natural beauty of Sikkim and the information that you can use very easily while visiting the places. Because the stories are based on real events – people and places are real as well. Narsing’s strong desire to let the people from different part of the country (and the world) know about Sikkim has materialised very well in the book and it’s really good to read. You should certainly read this book if you are planning to read something real, meaningful and based on truth.
