For most of mainland India, the North East remains an enigma, and one that's well, far off.
Arunachal pradesh: The Hidden Land
By Mamang Dai. Published by Penguin India
Price: Rs 1,500.
For most of mainland India, the North East remains an enigma, and one that's well, far off.
Journalist and former civil servant Mamang Dai decided to venture into untapped coffee table book territory with this book on one of India's most distant lands, also her homeland.
She mentions in the Preface, that the book is "an attempt to record that way of life that I perceive as a miracle of faith." Flip through the pages, and you know this holds true.
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The Monpas wear hats ranging from the white yak hair caps to the embroidered Tibetan caps with felt lining. The rain cap or black Gurdam made of yak felt, has twisted ends to allow rain water to drip off the tips |
When the author uses "we" in her text, it indicates that this 140-pager is more content, less gloss. For any reader keen on discovering India's 24th state, it's a delightful joyride.
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You get access into some of India's last surviving bastions of tribal communities fascinating tidbits about their lifestyle and closely guarded traditions.
Its almost mystical flora and fauna filled with tree-dwelling spirits is calendar and film locale material. The role of religion and prayer as well as a focus on the younger generation at crossroads, are equally engrossing.
Each of the 11 chapters is diverse, lucidly structured to ensure the reader isn't fatigued with information overkill. The factfile at the end is a handy reference for those wishing to visit Arunachal Pradesh.
Having to nitpick this well-researched, engaging read would seem unfair, but we sorely missed photo-heavy double spreads that would've driven home the point of this region's uniqueness, further.
