Book Preview on ‘Seih’ by Lalremruati Ngente (Aremruati) -Dr. H. Laldinmawia

 A kawm hmangin lehkhabu nihna teh suh’ (don't judge a book by its cover) tih thu kan hre fova, mahse ‘lehkhabu hming (title) hmangin lehkhabu nihna teh suh’ tih nen erawh inpersan tak a ni thung. Thu leh hla phuah chhuah hi art a ni a, chumi mil tura a funkhawmna lehkhabu hming (title) chher chhuah hi art ropui tak a tling. A bikin awmhawp. thuziak (creative writings)-ah phei chuan a bu hming leh hmel hian a chhiartute lunglenna leh lungawina kawngah kori a tu hle.  ‘Lamlian Lehlam’, ‘Aizawl-ah Aizawler’, ‘Hringnun Hrualhrui,’ han tihten chiang si, fiah lo riaia chhiartute min hipna hi ‘art’ a ni.

          Chutiangin Aremruati’n a poetry dahkhawmna lehkhabu hming atan ‘seih’ a han hmang ‘seih’ mai hian a chhiartu turte tan hahchawlhna min pe nghal sawng sawng hian a hriat a. A ziaktu nula a lo ni nen, mipa phei chu kan ti deuh ‘suih’ nghal ni ber mai. A lehkhabu hming atana a hman, ‘seih’ hla mai bakah hian a hla dangah pawh ‘seih’ thumal hi kan hmu nual na a, a hla tam tak erawh chuan min ‘seih’ pui vak lawi lo. Mahse, a ziaktu hian he ‘seih’ hmang hian hahdamna min temtir a duh a, chu chu a duhthusam a nih thu thuhmahruaiah a ziak thung.

Lehkhabu ṭhenkhat hi chu a bu hming aṭanga ‘pa’ riau hi a awm a. A ziaktu pawh mipa a nih ngei rinawm hliah hliah hi a awm. T.Sailo lehkhabu ‘A soldier’s story’ han tih te, R.Zamawia lehkhabu ‘Zofate zinna kawngah zalenna mei a mit tur a ni lo’ han tih bur mai te hi hmeichhe hming nen a inhne rem mawlh lo. Chutih laiin ‘seih’ tih lehkhabu hming hi chu tu pa tan maha han chuhpui ngamawm loh khawpa ‘nu’ nghal ‘seih’ khawpa ‘feminist title’ a ni. Chu ‘art’ chu Aremruati hian a hmang thiam tlat a ni.

 

Chutih laiin ‘Seih’ tih lehkhabu a nih ang hian a kawmah pawh nula hmelṭha takin min lo nuih deuh seih lai a awm dawn emaw tih laiin, thingkung fere tak, a hnah rawng hrang hrang tla lai leh a hnuaia hmeichhe naupang ni awm takin a kuta a lo dawh lai lem a chuang a. Chu thingkung tla kawlh mek chu phengphehlep rawng hrang hrang panga in an bawm bawk a. A kawm hi  mawlmang takin a mawi reuh a, chumi piah lamah ngaihtuahna a hruai nghal hle. He lehkhabu chhunga hla tam tak hi chuan min ‘seih’ pui a hnekin min ‘sawp’ viau mai a. A chhiartute ngaihtuahna hi ruam thuk tak takah te min luh pui a, kan ngaihtuah thiam loh lam daih te min dai pui leh ṭhin. Chutiang hla chi hrang hrang dahna lehkhabu chu a nih miau avangin thingkung fere fe mai chuan mawina a nei a, bawmtu phengphehlep a ko lawi bawk si. A kawm hma lam chunga ‘corner clip art classic’ zet a dah te hian engemaw ti takin he lehkhabu hi a ti zahawm lawi a. Chuvangin a a ‘kawm’ hi ‘kawm’ tham a awm a, a chhung thu pawh hi a ‘kawm’ ang chiaha ‘khawrh’ tham niin a lang.

 

He lehkhabu ‘Seih’ hi phek 152 a chhah niin hla 82 a awm a. Mizoram Publication Board-in a tihchhuah, Zorin Compugraphics chhut a ni. A layout hi vawiina chairman TS Khupchong kutchhuak a ni a, a cover hi Afaka Pachuau design a ni thung. A paper a ṭhain a chhut a fiah hle a, a layout a dakin a dik thlarh mai bawk. A chhung thu chhiar hma hauh hian lehkhabu 'tihtlak’ tak niin a rin thiam theih nghal. A kawm hmalam aṭanga a kawm hnung lam thleng hian duhtuina mit hmanga uluk taka rem tih a hriat a. Hla tawpah hian phuah ni, thla leh kum a chuang vek a, clipart line mawi taka daidan vek a ni bawk. 

Aremruati leh Avant Garde Poetry:

          Modernism sawifiahna ṭawngkam pakhat chu ‘avant garde’ a ni a, chu chuan thil thar, ngaih dan thar leh tih dan thar a kawk. Hla phuah dan kalhmang hi hlawm hnih anga ṭhen phawk theihna lai a awm a, pakhat chu hla phuah dan kalhmang pangngai, hla thu hman hman dan leh hla chang bithliah dan kalhmang hman ṭhan, ‘conventional style of writing’ hi a ni. Pakhat leh chu thlir dan thar, hla thu chheh dan thar leh ngaihdan tluangtlam pangngai piah lama thil thlirna a ni ve thung a, chu chu ‘avant garde poetry’ ti tein an sawi ṭhin.

          Avant garde chu French military metaphor chikhat ‘advance guard’ tih aṭanga lak a ni a, Ezra pound-a’n ‘make it new’ tia a lo sawi anga ‘traditional literary style’ pangngai kal pel a, art, culture leh society-a ngaihdan danglam vawrhchhuah (radical), tih dan phung nghet kalsanna (unorthodox) te hi a nih dan phung a ni.

          Aremruati Ngente hi a hla aṭang hian mi lungleng ve ṭhin, mi khawhar ve ṭhin leh khuarel (nature) mawina pawhin a nuna thuk taka thu sawi ve ṭhin a ni tih a chiang a. Pathian thu pawhin a pawl ve ṭhin a, Pathian hmangaihna-ah pawh a luangliam ve ṭhin tih a hriat bawk. Mihringte hnena Pathian inpuanna lehkhabu ropui ‘Bible’ meuh pawh hi a ngainain a ngaisang tih pawh hai rual a ni lo. Chung zawng zawng kan hriat theihna chu he a hla bua hla 82 hmang hian a inpuang a, a in phawrh a ni. Mahse, tuidul takin a inpuang lova, ngaihno bei takin a in pho hek lova, hla thu no hlep hlep leh lungkuai takin an in phawrh hek lo. Hla chang rem danin a tibuai lova, hla tlar zatin a thunun lova, hla pianhmang hrang hrang leh midang hla lo phuah tawh dan kalhmangin a bawih hek lo. Thil a hmu a, a thlir a, a ngaihtuah a, a chhui a, chu chu tlang takin a puang mai niin a lang.

          Indopui pakhatna (1914-1918) hnu lama thu leh hla ziak dan kalhmang thar ‘modernism’ ziarang tam tak Aremruati hlaah hian kan hmu. He lehkhabu chhunga hla zawng zawng hi ‘free verse’ huang chhunga khung theih deuh vek a ni a. Form leh rhyme, meter leh rhythm in a ngaihtuahna a luah lova, eng thil nge puanchhuah a tum a, eng thupui (subject matter) nge a khel tih chiah a rilruah a awm niin a lang. Chuti chung chuan a ‘flow’ a ṭha phian hlawm a, chhiar leh chham nuam tak tura rem erawh a ni thung.

          Hla tam tak chu a thu rem dan mawi takin min hneh a, a hla thu chheh dan no mawi takin kan lung a len a, a hla chuan hla takah min thlawhpui ṭhin. Aremruati hlate erawh chu ngun taka chhiar ngai a ni a, ngun takah ngaihtuah zui mamawh hla a ni. Ṭhenkhat chu eng a sawina nge ni a, eng ber nge tarlan a tum tih hriat mai har tak a ni a, min hruai bo hmasa a, mahse a nihna tak min thlenpui hnuah erawh rin loh lamah ngaihdan thar min pe a, thlirdan danglam min hlui thung.

          Mihring ngaihtuahna chuan chhanna zawngin

          Thlantui tam tak nen

          Tlang sang lawn chhuak mah se

          Hrilh fiahna famkim hmu turin

          Ruamah a let leh a ngai ṭhin... 

hetiang hi a ni a thu vuakthlak dan chu. A hla hi a har a, mimal ngaihdana hrilhfiahna fiah taka sawifiah tum aiin, mahni hun tawn leh nundan ṭheuh hmanga hriatfiah chi a ni zawk mahin a lang.

          Avant garde poetry te hian hla thu bil pangngai aiin ṭawng tualleng (prosaic verse) hi hla ziahna atan an hmang zawk fova; chu mai a ni lova ṭawngkam hriam, thinrim hrikthlakna thu leh thu inkawkalh tak tak te an hmang ṭhin. Aremruati hlaah hian Mizo hla thu chheh pangngai hi thlang chhuak dawn ila, kutzungṭang thliah kim tham pawh kan hmu lo maithei. Thu pangngai tak, thuziak (prose writing) pangngai nena inpersan tak lawi siin hla a phuah a. Ṭawng tuallenga kan sawi hmasak ṭhin tam tak a hnuhnungah a hmang a, a tlar hnuhnung zawk chhiar hmaa a tlar hmasa zawk awmze nei miah lo te pawh a awm nual. Modernist poet te chin dan (style) langsar tak pakhat chu thu kimchang lo/chhumbung deuh rum hmanga thuziah leh hla phuah (fragmented form) hi a ni. Aremruati hlate pawh hi a chhiartute tana ngaihtuah zui ngai tura chhumbung deuh vek a ni a, eng a sawina nge ni ang tih ngaihtuah fe ngai te a ni hlawm.

          Thu puanchhuah dan phung pangngai (conventional style) letliam daiha thil ngaihtuah ṭhin a ni. Ṭhian hlutna hla te, ṭhiante nena hun hlimawm hman dan sawina hla tam tak kan hmu ṭhin. Mahse chu ṭhian nihna chu thuk leh ril zawk, mi sawi dan nena inepersan tak maiin ‘Keimaha Nangmah’ a han ti hlauh a, a ṭhian nen hian an inngainain an inngai a ni satliah tawh lova, an inbelhbawm a ni ber tawh zawk. Pianphunga rualban lo (differently abled person), tunlai ṭawngkama ‘vohbik’ te dinhmun a thlir dan te hi a danglam leh daih bawk. Mizo hla kalhmang pangngaiah kha chuan hetiang vohbikte tana malsawmna nih pawimawh zia te, an dinhmun khawngaihthlak zia te, ṭanpuitu an mamawhna te tarlan a ni fo ṭhin. Aremruati hlaah erawh chuan a nawlpui dinhmun angin a thlir lova, tu emaw kawh bik neiin, tu emaw essay ziak dan kalhmangin ‘character’ a din chawp a, ‘Amah chu mipakhat a ni a,’ tia puangin a dinhmun a tarlang thung. Chu vohbik chu a khawngaihthlak zia te, ṭanpui a mamawhzia te, pianphunga harsatna nei ve lo te a awh ṭhin zia te a sawi dawn emaw tih laiin, 

          Siamtu vohbik

          Nun hlutna fiah taka hmu tur leh

          Lungawina mawizia hmu thiam tura

          Harsatna mittuiin a chawi len a ni si a,’ a tih sak zawk hlauh a,  chan loh khanah a chhuak a ni mai lova, he vohbik nihlawhna hi a zuk hmuhsak thiam a ni.

          Subjective taka thil ngaihtuah siin, a puanchhuah dan a objective em em lawi si. Tunlai ṭhangthar hla tam tak hi a subjective satliah lova, a confessional em em mai. Chutih laiin ṭhangthar hla phuahtute zingah Aremruati hian objective deuhin thil a puangchhuak ṭhin. Mi sawi loh dana sawi tum hrim hrim niin a lang lova, a thu phuahchhuah duh dan hi mi tihdan zulzui a ni lo zawk niin a lang. Pathian lehkhabu thianghlim ‘Bible’ chungchang hlaa chawina tam tak kan hmu tawh ṭhin a. Aremruati chuan chumi chungchang hlaa a chawina thupui atan chuan ‘literature ropui ber’ tih a hmang a. Hla chang bul tinah hian ‘Lehkhabu pakhat a awm a,’ tiin objective deuhin a thlir a, chu ‘lehkhabu pakhat’ a tih chu eng nge ni ang aw tih ngaihtuah fe hnuah a tawp tlar thum kan han chhiar a -

          ‘Eng lehkhabu dang mahin an kawl ve ngai reng reng loh,

          Nunna thawa thawk khum,

          Lehkhabu nung a ni’ a tih hian a sawifiahin a lang.

          ‘Mihring’ tih hla a phuah hian mihring nihna nge a sawifiah zawka Pathian nihna tih hi inhnial tham tak a ni ang. Mihring chu hriatna duha tuihal, ropuina uma hmanhlel a nih thu leh mihring nihna chiang taka a puanchhuah rualin, ‘A duh zawng zawng hrilh fiahna kawltu, Pathianah bawk a let leh a ngai ṭhin’ a ti a. A subject-in a tum ber hi Pathian nihna ropui leh Pathian tel lova mihring a famkim loh zia a sawi a. Chuvangin he hla thupui hi ‘Mihring’ nilovin ‘Pathian’ ni ta zawk pawh nise a dik thei thovin a lang. Mahse, chu thu in banlek, inkawkalh, inhnerem tak lawi si chu Aremruati hla zia pakhat a ni.

          Aremruati hi classical literature tuipui phak zinga mi a ni. A lehkhabu thuhmahruai bul ṭanna pawh poetry chungchanga Greek ho ngaihdan a ni a, a thu tawpna pawh Plato-a ngaihdan a ni. He classical literature ziarang leh Plato-a thu vuakthlak dan hi ‘Suangtuahna Khawvel’ tih hlaah kan hmu. Plato-a’n mimesis awmzia sawifiahna atan ‘mihringin a siam chuah thil hi a suangtuahna hlimthla entawna din a ni’  a tih kha he hla thukphum a ni. 

          Suangtuahna khawvel aṭang khan lo chhuak la,

          A tak ramah cheng ve tawh rawh an ti a,

          A suangtuahna khawvel chu,

          Ama tak ram a ni tih erawh an ngaihtuah der lo.

 

          A tak rama din a nih hmain engkim mai hi,

          Suangtuahna hlimthlaa din hmasak,

          A ni tih an ngaihtuah der lo.

          Aremruati hlate hi modernism leh post-modernism huangchhunga khung theih an ni fur a. Chutih rual chuan ‘romanticism’ hnuhma pawh kan hmu bawk. Khuarel (nature) a thlirna leh a sawichhuahna ṭhenkhatah hi chu, a hla dang ai chuan a no deuh. ‘Ka awm tawh lo ang’ tih hlaah hian chuan ‘zing daifim de set set kara sava hram chiah chiah ri te/Ṭiauchhumin tlangsam lam pana a mawina thuruk an pholan lai te/Zan reha chiapcha hram chiah chiah te/Arsi de sep sep karah tih ang chi, lungkuai tak leh hla thu no angreng tak hmuh tur a awm. ‘Seih’ hlaah hian hetianga hla thu chheh no, nature hmanga puanchhuahna hi kan hmu bawk. Hetih rual hian mahni nihna ni lo, mahni nihna anga inchantirna, Egotistical sublime emaw Negative capability tia an sawi ṭhin hi hmuh tur a awm leh zauh bawk, a changin ‘Hnahthel tla ro’-ah a inchan a, a changin a ṭhiannu, fa nei tawhin a fapa chu ‘Ka Khawvel’ tia sawia a fuih angah te a inchan bawk.

          Mizo hlaah hian nunhlui ngaihna lam hla a tam hle a, thil thleng tawh leh hun liam tawh ngaia ṭahna leh kohkir duhna hla phei chu chhiar sen rual a ni lo. Chutiang bawkin hmalam huna an duhthusam suangtuahna ‘imagery’ ṭha tak tak hmuh tur a awm ṭhin. Mizo hlaa imagery tam ber-ah hian, la tawn ngai loh thil nuam, suangtuahna hmanga luah leh chen duhna a lian hle. Chutih laiin tunlai ṭhangthar hlaah hian, thil nimek leh tawn lai mek, ni lo ta thut se ti lam zawnga suangtuahna ‘negative imagery’ hmuh tur a awm ta nual. Chutiang zingah chuan K. Hminga hla ‘Awm lo ta la’ tih ang chi te hi a ni. Hetiang hla ziarang hi Aremruati hlaah pawh kan hmu a, chu chu ‘Ka awm loh hunah chuan,’ tih a ni. Amah a awm loh huna tu in emaw a ngaihtuah zui dan tur chu a suangtuah lawk a. 

          Ka awmloh hunah chuan

          Kan nunhluite kha i ngaihtuahnain i rawn chhui ang a

          Hlimna leh lungngaihna

          Nuihna leh ṭahna

          Buaina leh remna te,

          Chung zawng zawng phenah chuan

          Hmangaihna i hmu ang.... a ti. ‘Ka hmangaih che, ka duh che’ tih hla kalhmang pangngai kalpelin, a hmangaihna nasat zia chu a awm loh huna a hriatchhuah thiam dan tur a sawi lawk zawk a, a ngaihtuahna a letlingin a linglet a ni ber mai!!

          Mizo poetry tam tak hi thil thleng tawh leh nunin a dai buak tawh phuahna hla a ni a. Aremruati hla erawh chu hringnun thlirna thuk leh ril tak an ni zawk. A hlate hi ‘philosophical poem’ tia sawi ve mai ngam an ni hlawm. TS Elliot te, William Blake te, Emily Dickinson te ang maiin a hlaah hian nun awmzia (meaning of life) te, thil siam nihna lairil (ontology) te, hriatna awmzia (epistemology) te, thil mawi mawina (aesthetics) te, thil awmze chhutna (metaphysics) te, Pathian nihna leh a awm dan (existence of God) te a chai a. Tunlai ṭawng takin a hla te hi a ‘class’ hle a, chhiar ruala nun hlimna leh lungawina min pe nghal mai chi ni lovin, ngaihtuahna ril sawrbing hnua hriatthiam leh tuipui chi chauh a ni. Chu pawh chu a hla chhiartu dinhmun a zira hriatthiam dan leh pawm dan in chen lo zung tur chi a ni.

          A hlate-ah hian form lam aiin a subject matter a ngai pawimawh zawk kan tih laiin, a hla pakhat ‘Nun Khawhar Rum Ri’ tih erawh chu sonnet kalhmanga phuah a ni a, tlar 14 a sei, couplet awm thlap a ni a, ‘end rhyme’ ṭha tak a hmang bawk. Mahse meter/syllable erawh a palzut hle thung. Hei vang hian ‘sonnet’ ka ti ngam chiah lova, sonnet kalhmanga phuah erawh a ni thung.

          Eng pawhnise, a hlate hi a har a, a awmze hrefiah a, man chiang tur chuan chhiar nawn fo a ngai. A sawi tum ni awm man thiam hnuah erawh a fiah satliah lova, rilru lamah a chiang thung a ni.

          Hetiang hla phawkphawhraw pui pui, mihring nun thlirna tarmit power sang zet, tuihnang lo ang reng tak, dik leh ril tak tak ni lawi si; thlir dan danglam leh letling he hu, chhiar chik leh chhut ngun ngai tak, chhiar nuam leh ngaihtuahna tithar thei tak hla 82 zet dahkhawmna lehkhabu hming atana ‘Seih’ tih a hmang tlat hi a inkawlkalhin a inkawkalh riaua hriatna ka nei a. Chutih rualin eng thupui hmanga khaikhawm chi nge a nih tih erawh ka hrethiam lo. Mahse ka han keu let a, a lehkhabu hming put chhan, a hla hmasa ber, ‘seih’ tlar tawp a,

          ‘Ka lam hawia i seih hian e

          Engkim neitu ka lo ni e’ a tih hian a hringnun ipik tana thawvenna leh kawng bumboh tihrualrem theihna chu ‘inseih tawn’ hi a lo ni ber awm e.

          Ka lawm e.

(He lhkhabu ‘Seih’ hi March ni 6, 2021-ah Mizo Zirlai Pawl Conference Hall-ah Prof R.L Thanmawia, Mizo Poetry Society President chuan a tlangzarh a.  Chumi ṭuma ‘ka preview’ na thuziak a ni - dm)

(Dr. H. Laldinmawia hi Pachhunga University College-ah Assistant Professor a ni a. Mizo Poetry Society ah Secretary hna chelh mekin academic huang chhung leh pawn lamah pawh creative writing leh critical writing a hriat hlawh ber te zing ami a ni.  Ama pualin Literary Theory bu 'Literature Lamtluang' a tichhuak tawh a, Journalism lamah sulhnu ṭha tak a nei nual tawh bawk.)