I believe that writers should not write in obscurity. If India has to see the correct picture of the Northeast, it must be through its creative writers,” says Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih, a poet and writer from Shillong. Nongkynrih is among the better known faces of literature from the Northeast, largely because he writes in English besides his mother tongue Khasi. But the writing from the Northeast, like its romanticised landscape, is largely unknown to the wider readership of India . Hence, Nongkynrih is upbeat about the two-day festival “Voices from the Northeast” that begins in Capital tomorrow.

Organised by the Jaipur-based literary consultancy Siyahi and the India Habitat Centre, and directed by writer Namita Gokhale, the festival will have prominent names from the Northeast in attendance, among them Mamang Dai from Arunachal Pradesh and Temsula Ao from Nagaland besides Nongkynrih and Bijoya Sawian, who writes in English and translates works from Khasi.

“Small literary meets are more intimate and intense, they help cut through the romanticism and the criticism that surrounds the Northeast,” says Dai. Apart from participating in a panel discussion, she will read from her new book Arunachal Pradesh: The Hidden Land , in which, amid the colourful pictures and touristy inputs, she narrates folklore and touches upon pressing issues such as insurgency and conversion. Mita Kapur of Siyahi informs that Ao and Sawian will discuss the growth and progress of Northeast writings while Nongkynrih will read from his books.

“I will begin with a poem called Who is a Khasi, because most people in Delhi have no idea about our tribe from Meghalaya,” says Nongkynrih. This will be followed by prose pieces from his forthcoming book Funeral Nights as well as a demonstration of Khasi traditional art form called Phawar, a unique type of performance poetry. “The common misconception is that writers from the Northeast only dwell upon the issues of violence and militancy, but we also write about our roots, culture, the great festivals and myths and legends,” he adds.

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