THE WHITE SHIRTS OF SUMMER - MAMANG DAI - Bog

'A major voice in Indian English literature, and literature from North East
India...[Her] poems are like a race of butterflies bargaining with the night.'
-Keki Daruwalla
'Dai's poetic world is one of river, forest and mountain, a limpid and lyrical
reflection of the terrain of her home state. Nature here is mysterious,
verdant with myth, dense with sacred memory. There is magic to be found
everywhere...But as you read closer, you [also] sense a more sinister undertow:
this paradisiacal landscape is also one of "guns and gulls", punctuated by "the
footfall of soldiers". You also realize that the simplicity of Dai's verse is not
without guile. It possesses a gentle persuasive riverine tug that can lead you to
moments of heart-stopping surprise.
'For all its simplicity, Dai's poetry does not arrive at easy conclusions. There is
no dishonest sense of anchor here, no blissful pastoral idyll. The poet describes
her people as "foragers for a destiny" and her work is pervaded by a deep
unease about erased histories and an uncertain future. And yet, implicit in her
poetics is the refusal to divorce protest from love. This seems to translate into a
commitment to a poetry of quiet surges and eddies rather than gritty textures
and edges...[and] a tone that is hushed, wondering, thoughtful, reflective. The
strength of this poetry is its unforced beauty and clarity, its ability to steer clear
of easy flamboyance.'
-Arundhathi Subramaniam