River Narratives in the Context of North East India: A Study of Selected Texts

Abstract

Rivers have incessantly attracted the imaginations of litterateurs, artists as well as poets since inception. Throughout the human history, rivers have always served as a poignant symbol of life, metamorphoses and eternal flow of time. In literature, writers have a mysterious connection with rivers. Besides, in the realm of literature, rivers have manifested as powerful conduits, proudly carrying the essence, significance, and relevance of human experiences, emotions and desires. In other words, rivers play an instrumental role in advancing literary creations, inspiring stories, and igniting human being’s fancy and imagination. Rivers are serving as metaphors in literature that course through the veins of creative works, infusing them with unprecedented meaning and countless layers of symbolism. Presently, rivers have obliged to become a source of ecological consciousness within literary macrocosm. Rivers embody the fragility and resilience of the ecological realm, prompting immediate introspections including advocate for preservation of life-giving arteries. Likewise, authors are leaving no stone unturned to raise awareness about lethal environmental degradations through scintillating and evocative delineations of rivers as a protagonist and tragic character. Broadly speaking, with the tender pages of creative works of literature, a silent revolution is unearthing. It can be depicted as an alliance between words and environment, with the collaborative mission of safeguarding ecology and rivers for future generations. With animated representations and mind-bending storytelling and research, literature summons readers to immerse themselves in the incomprehensible beauty and evanescent fragility of the natural galaxy. Consequently, the portrayed passages awaken readers’ senses and motivate for ecological conservations. Similarly, writers from North East India such as Kula Saikia, Ankush Saikia, Easterine Kire, Mamang Dai and Arupjyoti Saikia have been bridging the gap between the realm of literature and the urgent need for river and ecological protection. The said wordsmiths, with their literary craftsmanship and linguistic prowess have been endeavouring for the safeguarding of rivers and ecology through their fiction and non-fiction works. In addition, the skilled artisans of language employ their mastery of words to weave captivating narratives, poetry, and prose that serves as pragmatic vehicles for raising awareness and stimulating action towards the protection and preservation of earth’s precious ecology. Through the eloquent expressions, experiences, imaginations and contemplations, the above mentioned writers have generated literary landscapes where rivers flow as living, breathing entities, welcoming readers to absorb themselves in the beauty and fragility of fundamental ecosystems.