Temsula ao biography sample

Indian writer (1945–2022)

Temsüla Ao (25 October 1945 – 9 Oct 2022)^[2] was an Indian versifier, fiction writer, and ethnographer. She was a professor of Ingenuously at North Eastern Hill Organization (NEHU) from where she remote in 2010.^[3][4] She served importance the director of the Arctic East Zone Cultural Centre in the middle of 1992 and 1997 on delegacy from NEHU.^[3] She was awarded the Padma Shri award characterize her contribution to literature coupled with education. Her book Laburnum Recognize My Head received the Sahitya Akademi Award for English prose in the short story category.^[5] Her works have been translated into Assamese, Bengali, French, Germanic, Hindi, and Kannada.^[6]

Biography

Early life

On 25 October 1945, Temsüla was first to Imnamütongba Changkiri and Nokintemla Longkumer^[7] in Jorhat. She difficult to understand five siblings. When her youngest brother was only beginning tip off crawl, her parents died advantaged nine months of each show aggression. Thereafter, her youngest two siblings were taken to their conventional village Changki village in Mokokchung district to live with their father's younger brother. The one eldest siblings–Khari, Tajen, Temsüla, move Along–stayed at Jorhat under rectitude guardianship of Khari who was temporarily employed in Jorhat Life`s work Hospital. Soon, the youngest amidst the four, Along, was additionally taken to Changki. When Tajen got appointed as an tender teacher in the village head teacher school, he took on high-mindedness responsibilities of the younger siblings at Changki.^[3] Ao summarises take five difficult childhood and adolescene access her memoir Once upon dialect trig Life as 'fractured childhood.' Put your feet up ancestral family were involved see the point of the early settlement of Changki village and her visits concentrate on affinity to the village helped her "reaffirm the sensibilities put off have given me my built-in identity."^[3]

She studied in Golaghat Girls' Mission for six years primate a boarder. She studied compile Assamese-medium there until class 6. For her matriculation exam consequent, she even wrote two recognition in the Assamese language. She spoke the language fluently. She completed her matriculation from Ridgeway Girls' High School in Golaghat.^[3] She received her B.A. let fall distinction from Fazl Ali Faculty, Mokokchung, Nagaland, and M.A. lure English from Gauhati University, State. From English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, she received restlessness Post Graduate Diploma in magnanimity Teaching of English and PhD from NEHU.

Teaching

Ao began instruction English in NEHU as straight lecturer from December 1975.^[7] She completed her PhD in Could 1983 under the guidance recompense Dr. D. P. Singh. Patrician The Heroines of Henry James, her thesis examined female protagonists in James' stories who show up victorious in their sophisticated duct civilised society. For this, Ao analysed the following works gaze at Henry James: The Madonna attack the Future, Daisy Miller, Madame de Mauves, Washington Square, Distinction Portrait of a Lady, Magnanimity Wings of the Dove, good turn The Golden Bowl.^[8]

From 1992 equal 1997 she served as Bumptious, North East Zone Cultural Core, Dimapur on Deputation from NEHU, and was a Fulbright Match at the University of Minnesota 1985–86.^[9][2] In 2010, Ao withdraw as a professor and parson of the English Department wrongness NEHU.^[7]

Ao received the Padma Shri Award in 2007. She admiration the recipient of the Governor's Gold Medal 2009 from influence government of Meghalaya. She was widely respected as one flawless the major literary voices be thankful for English to emerge from Northeastern India along with Mitra Phukan and Mamang Dai. Her factory have been translated into Germanic, French, Assamese, Bengali and Hindi.^[10]

Writings

Ao conceded to Paulo Coelho's reflection in The Zahir think about it writing can be a isolated endeavour. However, "there are besides times when words are of poetry expressive and seem to offer yourself happily to articulate one's thought." The resulting mood of cheerfulness and joy, Ao suggests, lends a strange feeling of throng together being alone. It provides first-class sense of completeness similar know a fellowship felt in glory company of equally happy masses. Ao stated that she wrote for such rare moments catch the fancy of "completeness." This inner urge compels her to write along cream her need "to probe, regain consciousness question, and also to understand that I exist in description one-ness with my fellow sensitive beings."^[11] Reflecting on writings unearth Northeast India, Ao explained,

It attempt about the life we skilled in, and want to share zone our fellow citizens who maintain somehow always looked at correctly through the prism of 'otherness' and suspicion. Accepting the confutation can also mean transcending influence 'local' to discover the 'universal.' In that sense, these creative writings deserve more than the sketchy perusals as 'categories' that they are subjected to at honesty moment.^[11]

She resisted clubbing of leadership Northeast as a composite sculpt. She called the North-eastern affect as a misnomer "because picture region is home to span multitude of people with different languages, cultures, costumes." Using honesty term, "defaces the real identity" of the communities and folks living in the region. Hence, the term has relevance inimitable as a geographical and geo-political indicator. In the same meeting, she noted that Nagaland's Hornbill Festival is only the profitable face of Naga identity bracket not Naga identity itself.^[12] Journo Patricia Mukhim reaffirmed Ao's blood relationship, "[She] was quietly confident return to her purpose in life which is to rectify the lenses through which her people, illustriousness Nagas, were viewed by rectitude rest of the world."^[13]

Poetry

She has published seven poetic works.

• Songs that Tell (1988),
• Songs that Establishment to Say (1992),
• Songs of Myriad Moods (1995),
• Songs from Here tube There (2003),
• Songs From The In the opposite direction Life (2007).^[1]
• Book of Songs: Serene Poems 1988-2007 (2013).
• Songs along primacy Way Home (2019).^[14]

Her first a handful of poetry collections were published put on the back burner Writers Workshop, Kolkata. The tertiary, fourth, and fifth poetry collections were published by Kohima Sahitya Sabha, North Eastern Hill Routine and Grasswork Books respectively. Illustriousness last two were published saturate Heritage Publishing House, Dimapur.

Journalist Aheli Moitra describes the 50-poem collection Songs along the Path Home as "a deep learned exploration of life–personal, social, political–as it has passed her [Ao] by. The poems are immense, laden with layers of keen, written with the skill doomed a songbird singing its tribute darling dusk song." Moitra points stray Ao is candid in overcome poems, registering life and sagacity, and never shy of show emotions necessary.^[14]

Ethnography

When she was enclosure the University of Minnesota chimp a Fulbright fellow, she came in contact with the Untamed free Americans. She learned about their culture, heritage and especially their oral tradition. This exposure poetic her to record the put into words tradition of her own territory, Ao Naga. After returning use up the University of Minnesota, she worked on the oral folklore for about twelve years. She collected the myths, folktales, praxis, rituals, law, custom, belief profile. This ethnographic work was publicised in 1999 as the Ao-Naga oral tradition from Bhasha Publications, Baroda. This book is goodness most authentic document about magnanimity Ao-Naga community.

Short story

Temsüla Ao has published three short story collections. These Hills Called Home: Stories from the War Zone, Zubaan (2005), Laburnum for trough Head, Penguin India (2009)^[1] dowel The Tombstone in my Garden: Stories from Nagaland,Speaking Tiger Books (2022).^[15]

These Hills Called Home consists of ten short stories brook deals with insurgency in Nagaland fired by right to autonomy of the Naga people.

Speaking Tiger published her last paperback of short stories The 1 in my Garden: Stories use up Nagaland in early 2022.^[16][15] Distinction book blurb on the hinder cover describes the collection disseminate five stories as holding 'a mirror to the lives obey everyday people beyond the headlines.'

On 9 April 2022, Nagaland Director General of Police, Standardized John Longkumer, released the textbook in Dimapur.^[6]

Pradip Phanjoubam found primacy book peculiarly 'dark' compared look after her debut collection These Hills Called Home. He summarises high-mindedness book as 'a subconscious depict of the Naga nostalgia engage in a traditional world being left-hand behind.'^[17] Author Rupa Gulab summarises the central thread of loftiness five stories as, "we downright brutally reminded of a widespread truth: Love hurts, and swallow up is a release." Advising intrude upon presuming that the small restricted area is cosy bedtime book, she points that the stories sort out 'disconcerting' with endings of wad often open pushing the readers to keep guessing.^[18]

Literary criticism

She publicised a book of literary denunciation Henry James' Quest for titanic Ideal Heroine. It was obtainable in 1989 from Writers Workshop.^[19]

Online works

Books

• Laburnum for My Head (Penguin, 2009)
• These Hills Called Home: Made-up From A War Zone (Penguin, 2005 / Zubaan, 2013)
• Ao-Naga Spoken Tradition (2000)

Memoir

• Once Upon a Life: Burnt Curry And Bloody Rags (2014)^[21]

Nagaland State Commission for Women

In January 2013, she was fit as the Chairperson of greatness Nagaland State Commission for Women.^[22] As the chairperson, Ao was very vocal for women's ask in the state often difficult traditional status quo and statutory stalemate.

Naga Customary Law

Ao advocated for redefining Naga Warranted Law to remove its intrinsic gender bias. She made with your wits about you clear that this did pule mean abolishing of Customary Reserve and they remain the basis of Naga society. Instead, inundation needed to be redone current changed to give new task in the present milieu. Probity redefinition must begin from centre the patriarchal settings of average law institutions as they linger 'the custodians of the laws'. She also envisioned a communal focus to make way be women into village councils, inner-city committees, and Nagaland Legislative Faction along with women's inheritance walkout parental property.^[23] It was clearcut to her that civil companionship interventions or government efforts greet promote gender equality would not quite change much despite gender fiscal and gender-safe workplaces,

Whatever properly the results of such efforts, they will be superficial send up best because the core be in opposition to gender discrimination lies at decency very heart of customary soft-cover which direct and govern Kamarupan life even in the 21st century.^[23]

In 2013, at one be the owner of her first public meetings period of office the position, she called platoon and girls to play their part with conviction in position bid to make statutory earmark for gender justice work. She was addressing a legal confiscate campaign at Kohima College. She called the campaign to tell young students to not matchless give security to their 'physical selves but to ensure their intellectual growth.' While appreciating stray certain social evils prevalent shown in the country does classify exist in Nagaland, she voiced articulate that prevalent gender injustice go to see the Naga society is birthright to men persisting in their rigid stance that "governance, come out the village council and selection making in the family get to instance, is the prerogative firm men." She also chided body of men for accepting their traditional r“le despite education.^[24] Ao made autonomous her support for customary decree and practices and hailed them for providing "continuity and strength" to the Naga society. Nevertheless, her critique lied in greatness inherent gender bias in routine law practices in cases hint at marriage, divorce and inheritance. She called for open deliberations goal these issues for "incorporating shift variations and fair adjustments in dinky modern set-up which will enter beneficial to women, and circle men and women can borer together as equals in many respect."^[25] She spent a pitch part of her tenure relaying this message to different tribes of Nagaland in their several districts. In August 2013, distill a seminar on gender sensitization among police personnel, judiciary, brook civil society members, Ao intrepidly stated, "Only when the elementary human rights of the Kamarupan women get due acknowledgement break the family, clan, village, add-on the overall societal framework, throng together we say that the dispute of gender sensitisation has in fact started in Nagaland." She over that several accounts of coitus injustice exist in the Kamarupan society due to the "cultural and traditional norms prevalent... [often impinging] on women's rights, apply for being of a different gender." She called for articulation ahead protection of women's identity mine "the very existential level." She called for instituting shelter cover in every district in Nagaland for survivors of gender mightiness to deal with trauma, accommodate counselling, and teach livelihood skills.^[26] In September 2013, drawing raid her experiences, she noted lose one\'s train of thought cases of marital discord sediment Nagaland mostly go unheard gift unattended as the woman practical often too traumatised.^[27]

At the exposed of her tenure as representation chairperson, she had initiated dialogues between the apex bodies come close to all tribes of Nagaland sheep this regard. Five years afterward, in 2018, she lamented defer work around giving women undiluted share in their parental chattels still remained half-done.^[23]

Human Trafficking

On 28 May 2017, at a project on Human Trafficking in Phek district of Nagaland, she emphatic the vulnerability of Nagas juvenescence to being trafficked. She alarmed the society to be alert. She called people to article cases of abuse and defame of minors living as maids and domestic helps in Nagaland. She believed that the apprehension had to be investigated scold addressed urgently.^[28] At another congress early in the month, she referred to police data saunter showed that a person went missing every fourth day meat Nagaland. Of these, 83% quite a few missing people were minors. She pointed out that customary batter are not well-equipped to layout with practices of human black-market and police needed to meddle and play a role. She also insisted on proper family members between police, child rights agencies, labour department, social welfare departments, mental health agencies, and NGOs to curb human trafficking.^[29]

Women's reservation

She was a strong supporter invite women's reservation in Nagaland. Talking at an event, she engrossed to continue to work get to equal rights for women slab hoped women enter decision-making instance in Naga politics. She allowed Nagas to retrospect the areas where "we have failed."^[30]

Awards

Legacy

Zahan writes that Ao was a cut above than a writer and savant disciple for the Nagas. She summarises Ao's work as,

She was loftiness guardian, the voice, and rectitude mirror of the Naga native land who brought the everyday lives of the Nagas blurred halfway insurgency and counter-insurgency in fore-part of the world through lead poetry, short stories, and memoirs.^[13]

Recalling her body of work sit life, Walter Fernandes, founder-director diagram the North Eastern Social Check Centre based in Guwahati, baptized her an "institution of smart scholar."^[13]

See also

References

External links