Dancing earth: an anthology of poetry from North-East India

The poets of North-East India, though belonging to diverse spaces, cultures, languages and religions, share a common bond. It is a sensibility defined by a deep connection with the land; the overarching presence of nature in their lives; the predominance of myths and tribal folklore; and the search for an identity. All this informs their poetry and gives it a unique flavour. Much of the distinctiveness of their work is also the consequence of contemporary events, often marked by violence. Like its title poem The Dancing Earth , the anthology too, is a celebration of this life, in all its unpredictable variety, richness and contradictions. So while Thangjam Ibopishak writes I Want to be Killed By an Indian Bullet and Chandrakanta Murasingh speaks of a minister with neither inside nor outside , there are also Temsula Ao s poems about her stone-people ancestors; Mamang Dai s portraits of swift rivers and primeval forests; and the Shillong poets with their mist-shrouded pine slopes, red cherries and gridlocked streets. Dancing Earth brings together the best known poets of the region, cutting across languages and time periods. Redolent of native imagery and forceful yet lyrical cadences, this anthology weaves together a remarkable variety of themes, capturing the myriad nuances of the North-East.