A Charismatic Storyteller who Sees a Story in Everything

Well I perceive a story in everything I see, hear or feel around me, anything tangible or abstract. Knowingly or unknowingly, these observations stay in my memory and later I would realise that a connect occurs between different, unrelated episodes from therein. When that happens, I would indulge and fill that connect, that bridge, with my imagination and tie up loose ends with more observations and presto a story emerges! For that matter, even bits of conversations among friends and family lead to full blown stories- Rashmi Narzary 

Sahitya Akademi Awardee for English Children's literature, (in 2016) for her book 'His Share of Sky', Rashmi Narzary is a dog lover at heart, an author by passion and a creative writing mentor and independent editor by profession. She also dabbles with translation. Rashmi who has bagged the coveted Prag Prerona Awards, 2019, for literature, from the Honourable Governor, Professor Jagdish Mukhi and Padma Vibhushan Awardee, Sharmila Tagore has authored some noteworthy collections of short stories that include Wings, Looking Beyond, Mosaic and His Share of Joy. She has also authored a historical fiction Bloodstone, based on the legends of the famed Kamakhya Temple of Assam.

Recounting her literary journey she says, "My foray into the writing realm began with poems. I was in the 4th standard. The consequences of that creative outburst were somewhat hilarious, but we shall leave that for another time. The first poem that was published was 'Fate' (1988, The Sunday Magazine of The Telegraph, selected by Jayanta Mahapatra). My Maa had passed away soon after my 10th and 'Fate' got shaped out of that emotional crisis."

Her short stories started getting crafted much later in her life- sometime in the late 1990s. "The White Lily' was the first, once again shaped by an intense personal loss. However, I do see how life's grace and abundance have hugely outweighed the downside, leaving a bounce in my soul and cheer in my heart. That probably explains my spontaneous humour and fun-filled attitude. And in these lines, 'His Share of Sky', a collection of short stories about a ten year old boy, was born in 2012. The book was awarded the Sahitya Akademi for Children's Literature, English, in 2016," Rashmi says.

Rashmi Narzary's work is being taught in universities and researched for doctoral thesis and some have been translated into other Indian and foreign languages. "My debut novel, Bloodstone, Legend of the Last Engraving has triggered meaningful discussions on gender studies and went on to stand at rank number 40 at Amazon just below Stephen King, which was an immensely satisfying moment, considering the rejections it had triumphed through," she shares.

Rashmi says that presently, she is very excited to share the news of her upcoming release, another historical novel, 'An Unfinished Search'. The story, set in the Malegarh War Memorial of Karimganj and the Indo Bangladesh International border at Sutarkandi, is about three generations of a family who search for their identity, as their village changes its identity from being Indian, to being Pakistani, to being Bangladeshi.

So what are the things that essentially translate into inspiration while crafting books? "Well I perceive a story in everything I see, hear or feel around me, anything tangible or abstract. Knowingly or unknowingly, these observations stay in my memory and later I would realise that a connect occurs between different, unrelated episodes from therein. When that happens, I would indulge and fill that connect, that bridge, with my imagination and tie up loose ends with more observations and presto a story emerges! For that matter, even bits of conversations among friends and family lead to full blown stories. So the joke in the family is that… hey! Careful of what you say when she's (that's me!) around. And yes, my happy disadvantage is that even when I am speaking the truth and nothing but the truth, my folks still raise an eyebrow and ask suspiciously, 'Ok, another of your tales, eh?' So there I am. Most everything translates into an inspiration to craft a story," was her intriguing and fascinating answer.

Sharing her experience in terms of winning the Sahitya Akademi Award, Rashmi says, "Receiving the Sahitya Akademi for Children's Literature (English) was indeed a humbling and gratifying moment that opened for me many new avenues. It was unexpected, but yes, it reinforced the fact that good, simple and honest writing definitely finds its way into people's hearts. Writing for children is as much fun as it is challenging, because being outside their age, I have to yet keep myself hanging in there to peek at and understand life from their perspective. Now this is all the more adventurous because childhood during our times and childhood now are so wonderfully different! Keeping a precarious foothold in each is such a thrill."

Talking about her early life and people who inspired and motivated her, she says, "A happy childhood spread out among the hills of Shillong, the plains of Assam, the pages of storybooks and a family that has always wrapped me in love, warmth and care has definitely inspired me and my crazy imagination and passion for stories. And because these ideas, sometimes touching and humane, at other times crazy, needed an outlet, I took to writing. However, when you already are born with storytelling in your veins, I guess you need little else to become one! And yet, my amazing family, children, nieces and nephews and even the staff at home are a huge source of inspiration and motivation, churning fodder for my tales."

Alluding to the defining moments in her life journey, this eloquent lady reflects and answers, "Many. Infact, every moment had been a defining one, because every moment is somehow interconnected with the rest. The birth of our children, the coming home of our pets, their crossing over the rainbow bridge- the list itself would turn out to be a novel."

Her life philosophy is refreshingly simple and inspiring, "Have a hobby, wear a smile, love and never let go of the child in you. For when in distress and loneliness, that child will hold your hand and walk you through unicorns and beaches of clouds in the sky and make soap bubbles with you to drive your blues away, so that you are ready to take on life with full gusto once more," she smiles. Incidentally, she is one among 5 from India, to be selected to contribute to The Japan Foundation's Inter Country Online Literary Project, YOMU, to be published in March 2022. Rashmi's work therein is slated for translation into Vietnamese.

Apart from conducting several creative writing workshops for prestigious forums like North East Writers Forum and her many editorial ventures, Rashmi has also been a speaker at many national and international platforms including International Literature Festival, Shimla (2022, organised by Ministry of Culture and Sahitya Akademi), World Book Fair, New Delhi (in 2017), Brahmaputra Literature Festival (in 2017), to name just a very few.

Rashmi Narzary lives in Guwahati with her husband, Hemanta Narzary, a former Indian Administrative Service Officer. Their daughter Sandhya is a doctor and son Jairaj is pursuing Law at the National Law University and Judicial Academy. Her's is a boisterous home filled with an assorted bunch of pets.

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