Easterine Kire, the prize-winning Indian novelist from Nagaland, has provided us a lovely collection of short stories through The Rain-Maiden and the Bear-Man, accompanied by beautiful colour illustrations by graphic artist Sunandini Banerjee.
The title-story concerns a man who, though blessed with the love of the beautiful Rain-Maiden, is captive to the sadly common male syndrome of fearing that if he reveals his true feelings and thoughts, he will find his beloved abandoning him just as everyone else in his life has done.
“The Weretigerman” utilises the pre-Christian Naga notion that certain men become dual-souled with a tiger.
Such stories bring alive the culture of Nagaland, as Easterine Kire richly evokes both the natural and the spiritual world of her people.
Communicated from person to person, stories were the usual way in which all societies maintained a sense of cohesion, and ensured that their wisdom and values helped the next generation. Easterine Kire’s stories are for everyone in the world who has ears to hear and eyes to see, for everyone can both benefit from that wisdom and enjoy these stories.
Get your copy of The Rain-Maiden and Bear-Man on Bookshop.
