Interview with The Girl Writer

Have you ever wondered or ever thought of a ‘Northeast’ kid writing or even selling a book? Believe it or not, but this is true. Her name is Immanuel Lalsanhim Keivom and she has written a book and that too, only at the age of 12!

Her book is entitled “The Girl Writer”, about her school-life back in Tokyo, Japan, where her parents were posted in the Indian Embassy. She studied from Grade 2 to Grade 5 over there.

She thought of the settings and every other things required for her book “The Girl Writer” when she was in Grade 6 plus. The short autobiography contains 35 pages, priced for Rs. 20.

Her parents, Mr. Malsawmthang Keivom and Mrs. Chinghoihkim Keivom, published her book in January 2007. Right now, the Girl Writer is doing her Grade-VII at Ryan International School in Greater Noida, Delhi.

The Girl Writer could, well, have her name in history as the youngest ever writer among the Hmars and other Sinlung originated peoples. Here is an excerpt of an interview with “The Girl Writer”:

LN = Lalremlien Neitham
ILK = Immanuel Lalsanhim Keivom

LN: What is your book “The Girl Writer” about?
ILK: It’s about my school-life back in Tokyo, Japan, where my parents were posted in the Indian Embassy. It includes about my, well… my personal experiences with my classmates and teachers and all the functions I enjoyed. Not only that, the main point of the story is my goal to be a writer; just not only a writer, but to be an internationally acclaimed writer.

LN: When did you started working with this book?
ILK: Well, I started working on the book during my summer vacation between May and June in 2006. It took me around two months to write the book.

LN: Since when did you take interest in reading and writing?
ILK: Since 2nd Grade, I have started taking keen interests in reading and especially writing.

LN: Which type of books do you take interest in?
ILK: The books that I prefer are like pre-adolescent or kid stuff, sort of books that have voodoo stuff, fantasies, magic, mysteries and, of course, adventures. I think realities are boring. I like dreaming away with imagination.

LN: Dreaming away with imagination… I like that. Which books do you read?
ILK: Actually, there are a lot of them. The list is really long – The Magic Tree House series, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Black Beauty, The White Stallion, Sherlock Holmes, Matilda, Goosebumps series, Sleepy Hollow, The Ramona series, Number the Stars, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dracula, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more. I also read books related to my school subjects.

LN: Did you face any difficulties while working on “The Girl Writer”?
ILK: A lot, I mean, yes. I had to put things together and recall back memories from files and photos on my sketch plan. I even had to look through my old yearbooks. Writing is not at all that easy. In fact, success comes after hard work.

LN: Who edited your book?
ILK: My parents edited some of the childish expressions that I included in my book. The rest are unadulterated.

LN: Well, you are fortunate you got helpful parents.
ILK: Oh yes, and they are also very encouraging.

LN: Any plans on another book?
ILK: Yep and this time it’s going to be about Africa. It’s going to be about kids of my age enjoying and venturing for an adventure to the Savannas and deserts. I’m already brainstorming for my next book.

LN: That sounds interesting. My best wishes for your next book. I am looking forward to it.
ILK: Thanks.

The Sewagram Experience

Lest I forget (to keep an account of the titbits other than the ordinary everyday lifestyle in my life), let me write down and also share again a bit of my experience in and en route to my visit at Sewagram in Maharashtra.

Between 8 and 11 February 2006, I was at Gandhiji Ashram in Sewagram, around 30 minutes to 1-hour drive by train from Nagpur, one of the two capitals of the state of Maharashtra. I was there for the meeting of ACTION 2007.

The meeting for ACTION 2007 (09-11 Feb 2007) was held under the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) which is a collective of diverse people’s movements and organizations and like minded people that struggle across India against injustice, exploitation and communal, ethnic, caste and gender-based discrimination.

That apart, I took a train (J.T. Express) from New Delhi railway station. The train departed accordingly to the departure schedule, which was 7:06 PM in the evening (the exact departure time may be around 7:15-7:30 PM). The travelling was smooth. I almost finished my carried 501 pages novel - The Innocent Man by John Grisham.

The novel is a non-fiction based on a true story of a fallen raising baseball player with a troubled mind who was convicted with a death penalty for a gruesome murder he did not commit, and his battle against a questionable injustice legal system. It was a good read than expected. I really wish I could write a novel of whatever genre, profitable or non-profitable. It’s one of those dream I have since learning to enjoy reading.

I safely reached Sewagram at around 2:30 in the afternoon. I got down from the train and asked the railways stall vendor - the direction to the exit and also the auto-stand. At the exit/entrance gate, ‘unusually’ passengers were asked for their train tickets. I showed my ticket to the railway official.

To my shock, I was told that my ticket was for only up to Nagpur. He asked me to give him the ticket from Nagpur to Sewagram, which I ‘fortunately’ did not have. I was on board the train from Nagpur to Sewagram without proper ticket. That makes me - an illegal train passenger! The truth of the matter was that I actually did not know that I would need another separate ticket. If I would have known, I would have equipped myself with one in Nagpur for which there was quite a time to book myself one.

I argued with the official that my ticket was valid up to Sewagram. But it did not actually help. I was marched to the railway office. And the argument ensued. Even after realizing that I was at fault (though the ticket was not booked my myself), maybe just for the fun of it, I continued to argue with the officials. After all, these people were good at it and like it so themselves too. But later, I had to obediently give a Rs. 292 fine for being a defaulter. But whether I was at fault or not, I was damned pissed.

After the exit from the station, I next went to the parked auto-walla. I asked the fare for my actual destination, which is Gandhi Ashram in Sewagram. The auto-walla replied that it would be Rs. 60. What good expectation can I have with these sorts of people? They are the same everywhere - blackmailers and robbers.

Afore mentioned, I was already pissed by my not so long ago experience when I was coming out from the station. I sarcastically laughed at the face of the auto-walla. The auto-walla asked me the reason why I was laughing (He was also laughing away himself). I bluntly answered, “What do you find it so funny to make you laugh too?” With that I left him. A minute or two later, the auto-walla with his auto-rikshaw came rushing after me. Oh, I am bull-headed sometimes (especially when pissed) and I already resolved that I am not going to be bulldozed around by such people as this auto-walla. He had to go back to his stand. I said to myself, serve him right.

The funny thought that came to me then was, “if Gandhi can do a Dandi March, why cannot I?” I am not Gandhi though. I continued on taking the road, along with my luggage. After a walk for sometime, I again came across an auto-riskshaw stand. I went through the same with them.

There was a diversion of the road - one that goes straight, and one on the right. I asked the auto-wallas which way is the road to Sewagram. They beckoned me the road that lead straight ahead.

I had some gut feeling that I was not played with honestly. Even then, I followed the direction given to me. After walking for 5-10 minutes, a curious schoolboy walking up front waited for me. To double-check my route, I asked him the way to Gandhi Ashram in Sewagram. He told me that I had been fooled. He told me, “you should have taken the other route at the diversion.” (He saw me asking for directions to the auto-wallas).

The boy was helpful and honest enough to tell me the fares also. I empathize myself that, at least there are some good “mainland Indians”. These cheats really can change your perception of the “mainland Indians”. They do not know the ugly impressions they are doing to the whole country by their lowly attitude in trying to rob people of their money. They should even be jailed for these kind of discriminating acts. At the same time, one cannot blame them all for their ‘uncivilized’ manners.

Stupid it might seem, the government can do something useful here. It can come out with a paid educational and awareness classes for these auto-wallas in every part of the country so that the important services they rendered to the citizen plays a great role in giving a good look to the country’s image.

Well folks, that’s all that I want to share with you today.

Weather Robbery

After a long break of blogging, I could now find a little time to blog some. Well, I just wanted to share and inform you that the egg price in Delhi (or just the locality I reside?) has soared so high it just make me want to write a tiny view on it.

Early morning today (I guess for many 10 would not be considered too early), I went down to the shop to get myself eggs for breakfast. Eggs are not my crazies though. I asked for 10 rupees worth of eggs, and the shopkeeper told his helper to give me three (3) eggs.

"Three eggies only for 10 rupees?" I asked myself surprised. Curiously, I asked the shopkeeper why only three eggs? He told me, "The prices of eggs have gone up. One egg cost 3 rupees each these days" The reason, he said, is because of the climatic change (it has been raining and weather was cold and chilly) for the last 2-3 days.

I found the reason so absurd and funny. Just because it rained, the prices of eggs have to go up and up?

If not five, then four eggs for 10 rupees goes fine with me. But just three eggs? This marketting strategy, which is only determined only for profit, has to be joking. But it aint so much of a joke when you had to shell out that much money for only three eggs.

Just see, in summer it would be almost free to buy the same eggs for the same amount of money but more than six (6) eggs. This unstable fluctuation in prices of commodities cannot be termed as the strengthening of a nation's economy.

I came up with a rather stupid questioning - does the government increases and tax the market controllers as par the change in weather? I would give this marketing strategy a downright justified term 'weather robbery'.

It is truly so, and many of us are yet to grasp that our livelihood is at stake by such invisible and destructive market driven financial market. Another ugly face of globalization where markets are governed not taking into consideration the have-nots, but only for the haves.

Where does that put us - as a nation, state, local community or society? We need a stable people-friendly market where all commodities are affordable to the common man, a market driven economical policies that would ensure the different strata of society a proper livelihood, and not a profit-only driven economic policy.