“The Black Hill” By Mamang Dai

This present essay highlights the biography of Mamang Dai and this essay also deals with her famous novel The Black Hill. Mamang Dai is an eminent Indian poet, novelist and she has also engaged in the field of journalism. She belongs to Arunachal Pradesh. An eminent Indian poet and a multitalented person was born on 23rd Feb, 1957 at Patighat. She has done her Bachelor of Arts from Gauhati University that is situated in Assam. She belongs to the Adi tribe. One of the important facts about this great novelist is that she is considered as the first woman who has been selected for Indian Administrative service. It is her biggest achievement but she was very much interested in journalism. She has left this post. She is a multi- tasker woman who worked as a host and she has taken various interviews. She is a good academician who has been actively participating in various funds like WWF. For her famous and mysterious novel The Black Hill , she got the Sahitya Akademi Award. In her lifetime, she has occupied a very significant position as she became a member of the North East writers Forum.

When we talk about her writing style, we find that she has started to write romantic tales and later on her focus has been shifted towards a larger perspective. In most of her work, she focuses on reality. She has a broad vision. In her novel, we find love for nature. Mystical elements are very much present in this novel. In her work she also described how their community resides in villages and remote towns. She became an influential voice for her Adi tribal community.

The Black Hills comes under the category of historical fiction. It depicts the events that have occurred in the mid-19th century Arunachal Pradesh. The present novel focuses on the two tribes Abor and Mishmee. This novel has two aspects. On one side this novel deals with the colonial past and on the other side, it deals with a love story of two different youths who belong to different tribes. In her novel, she gives the idea of how the British occupied their land and territories and how a fearful atmosphere has been created. In the discipline of tribal writings, Mamang Dai is a creative writer who wanted to revisit or re-trace tribal history, tradition and also tribal cultures. Her novel is reviving the native spirits. She also focused on how society is changing. The Black Hill gives the holistic picture of the pre-independent scenario of the North. Her novels are so significant because they deal with borderland issues that are very much related to the North east region. The very title of the novel is very mysterious in its nature. This novel deals with realism. Major three Fs become significant; it deals with the very idea of Frontier, Foreigner and Faith. These three Fs possess a significant space in this book.

Mamang Dai is considered a versatile novelist. The Black Hill gives us an insight on all spheres of tribal women life. Mamang Dai through her inspirational and remarkable writings changes the perspective of people looking at the tribal as demoralized. Through her larger vision, she has made us witness the unseen tribal world. The Black Hills is the reflection of the hostility of the tribes inhabiting the hills of Arunachal Pradesh towards the outsiders. This novel basically deals with the issue of ethnic clashes and ethnicity. Ethnicity is the major aspect of this novel. By writing this novel Mamang Dai is trying to revisit the past of her tribal community. One of the remarkable features of her novel is that there is a quest for identity. In her novel we find the ecological aspect. Tribal communities love nature and also worship nature.  In her novel we find the glorification of nature. Through her writing she is doing a great job as she is representing Arunachal Pradesh in a certain manner and she is also trying to explore her state for the others. She becomes the true voice for the tribal community who has been neglected since time immemorial. Apart from literature and journalism, she used to travel across different countries and travelling is also the major inspiration for her writing. In her work, we find familiarity and imagination. In her novel she depicts bold women. These women are depicted as self-reliant and self-conscious.  In the end we can say that Mamang Dai is giving an important message that we should follow our dreams. 

By SAHAR SALEEM