123. IDC 151- The Voice of the Mountain (19)

1. Mamang Dai

Mamang Dai, an eminent Indian author and poet, hails from the picturesque state of Arunachal Pradesh. Her literary contributions have not only earned her recognition but have also played a significant role in bringing the rich cultural tapestry of the northeastern region to a broader audience.

Dai's notable work includes "The Legends of Pensam," a novel that delves into the folklore and oral traditions of her homeland. Through her storytelling prowess, she weaves a narrative that reflects the essence of Arunachal Pradesh, capturing its unique blend of myth and reality. The book serves as a bridge, connecting readers to the indigenous beliefs and traditions of the region.

Another noteworthy creation by Mamang Dai is "Stupid Cupid," a collection of poems that explores the intricacies of love, nature, and the human experience. Her poetic expressions exhibit a deep connection to the natural beauty of Arunachal Pradesh, portraying the landscapes, rivers, and forests with vivid imagery. Dai's verses are not merely words on paper; they are a lyrical journey into the heart of the northeastern wilderness.

One of Mamang Dai's remarkable qualities as a writer is her ability to give a voice to the marginalized cultures of the northeast. Arunachal Pradesh, with its diverse tribal communities, is a mosaic of languages, customs, and rituals. Dai's works act as a literary bridge, allowing readers from different backgrounds to appreciate and understand the cultural nuances of this often overlooked part of India.

"The Legends of Pensam" serves as a cultural ambassador, offering readers a glimpse into the oral traditions that have been passed down through generations. The novel is a testament to Dai's commitment to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of her homeland. In doing so, she contributes not only to the literary landscape but also to the broader conversation on the importance of safeguarding indigenous knowledge.

Beyond her literary achievements, Mamang Dai's impact extends to the realm of identity and representation. As a writer from a region that has historically been on the periphery of mainstream discourse, her success challenges stereotypes and provides a platform for the voices of the northeast. In her writing, Dai advocates for a more nuanced understanding of the diversity that defines India, transcending the stereotypical narratives often associated with the country.

In conclusion, Mamang Dai's literary contributions go beyond the confines of fiction and poetry. She is a cultural ambassador, a storyteller who brings to life the rich traditions of Arunachal Pradesh. Through her words, readers embark on a journey that not only entertains but also educates, fostering a deeper appreciation for the northeast's cultural mosaic. Dai's impact on literature and cultural representation resonates far beyond the pages of her books, making her a beacon for the diverse voices.

2. What is the geographical concept?

Ans: The geographical concepts of mountain acting as rain shadow and rain shedding natural structures are interlinked with the philosophy of the hill tribes.

3. How did the tribes understand the linkages between mountains and rains?

Ans: The tribes through their traditional knowledge and experience understand the linkages between mountain and rains. Their belief system and intrinsically intertwined with nature and its preservation and their lifestyle replicates the traditional practices.

4. What did the poem, ‘The Voice of the Mountain’ implies in the end?

Ans: The poem ‘The Voice of the Mountain’ implies that the mountain knows that the universe gives nothing but ‘an appearance of being permanent.”

5. What did the last line of the poem signifies?

Ans: The last line of the poem is significant as it is a resonance of the condition of the world and peace is a fabity that the mountain remarks.

6. How did the writer speaks in the poem? 

Ans : The writer speaks like an omnipresent voice, the river, the towns and the estuary mouth.

7. According to Dai, what did the mountain resemble? 

Ans: According to Dai, the mountain resembles like an old man sipping the breeze that ‘forever young’. She says that nature is like an old man who lived many lives. His voice is like sea waves and mountain peaks.

8. What did the opening lines of the poem suggest?

Ans: In the poem, the mountain narrates the story of its omnipresence. The opening lives of the poem the mountain claims to be all knowing. It sees the town, the estuary mouth and the bank of the river. The mountains are so ancient that they can ‘outline the chapters of the world.”

9. What is the importance of the mountains? 

Ans: According to Mamang Dai, the mountains are not merely a land mass or a hunting ground for tribal folk, it is a living oracles of the past and the future. It is not merely that of ritualistic practices of an Indigenous people, but a remainder of history and protector of the races.

10. Why the poet portray such places? 

Ans: The poet portray the important place that mountains have in tribal pantheons. The antiquity of the mountain, their symbolism and significance. The poet weaves around them antique tales and myths, which are part of an ancient oral tradition and which also have a close connection to modern day concern about environmental protection.

11. What is the main theme of the poem?

Ans: The Voice of the Mountain, Dai expresses her connection with the mountains. She says that the mountain can identify with the desert and the rain. It is also the bird that sits in the west. The part is recreated by the mountains. The mountain tells us of ‘life with particles of life that clutch and cling for thousands of years’.

12. What did the mountain represent? Define.

Ans: The mountain represents life forms and contributes to a churning of life of ‘thousand of years’. The mountains know the rocks that shine in the sun. The mountain knows the clouds intimately and has a clear striking of the impending rain. The relationship between the mountains share a symbiotic relationship with the landform. The mountain calls the cloud “this uncertain pulse that sits over its heart’ The cloud may fall anytime but only with the convenience of the mountains.

13. What is the structure of the poem? 

Ans: The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang Dai consists of nine stanzas. The line-count of each stanza isn’t regular. It moves how nature moves without predictability or precision. There is an organic environment just like one can find in nature. The first person persona present in the poem gives it the quality of a spontaneous lyric poem. Moreover, like an ode, the poet meditates on a single theme. It is the voice of the poem and how it expresses itself through the words of humans. However, there isn’t any specific rhyme scheme in the poem. The poet creates an internal rhythm in the text for maintaining the flow of the poem. The metrical composition of the poem is also irregular. One can find the use of spondee, pyrrhic, iambic feet, and anapestic feet in this poem.

14. Write a short note on the literary devices of the poem.

Ans: ‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang Dai contains several literary devices. Likewise, in the first stanza, there is a personification and epanaphora. In the second stanza, there is a metaphor in “the colour drains from heaven”. Here, the poet compares reflection to draining water or colour. Moreover, in “chapters of the world”, there is a metaphor for rivers. 

In the following stanza, “land of rivers” is a metonym for the plains of India. Along with that, there is an antithesis in “We live in territories forever ancient and new”. Moreover, in the fifth stanza, there are several metaphors. Apart from that, the poet uses alliteration in “clutch and cling” and “these things”. And, she uses palilogy in “I know, I know these things” and “I know a cloud is a cloud is a cloud”. Such repetition is meant for the sake of emphasising the ideas present in the lines.

In the following stanzas, there is an epigram in “Peace is falsity”. The lines, “In the end the universe yields nothing/ except a dream of permanence” contain a paradox. Moreover, “dream of permanence” is a metaphor. However, the poet uses irony in the phrase, “the myth of time”. It is a metaphor too.

15. What is the central idea of the poem?

Ans: The poem is about the voice of the mountains who themselves are expressing their feelings. According to the mountain, he is still at one place from thousands of years ago. He is sitting at the top and watching all the activities that occur. The mountains say that all day long he sits quietly watching all the activities. The crossing of the ferries and the big river. The mountain knows the towns and estuary mouth. Even it is so aware of the things that can outline the chapters of the world. The man used to visit the village, because the mountain has been standing from years ago, so it know all the original tribes and the changing languages which took place. According to the mountains the territory is surviving from a thousand years ago, so the different tribes are and going but the mountain is still.

With the passes of time, the mountain has changed his living habitat, before he know about spear but now to make a sign.

The mountain compares himself as an old man who is sipping the breeze and forever young. He lived many lives. The sea waves and mountain peaks are his voice. He witnesses history and miracles.

He is the desert and the rain. He is the wild bird that sits in the west. It recreates its past and particles of life that clutch and cling. In the end of the universe yields nothing except a dream of permanence and the peace is a family.

In the last few lives of the poem the mountain describes that he is a child who died at the edge of the world. It means that with the advent of new civilization, he recreates himself and witnesses the falling of the star, the weeping of men and women. He is the place where memory escapes the myth of time and sleep in the mind of the mountain.

16. What is the symbolism of the mountains?

Ans: Mamang Dai, celebrated writer from Arunachal Pradesh often. glorifies nature in its primordial form. She celebrates both the mystic as well as the common place that nature radiates; exploring mythes behind the ‘forces of nature’ and thus leading the reader to ecological forests. Mountains from a leitmotif of several of her poems and they lead us to ancient myths and rich tribal folklore. Mountain are there not a mere landform, but an intrinsic part of the collective psyche of the people of Arunachal Pradesh. The voice of the mountains portray the important place that mountains have in tribal pantheon. The antiquity of the mountains, their sacredness and mystique in Mamang Dai’s poem adequately bring out their symbolism and significance. The poet weaves around them antique later and myths, which are part of an ancient tradition and which also have a close connection to modern day concerns about environmental protection.

Mountain play an important role in the quest for understanding interactions between nature and society. In Mamang Dai’s poems the mystique and grandeur of mountains along with myth and folklore surrounding them weave and ethereal story around these land masses. Mamang Dai is a celebrated writer of Arunachal Pradesh whose works are stepped in tribal folklore. She has written many poems which deal with myths of her land. She writes of elements of nature like cloud, river and mountain in her works can felt. Coming from Arunachal Pradesh, she has seen the scourge of insurgency from close quarters and has been surrounded over this long battle. She dreams of a peaceful vine and bamboo paradise where the cloud, the bat and the rain are in absolute harmony.

17. Give an analysis of the poem, The Voice of the Mountains. 

Ans: The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang Dai talks about the mountain in the first stanza. The mountain being at a higher platform visualizes everything like God. The mountain says that he can see the ferry lights that cross the big river below. As it is at a distance, the movement of the ferry appears as the “criss-crossing” light works on the river. The poet uses synecdoche in the “ferry lights” and the variety used here is “part for the whole”. The mountain says he knows about the towns and estuary of the rivers. 

His omniscient view of the landscape makes him appear like the almighty. Moreover, the mountain point at the sea and says he can see the colours of the sky getting reflected on the seawater. Here, he metaphorically outlines the chapters of the world. It might be a reference to the rivers. The metaphor can also refer to the past episodes that the sea observed as it is also ancient like the mountain. Collectively, they have watched many things that happened in the past. The poem talks about a young man. 

He brought a fish as an offering to the spirit of the mountain as he couldn’t speak. The person thought if the mountain took pity on him, he would grant his voice back. According to the mountain, such acts of pleasing him are repeated. Moreover, he says. as the territories are forever ancient as well as new, there is always a shift. 

However, the essence remains the same at the end. The second speaker remarks, like the person who believed in the god-like qualities of the mountain, the speaker also makes a sign of reverence when the mountain comes in the sight. It seems that the second speaker is the poet herself. Through this section, she participates in the dramatic monologue of the mountain. The poet again comes to the soliloquy of the mountain. The mountain says he is like an old man who is sipping the forever young breeze to keep his soul fresh. In this section, the poet uses the breeze as a symbol of youthfulness and vigour. Moreover, the mountain says it is the macrocosm of the universe. Within his voice, one can hear the sea waves, and the wind circling the mountain peak. 

Whereas the language of humans changes gradually, the voice of the mountain doesn’t change. It’s eternal. According to the poet, it is like the “chance syllable” that orders the world. It is the voice of the creator. In the mountain’s ancient language one can find the history and miracles of mankind. Through this reference, the poet associates the concept of the “universal language” about which Paulo Coelho has talked about in ‘The Alchemist’. Thereafter, in the sixth stanza of ‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang Dai, the mountain asserts his universality. He says he has the aridity of the desert and the moisture of the monsoon. The mountain even finds its manifestation in a bird that lives in the west. Several episodes of the past reiterate their importance through the voice of the mountain. Each particle of life that clutch and cling for thousands of years was nothing but the echo of the mountainous spirit.

Thereafter, the mountain, like an old man who recollects his thoughts while speaking, says “I know” twice to emphasise his wisdom and experience. There is a gift from Mamang Dai to the readers in this simile, “as rocks know, burning in the sun’s embrace,/about clouds, and sudden rain”. As for the rocks, the mountain knows about every little thing that occurs in the world.

In the following line, there is a marvellous use of the pun. The mountain says he knows a “cloud” is a “cloud”. Here, the “cloud” symbolizes uncertainty and pessimism. The poet associates both of the ideas in this repetition. However, in the last two lines of this stanza, the mountain refers to the clouds that embrace its heart. Here, the “clouds” symbolize grievous thoughts. In the seventh stanza of The Voice of the Mountain, Mamang Dai refers to the hopelessness at the end of the universe. What remains, is a dream of permanence. This dream is what keeps every living embodiments moving with the spirit of the world. 

Thereafter, the poet uses a paradoxical affirmation that “Peace is falsity” or daydream. Only “a moment of rest” comes after long combat. Whereas, the war of life continues. There are only pauses in the sentence of the universe. To live in peace is to live in an illusion. In the eighth stanza, the first two lines are connected using enjambment with the idea of the last stanza Here, the poet refers to the warrior who returns with the “blood of peonies”. Such a contrasting image refers to the coexistence of struggle and beauty. Thereafter, the mountain says that his child-like spirit died at that edge of the world where he stands firmly. Moreover, the poet creates another contrast in the following lines. 

Here, she refers to the starlit sky and the scorching summer. Moreover, the mountain says he was once a woman but lost in the translation of time. However, he still survives in eternal happiness. The mountain refers to its magnanimity. He creates a passage for the canyon to breathe. Moreover, he is like the sunlight on the tip of trees. Thereafter, he refers to the narrow gorge where the wind is always in haste. He is also there. Apart from that, the mountain is a place where memory escapes from one’s mind. Here, the “myth of time” doesn’t work. One loses the track of time as if it halts near the mountain in awe. At last, the poetic persona says she is the sleep that exists in the mind of the mountain. In this way, the poet presents her similarity with the spirit of the mountain.

18. Discuss the symbols of mountains in Mamang Dai’s poems. 

Ans: Mountains play an important role in the quest for understanding interactions between nature and society. In Mamang Dais’ poems the mystique and grandeur of mountains along with myth and folk lore surrounding them weave an ethereal story around these land masses. Mamang Dai is a celebrated writer of Arunachal Pradesh whose works are steeped in tribal folklore. A former bureaucrat, Mamang Dai has the prestige of being awarded the Padma Shri for her contribution to literature. She has written many poems and two novels, one of which deals with myths of her land. 

She writes of elements of nature like clouds, rivers and mountains and in her works can be felt that primordial search for a “homeland” in the spiritual sense of the term. Coming from Arunachal Pradesh, she has seen the scourge of insurgency from close quarters and has been sorrowed over this long battle. She dreams of a peaceful vine and bamboo paradise where the cloud, the bat and the rain are in absolute harmony.

In fact, recently, Arunachal Pradesh was reeling under an economic blockade and Mamang Dai’s hometown was badly affected by such blockades (Naga). The people of Arunachal Pradesh were put to great inconvenience with prices of domestic commodities sky rocketing. Blockades such as these are common and accepted as the destiny of the people in this part of the world. While being awarded the Padma Shri, YD Thongchi, President Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society said that Mamang Dai ‘is firmly rooted with the soil of her birth place’. He also remarked that her heart was always in consonance with the rivers, mountains, trees, jungles, rituals, legends, mythology, dances, villages, prayer flags of her ‘dear abode, Arunachal Pradesh’ (Padmashree). The hills also form a common theme of several writers of the NorthEastern states. Temsula Ao, Mona Zote, Robin Ngangom and YD Thongchi find it natural to write about mountains with their glory and pristine sublimity. 

The mountain is not merely another memory of childhood and youth but forms part of a continuing relationship with the environment. The insularity of the northeastern states are also related to the terrain in which hills and mountains constitute a formidable barrier. The ‘mainland versus hinterland’ debate follows also from the ‘so called distance’ in terms of miles and milestones. The North East has been unique in the way it has administered itself over the years. Sujata Miri says that none of the communities in the North East conceived of a law of peace which would apply to any other community but themselves. If there was a war it was always fought within the parameters of certain rules. In such a conflict, the main consideration was the preservation of one’s own territory rather than “extension of it”. 

Thus traditionally accepted actions were in consonance with the goal of peaceful co-existence (Miri). The name Arunachal Pradesh itself represents the Sanskrit meaning of “The Land of the Dawn Lit Mountains’ as this state receives the first rays of the sun in the country. Hence, little surprise that the mountains form the story lines of many a narrative here. Arunachal is a land of great beauty with soft snow covered peaks, which on melting tumble into rowdy streams and rivers. In fact, the state has the honour of being one of the greenest parts of the country. In an article on Arunachal Pradesh, Dai says that Arunachal is still one of the ‘last frontiers of the world’ where indigenous faith and practices still survive in an almost original form as handed down by ancestors. 

It is, however, equally true that, because of the remoteness and historical isolation of this ‘forgotten land’, there is little dissemination of information about the goings on in the state (Dai, Arunachal Pradesh). There are several tribes in Arunachal Pradesh and they follow an indigenous lifestyle. Their beliefs in nature are very strong and by that corollary they become champions of the environment. Sacred forests, birds and beasts form part of their collective consciousness. The highest mountain peak in the Aka (one of the tribes of AP) inhabited area called Wojophu is considered a sacred mountain and removal of any resources from there and even hunting is strictly prohibited. Akas believe that breaking of such taboos will lead to bleeding from nose and mouth finally leading to death. So, even today this mountain is covered with dense forest cover.

19. Give a critical appreciation of the poem. 

Ans: Mamang Dai was born on 23 February 1957. She is an Indian poet, novelist, and Journalist based in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. Her first novel “The Legends of Pensam” was published in 2006. Some of her famous poetry collections are “River Poems” (2004), “The Balm of Time” (2008), “Hambreelmai’s Loom” (2014), and Midsummer Survival Lyrics (2014). For her contribution to Indian literature, she received Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 2011. Moreover, she received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017 for her novel “The Black hills.

The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang Dai voices the unheard words of the mountain, the guardian spirit of the land of wonders. It’s a poem that has a universal approach to finding the meaning of the world as well as that of life. The mountain is a symbol of the spirit that guides humanity, redefines the unknown, and last but not least makes one peaceful. Moreover, the use of imagery and symbolism in the poem makes this poem a wonderful adventure. ‘The Voice of the Mountain’ is nothing but the macrocosmic representation of nature’s egalitarianism.

The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang Dai presents the worldview seen from the eyes of the ancient mountain. In this poem, the speaker is none other than the mountain itself which finds its utterance in the poetic words. It describes what it has been experiencing throughout. Within it, there are different personalities. One is of an old man that gets rejuvenated with the winds that soothe. The mountain, being a part of nature, contains everything. Be it a desert, or the rain, each element of nature is there inside its heart. Moreover, there is a lady within it, lost due to the translation of time. However, in the last stanza, it seems that the poet is sitting in the mind of the mountain and utters what the mountain suggested to her.

‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang Dai consists of nine stanzas. The line-count of each stanza isn’t regular. It moves how nature moves without predictability or precision. There is an organic environment just like one can find in nature. The first-person persona present in the poem gives it the quality of a spontaneous lyric poem. Moreover, like an ode, the poet meditates on a single theme. It is the voice of the poem and how it expresses itself through the words of humans. However, there isn’t any specific rhyme scheme in the poem. The poet creates an internal rhythm in the text for maintaining the flow of the poem. The metrical composition of the poem is also irregular. One can find the use of spondee, pyrrhic, iambic feet, and anapestic feet in this poem.

‘The Voice of the Mountain’ by Mamang Dai contains several literary devices. Likewise, in the first stanza, there is a personification and epanaphora. In the second stanza, there is a metaphor in “the colour drains from heaven”. Here, the poet compares reflection to draining water or colour.

In the following stanza, “land of rivers” is a metonym for the plains of India. Along with that, there is an antithesis in “We live in territories forever ancient and new”. Moreover, in the fifth stanza, there are several metaphors. Apart from that, the poet uses alliteration in “clutch and cling” and “these things”. And, she uses palilogy in “I know, I know these things” and “I know a cloud is a cloud is a cloud”. Such repetition is meant for the sake of emphasising the ideas present in the lines.

In the following stanzas, there is an epigram in “Peace is falsity”. The lines, “In the end the universe yields nothing/ except a dream of permanence” contain a paradox. Moreover, “dream of permanence” is a metaphor. However, the poet uses irony in the phrase, “the myth of time”. It is a metaphor too.