Er Talimoa Jamir, DGM (Electronics & Communications) (L) seen with Kezhakielie Whiso during the release of the books on September 10.
Morung Express News
Kohima | September 11
In a brief and simple ceremony, two PenThrill books titled, “Weeping Willow” and “A Weretiger Comes to Town and Other Stories,” written by Kezhakielie Whiso, were formally released by Er Talimoa Jamir, DGM (Electronics & Communications) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand on September 10.
Er Jamir, who works with the oil giant ONGC Ltd and an avid reader himself, appreciated the rise of writers amongst the younger generation of the Nagas. Releasing the books, he lauded Whiso for capturing the spirit and the ‘golden era’ of the ‘80s and ‘90s of Nagaland in his short stories collection, and hoped that the reader will get a good glimpse of these decades. He also appreciated the poems, which Whiso wrote in memory of his late Grandmother. Er Jamir further hoped and wished Whiso to write many more books in the future and enrich Naga literature.
In “Weeping Willow”, a collection of 62 poems, Kezhakielie Whiso writes about death and mourning, particularly that of his grandmother. While the poems in the first two sections are very personal and mainly circulate the theme of loss and pain of separation, the element of hope and comfort is unmistakable in the third section. The poet is perhaps ‘back’ in an ordinary, everyday world in the fourth section.
In “A Weretiger Comes to Town and Other Stories”, an anthology of 14 short stories, Whiso takes readers back to the Kohima of the '80s and '90s, when the place was still a sleepy town, and contact with the outside world was rare and luxury. While the title story is set in the '60s, the rest of the stories are from his personal experience. The stories are placed in the decades that saw both the quiet, relatively peaceful times of the '80s and the tumultuous ‘90s when shootings and killings were at their heights in Nagaland. His stories, simple and straightforward, will give the reader more than a little peep into these ‘quickly forgotten’ decades. Written in a very personal ‘tone’, his writing touches and appeals to the human emotions of love, heartbreak, death, hatred, and boyhood innocence.
Mention may be made here that Kezhakielie Whiso was born in Kohima, Nagaland and holds a Master’s Degree in Geology and a Ph.D. from Nagaland Central University, Kohima. He currently works as a geologist in a national oil company and is author of two other books, namely, “Hope: Seasons along Life’s Journey” and “Things that can go Wrong on your Wedding”, a lighter look at his own wedding day, which were both published by PenThrill Publication House, Kohima,
“A Weretiger comes to Town” is Whiso’s first book of short stories and is being published contemporaneously with “Weeping Willow”, his second book of poems. Whiso enjoys the company of rocks almost as much as that of people.
Besides, he loves to read, write, listen to rock music and go for a trek. Along with his wife Blecy and daughter Aravie (Sasa), he currently lives in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
