Dr Asangba Tzudir
Stories live in every heart; some get told, many others remain unheard - stories about individual experiences made universal by imagination; stories that are jokes, and sometimes prayers; and those that are not always a figment of the mind but are, at times, confessions. Because stories live in every heart, some get told… (Temsula Ao, Laburnum for My Head, 2009).
The literary world was shaken by the truth of Temsula Ao, a literary gem, finally singing her song along the eternal Home. Knowing fully well, like she herself acknowledged the dead that never comes back, she took the pains yet the liberating road to pen the journey of her life who “faced seemingly insurmountable odds from early childhood” through her stories and songs of life “before time claimed it all” thereby leaving her life and legacy for the coming generations to read and see the beauty, sweetness and meaning of life.
In her own lyrical way, she crafted the profoundness of life and the ‘natural sweetness’ of it that comes to those who encounter life and its beauty. Beyond the rich accolades that filled her Bio-Data, she leaves a philosophy of life she learnt from her life: “It is the simple things of life like love, care and a kind word that make life worth living and adds that extra dimension to ordinariness.”
The pain and cry so emotionally expressed at her passing is not just the mourning of a literary gem that is no more, but a reflection on the loss of a very gentle and noble soul and the natural love, care and kindness she shared with all.
For those who are tempted to dwell on the meaninglessness of life and with no way out to find life’s meanings, Temsula Ao, her exemplary life and her monumental works epitomizes the meaningfulness of life and the beauty it offers and therefore a ‘life’ to look forward to. She endorsed and lived what Judith Wright in her poem Grace wrote about life as a dailiness of eating the simple bread that’s worth the eating. And indeed, it makes life worthwhile. It also teaches the living that life is not about doing different things rather doing the simple things differently to craft the meaning and beauty of life.
In crafting a meaningful life out of the ordinary, she reached the literary pedestal, and going by the perception and status of ‘Naga women’ in the society, and which only adds to the struggles and difficulties, one may truly say that she achieved something very extraordinary.
As nature beholds, the flesh shall return to dust, yet what remains of this highly decorated literary gem is that the gems of ‘story’ tellers and ‘song’ writers she ignited and nurtured all along her way, will in their own beautiful expressions continue to serve as a testament to the sweetness of life that she so adored, respected and lived to the fullest.
As she lucidly says – “stories live in every heart, some gets told…” and what probably has been left untold, if at all, she has lived it for people to see and also reflect.
Death thou shall die, so do her death finds condemned, and she will live on forever till the end of times.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir contributes a weekly guest editorial to the Morung Express. Comments can be emailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
