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Easterine Kire seen at the release of her book ‘My Book
of Angels’. Photo: Atom Puro
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Poet, novelist, storyteller par excellence – that’s Easterine
Kire for you. I always marvel at the way words flow so effortlessly from her
pen. She’s got this wonderful gift of spinning her tales and descriptions in
such a way that her stories are conveyed to the readers’ minds almost like a
vivid film.
As I read ‘When the River Sleeps’†, Vilie and all the
other characters came alive and I found myself living the book and experiencing
their joys, sorrows and their fears alongside them amidst the wonders of the
forest and the spirits that roamed the land. It continued playing in my mind
long after I had finished the book. What a gift to be able to weave words in
that manner!
I’ve known Easterine and her sisters since school days – she
and my sister Visieno being good friends and her younger sister Corina and my
other sister Zaseno (who’s now flown off into the unknown beyond) were quite
the thick pals all through school. But it was only in later years that I came
to really know her and to discover the truly generous and giving person that
she is. She’s become a very good friend and mentor. She’s been a solid rock for
me these past few years - always there ready with her support, prayers and
advice.
She’s someone with a big heart. There’s no denying that
she’s now at a place where she can happily rest easy on her achievements and
quietly carry on doing what she loves doing ensconced in her own secure world
without being too bothered about others. But no, she’s not one to do that. She
wants to give back, share and carry along others with her.
She has used young talented Naga artists for many of her
book covers and illustrations. For instance, in her latest children’s book The
Dancing Village, all the lovely sketches were done by upcoming artist Akuo
Miachieo. She can easily get any well known artist, but she chooses to use
young Naga artists because she knows that her books can give their work some
much needed exposure. She also ropes in other youngsters with various creative
abilities for projects and activities related to her books.
She’s found success, but she’s not keeping it to herself.
She has this incredible willingness to help others succeed too. She freely
shares her knowledge and counsel so that others can benefit from it as well.
Easterine has also been a great supporter and advocate for
better disability awareness and understanding. She’s been involved in some
ground projects with her sister Grace and her church group in Dimapur and has
also written a beautiful children’s book Different Strokes about two
young students who struggle with bullying in school because of their
disabilities. She uses the gift she’s been blessed with to give voice to those
struggling to be heard and to make our world a better place. I love her for
this!
Easterine Kire is a brilliant word weaver……..she knows how
to tell stories. She breathes life into her characters and pulls you along
their journeys and adventures. But she’s so much more than just that. She’s a
beautiful human being with a heart that’s big and giving.
My friend, you deserve all the accolades that come your way. May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon
walks.*
† Easterine Kire has just won The Hindu Prize 2015 for her novel When
the River Sleeps. The prize is one of India ’s most prestigious awards in Literature
She published her first volume of poems, Kelhoukevira
in 1982. It was the first volume of poetry in English to be published by a Naga
poet. Easterine has also translated about 200 oral poems from her native
language Tenyidie into English.
Her first novel ‘A Naga Village
Some of her other books include A Terrible Matriarchy
(2007), bestselling novel Mari (2010) and Bitter Wormwood (2011).
Her children’s books include Once in faraway Dorg (2011),
Dinkypu (2012), The Log-drummer Boy (2013), Different Strokes
(2013) and The Dancing Village (2015).
Her poetry and books have been translated to German,
Croatian, Uzbek, Norwegian and Nepali.
In 2011 she was awarded the Governor’s Medal for Excellence in
Naga Literature.
She is also the founder-partner of the publishing house
called Barkweaver which publishes Naga folktales, children’s stories and other
stirring stories of ordinary people.
* J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit