ITANAGAR, 23 Nov: Indigenous Publishing House (IPH) – the first independent publishing house of Arunachal Pradesh – hosted a discussion on Himbintach: Tale of a Transcended Beauty, the debut book of author Lopa Rebi Kojum, here on Sunday.
The event took place at the state museum here as part of the World Heritage Week celebration, organised in collaboration with INTACH Arunachal Chapter, with MLA Oken Tayeng as its convener and Kari Lombia as the co-convener.
The event marked IPH’s first public literary programme, and served as a meaningful beginning to its literary journey.
The discussion was attended by respected voices from the state’s literary and academic community, including Dr Bompi Riba and Dr Doyir Ete, both assistant professors of English at Rajiv Gandhi University. Other delegates were former trade and commerce director Tokong Pertin, and Research Director Sangeet Dubey.
Education Department Deputy Director Yumlam Tana, who is himself a renowned poet and author of The Man and the Tiger, highlighted the important role that IPH is playing by giving a platform to tribal voices. He also presented a brief on how literature in Arunachal came to be, and the necessity of telling stories as that of Himbintach.
The tale of Himbintach is a folktale native to the Tagin tribe, which has been brought to life by Rebi’s narrative and illustrations by artist Tomar Tomsai Nayam.
Tokong Pertin in his address made the audience aware of the rise of the Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society (APLS) and how far its branches have spread compared to where its roots began.
The session was hosted by Wango Socia, currently pursuing PhD in Hindi at Rajiv Gandhi University,and was moderated by Topi Bagra, guest faculty member in the English department of Dera Natung Government College.
The programme concluded with important pointers by Dr Bompi Riba and Dr Doyir Ete, whose insight and critique of the story helped made the event a fruitful one. Following the review, there was a Q&A session, wherein the audience participated in asking about the themes and relevance of the story.
APLS Delhi branch general secretary Jummi Yomcha, who established Indigenous Publishing House, and creative director Deni Lombi also spoke.
