RONO HILLS, 13 Jan: ‘Yapom: Galo Lok Kathayen,’ a collection of Galo folktales by Gumpi Nguso was released at the AITS conference hall of the university here on Wednesday.
Through this book, the author, who is a Hindi officer at the RGU, and has been pursuing research in the field of Galo folktales, tries to highlight the stories that have been confined to distant villages.
Also, through the pictures compiled in the book, the author is making an effort to conserve the vanishing objects of the Galo society so that the younger generations can recognize the metals and objects used in the traditional Galo society.
Highlighting the concept of her book, Nguso said, “Yapom – a story compiled in this book, which is a folktale as well as the agony of a woman, is a narrative. This narrative impressed me a lot. That is why the book was named Yapom. Many forms of yapom are conceived by our community. It is important to understand these folklores to understand the beliefs of the society. The book is a small effort from me to achieve this.”
Attending the ceremony, RGU VC Prof Saket Kushwaha appreciated the effort.
“Let us accept that there are similarities and semblance among all the folktales, irrespective of tribes and regions,” Prof Kushwaha said, adding that more research should be there to study this aspect of semblance.
“Let all the positivity of such tales be reflected in and through writings,” he said.
Assistant Professor Dr Abhishek Yadav of the Hindi department said the book talked about the connection between humans and the spiritual world.
Sharing excerpts from the book which showcased human’s relationship with nature, Yadav said, “What makes this particular collection different is that the folktales are not limited to Abo Tani as is seen in most of the folk literature from the central belt of Arunachal.
Galo Welfare Society president Tanga Kena appreciated the book and also thanked the university for supporting such work. He presented a compilation of Galo folktales in pen drives to the dignitaries present on the occasion, the head of the Hindi department and the university library.
Earlier, in his keynote address, Prof Vir Bharat Talwar, Indian language Centre, JNU shared his experiences of working in folk literature. He emphasised the need for conducting comparative studies of folk literature from different tribes of the state.
RGU Registrar Dr NT Rikam, Joint Registrar Dr David Pertin, Dean (Aca) Prof SK Singh, Dean (Faculty of Environmental Sciences) Prof NC Singh, AITS Director Prof Jumyir Basar and Head of Hindi department Dr SS Singh were also present on the occasion, among others, and congratulated Nguso.
