By Nawaz Yasin Islam
SHILLONG: Recognized as a poignant, subtle and refined writer, Shillong’s very own Janice Pariat launched her debut collection of short stories, Boats on Land, aptly described as revelatory and original in a sober yet intellectually invigorating launch ceremony held in the city on Saturday.
Published by Random House, India, Boats on Land has been described as a unique prism of looking at India’s northeast and its people against a larger historical canvas-the early days of the British Raj, the World Wars, conversions to Christianity, and the benevolent role of the missionaries.
In a tete-a-tete with noted poet Desmond Kharmawphlang and Ananya Guha, Janice gave the audience insights into her book. When asked about her genre selection Janice said, “Novels allow a scope for free thinking so I decided to compile short stories for I feel that they are more intense…. like a revelation.” She said her goal was to weave words in a manner that they echoed each other and she wanted to write stories that did not have easy resolutions or predictable endings.
Many of these stories which revolve around human relationships are first person narratives, and there’s usually a sense that these tales are being told to an audience, whether it be a very specific audience in the title story, or a more general one in “Echo Words” or “Keeper of Souls”. Other stories, like “Embassy” and “Sky Graves”, feature storytelling as a part of their plots.
“A lot of my stories explore the fact of how we shape the world around us based on what we hear. Some stories are anecdotes that I picked up from what my parents and grandparents told me. All I did was put life into those narratives,” said Janice whose poetry imbibed prose collection begins with a backdrop of the colonial days and progresses sequentially from there.
From the collection of fifteen stories, one that stands most powerfully is the title story, “Boats on Land” which neatly weaves in the romantic and the sensuous set against the backdrop of Assam. Janice has a way with words; they acquire a life of their own once she fleshes out her ideas.
The plot revolves around a tea estate and those often untold anecdotes that remain at the sub-conscious level and find expression at appropriate moment. Janice whose early years were spent in tea gardens feels that the gardens are a world of their own and present a very interesting space. “They are microcosmic and this story is based on a small girl’s visit where she encounters a flawed personality and how she gets to know him. It’s about knowing a person.”
Janice’s prose is justifiably gorgeous. She presents a collection of stories where the development of the plot is unconventional and uniquely portrays this region through her writings which have been regarded as mildly haunting and emotional.
Janice has written several travelogues in some of the most renowned magazines in India and abroad. She also reviews books periodically. Boats on Land will launch Janice into the world of fiction writers. Her rare feat is to become a raconteur at such a young age.