New Delhi: The heroic tale of a Bodo freedom fighter who was, arguably, the first woman revenue collector in British India, is the subject of the last book of late author Mamoni Raisom Goswami, who was known for her voice in championing women’s causes.
Set in late 19th century Assam, “The Bronze Sword of Thengphakhri Tehsildar”, published by Zubaan, is Goswami’s last work of fiction translated from the Assamese version by Aruni Kashyap.
Thengphakhri is a fascinating character that the author recreated from folklore and songs and stories that she’d heard in her childhood.
The image of the protagonaist, galloping acroos the palins of Bijni kingdom in lower assam to collect taxes for the Bristish, is a complelling one and something that inspires awe and admirartion.
At a time when educated Indians, social reformers and the British government were trying to fight misogynist practices such as sati, child marriage and the purdah system, here was a woman working with the Bristish officers, shoulder to shoulder.
Goswami, who died on November 29, 2011, has woven a cpmplex tale wherein the foundations of the colonial rulers were shaken by the insurgents seeking freedom across assam just before the rise of the Indian National Congress.
Tengphakhri knew how to ride a horse and use a gun. She also knew English.
The book describes how she went on to become an expert rider.
Tengphakhri had much longer hair than other Bodo women and when she stood in the sun, it glittered like gold.
It was just like the sheen on the skin of a snake, which leaves its burrow after a long time.
Her beauty and personality mesmerised everyone.
The felt-hat on her head enhanced her beauty.
The people from the village – children and young girls and young men – would gather to see her riding. Macklinson Sahib was her mentor in her professional life.
After she was made the Tehsildar, Macklinson had cautioned her, “You won’t be able to become a good administrator if you are soft. If you don’t have a strong personality, there is no value in your beauty.”
According to Kashyap, Thengpkahiri remained only among the memories of some old people, in folk songs, in folk tales that were told and retold and Goswami’s choice to reconstruct the life of this heroine from historical as well as oral sources may be perceived as a significant intervention in the socio-political life of Assam.
He says Goswami is writing a novel on a forgotten Bodo heroine has deep significance.
“Gowami was actually transplanting Bodo life and culture, their contribution to India’s Freedom Struggle in the centre of India’s literary and cultural imagination.”
For him, the novel was an ambitious project not only because of the lack of proper historical evidence about Thengphakhri, but also because Goswami created her as an introvert.
“She (Thengphakhri) rarely speaks and we only see her in actions. Unlike her previous novels, where the thoughts of her characters are very closely mapped, Goswami had the challenging task of showing the complex emotions of her character only through her actions and very little dialogue,” Kashyap says. (PTI)