Monomoti is a classic Assamese novel, written by Rajanikanta Bordoloi way back in 1897, on the backdrop of the third and last Assam invasion by the Maans (people from Myanmar). It was a rapid reader in schools at one point in time. It’s a love story amid adversity. Col. Jagadish Kakati is presenting this classic novel to the present generation by translating it into English. This was a massive task since there was a significant difference in the vocabulary used back then. Certain expressions and terms are archaic in today's language. To deliver the appropriate sequences to the readers without departing from the original story, he had to conduct extensive research.
The storyline of the novel goes like this: two young birds, Monomoti and Lakshmikanta, saw each other on the day of celebration of the Holi festival around the Keertan Ghar at Barpeta, met again a few days later for a night, but had to flee for their lives before the sun broke out when Maans suddenly attacked their village, killing everyone and destroying all properties. While Monomoti could flee, Laksmikanta was captured. He gave a fight but eventually was caught by the enemies. He became incapacitated due to injuries. The people of Assam failed to protect the land due to the huge strength of the Maans and their brutality. More than that, the Assamese were also utterly unprepared and disorganized. The King of Assam, Chandraanta Singha, after losing one battle after another, requested the British authority, who were controlling nearby Goalpara, to help defeat the Maans. But no response came from them immediately. But, when the Maans touched the border areas of the states controlled by the British they mobilized troops from the nearby territories and gheraoed the Maans from all angles. The Maans were no match for the sophisticated weaponry and firearms of the British, and they had to finally flee. However the misery and devastation of the Assamese people due to the brutality of the Maans were horrific, and these are still talked about.
The cadence of the story reverberates nicely and reaches an incredible climax with some solace. This enchanting book is written in simple English and expertly translated by the author to keep readers engrossed in their reflections on the Maans' attack, the efforts of resistance by the Assamese, and the unfolding of events surrounding Monomoti and Lakshmikanta throughout the story, which makes the book incredibly captivating.
It is extremely important and relevant to tell this story to the present generation because it shows how internal conflict driven by ego, jealousy, social status, and other reasons can give our land to others on a silver platter and endanger our language and culture. We have an opportunity to examine ourselves through this work of Col. Kakati.
It describes how Chandrakanta Singha, the King of Assam, raised troops with the help of Sikhs and Muslims in addition to his army consisting of Ahom, Kalita, Koch, Kachari, and others, and how these soldiers sacrificed their lives trying to defend Assam. The characters of Pomila, Shantiram, and Podumi in the story tell us how power is inconsequential if one really wants to help the nation and its people. On the other hand, a character like Holokanta shows, despite being powerful, how ego and hatred for others destroyed him and brought devastation to his people.
We often find that people outside Assam have very limited or distorted knowledge about Assam and its history. It’s because somewhere we have been unable to present our background, culture, etc. to others in a way it should have been. That’s why we find people making wrong statements about the place and people. We ought to accept responsibility for communicating our stories in their language, rather than being offended by it. In this regard, the efforts made by Col. Jagadish Kakati are praiseworthy. He has already presented two classics to the global audience by translating them into English. The first was The Palace Maid, Ratna Devi’s novel version of Karengor Ligiri based on the drama written by Jyotiprasad Agarwala, and the second was The Fisherman’s Daughter, Homen Borgohain’s Matsyagandha.
We hope this translated work of Monomoti will give the right perspective on Assam and its history to a wider audience. This recently released book is published by Wissen Monk.
