Freedom Lost in Rights

Smriti Kumar Sinha’s second collection of short fiction digs into the heart of the Bishnupriya Manipuri saga, leaving a trail of poignant stories in its wake. As the characters struggle with notions of belonging and identity, the endangered language holds them together with equal parts hope and pathos. A nostalgic old man who wants to be buried in his native village. Two lovers, caught between tradition and modernity. A village on the brink of revolution. A tribe on the verge of extinction. Children who dream of singing in their mother tongue. Ramlal Sinha’s translation treats the original stories with a distinct tenderness that moulds the prose into a soft, lyrical tryst with the Bishnupriya Manipuri world of resistance, community and spiritual joy. The syncretic culture of Northeast India forms a vibrant tapestry against every tale, making the collection a significant addition to the diverse tradition of the Indian literary landscape.