In Pursuit of Conflict by Avalok Langer


The urge to read about north-east of our country was triggered by a what's app group chat. In a close knit what's app group of 250 (smirk), someone spoke at length about Jharkhand and how it's part of the North East of India. It irked me immensely, as I have grown up in Bokaro Steel City, very much a part of Jharkhand. A friend from north east on the same group replied to the tune of, "Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation." 

The book is written by an investigative journalist "Avalok Langer". He falls in love with a Naga Girl, Azo and follows her to Nagaland. Avalok’s love life doesn't fructify, but his love for North East does and it shines through very clearly in the book. The book captures the root causes of the dissension in North East via multiple interviews with the underground's / rebels. It dwells in great details and lays out the entire physical and cultural map of northeast very clearly, for a first-time reader on this topic. 

Avalok has a huge advantage writing a book about this conflict zone, as being the son of General Sanjiv Langer, he has a close understanding of the workings of the army and his investigative journalism gives him a close look at the real picture in North East. In a discussion with his father, the author talks about India being a federal structure and maybe, we should try to create a space for Naga sovereignty within this structure, showcasing his clear understanding of this conflict.     

The book can be best summed up using these words of the author, Avalok Langer -

I remember travelling through the "Rann of Kutch" with the army and how the sight of a military jeep would bring children to the road waving, laughing and chasing after us. A few would even stand to attention, saluting the army vehicle...As I travelled with the army from Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, I saw young boys and girls standing on roadsides with their arms outstretched holding imaginary guns. They stood with one eye closed and the other squinting as they took an aim at the convoy. In both terrains it was about the army - warmth and hero worship v/s utter disdain stemming from paranoia.    

In case you want to read more on this topic, I would also recommend reading: Great Game East: India, China and the Struggle for Asia’s Most Volatile Frontier
https://amzn.to/2SV8vOP


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