The Literature Times: The seeds in the Hills beautifully blends history, mythology and fiction. What inspired you to explore the story of the Mikir (Karbi) tribe and their interactions with American missionaries?
Surendra Singnar: After reading The Mikirs written by Edward Stack, published in 1908 and English-Mikir Dictionary by Sardoka Perrin Kay in 1904, I started pondering about the endeavors of the American missionaries, who hailed from the far western continent, across the vast seas. And the most inspiring work, the Baptist Missionary did was the publication of Orunodoi, the first Assamese-language magazine in the history of Assamese literature by Oliver Thomas Cutter in 1846. And, of course, this lingered until reached to a certain point of my inner urge to explore the American connection with the Mikirs and the Assamese people. Next, the amazing untold stories narrated by one Samson Ronghang, a centenarian about the biological relationship developed between the White missionaries and the Mikir womenfolk was far more fascinating and inspired me to undertake the project, The Seeds in the Hills as a form of historical fiction novel.
The Literature Times: The novel delves deeply into the animist traditions of the Mikirs. How did you approach researching these cultural and spiritual beliefs, and how did they influence the development of your characters?
Surendra Singnar: To be frank, initially I was born and brought up in an animist family. Since my childhood, I could see the practice of animist traditional beliefs and the adverse effects on the social changes in uplifting the underprivileged Mikir tribe at large. Since the time of my grandfather and followed by my father, the spiritual beliefs and ritual ceremonial practices were attached to me closely. Thus, I could guess the depth of the animists’ ethos, their love for tradition, custom and animism. On top of that, I visited Tika hills, the hills where the American missionaries settled as their Head Quarter for missionary works, especially for the Mikir field, I talked to the very limited nonagenarians and centenarians and collected most of the episodes of the untold stories of the missionaries. Thus they influenced the development of my characters in the novel.
The Literature Times: The tension between the Mikirs’ animist beliefs and the influence of missionaries forms a central theme in the novel. How did you balance portraying both admiration and conflict between these two worldviews?
Surendra Singnar: As I myself belong to the animist tribe, later converted to Christianity, By and large, I got the privilege to observe and study both religious and ethical sentiments and emotions for the last sixty years of my life. Moreover, I was fortunate enough to get myself mingled and attached with the missionary workers – Pastors and Evangelists as a Layman Executive Member of the Seventh Day Adventists Mission, Union and Division for more than three years. In this way, I gathered the core traits of animist beliefs and the godly characteristics of the missionaries that carried love and compassion at hearts for the innocent tribe. Perhaps these helped me to keep balance portraying both admiration and conflict between these two worldviews.
The Literature Times: The story touches on societal changes, including the destructive effects of the opium trade. Why did you choose to include this aspect in your narrative, and what message do you hope readers take away from it?
Surendra Singnar: I chose this narrative specially to let the new generation feel how destructive was the effect on the opium consumers even during the British regime. And how the missionaries took the trouble to eradicate the opium trade among the Mikir tribe, and the consequences they had to face amidst their preaching works. Hopefully, the readers would take a strong message to the mass about the present day’s menace of drugs, spoiling thousands of young people’s lives.
The Literature Times: The bonds of marriage and friendship are significant in your story. How did you develop the relationship between the characters, and what role do these bonds play in the larger cultural context of the book?
Surendra Singnar: This is the most interesting part of my narrative in the novel which gave birth to my book, The Seeds in the Hills. In fact, the idea and longing for the seeds of the White were deeply rooted among the minds of married women in the hills. They tried many ways to own the seeds of the White for improved germinations of their offspring.
The Literature Times: You’ve worked as a teacher and are involved in various social organizations. How have these experiences influenced your writing, particularly your ability to tell stories about human connection and cultural transformation?
Surendra Singnar: As a teacher, I got the opportunities to study and observe human characters and behaviors at the most. Next, being a prominent senior member of various socio-cultural organizations, I gathered the real blend of culture, tradition, custom and beliefs of the hills people, especially the Mikir tribe; where I practically encountered all the practices of art, culture, traditions and beliefs. Moreover, I read some good numbers of Assamese novels and stories and Hindi pocket books during my school days and some very limited numbers of English books in my college times. I think these old investments yielded me good fruits and somewhere induced me the art of storytelling.
The Literature Times: The Seeds in the Hills is rich with historical and cultural references. How do you ensure that your fictional elements blend seamlessly with the real history of the region?
Surendra Singnar: My protagonists in the novel have rendered most of the incidents and events with facts and figures including periods and dates with living references give me a clear pen picture of the historical part. Thus, there is a satisfying note that my fictional elements blend seamlessly with the real history of the region.
The Literature Times: As a bilingual writer, you write in both English and Assamese. How do you navigate the challenges of writing in two languages, and how does this impact your storytelling process?
Surendra Singnar: In fact, as I told you that I read a good numbers of Assamese novels and Hindi novels of some good writers, and I read some selected English books in my college days. I think these encompass me to my storytelling process and style. On top of that, I believe that my long teaching experiences have multiplied my skill of storytelling to a great extent. THANK YOU.
