Interview
Conversation with Robin Ngangom
In a conversation with the Editorial, Robin Ngangom offers his heartfelt opinion on various issues that matter to human lives today – from the dangers of climate change to the decadence of poetry and poetic audience. The following is a moderated version of the conversation:
Q. There is a strong presence of a poetic persona in your poems, a persona that floats through lyrics, violent happenings, and autobiographical elements. The persona sometimes takes the form of an adult remembering his childhood days and at other times a man that is consciously talking about his homeland from a faraway (at least metaphorically) place. If you had lived in Manipur, would this persona have been different? How would have your musings on violence appeared in that case?
Kung Fu And Hustle
Filmmaker Kenny Basumatary talks about the fight to finish Local Kung Fu 2, the state of Assamese cinema and how being an actor-director is always an advantage
Films from Assam don’t really generate a conversation in national media other than the blink and miss appearances of Jahnu Barua’s continuous innings at the National Awards. But a little film, made on a paltry sum of Rs 1 lakh brought a welcome change in 2013. Kenny Basumatary’s Local Kung Fu pocketed extensive coverage not only because it managed to be a sound example of the indie wave, but also because it was a film that was exceedingly different from any other Assamese film. A slapdash mix of action, comedy, and romance, Local Kung Fu was a surprise hit in Assam, making Basumatary’s dream of being a legitimate filmmaker a tangible truth.