Lamchwa

Set in the distant lands of North-East, some village linked to Shillong, the novel by D. R. Michael Buam narrates a heart-touching story of a man named Lamchwa. The title of the novel is also Lamchwa and it is about this young man of talent and heart. After the death of his father, Lamchwa becomes the guardian of his family and he makes sure that his younger ones have the best opportunity of education and his mother has ‘something’ to manage the household… and there the story begins to take shape – the story of this young man of perfection, Lamchwa.

On the educational front, Lamchwa is an uneducated person with a hearty desire to have studied but the circumstances made him a different person. The lack of education cannot be found in Lamchwa in any terms because his practical knowledge and social get away is so skilful that he befriends almost anyone with his good nature and honest actions. Lamchwa’s fortunes are met home one day when he helps Kiang with the spare replacement. Lamchwa becomes a successful manager in Kiang’s shop and Kiang begins to like Lamchwa as his son. After some eye-opener’s, Kiang’s daughter Maya falls in love with Lamchwa who rather loves her like his younger sister. Maya thinks about disclosing her love to Lamchwa but she finds out that Lamchwa loves her friend Pynhun. When Maya knows from her father Kiang that Lamchwa loves her like a sister, she accepts it and becomes happy with time and fate. After the successful sending off of the only ugly character in the novel, Kiang’s former manager, the plot and the narrative is all about the bravery, honesty, good nature and social skills of Lamchwa. Lamchwa’s battle with cancer and his concern for others are amazing depictions in the novel which surely takes us back to those golden days of storytelling when we read about those wonderful Darcys, Rochesters and Elizabeths… simple yet luring tales! The novelist, D. R. Michael Buam seems to be displaying the general environment of the rural life in North East India. His novel ends happily with the marriage of Lamchwa and Pynhun as well as Maya and Doctor Kharawkupar.

The Amazing things that I found in this simple novel, simply written and simply ended, is the wonderful and calm atmosphere! There is no noise at all and that’s wonderful! The 190 pages of the novel will last a few hours and the readers can enjoy the novel with a calm breeze… you must remember those days when you used to read George Eliot in an idle day and just feeling relaxed. Lamchwa is not a fancy tale; it’s not a vampire’s diary nor it is a Harry Potter’s Wonderland and neither the la la land of modern authors. The novelist has shown that stories about common human beings and a simple plot can also make the novel wonderful. Amidst the plain tale of Lamchwa, there are full many things which a novel should have – pathos, conflict, emotions and a message, most importantly. If one goes deeper, Pynhun’s research discloses that the river has almost been polluted completely because of the mining and there should be a balance between our needs and nature’s. So, there is an ecocritical angle as well…

Folks, to cut short, this is a novel which you should read and rejoice the feelings of reading almost a modern classic! I am sure you will enjoy the rustic tale with a good narrative.