White Shirts of Summer

'A major voice in Indian English literature, and literature from North East

India...[Her] poems are like a race of butterflies bargaining with the night.'

-Keki Daruwalla

'Dai's poetic world is one of river, forest and mountain, a limpid and lyrical

reflection of the terrain of her home state. Nature here is mysterious,

verdant with myth, dense with sacred memory. There is magic to be found

everywhere...But as you read closer, you [also] sense a more sinister undertow:

this paradisiacal landscape is also one of "guns and gulls", punctuated by "the

footfall of soldiers". You also realize that the simplicity of Dai's verse is not

without guile. It possesses a gentle persuasive riverine tug that can lead you to

moments of heart-stopping surprise.

'For all its simplicity, Dai's poetry does not arrive at easy conclusions. There is

no dishonest sense of anchor here, no blissful pastoral idyll. The poet describes

her people as "foragers for a destiny" and her work is pervaded by a deep

unease about erased histories and an uncertain future. And yet, implicit in her

poetics is the refusal to divorce protest from love. This seems to translate into a

commitment to a poetry of quiet surges and eddies rather than gritty textures

and edges...[and] a tone that is hushed, wondering, thoughtful, reflective. The

strength of this poetry is its unforced beauty and clarity, its ability to steer clear

of easy flamboyance.'

-Arundhathi Subramaniam