PAGE TURNERS - Lou Majaw Recommends

A musician from Shillong, Lou Majaw has attained fame both nationally and internationally. He tells Gitanjali Das that literature should teach people to start living like humans

Lou Majaw, Musician

What does literature mean to you? Do you think it has any relevance in our day-to-day lives? According to you, does it have anything to do with all that is happening around us?

You have to write something and get a very nice certificate for it to be considered literature. Literature can be about life, love, sunshine, peace, a rainy day or anything under the sun. When a person writes he lays himself bare. The relevance of literature depends on what one writes about. There are many that talk of history, of the Taj Mahal, Alexander, Hitler and what not. For me, this is not literature. Literature is something that should help society develop. It should teach people to start living as humans. Recently, I saw a documentary called Trial by Fire. It deals with religion, Babri Masjid, and so on. One is forced to wonder why one should bring all those things back. However, we have to bring up our past so that we can rectify ourselves for a better future. It’s like the road sign: “Stop, look, and go forward, don’t dwell on it.”

How close is your relation with literature in general, and with literature of the Northeast in particular?

You won’t believe it; I have no idea about literature, and for that matter, what philosophy is all about. I am just a high school kid. I know that I am born here to do something good. Be it through literature or music or anything, everybody is born to make a difference. I just want to make this world a better place in my own way.

What future do you see for literature from the Northeast?

I think the future of Northeast literature is very bright. We have got lots of creative minds. But let’s not talk only about the Northeast. We are not isolated from ‘mainland’ India. We are humans. The idea is to overcome our limitations. There are lots of people who exploit us, the environment, everything. We should go beyond that. I am talking about ‘silver linings and endless rainbows’. Everything doesn’t always have to be negative.

Name one book that had a lasting impact on you. In what way?

There are so many books. I remember the time when I learnt the alphabets for the first time. I learnt so many things from Alice in Wonderland. You can learn about survival, courage, bravery and a hell of a lot of things from Asterix, Phantom and Tanzan comics.

What book would you recommend for our readers and why?

I’ll suggest your readers like myself should go through the pages of Seven Sisters Post, and hopefully it will help us. It focuses on the Northeast, and I believe the people of the region should know about themselves. But why should we stay in a small pond? Take a step forward for the betterment of society. If you go to Delicacy and Khorika every day, KFC will run out of business.