WHISTLES OF THE SIPHOONG - TALES FROM ASSAM’S BODO HEARTLAND BY RASHMI NARZARY

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BOOK NAME: WHISTLES OF THE SIPHOONG - TALES FROM ASSAM’S BODO HEARTLAND

AUTHOR NAME: RASHMI NARZARY

GENRE: FOLK TALES

PUBLISHER: OM BOOKS INTERNATIONAL




First of all, let me make it clear that this book is not a work of translation. Not completely. But I had to choose this book for the 2025 indian translation readathon for various reasons. One of them is that finding and acquiring a book translated from Bodo was way too difficult. And even if I found one, I wasn't quite impressed by it. So, I researched and found that this book is based on Assam’s folklore, cultures and beliefs and has also portions of traditional songs in the book translated from Bodo to English by the author herself. So, I saw it as a fit and picked it up.


About the book, it features eight nonlinear stories with Ojha and his siphoong as the main characters and all the stories revolve around some mystical events that happen around them. All of them are based on the Bodo’s culture, practices, and spiritual beliefs. The stories are all crisp and neat and quick to read. I finished the book in a day and it's one of the best picks to read on the go. There was something about the way the author has woven the stories because I find them appealing to all kinds of audiences—from children to adults. The fantasy elements worked too well and my favourites among them were Orbs of Fire, Flame, Nurture and Song of Spring. 


The author’s Bodo background makes the book grounded in its roots and the translation authentic. And that's why you must read it, too. 



This is a part of BlogchatterA2Z2026 challenge

#penbooksandscalpel

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