Allan Aley: The Author who gave Nagas their First Superhero

Been born and brought up in Mokokchung, Allan Aley, author of “Becoming the Light,” now resides in Dimapur. After 8 years of chasing his dream to be a writer, he finally gave Nagas, its first superhero, in his debut novel, “Becoming the Light” which released on 27 November, 2021.
With a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Mass Communication, Allan’s love for expressing his thoughts in writing developed naturally as a child and became more proficient in his college days. His experience as an editor for his college (Patkai Christian College, Dimapur) magazine back in 2013 inspired him to often express social issues through writing. Taking an interest on social activism, Allan went on to pursue an internship for Editorial from University Times (Delhi) which catapulted him into the realms of fiction writing, film reviews, contemporary topics and journalistic style of writing. 
“Becoming The Light” is a book which revolves around the themes of redemption, courage and perseverance. The story is set in 1704, when seven tribes of the Naga Hills of Nagaland are consumed by an epidemic. As scores of people die, the quest to find an antidote begins. Soon, a seismic blast wipes the entire population of Nagaland leaving a lone survivor named, Molung Ki, who embarks on a terrifying journey, which will turn his whole world upside down. As the genesis of the first Naga superhero cuts through fiction and reality, the story hooks the reader as they wonder whether Molung will succeed in rebuilding the lost world.
Apart from being a writer, Allan is also the Director of Dimapur 24/7, a news and media website. He had also been associated with various organizations such as YouthNet and had been a vocal citizen with respect to various social issues as seen through his columns in local dailies. Mokokchung Times, taking an interest behind such an impeccable personality, takes you to an exclusive conversation with Allan.

MTNews: Hello Allan, thank you for the time. And wow! You have an incredible bio attached with you. What’s driving you?
Allan: Hi! That’s a heavy introduction. Thank you for noticing my work. I am humbled and grateful for this opportunity.
The desire to learn new things, to improve myself and to help others drives me every day. As someone who is adventurous, passionate and creative, I am multi-faceted in many ways. My dreams are bigger than the canvas of life. I strongly believe in the philosophy “Do it today not tomorrow”. So, I try to add value into my work and live a full life every day. When I grow old, I want my wrinkles to tell stories of great adventures, memories and life lessons, not regrets.
MTNews: I happened to stumble upon your book, ‘Becoming the Light’, in Ilando where you gave Nagas – its first superhero. Kindly walk us through the journey and the process of creativity you have put in while writing this book.
Allan: The initial stages of writing the book were challenging. I read many books for reference, took the help of Google by typing “5 Easy Steps to Write a Novel”, “10 Steps to Write a Bestseller”, to be honest, none of these steps were useful. At the end of the day, I had to be original with my writing style, ideas and words. Beginnings are incredibly hard because you have to accomplish so much—introduce characters, get the plot underway, and, in the case of fantasy, set up a bit of the world. For the most part, it took around two months to conceive and build the story. It started with an idea, theme and a general plot. I deconstructed the ideas several times, brainstormed through the puzzle until it became clear of what the story should be. Once you are done with the synopsis and outline of the story, you are halfway there. You will have a strong direction to begin and end the story.
It is not easy to write a book. It can be hard or fun and hard; or hard but important, exciting, and fulfilling. It’s hard because doing it well matters, because stories matter, and the details matter, and there are often a lot of details involved in writing. It becomes better when we follow the creative voice, sometimes overlapping, circles of definiteness and allowing. It took me three years to complete the book. My greatest lessons would be- trust the process, pray, and just keep writing.
MTNews: So, in the story, there are seven tribes such as Land of Dreams, Highest Order, Land of Fire and then there’s an epidemic which is a reminder to the pandemic we are going through. Will it be fair to assume that it has something to do with a real life context?
Allan: I wrote the first chapter in 2017. The scenario of the epidemic (Chapter 1) was purely instinctive. When I completed my book on 20 February, 2020, the news about Coronavirus was fresh and lurking in the corner. One of my friends called me and said “Allan, isn’t it weird, you wrote about an epidemic in your book and now we are all consumed by a pandemic.” We laughed at the coincidence but we paused longer after that. There was no way I could foretell the future. (Laughs)
Now, I am worried for my next book. I hope it will not foretell about the next swooping event for mankind.
MTNews: Hopefully, it doesn’t but it does give away an answer to my question that you plan on writing more? What other genres should we expect from you next?
Allan: Right now, my head space is bubbling with lots of ideas. My next book is definitely going to be the sequel of “Becoming the Light” and the manuscript is ready. I want to experiment with different genres and write as many books as possible. In the future, you can definitely expect a book about Christian literature, commentary on contemporary topics, academic books, and clever satire about life or even poetry. I want to be a genre-bending writer.
MTNews: Interesting. We shall look forward to it. Is there a writer you look up to from Nagaland?
Allan: Yes! Sentilong Ozukum and Easterine Kire. They have a dreamy catalogue. There are many promising new writers in Nagaland. This year, I am planning to read more books by Naga writers.
MTNews: If there’s one thing you wish Nagaland wakes up to, what will it be?
Allan: The craze for Government jobs! At home, I am constantly bashed with the pressure. The generational notion that “Government job is the ultimate job” needs to be fixed. The amount of status and respect attached to Government jobs is damaging the fabric of our society. This adds more obstacles and pressure for the youths because they are constantly limited by the wrong expectations of their parents and society at large.
The youths have an important role to play. We need to do it right. Pursue your dreams, explore uncharted territories, work hard, pave your path and build your own success story. Let your success change the narrative and mind-set of the people. Show them what’s on the other end of the horizon.
MTNews: You are also the Director of Dimapur 24/7, a news and media website, in your opinion, is the role played by the current media houses in Nagaland enough? If not, what are the changes you’d like to see?
Allan: The landscape of Media houses in Nagaland is blooming. For Dimapur 24/7, besides news we also focus on charity works (primarily relief aids and community development programs). There is possibility to enlarge the sphere of your role. Investigative journalism is also negligible in Nagaland. We need more media houses to dive into investigative journalism and open the Pandora box of truth. But in order to be the torchbearer, they should be not be affiliated or bought by bureaucrats, politicians or the Government.
MTNews: I was told you grew up in Mokokchung before moving to Dimapur. Does Mokokchung pull your heart string at times?
Allan: Mokokchung pulls my heart strings all the time! It is a place which holds countless memories and there is storied roots attached to the home, neighbourhoods and the landscape. It’s one place where you don’t need to put out an effort to fit in. You just know that you belong! The way of life, the people, the dialect and the regular humdrum of life reminds me of my humble beginning.
My love for nature and appetite for creative exploration started from my mom’s garden. It was filled with vegetables, flowers, and fruit bearing trees. The scenic view of the hills taught me to understand beauty, mystery, transcendence, solidity and the free license to dream. When you grow up in a fertile environment of freedom and creative space, it leaves a lasting impression on you. It wires you in a certain beautiful way.
Mokokchung will always hold a special place in my heart because it had a huge part in making me who I am today.

You can connect to Allan at his instagram @AllanAley or @becom_ingthelight; Facebook: @A Aley @AllanAley (Page); YouTube: Allan Aley
You can purchase his book “Becoming the Light” at various bookstores across Nagaland.
Kohima: Crossword, The Common Room, Made in Nagaland
Dimapur: Fusion Store, OM Books Dimapur
Mokokchung: Urban Hub Café, Connect Store
Shopping sites: ( Pan India delivery) Ilandlo:https://www.ilandlo.com/becoming-the-light?search=penthrill; The Naga Book shop