When Longang Luklem, a poet from Mon town, received an Instagram message about a children’s literature fellowship, he didn’t expect it would lead him on a path that would reconnect him with the oral traditions of his homeland—and ultimately turn them into stories for the next generation.
This year, Longang was one of five fellows from Nagaland selected for the Forgotten Folklore Project (TFFP) Fellowship 2024–25, an initiative by the Sauramandala Foundation, supported by The/Nudge Institute and in collaboration with StoryWeaver by Pratham Books. The programme culminated in a book launch in Shillong on April 26, drawing together writers and illustrators from across Northeast India who had spent months reimagining their cultural heritage as children’s books.
For Longang, the fellowship was a first in many ways. While he has published poetry and previously worked as a teacher, this was his debut foray into children’s literature. “It was a friend from Instagram who shared the advertisement post from TFFP with me. I have always wanted to write for children, and this felt like an opportunity presenting itself to me,” he recalled. “So, I applied, and thankfully, I was selected.”
Longang’s two books—Khampai Becomes a Yaopa and Nyeke Monyu—grew out of his fascination with village life and the unique cultural markers he observed during his travels.
“In every village I visit, I try to look for something that’s distinct,” he said. “That’s what I tried to capture in my books.”
The first book is rooted in Longwa, a village known not only for its location on the Indo-Myanmar border but also for its traditional craftsmanship. While initially planning to explore the tattooing traditions of the Konyak people, Longang’s focus shifted after a chance encounter with local artisans who still make the traditional Konyak necklaces. One craftsman’s personal story of how he took up the ancestral art form inspired the tale of Khampai, a boy who becomes a yaopa (artisan).
The second book, Nyeke Monyu, centers on the cultural significance of the log drum in Pessao village. “The use of log drums is still very much alive in Pessao,” he said. “Only a few years ago, the village carved out a new one for a morung. I wanted to document that journey—from tree to drum—and its role in the community.” The book takes its title from the name of that very drum.
From oral tradition to illustrated story
Turning oral traditions into accessible children’s stories was no simple task. Longang’s original plan was to collect folktales and adapt them, but the process proved difficult due to variations in versions across villages and time constraints. The fellowship team instead chose to focus on specific cultural elements and build stories around them.
For Longang, the experience was eye-opening. “If I hadn’t applied, maybe Nagaland would’ve missed out on having books made about our culture,” he said. “The objective of the TFFP fellowship is to contextualize books for children. So, that they grow up reading not just books about foreign land and people, but also about one’s own culture and place. In a time when urban towns and cities are calling people out of the villages to mix up and live with people of different cultures, moving ahead, sometimes, come at the cost of one’s culture and tradition. Hence, it becomes important that children see their stories, culture, and places being turned into the stories in book, stories they can relate. The children need to feel that our culture or our people are not inferior and that we are worth becoming stories.”
The Shillong book launch, which marked the end of the fellowship, was a moment of pride. “The experience, one could say, was surreal,” Longang reflected. “The organizers did a neat job. We even had the Education Minister of Meghalaya as Chief Guest—his speech showed how invested he is in promoting reading and writing.”
The program, which works closely with Anganwadi centers in Meghalaya, left Longang hopeful that similar initiatives might take root in Nagaland. “TFFP is doing such positive work. I hope it impacts Nagaland someday too.”
Beyond the books and the launch, the fellowship brought together a diverse group of creative minds. “It was a humbling experience,” he said. “It awakened the dormant writer in me. The fellows were passionate; the mentors were young yet professional—it was truly a community of storytellers.”
Leaving a message to the readers, he said, “A person who reads is always different than others who don’t. And reading is a habit that can be taught to children from a young age. Curate the right collection of books for your children and see them becoming a mind of their own.”
