Acclaimed Assamese writer Namita Baishya, whose fiction moves fluently between memory, history and the inner life, has won fresh attention for her new collection Hitlarar Xesh 24 Ghanta. In an interview with Northeast Now executive editor Mahesh Deka, Baishya discussed why she turned to history in fiction, how her stories take shape, and the recurring themes of loneliness and inner conflict that run through her work. The collection has been praised for its originality, historical imagination and psychological insight.
Baishya first drew wide notice with the short story collection Sna Aru Kisu Galpa and consolidated her reputation with the novel Halodhia Ghehur Pothar Aru Ejak Kauri, noted for its philosophical undertow and vivid inner landscapes. She is also the author of the short story anthology Herai Jowar Galpa, which explores loss, memory and emotional disintegration. Her latest book, Hitlarar Xesh 24 Ghanta, grew out of an idea that “suddenly came to my mind,” she says, and which allowed her to link personal inner battles with the larger currents of politics and history.
“It is difficult to explain directly,” Baishya told Deka about her turn to historical themes. She said historical events had been working in her mind for a long time and that she began to see striking similarities between incidents in history and events in human life. In her view, politics and history often mirror the conflicts that take place within the human mind; the battles we fight internally resurface in the way societies and civilizations unfold.
Baishya described her creative process as largely instinctive. She writes in “a single flow,” she said, and imagery, symbolism, irony and subtle wit often emerge spontaneously as she follows what the story requires. While she sometimes polishes elements during editing, she maintains that the essence is usually present from the start. “A story chooses its writer,” she added, explaining that stories arrive in many forms — a scent, a sound, a scene, a single word. For Hitlarar Xesh 24 Ghanta she recalled that the word “Hitler” itself came first and the narrative grew from there.
Loneliness and silent emotional suffering recur in her fiction, particularly in urban settings. Baishya argued that modern society is becoming emotionally more isolated, with weakened community ties and an inability among many people to communicate deeply. She said such themes naturally surface in her work because they reflect the world she observes.
Baishya credits a wide range of influences — from Gabriel García Márquez and Haruki Murakami to Mahasweta Devi and Saurav Kumar Chaliha — but she resists imitation. She singled out Saurav Kumar Chaliha as especially formative; having first read his work in Class 8, she said his stories invite repeated reading and would be the one set of works she would keep with her.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/opinion/interview-loneliness-has-become-a-modern-reality-assamese-writer-namita-baishya-on-society-and-storytelling.html
Category: Assam,Opinion,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-05-17 23:51:00
