"Postcard from the Lushai Brigade" by Hannah Lalhlanpuii

Author: Hannah Lalhlanpuii

Publishing date: 2023

Suggested reading age: 9-13

Opening lines:

August 1942 

"My head was a magician’s playground - sparks flying, wings flapping, lights whirling.

My world was filled with stories of sorcerer, nymphs, talking animals and enchanted creatures: Rimenhawii, the maiden whose brothers hid her to protect her from the kings and warriors who wanted her only for her long hair; Kungawrhi, the tiny baby born out of her father’s wounded thumb; Tualvungi and Zawlpala, lovers who turned into butterflies; sekibuchhuak, a magical mithun’s horn that could spit out meat and rice. I saw them in my dreams when I slept at night, and when I was awake, I saw them in the clouds floating in the blue expanse of the sky, in the long shadows cast by the tall fir trees near the superintendent’s bungalow, in the rustling leaves and in the different shapes of clothes that my mother hung out to dry in the sun."

Summary:

It is1942. A curious and imaginative boy named Bawiha lives in Aizawl in Lushai Hills (now Mizoram) with his brother Kima, his mother and their grandmother he calls Api. Their days are made of small, quiet moments that sometimes feel like magic. The heavy weight of the British rule is hovering over the Lushai Hills but to Bawiha this presence feels different. It becomes a source of novelty and curiosity than something scary, sad or even distant, despite the fact that his mother works as a housemaid in the superintendent's McCall's house.

Then the world starts to shift and the sense of safety begins to fade when the Japanese threat starts looming over India. Bawiha's brave and fearless brother Kima volunteers to join the Indian army. When he leaves to fight in Manipur, with him leave the carefree days, laughter and their small adventures. This change brings the weight of history and reality to their household stealing comfort and magic. The only lifeline between the brothers becomes a postcard that Kima sends describing the Manipur plains and ends with a hopeful line: " Take good care so that we can go crab hunting once I return."

"I ran my fingers over the postcard. My brother's handwriting was known to me as well as my own, the letters slanting perfectly to the right. I imagined the pen in his fingers, ink flowing smoothly as he wrote." (p 103).

My thoughts about the book:

I believe it is necessary to read this book from its very last page. Why? Because it explains the history behind the story. Those picking up the book will feel more confident reading it after some of the "When", "Who", Where" are more or less clear. With this clarity you can confidently start from the glorious Chapter 1 of this interesting 100 page chapter book.

One of the most appealing traits of "The Postcard from the Lushai Brigade" is its voice. A part of a bigger book series called "Songs of Freedom", it is a song indeed - the one sung by children amid the struggle for independence. The voice of the main character, Bawiha, feels real and true. It seems that the author wanted to show that children tend to look at life's challenges and disruptions with hope and positivity.

That is why the big historical events presented in the book unfold more quietly way than they actually did in the past. At the same time, it is clear that these historical events left their imprint on everyone's lives, especially children's. To me, this is the novel's most powerful idea. The idea that against the backdrop of conflict and disruption, Bawiha is robbed of the precious and crucial magic of childhood.

If these topics matter to you or if you would like to immerse yourself into the actual events of the freedom struggle through what it meant for ordinary families and children, this book hits just the right note. This story is worth reading because it speaks to the heart and because gives a different perspective that is carried in a brother's promise, a mother's unpretentious strength and a postcard held tight in a small hand.

Keywords: Freedom, culture, history, Mizo people, independence

Publisher: Duckbill Books - Penguin Random House India

About the author: Hannah Lalhlanpuii is a writer from Aizawl, Mizoram. Her area of interest lies in postcolonial studies, trauma writing and children’s literature. Her poems and short stories have been published locally in Mizoram. Hannah is currently living with her family in Aizawl.