Shillong-based lawyer takes to poetry to highlight life, love & social challenges
SHILLONG | April 1, 2019:
"We always said that life is tough, to ride through rocky turf,
But like mountain top we have to climb, to reach the lovely spot;
Though many times we stumble down and failed to feat the spot,
But hundred times we have to strive, to win the battles we fought" ~~ Winning the Rocky Turf — (LURSHAPHRANG SHONGWAN)(
Sharing his life journey and all the challenges that come with it in a rhythmic composition, Shillong-based lawyer, Lurshaphrang Shongwan took to poetry writing at an early age as a way to best express his emotions.
His continuous love and interest in poetry over the years inspired him to publish a poetry book titled — The Silent Songs (The tales of beauty, love, betrayal and war) which was recently released in the capital city by Shillong's renowned poet and legislator, Paul Lyngdoh.
Challenging as it seems, battling cases in the Court of Law not only drives Lur to better himself as an advocate but also steers him towards a less-trodden road of self-realization.
Turning to poetry writing as a way to escape the monotony of life, Lur finds solace in penning down his thoughts and emotions to re-discover the meaning of life, the same of which is reflected in The Silent Songs.
"I never thought that I could do poetry but in 2013, life circumstances occurred that filled me with overflowing emotions. I felt that I had to channel these emotions in a positive way. Then I thought what better way than to express myself with poetry. When I started penning my first poem, it marked the beginning of my journey as a poet," said Lurshaphrang Shongwan.
Congratulating Lur on his first of many achievements to come, local MLA, Paul Lyngdoh said, in a world where everything seems so shallow and artificial, we are in danger of leaving forever the beautiful landscape of feelings and emotions — Poetry.
"We may live hectic lives, running around and making money but in this mad rush, we loses our ability to imbibe the real meaning of life. We need to try and re-discover ourselves in that moment of silence and what better to feed our human souls than poetry and music," said Paul.
Calling upon the youths, blessed with the gift of words, to translate those emotions into words, Paul opined that there is a need to tap the potential of young writers, to encourage them to continue searching and discovering the beauty of life.
A little about the Poet:
Lurshaphrang Shongwan completed his graduation in the Bachelor of Arts from Synod College, Shillong in the year 2008. Thereafter, he completed the Degree in Law in the year 2011 from Shillong Law College. He further pursued a Master Degree in Social Work from Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong and completed his PG in 2013. He was also awarded the Academic Excellence Award in the same year by the Department of Social Work, MLCU, Shillong.
During his journey as a student, he has been in touch directly with the rural communities and has been working as an intern in various communities, social organisations within the state of Meghalaya as well as outside the state. He has a taste, love and experience in music and singing, journalism, social service and social work and advocacy.
The Silent Songs is available in book stores at a price of Rs 150; the poet can be reached at lshongwan2@gmail.com.
