This took a long time–but better late than never. Presenting my third (or fourth) book of translation–of one of Assam’s iconic poets, Nilim Kumar, whose early works inspired me to be a poet. 

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Presenting I’M YOUR POET: Selected Poems by Nilim Kumar

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This book owes its existence to Nilim Kumar’s trust and patience in my work as a translator and a publisher. For this, I am eternally grateful. 

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And I couldn’t have done this without the help from my friends — Soni Somarajan and Anindita Kar — who went through the manuscript several times and hammered it into shape. I am especially grateful to Anindita for her translations, and her insightful interview with the poet. 

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I am also grateful to the two poets I admire — Nabina Das and Ra Sh (Ravi Shanker N) — who agreed to read the manuscript at the draft stage and give their invaluable comments. A special thank you to Nabina for allowing us to use her translations of Nilim Kumar in the book. 

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We would like to thank Subodh Sarkar for allowing us to use his piece, and Damodar Mauzo, Chandrakant Patil, Koyamparambath Satchidanandan and Anamika for their invaluable comments. 

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I would like to dedicate this book to the memory of the poet Sananta Tanty, who passed away last year, who helped and pushed me to the world of poetry translation. Without him, I wouldn’t be a translator, and perhaps, there would be no Red River. 

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A shout out to my friend, Kumar Ranjan for the beautiful painting that adorns the cover.

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And finally, dear readers, this book is for you. And it seeks your kindness. 

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Get the book here. https://www.amazon.in/dp/8195090060