Title: Aram diu bamdi alung ga bamme [The Land so Far Yet so Close]

Language: Liangmai

Narrator: Hupaobou Chawang

State: Nagaland

Indigenous poem:

Aram diu bomdi alung ela bom ye

Eeh niu maton khai di, nganlu lak mineh
Chiudi eeh maton khoi doi deh
Aram ga malan wang leng
Eh moning diu jumineh, chiudi kana poga bom kun

Wimanbo-ram, kom madia bo ram
Chara cham miu kam maring bo bam aliugu tenia
Aram kadi diu bomdi, alunga bamme

Nthai lunlung ting, kapubu ting
Alu zu madiu ted mineh
Aliu zoi, aliu zat moi khuga ney
Apou mpeh lui ti sita mineh

Atu azai, azat gu phimbang hami tulow
Adi aram ariga lung lo
Chageng luziu nai khat
Adi aram ga modon wang bonoi
Adi aram tu maning tou dai nat

Ehh niu matan khaida nganlu lak mineh
Chiudi oh matan khaidai deh
Ehh niu matan khoi bam sai
Ehh niu maning bam sai
Nai khat ra ehh aram adi
Gu maton wang suana?
Apou apeh ram diu bam di alung ga bam yeh

English translation of the poem:

The Land so far yet so close

I try, and fail,
yet I try again,
to go back to the land
that feels so far, yet so close.

A vibrant land, painted in colors of green,
alive with stories, laughter,

and the hum of culture.
A land so far, yet so close.\]

Modern ways, busy days;
they pull me away from my roots,
roots of identity, of history,
of songs once sung by my ancestors.

Let my roots not fade,
let my land live through me.
Let it be proud, when I return
to remember the forgotten land.

I try, and fail, yet I try again.
As long as I keep trying, as long as I keep remembering,
Will I find my way back to that forgotten land,
the land so far, yet so close.

Glossary:

Aeli aram gu- Forgotten land, cultures and history which are slowly dying and are being
forgotten
Phimbang- Roots, our roots which holds our identity and history
Apou- father, reference for ancestors, our forefathers

Summary:

My poem Aram diu bomdi alung ela bom ye is about my effort to reconnect with my indigenous
roots and cultural identity that are slowly being forgotten in today’s modern world. It reflects my
longing for the land that holds my people’s history, traditions, and stories, a land still present
through its natural beauty, historical sites, and cultural practices, yet distant because many have
grown detached from it. Through this poem, I wanted to show how modernization and busy
living often pull us away from our roots, but also how those roots can still be revived if we
choose to return. It’s a reminder to myself and to others not to forget where we come from, to
hold on to our heritage, and to keep trying to bring back the values, traditions, and memories
that define our identity.