Evansius Kek Mawlong was a veteran legislator, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the Chief Minister. For Mawlong, the pursuit of politics was not a chance to make a fortune but an opportunity to serve the constituents of Umroi. Being a politician enabled him to unburden those who looked up to him for respite. The book explores Meghalaya’s formative years and the uncertain politics that witnessed twenty-two governments in twenty-five years. Amidst Mawlong’s aspirations to resolve persisting problems and his efforts to bring together the state’s regional political entities, compelling questions become apparent: Was he a victim of a conspiracy that ultimately led to the fall of his government? Did his role as a unifier of political parties pay dividends or was it a wasted opportunity? This is a tale of charming friendships as much as it is about politics’ brutishness. It’s a celebration of a man’s determined fight against injustice and above all, a tribute to a statesman who ‘walked with kings but never lost the common touch’.

Growing up in the 80s in Shillong, Ferdinand Lyngdoh Mawphlang was fed as many aphorisms as rice. A waterfall became a symbol of evil stepfathers, and a gurgling river signified the madness of a lover. The fascination with stories came of use when the author took over the task of completing the biography of his father Evansius Kek Mawlong, also the former Chief Minister of Meghalaya. Assistant Professor at the College of Community Science, Central Agricultural University, Tura, Ferdinand was also a doctoral scholar who was studying African-American and Dalit autobiographies in North-Eastern Hill University, Tura.