The Eagle’s Sky

‘The Golden Dream’ is a novel by Dr Debasis Bezbaruah that blends history, contemporary political culture and dream realism into a story centred on identity, love and the search for a better future. At its heart is the journey of Babu and Anu, whose quest for the “golden dream” becomes a larger search for peace, unity and prosperity.

The novel starts against the backdrop of the Assam Agitation of the nineteen eighties, which took place to secure the identity of genuine Indian citizens who were on the verge of an identity crisis due to the uncontrolled influx of foreigners. In a patriotic spirit to secure a golden path for the existence of the citizens, Babu disappears and meets one Babaji. The Babaji was also a golden dream seeker but was wrongly pursued and empowered by some strange dragon-fire, which gave Babaji the mesmeric capacity to transform youths into human-eagles.

Babaji transforms Babu into a human-eagle, half human and half eagle, and they start seeking an eagle’s only sky. In his human-eagle incarnation, Babu meets a dove and a cuckoo, personified with extraordinary qualities to behave like humans. The dove and the cuckoo bring Babu to the past, into the last decades of the eighteenth century.

In the past, Babu meets a great counsellor of the then Ahom Empire whose name was Purnananda, and a British East India Company Officer, Captain Welsh. Purnananda tells Babu the incidents that weakened the Ahom Empire. The Ahom Empire defended seventeen times against Mughal attacks and finally defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Saraighat under the leadership of the great general, Lasit Barphukan.

Such a powerful empire was weakened not by external attacks but due to internal strife and rebellion among brotherly clans who were part of the empire. The situation gives Captain Welsh the chance to venture inside to have a detailed survey of the Brahmaputra Valley. With the help of Captain Welsh, the Ahom Empire was restored.

Due to the England-France war, Captain Welsh returned. But internal intrigue again weakened the Empire, and the Burmese attack finally resulted in the fall of the Empire. This time, the British re-entered the scene, defeated the Burmese, and finally annexed the Ahom Empire into British rule.

Anu, in search of Babu, turns to the human-eagle and the personified dove, and the cuckoo leads her through the sky, flying towards the northeastern Patkai Hills. On the way, they experience contemporary unrest and violence among different groups of people in the name of identity strife. Different forms of human-bird genres appear and fight, leading to catastrophic violence everywhere.

Finally, Anu meets Babu in the eastern Hills of Patkai under a Hollong tree. As advised by the old counsel Purnananda, they invoke the Treasure Fire. The Treasure Fire appears, along with the advent of spring, blossoming flowers, and turning the leaves of the Hollong tree golden.

Anu and Babu realise the need for peace, unity, and prosperity and resolve to return to the valley through the golden ladder, turning back to human form from human-eagle form, enlightened by spring, with a determined golden dream of coexistence, peace, unity, and prosperity for the land and all its people.

The novel is a perfect blend of political realism, identity and existence, history, and dream realism, evolved through a romantic love story, finally appealing to the universal human need for peace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr Rupali Sethi

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