CUTTING EDGE
By PAUL LYNGDOH
THE frequency with which members of the Ruling Congress in Meghalaya have been rushing to New Delhi in the past few months has been the staple of conversation and analysis across the state- right from the humble Kong’s tea stall to the Secretariat and college campuses. I do not wish to tread the beaten track and bore you by repeating ad nauseam what has been discussed at those sessions. What struck me as remarkable, however, is the fact that this year- 2011- happens to be the centenary year of the last Delhi Durbar, embellished by the presence of none other than King George V .
For the unitiated, the Delhi Durbar was a” mass assembly at Coronation Park, New Delhi,to mark the coronation of a King and Queen of the United Kingdom”(Wikipedia).An elaborate affair of pomp and grandeur , it served to remind one and all –especially the invited guests, drawn from India’s princely states- of the might and splendor of an Empire where the sun never set. It was held three times- 1877, 1903 and 1911.Interestingly, the first Durbar- in 1877- saw the participation of our very own Kine Sing Syiem of Hima Nongkhlaw, who was conferred the title “Rajah” by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth I .Though physically not in presence, the Queen delivered a message on the occasion and was officially declared “Empress of India”. The last Durbar, held in 1911, was the only occasion that saw the attendance in person of the King, in this case George V, accompanied by his wife, Queen Mary.
What has changed in the 100 years? It has been a sea-change, you might say, noting, for instance, the sense of trepidation and anxiety that marked the Dorbar Pyllun (General Council) of Hima Nongkhlaw in approving their Syiem’s sojourn to “such a distant land” and “if he would return home safely” . Contrast this with today’s jet-speed era, and the fact that the notables could find their way to the capital and back without anyone even noticing it! Scratch the surface, though, and, I am sure, you are faced with striking images of resemblance, conjuring up a sense of déjà vu .Mark, for instance, the galaxy of Maharajas, nawabs and the princes attending the durbars. They were there to pay obeisance, to acknowledge the suzerainty of the British Monarch. Move to 2011.
The mindset amongst us is still the same: the cry for attention from higher beings, the acknowledgement that we need someone supposedly superior in rank and status who could arbitrate matters on our behalf, someone we believe are endowed with a superhuman sense of propriety, whose pronouncements are pearls of wisdom for lesser mortals like us to gather! We have not moved far between 1911 and 2011!
On the other side of the fence are the worthies of the High Command. The Brown Sahibs (I’m sure they see the tribals as the Brown Man’s Burden) have, time and again, considered us incapable of managing our own affairs, ever ready to cry foul over the stronger amongst us snatching marbles from the weaker ones, and turning to them to dispense justice! No doubt, these mighty representatives of the New Dynasty (they even have a Crown Prince awaiting his coronation) can be supercilious, demanding and haughty and need to be kept in good humour at all times! One only needs to recall the glittering gifts showered on the King and his queen by the representatives of India’s Princely States, including the prized Tiara presented by the Maharani of Patiala to Queen Mary at the Durbar of 1911. As Alphonse Karr said, “the more things change, the more they remain the same”. If anything has changed at all, it is the fact that the nerve-centre, the bee-hive of activities, has merely shifted from London to New Delhi!
I may sound flippant, but the Centenary year also witnessed something equally remarkable : the holding of the 60th plenary meeting of the NEC in New Delhi, a distance of 2059 kilometres from its headquarters in Shillong!
MODERN INDIAN LANGUAGE?
THE other day, I received an invitation to attend the inauguration of the terminal of the Shillong Airport at Umroi. I could not make it to the function, but the invitation is couched in such horrendous Khasi (reproduced below in brackets) that I thought I should share it after translating it into intelligible English thus:
“The Prime Minister of the Airport(I Myntri Rangbah Duh ka Kad liengsuin), Bah V.P, Agrawal, welcomes and invites you to the opening of the Umroi Airport, in which Bah Valayar Ravi, who is the supremo (U rangbah duh) of Overseas Indian Affairs and Civil Aviation will unveil it. On the occasion, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma, Ma Vincent Pala, who is in charge of Drinking Water of the state (U myntri ba dei peit ia ka umbam-umdih jong ka jylla) and also the Honourable Minister of transport, Bah A.T. Mondal, will also be guests”.
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
THE following conversation, although apocryphal, illustrates why men (and women) of religion will always have the last laugh over those in politics :
Priest: Aren’t you tired of making promises day in and day out, knowing how tough it is to remember, let alone fulfill, the same?
Politician: Well, don’t you do the same, my good friend?
Priest: I do, but the level of expectation from people is not the same.
Politician: That’s because I have to fulfill my promises while people are still alive, while in your case they first have to die before anything can become a reality!
MEN OF GRIT
HE spent his childhood in an orphanage, and often had to roam the streets in search of food to keep hunger at arm’s length. Yet he always had this belief that he was born to be the world’s most enduring actor.
His name was Charlie Chaplin.