By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The 112th celebration of the Seng Kut Snem was observed with utmost gaiety and excitement with huge participation of people belonging to the indigenous community who gathered at Madan Weiking at Jaiaw to commemorate the renaissance and awakening of the Seng Khasi community.
Amidst the cold weather, thousands of people from all over Khasi-Jaintia region, ranging from children to the elderly, decked in their traditional attire, thronged Madan Iewrynghep from 7.30 am on Wednesday to participate in the flag off ceremony.
The crowd accompanied with the beating of the Ksing (drums) took part in the Iaid Pyni Riti (ritual procession) all the way from Nongthymmai to the Seng Khasi Mawkhar and later proceeded to the Madan Weiking where the mass gathering was held.
It may be reminded that on this day, 112 years ago, the Khasi community brought out 16 magnanimous young men who stood up and led the community against the oppression of the British. This was the beginning of a movement for preserving and conserving the uniqueness of the Khasi belief, tradition and culture — a movement that was and will always be remembered as the ‘Seng Khasi Movement’.
November 23 is hence penned down in history as the Seng Kut Snem.
Addressing the gathering, President of the Seiñ Raij, Jowai, OR Shallam, said many of the people have lost their roots and moorings while pointing out the various ways and means which encourage and make the Seng Khasi believers turn away from their original religion.
Meanwhile, speaking on the sideline of ceremony, president of the Seng Khasi Seng Kmie, MF Blah, also stressed on the same note saying “Culture is like a mirror of the community which reflects their beliefs, behaviors, dress patterns, languages and religion-all together reflects the identity of the community. So if one of this is pulled out, the identity is no longer intact, it is left hanging with no roots in it.”
However, vice president of the Seng Khasi Seng Kmie, O Pyngrope spoke at length about the Akor Khasi (traditional Khasi values). He lamented the slow disappearance of the Khasi values saying, “Our moral values are vanishing and people are not paying heed to them any more”. Nowadays, parents do not have the time to sit and impart moral values to their children, he rued adding “I fear that one day, our traditional values will be lost so also our identity”.
He also talked about the effect of modern technology on the young minds saying, “Technologies though has its own advantages, also bring along with it some disadvantages which hugely affects the youth of the State as most of them uses these technologies in the wrong way leading to many unhealthy practices in the society which are multiplying everyday.”
Meanwhile, the Samla Seng Khasi added up to the day-long excitement with their traditional songs sung in tune to the beating of the traditional drums, the Bisli (flute) and the Duitara (stringed instrument).