By Madeline Tham
Haba nga shang sawdong pyrthei/ Ka ri la jong ngam tip ei ei ; (Soso Tham)
(Though I travel the world around/Of my own land, I do not know.)
Spring is here and one is bound to quickly forget the bone – chilling winter of Shillong. The flowers are blooming and the air seems to have a certain lightness, with a hint of freshness to it . As a child, I remember my parents taking the family for annual car trips to the Shillong Peak in the month of March, to gaze and admire the beautiful, ‘ Flame of the Forest, ‘ (u Tiew Saw), when it is in full bloom. The flowers are red and luscious exuding a feeling of decadent luxury and unaccounted richness. If I am not mistaken it belongs to the rhododendron family native to the Khasi Hills.
But this year as I tried to repeat this tradition of taking the family for a drive to Shillong Peak and hoping to see the beautiful ‘Tiew Saw ,’ in bloom ,I was simply shocked to find that there remained only one pathetic looking tree with literally only a couple of blooms on it.
Shillong is changing fast and so is its environment. It is interesting and a big bonus for us that we can get a variety of vegetables, flowers and fruits provided we have the means. Though I am no expert in the field of horticulture but with the advance in the field of bio-technology I am aware that we can grow any variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers as they can be made adaptable to any climate or soil condition.
But what hurts the most is that these hills are native to a wide variety of vegetables, flowers and fruits which are slowly losing out to imported varieties. There is a loss of pride in me as I slowly become aware that my children are more familiar with a strawberry than a Sohshang or with a Lilium than a Lasubon.
Whatever be the views and thoughts of our policy makers, it is time I think that there should be a paradigm shift in their vision of taking our state forward. As a people, it is time to look within and enhance what we have. Especially in the field of horticulture so that our native variety of plants and flowers can be preserved and multiplied through modern methods before they become extinct.
There is no papaya or orange in the world sweeter and tastier than the one found in the Khasi Hills and I believe that the pineapples of Garo Hills are to die for. Is it not now the time before it is too late to encourage, promote and be proud of what nature has bestowed in our land?
In terms of development and progress no one can deny that the department of horticulture has made great strides in their field . But one ought to be aware if this progress is the one we want. Is it in the right direction and what are the long lasting impact that it will have on future generations?
Environmentalists and scientific research has shown that flowers found naturally in their own natural habitat are easier to grow and reproduce while importantly vegetables and fruits native to the land have health benefits suitable to those people of that region.
As a consumer of local produce, there are two elements that I feel are lacking compared with other products. It is not for the lack of taste or appearance but the fact that the local produce are not given priority over other fashionable, vegetables, fruits and flowers that are currently being exported from the state of Meghalaya. Everyone is aware of the greatness and grandness of the strawberry production of Dewlieh. How about shifting the focus and encouraging our own indigenous produce? Secondly, the marketing of our local produce, has not been upgraded from the middle of the last century. The packaging and the advertising should be more attractive, as we are all aware that the consumers visual sense, plays a dominant role when it comes to shopping.
Whenever we travel outside our land, one can see how people are proud of not only their own culture and tradition but also what is native to their land. People take great pride in projecting their very own flower or fruit or plant. As a child I was totally enamored with the flower Edelweiss, especially when the school play for one year was the,’ Sound of Music’. The Loreto nuns made us sing and croon to one of the songs from the play titled, ‘Edelweiss’. A song about this flower, that reminded the Von Trap family of their native Switzerland that was then being invaded by the Germans. Growing up I always wondered what this beautiful Edelweiss looked like. Until recently on seeing it I realize it’s beauty is as appealing as a common daisy and it definitely cannot hold a candle to the, ‘Flame of the forest’.
(The writer is Senior Lecturer Lady Keane College,Shillong)