JOWAI: Kambel Shullai, the inventor of the eco-friendly crematorium in Jowai, passed away on Saturday at NEIGRIHMS after a prolonged illness.
Born on February 8, 1939 in Jowai, Shullai opted out of school after passing Class II owing to ill health. His father asked him to learn the craft of goldsmith. However, soon he realized that it might affect his health further. So he asked him to take up the profession of an artisan.
In 1961 he came to Shillong to work under the guidance of (Late) Ma Lakhon Shullai, the then President of Sein Raij, Shillong. After this stint he worked as a mechanic under (L) Bah Ling Jyrwa. But as he could not manage to make two ends’ meet, he moved back to Jowai and took up the job of repairing sewing machines, guns and etc. Soon his name spread as a backdrop artist and the lighting expert for the drama troupe during the annual Bamphlar.
His life took a turn during the Chinese aggression of 1962 when he joined the Civil Defence Training organized by the Government of India at Sein Jaintia Hall, Shillong.
He also gained experience about the mechanism of fire control.
The first hand experience he gained made him think about innovating the system of cremating the dead under niamtre.
He had already seen that when the dead were cremated in the open space fumes sometimes engulfed the immediate neighborhoods which annoyed the families staying nearby.
Secondly, he felt that the Niamtre expects one to respect the departed and that the dead should not be burn in the open space nor bury.
He began his journey to fulfill his dream project of creating a new system of cremating the dead under proper fire control, which would incur less wastage of firewood. He would do so without disturbing the Niamtre tenets.
The low cost environment friendly crematorium is a long structure, open at one end and connected to a 36 feet high chimney at the other end. The chimney has a cover that can be operated from outside for controlling the intensity of the flames.
He took three years to design his dream project. However, it further took him eight years to convince the elder of Jowai and the Sein Raij Jowai as well.
Shullai during his lifetime received three awards viz. the People’s Parliament Awards conferred by the People’s Grassroot Democracy Council at Mawphlang, the Third National Grassroot Technological Innovations and Traditional Knowledge Award in 2005 at Ahmedabad presented by former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and the Harmony Silver Awards 2008 for inventing the Ka Khnap Thangbru (the Crematorium).
Shullai leaves behind his wife, Yoolan Niangti, his daughter, Anu Niangti and two granddaughters.
The Sein Raij Niamtre Shillong expressed grief over the news of Chullai’s death.
“It is really sad to lose a great innovator with originality in ideas that ‘positively’ affected our daily lives,” a condolence message said.
Shullai’s cremation will be held at the Khimusniang Crematorium here on Monday.