By HH Mohrmen
A photograph of the banner which reads, ‘Khasi by blood; Indian by accident’ was the most popular photo from the recent KSU sponsored Khasi Awakening day and even though it is a slogan that is few decades old, the banner has evoked diverse response in the cyber world. The photograph of the banner does not only find space in the front pages of newspapers, but it also has the maximum number of shares in Facebook. My question is, what does the slogan have to do with Khasi Awakening? Does the slogan reflect the general sentiments of the Khasi- Pnar people of Meghalaya? Personally, I can relate to the first part of the statement of being Khasi by blood and nobody can dispute that, but what does Khasi awakening have do to with being Indian? Can’t we be both true Khasis and true Indians at the same time?
Even if we disagree about how the Khasi Pnar or the Hynniewtrep people became Indian (some are of the opinion that we became Indians by choice while others believe that we became Indian by deception), the truth is that forty years ago we had consciously chosen to be Indian. Our immediate forefathers fought a long, hard movement and were able to convince the central government to create a separate hill state under the purview of the Indian Constitution. The hill state movement led to the creation of the state of Meghalaya from the erstwhile composite state of Assam and this did not happen by accident. So to say that our being Indian is an accident is not only wrong and misleading but we are also trying to ignore the history of the hill state movement. Leaders of the hill state movement were able to convince the Centre to create the State of Meghalaya and we cannot reset the clock. This bit is about being Indian.
The next question is ‘the Cultural Awakening part.’ What is it that we are to awake from? The tribe whatever you call it, Khasi, Hynniewtrep or Khasi Pnar is in a cultural transition and this is very natural. In the matter of language; we are more inclined to speak English than Khasi. We prefer to call our parents mummy & daddy than ‘i mei, I pa’, and I am not even saying that this is wrong. Culture is that part of the society which evolves with the changing time and this again is something that is beyond anybody’s control.
It also true that we have lost much of our culture and tradition and again the test of time for any culture or tradition is how it negotiates and strategically adapts to these rapidly changing times. And as we all know food is also part of our culture. Let us look at the change that is happening in our food habits. We are gradually trading our traditional cuisines for national and international flavours because it is fashionable and easy and quick to prepare. In fact, now we are more Indian than Khasi in the way we cook and the kind of food choices we make. Lentils, cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes are common items in our menu, and wild vegetables like banana flower, banana tree, jamyrdoh, jatira, jangew-jathang etc have gradually disappeared from our menu.
The only consolation is that the majority of the Khasi Pnar or the khun u Hynniewtrep still follow the matrilineal family system and lineage is taken from the mother but other than that the question is, ‘What is so Khasi about the Khasis nowadays?’ We dress as any ‘Indian’ does and we even think and behave like any Indian would do. We have not only lost our culture but we have lost our Hynniewtrep value systems. We have no more respect for our (so called) Mei Mariang, Mei Ramew (mother earth) and like any human from anywhere in the world greed has taken over the society and we pollute our rivers, destroy our forests and ravage our hills and mountains without thinking about our children. We have destroyed every part of nature, even those which our ancestors worshipped as deities. We have lost the Hynniewtrep-ness of being close to nature.
We use our clan name, but we don’t even know the profound stories of our ancestresses (Iawbei/Seinjeit), and sometimes we don’t even know which Kur (clan) is related with which clan? Like for every race in the world, the clan name has merely become the second part of our name with no significance at all. If we are to awake, we need to rediscover our culture and try to retain those facets of culture and value systems which can overcome the test of time. We are no longer true Hynniewtrep people once we’ve lost our cardinal value system of ‘Kamai ia ka hok, Im tip biew tip Blei and tip kur tip kha’ (earn righteousness, live a righteous life which knows man and knows God) A Khasi Pnar can lose her or his way of life, shed his/her Khasi dress or stop eating his/her Khasi food but if he/she still take one’s lineage from the mother, speaks his/her mother tongue and if he/she is still keep the Hynniewtrep cardinal values intact, then the person is a Khasi or a Hynriewtrep by any standard you measure him or her.
I hope it is not too late for Khasi Pnar or Hynniewtrep to awake from their slumber and revive our cultural heritage and try to relive the old Khasi Pnar culture and value system. This is true awakening and by doing so we will be able to keep our Hynniewtrep identity intact. Hence the threat to the Hynniewtrep identity is not from any external force or forces, but it is very much internal. We are the keepers of our own cultural identity and no amount of influx can wipe the Hynniewtrep identity from the face of the earth as long as we keep the most important aspect of our culture intact. But if we choose to stop living our culture and tradition, stop following our unique lineage system and choose to speak foreign language instead, then it does not need any migration illegal or legal to wipe the Hynniewtrep race from the face of the earth.
I also don’t see what Khasi Awakening has to do with beating up people and ransacking shops and business establishment because that is against the two value systems of kamai iaka hok and tip briew tip blei which teach us to be honourable. We know that the Hynniewtrep people even honour their enemy. Tradition has it that even before they entered into a duel, like true gentlemen they would swear to be fair in their fight and respect each other’s dignity. This is the true Hynniewtrep spirit and it is a culture and tradition that teaches the people to maintain their integrity and respect for each other even their enemy. Or is the awakening an effort to revive inter-tribal enmity? It is also true that tribals in the days of yore used to have inter-tribal battles. There were legends about the conflict between the Pnar and the Khynriam, the Nongtalang and the Padu and many more. Isn’t it true that we have outlived that part of our culture and the inter-tribal or inter-community conflict has gradually died out?
The clash that erupted on the Khasi Awakening day is also because of the confusion that we mix cultural awakening with influx. These two are different issues that need to be addressed differently. Influx is an external issue but cultural awakening is internal within the tribe or the community. Influx is an issue that needs to be addressed legally but cultural awakening requires a social remedy.
As for me I am Indian because I choose to be Indian. I vote because I am Indian and I hold an Indian driving license and a passport – I am Indian and I belong to a Hynniewtrep community.