By Fabian Lyngdoh
According to Khasi belief, u nongshohnoh is a person hired by a certain Kur or family which offers human sacrifice to evil spirits in the form of u Thlen (a serpent) for economic prosperity. The family that worships u Thlen are called Menshohnoh and the persons hired by the family to capture human beings for the sacrifice to the altar of u Thlen are called ki Nongshohnoh. Some may call this superstition but it is not particular to the Khasis. Indeed the Thlen cult is an outgrowth of Hinduism. It has nothing to do with the Khasi traditional religious faith and belief. The Jaintia Raja practiced human sacrifice to the goddess Kali and to the river Kupli. The British annexed Jaintiapur and Jaintia Pargana as a consequence of the sacrifice of three British subjects to the goddess Kali by a sub-ordinate chief of the Jaintia Raja. In the past human sacrifice was also practiced in Raid Iapngar, Raid Thaiang and other Raids (cluster of villages) in Ri Bhoi area.
Last year a child was sacrificed to the Hindu god or goddess in Garo Hills by a priest of the religion. Human sacrifice is practiced even today in the 21st century by followers of the satanic church even in super developed countries like America. So why the surprise about the Khasi Nongshohnoh? U Thlen is not the only satanic worship among the Khasis; there is ‘ka Taro, ka Shwar, ka Bih, ka Lasam, ka Tympiam etc. This worship and the belief in its existence have shamed the Khasi society, not because of the wisdom of the 21st century, but because of the secretive attitude and the academic hypocrisy of the present century. If a professor of economics, philosophy or logic approaching the priests of the Kamakhya (kam-eksha) temple to solve the barrenness of his wife is considered logical why should the Khasi belief in the existence of Nongshohnoh be called illogical?
So how do we solve this shame of the society? The answer does not lie in defining this humdrum as superstition, or in awareness campaigns to remove illogical beliefs, (because belief in a personal God is also academically defined as illogical), or in arresting the village people who in the heat of emotion burnt houses and property. The term ‘superstition’ is an academic decorative argument, which also encompasses the belief in God almighty or belief in the existence of Satan as the source of all evil, as ‘superstition’. Indeed, academically defined, anything that cannot be scientifically proved is a ‘superstition’. If God is universally believed to exist, so is also the existence of Satan and his evil agencies. If belief in the existence of God is not a superstition why should belief in the existence of Satan be a superstition?
Let us accept that some people believe and worship various spirits, be it u Thlen, ka taro , ka shwar, ka tympiam, ka lasam etc. Whether that belief is only a superstition or a satanic cult is not known, but people would do anything to fulfil the requirements of that cult including killing a human being. It is not the superstition of the community that burnt the house of u menshohnoh but the superstitious belief of u menshohnoh which terrorized the community. It is not superstition that caused the arrest of the Hindu priest for sacrificing a child, but the superstition of a couple who desperately wanted a child that caused the murder of a boy at the altar of idols. We are deceived by a belief that once the people of Mawbsein village including members of the village dorbar were arrested and punished in June 17th 2007, the Khasi community would be ushered into the 21st century. But in April 27th 2011 the people of Mawlai, who are closer to the wisdom of the 21st century burnt the house of sorcerers. The perpetrators were booked under the law. We believe that the Khasi people would come round to the wisdom of the 21st century. But in October 7th 2011, people of Sohra were reported to have killed three nongshohnoh and they were apprehended; the enlightened thought that now the Khasi people would have learned to let go their superstitions and become respectable members of the 21st century. The stories are repeated and on April 23rd 2013, a four thousand strong mob torched the house of Tremlin Nongsiej of Mawryngkang village in East Khasi Hills on the charge that he is u menshohnoh as confessed by his hired nongshohnoh. Nineteen people were arrested and more would be booked in the days to come. Now we believe that this would be the last remnant of the superstition to be put down once and for all. But I would boldly predict that more such cases would recur in the future even if we hang the Rangbah Shnong and members of the Dorbar. We believe that by taking stern legal action the foolish Khasis would learn a lesson. I can predict that there is no lesson to be learnt by the people in this matter. The lesson to learn is to re-define the law in this regard. When people charge that so and so is u menshohnoh we should not dismiss it is superstition. We must accept that there are people who practice witchcraft or satanic religion as is being practiced in developed countries even now, which are detrimental to the social order. Investigation should be initiated to discover and verify the existence of such private evil cults. If crimes have been committed in temples or churches in the name of religion we should not only hang the priests but also demolish that temple or church or mosque.
As long as human society exists, belief in the existence of mystery beyond the level of reason shall exist. The 21st century cannot solve the mystery of human existence. Indeed the 21st century has nothing to do with the stages of human knowledge. This century seems to us who are living now to be the apex of human knowledge with regard to the material and physical reality, but knowledge and experience with regard to spiritual reality remains constant from the beginning of the world to this day. So we should not be deceived to believe that people of the 21st century know better about spiritual mysteries than the spiritual teachers of the world. Even our present knowledge of the material reality though consistent, is not the ultimate, and our academic knowledge of the human mind and social phenomena though considered scientific are still indefinite. Hence we should not hastily condemn the action of four thousand people against a single individual as savagery. There must be something behind all this. I have personally witnessed hundreds of people including the learned and powerful people and politicians from Shillong and all over Khasi-Jaintia visited u nongknia(Khasi tantrik) in a certain village for healing from incurable diseases or for success in politics or business or for harming opponents. That is also one form of nongshohnoh. We the Khasis including myself, in our secret and private life believe in the existence of some private satanic worship (u Thlen) by some families in some village community. It is just our respect for each other as Kur (clan) that forbids us from reporting such facts to the police until there is tangible evidence. But then community action takes place uncontrollably whether it is legal or illegal. And also the sense of being a member of the 21st century is keeping us away from such expressions lest we are considered ridiculous, though deep in our hearts we are afraid of u nongshohnoh, and other practices. That is why in every jingiaseng (church gathering) the announcer says, “These food stalls are recommended by the church as safe( meaning that people can eat without fear of ka bih or ka lasam). If such evils do not exist, why would such an announcement be made? The fact is that there are evil practices by certain sections of the Khasi society, but we are too hypocritical to admit that. Instead we project that the Khasi society as pure and perfect and incomparable in the whole world.
So to solve this nongshohnoh or nongaiksuid problem the solution is not to bluntly say that it is a Khasi superstition. ‘Superstition’ is a belief which has no ground materially or spiritually. But a belief which has a spiritual ground is not a superstition even if it cannot be scientifically proved. We should inquire deeply into the matter and not emotionally defend the victim in the name of the 21st century modernity. There may be real crimes committed by the person concerned in the same way as a lovely son of someone has been killed to rectify the barrenness of another man’s wife, and all this is done by the priest to appease his gods and goddesses. The Dorbar Shnong should report to the law any questionable evil cult practiced by anyone in the village and should not consider it a matter of Kur sanctity or wait until open evidence is available and then pounce upon the person with brute force. The resolution of the Dorbar Shnong in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills in this matter is illegal, but such action is not illegal in the village councils of Nagaland. Whatever resolution taken by any village council of Nagaland, including ostracising a person or punishing him in whatever way is legal and no other authority can question it. That is not applicable to the Khasis. The Village councils of Nagaland are ruled by the cultural and customary spirit not by any person, while the Khasi Dorbar Shnong is ruled by personal interest and political alignment. Let us seek for a solution.
(The writer is Chairman KHADC and can be reached at [email protected])