Spring in Shillong is for the spectacular Shad Suk Mynsiem, says Bijoya Sawian
DANCE IS an important and integral part of any culture. It is, perhaps, the truest expression of a community. To understand a people, watch and understand their dance.
The spectacular Shad Suk Mynsiem, the dance of peaceful hearts of the Khasis, celebrated in Shillong in spring every year, is one such example. For three exuberant days, in Lympung Weiking, maidens in traditional finery dance to the music of drums, flutes and cymbals. Their movement is slow and studied, their eyes cast down, their feet firmly gripping the ground, their faces calm and peaceful. They symbolize purity-the single most important aspect in every sphere of our earthly life.
As grandly attired, the men dance around the maidens, their movement confident and energetic as they wave their yak-tail whisks and flashing swords. They symbolize protection of the purity of the entire race. Ka jingim ka ba khuid ka ba suba, a life that is clean and unblemished is the highest aim of every Khasi. This is the essence of this annual thanksgiving dance. In one visual sweep, as one watches the dance, a whole philosophy is unraveled.
The music also changes from time to time symbolizing that life is a movement of different, ever changing hues .The dancers dance, with full respect and sincerity to each beat knowing that it has its own glory and will soon give way to yet another mood breaking the monotony, adding to the excitement. The brilliant colours that are worn represent Joy and the positive energy that one must always focus on and emanate to bring about all that is good and true. A joyful soul is a good soul for it has complete faith in god.
Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem is the only form of community worship among the Khasis. During the three days the people thank God U Blei for all the blessings that He has showered on them. They thank Him for the rich yield of crops and harvest, for the all the fine clothes and gold and silver that they wear during the dance. They believe that each item is a blessing of the Almighty, His reward for their hard work .That is why one sees the extravagant and lavish display of the most exquisite jewellery and clothing. Traditionally, the Khasis are not attuned to display their material wealth; it is not part of their culture. This dance gives them an opportunity to do so as a mark of gratitude to God.
The festival commences with a prayer said by an elder in the Seng Khasi Hall in Mawkhar. The dancers stand in a row with their swords and whisks by their side. The senior members of the Seng Khasi stand on either side of them. The elder who will pray, along with other elders face the dancers and the musicians and the flag carrier stand on the left of the elders.
The pray in brief is as follows: ‘O God Lord, Master, Creator/ Today the time has come to set forth, to rejoice, to dance/ Lord Creator with hearts filled with peace and contentment we bow to Thee/ We bow to Thee in gratitude for Your love and care and all the blessings/ You bestowed on us throughout the year/ We aim, we endeavour, we hope to succeed by Your grace that we may only engage in what is good and true/ So that our land may prosper, grow and shine according to tradition based on truth in every single aspect of our lives/ In our family and clan, in our work and labour/ in our learning and knowledge, in our health and wealth, in our reputation and etiquette/ Bless us all – the dancers ,the musicians, our friends, relatives and all those who will come and be with us on this joyous day/ Give your blessings O Lord so that the festival be one of splendor, of joy and of peace.’
The prayer encapsulates the philosophy of the Khasis based on man’s deep connection with god as he expresses all his thoughts, his hopes, aims and achievements to the Creator in the simplest of language. It shows his sincere belief that the Almighty and His love is all-encompassing. It exemplifies man’s gratitude based on the belief that everything comes from god and blessings should be showered upon one and all with whom one interacts with-even the audience, who have come from far and near to witness the festival. They are also blessed by their sheer presence on this occasion of prayerful gratitude.
The prayer of the elder is followed by a collective prayer by all those present after which the carriers of the Seng Khasi flag lead the procession, followed by the musicians play the Ksing Lynti as the dancers start with the shad wait behind them and continue to dance till they reach the venue. Once they reach Lympung Weiking the procession takes three full rounds of the grounds after which a prayer is said and the Seng Khasi flag is hoisted. The musicians then play the beat, Ksing Lum Paid to announce that the dance is ready to begin. There are six different kinds of beats that the dancers perform to, Ksing Nalai, Ksing Padiah, Ksing Dum Dum, Ksing Klang, Ksing Mastieh and Ksing Lynti. What beat is played depends on the conductor – u nonglam ksing – he keeps changing the beat which finally, ends, with the awesome shad mastieh performed by the boys and men. This dance of joy, jubilation and victory represents the success and culmination of the day’s festivities.
The attire and the jewellery worn by the dancers are part of the history of the people. The intricate and detailed designs speak of influences that that have come from beyond these hills. Gold and silver are used along with coral. Coral is the only stone used probably for its permanent gloss and colour, its hard and durable quality and supposed qualities to protect one from negative influences and to cure infertility. All ancient cultures have used this gemstone from time immemorial. In the days when banking was not even thought of the Khasis bought gold, silver and coral as safe investments.
The attire of the girls, who are all virgins, consist of long sleeve, high necked velvet blouses, silken wraps and the dhara. The main pieces of jewellery are the pansngait, the crown traditionally embellished with the fragrant cactus flower, tiew lasubon. This flower blooms with a rarity that indicates its exclusiveness, like purity. The ears are adorned with the exquisite earrings, siar kynthei. On their necks they wear a choker, khonopad and on the arms and wrists, the taad and mohu, the long, multi- stringed silver sash drapes the body from shoulder to the waist. On their hair usually styled into a chignon bun, the sai khyllong, a silver hair adornment hangs right down to the lower back.The maiden is covered from head to foot with gold and silver for she worships with her head, her body and her soul and she stands for the purity of all three.
The men wear a beautifully embroidered sleeveless jacket, jainphong, a dhoti, jainboh and a turban, jainspong. Except for the crown, earrings and sai khyllong the men’s jewelery is similar to the girls. His earrings are of a unique design. In place of the crown he wears the turban embellished with the thuia, feathers of local birds, depending on the area the dancer comes from. It is commonly believed that it stands for manliness. More importantly, however, birds signify truth, honour, strength and freedom. Birds are closest to the sky above, that is their realm, so man can communicate with the Almighty and also attain celestial wisdom and power to complete his duty on earth while he dances in worship. The quiver, also a wondrous piece of jewellery has three arrows in it, Nam Blei, Nam Thawlang, Nam Iawbei. This represents the trinity of the three most potent influences of his life – Go=d, the First Ancestor, the First Ancestress – in order to protect himself and his family, his clan and community and his hima and country.
The Shad Suk Mynsiem in Shillong is followed by dances in the village greens all over these hills. Though on a smaller scale ,the fervor of the participants ,the unfettered energy of the music that resound in those far flung hamlets with their picturesque setting makes the festival a unique and memorable experience. There ‘they dance like nobody is watching, like they have been hurt, like nobody is listening, like it is heaven on earth.’