By Barnes Mawrie
A market is something sacred for the Khasi people. Tradition tells us that whenever the forefathers of the Khasis would desire to establish a market in any area, they would first hold a divination ceremony to ascertain the will of the guardian spirits. If the divination had a positive indication it meant that the spirits were in favour and so a market would be established. But if the divination was negative, it meant that the spirits were not in favour and so no one would dare to set up a market in that particular location. When the market was established a ceremony of consecration would follow. The ceremony consisted of a sacrifice offered to God through the guardian spirits who represent his omnipresence. Usually a stone altar is erected in the middle of the market place where the Kur (clan) or the ilaka (village) or the hima (kingdom) to whom the market is entrusted, is responsible for conducting an annual or periodic sacrifice. This is the reason why we say a market is a sacred ground for the Khasis. For the Khasis a market has not merely an economic significance but more than this, it has a religious significance. Perhaps the Khasis were always conscious of the great ethical commandment “kamai ia ka hok” (earn righteousness) given to them by God in the Second Divine Assembly (Dorbar-blei Baar). The awareness that they should be led by a sense of justice and right in all their dealings with their fellow-beings prompted them to give a religious sanction even to a market place, thereby ensuring that trade and commerce be done in true justice and honesty. The second reason could be a reminder of the notorious Iewluri-lura (Market of Chaos) where envy and jealousy led to violence and the trampling of the innocents. Thus by giving a religious sanction to a market, the forefathers of the Khasis wanted the people to avoid such types of unethical behaviour in trade and commerce.
Now turning our attention to Iewduh we cannot but deplore the present condition. In my opinion, Iewduh has been desecrated in many ways: First of all, the tendency to substitute its name with Bara Bazaar is the first act of desecration, an abomination we should avoid at all cost. Let the original name Iewduh be respected and known by all, Khasis and non-Khasis as well. Secondly, Iewduh has become a symbol of corruption and mismanagement by the caretaking authority, namely, the Syiem of Mylliem. The pitiful condition of this famous market – the slushy footpaths, the unbearable stench, the chaotic appearance and the level of pollution etc, expose the scandalous degree of corruption in the Mylliem Syiemship. Where is all the money accumulated from the taxes collected from the traders for all these years? In my forty years of knowledge of Iewduh, crores and crores of rupees must have been collected by the Syiems of Mylliem if not more, but till now I have not seen any tangible development of the market. It is as dirty and miserable as it was forty or fifty years ago. There is no financial transparency when it comes to utilization of the tax money. Thirdly, Iewduh as it is now, is no more governed by the ethical norm of righteousness. There is a lot of shady business in the market. Even the Khasi traders and shop owners are indulging in the same corrupt practices like cheating and bribing. There is also a high degree of exploitation of the poor and helpless farmers by the greedy traders as witnessed during the surprise inspection by the KHADC members. From all these facts, it is evident that the sanctity of Iewduh which used to be the pride of Khasi & Jaiñtia Hills, has been violated mercilessly. This is a case where the sacred has been profaned and the traditional institution has been disrespected. It is a clear example where the caretaker has turned out to be a parasite.
I do appreciate the interest that Mr. Ardent Basaiawmoit (CEM) and his KHADC team have displayed with regard to the well-being of our beloved Iewduh. I hope that he will be able to compel the Syiem of Mylliem to end his corruption and start implementing developmental work in Iewduh and then put an end to all irregularities and unethical practices among traders. The Khasis need to regain the purity and sanctity of Iewduh. I dream of a day when Iewduh will become a clean and an orderly place, with adorned footpaths, good drainage and sewage system, well constructed shops, green patches of trees and plants, beautiful parks for children, parking lots for vehicles and of course a well maintained and adorned altar (not as it is now) where the Syiem of Mylliem would perform his annual sacrifice with due pomp and grandeur.