SHILLONG: From blindness and impoverished childhood, which compelled him to become a cowherd, to a tall leader of the state, the fighting spirit of Hoping Stone Lyngdoh helped him cross many hurdles in life.
The relatives said that Lyngdoh, the only male child of late Iolini Lyngdoh, born at Nonglait village, West Khasi Hills on March 15, 1929, was initially healthy and strong. However, at the age of 4, he developed sickness due to complication in the liver. He lost his father at the tender age of 5.
For almost 10 years from the age of six, he was blind and during these years, it was his grandfather who was his vision, teacher and educator as he narrated the beauty of nature and folk stories to him.
His grandfather, late Rahonsing Marwein sang folk songs at night and narrated to Lyngdoh about the nomadic age of the Khasi tribes who travelled from Middle East to Indus, then to Burma and South Asia, then back to Burma, Manipur and at last to the Khasi Hills.
His grandfather was an Ayurvedic practitioner and helped Lyngdoh get back his vision.
At the age of 10, Lyngdoh ventured into the agriculture fields and familiarized with the nature around. When he was 11 years old, he became a cowherd and trained the bull named ‘U Kohtriang’ to look after the cattle (100 cows and 100 goats) while he himself was busy doing craft works on the top of the hills.
Lyngdoh earned from craft work, and being a cowherd, veterinary provided him further livelihood.
In addition, he became a money lender at the age of 14 and supported himself while studying in school.
Teacher at the age 5
In 1946, while Lyngdoh was studying at Pariong M.E. School in class V, he also worked as a teacher of Nonglait LP School in the morning with a pay of Rs 15 per month. During holidays, he was engaged in cultivation and veterinary work.
In 1949, he joined the Government High School, Shillong. In the hostel, he was appointed as a mess manager by the hostellers besides getting the assignment as monitor of the hostel of 45 students. He was exempted from paying fees for mess, hostel and school.
Every night, when the boys were asleep, Lyngdoh would be engaged in furnishing the raw smoking pipe for an hour. While each raw pipe was purchased for 8 anna, he sold it for Rs 5 per piece after finishing.
After he established a Senior Basic School at Lawbyrtun village, Lyngdoh recruited the drop-out students and also introduced vocational subjects like Agriculture, Horticulture, Fishery, Bee-keeping and Marketing. Three teachers were paid by the school fund, but Lyngdoh did not take any pay for himself.
Besides, Lyngdoh served as a voluntary teacher of Mawkyllei L.P. School in the morning. In the evening he was engaged in cultivation in his village and trained the dog called ‘Kohjak’ and the cat ‘Pus’ together to look after the chicken in the day time and at night to check the rats in the field and at home. This resulted in the village being free from rats which ate the crops in the fields.
No earnings
The relatives of Lyngdoh who are residing at Oxford Hills, Kench’s Trace, said on Saturday that the late leader did not inherit anything.
He was an honest political leader and did not believe in saving wealth and property for himself as his intention was to serve the needy, the relatives said.
Lyngdoh, who was staying with his younger sister Sildaris Lyngdoh (84) at Oxford Hills, Kench’s Trace, remained a bachelor all his life. His elder sister Dwiss Lyngdoh is no more.
In 1960s, he was a resident of Jaiaw and it was in 1991 that he had shifted to Kench’s Trace.
