Editor,
In sincere response to Jenniefer Dkhar’s letter “Niam Khasi Niamtre stands on solid foundation” (ST March 4th, 2016), I wish to inform her that I had been writing articles regularly in the Shillong Times about Khasi thought, tradition and culture since the year 2011, and not since the members of Seng Khasi/ Seiñ Raj began demanding for minority status. I have not been appointed by any Church authority to speak on behalf of Christianity, but I simply do not subscribe to the view that the kith and kin who had adopted Christianity had abandoned the Khasi culture and are no more observing ‘ka tipbriew ka tipblei’, ‘ka tipkur ka tipkha’ and ‘ka kamai ia ka hok’, or that they had stopped believing in U Blei Trai Kynrad or Tre Kirod. I am a Khasi and I have the right to express opinions about the thought and traditions of my ancestors and my tribe. I believe that anyone and not only members of the Seng Khasi/ Seiñ Raj have the knowledge and authority to interpret the Khasi thought. It is my personal interest to study and write on Khasi philosophy, tradition and culture, not because I am harbouring any grudge against anybody or any group. I hold no vindictive perception nor have I interfered with the religious belief of others, but I am concerned with the thought of my ancestors.
Indeed, I sincerely appreciate the efforts made by the Seng Khasi and Seiñ Raj to preserve Khasi tradition and culture; their efforts in the field of education, and their efforts to redesign religious ceremonies according to present circumstances and marching along with the time. My articles were to encourage them to go ahead with the responsibility of providing spiritual and moral guidance to ‘ki kur ki kha’ (fellow tribesmen) who have not adopted any new religion; and I had appealed that for the peace and unity of the tribe, whatever religion we may belong to, we should uphold the Khasi tradition of truthfulness, tolerance and accommodation (ST, January 29th, 2016).
I was also strongly of the view that the members of the Seng Khasi deserve protection from likely deprivation on grounds of religious or cultural practices, and that if they had ever been discriminated against in the past just because they cannot identify themselves as a religion, then that should be redressed (ST January16, 2015). I had also said that if there is sufficient ground in the provisions of the Indian Constitution, the believers and upholders of the Niam KhasiNiamtre have every right to claim minority status in Meghalaya. In sincere support for their movement I had even unauthorisedly advised that since the believers of indigenous faith can no more be identified according to the clans, they need a new formal institution by which they can be legally identified for determining the minority status (ST, January 21st, 2016). I had written in one of my articles that words have their effective meanings somewhere between the speaker and the hearer (ST, February 11th, 2016). Therefore I was aware that the readers would not understand my words in the same way as I had intended, and they would not possess meanings only in the way a particular reader interprets them to be. Jenniefer Dkhar said that she failed to understand my view point. That is perfectly normal. The wise even said that an abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is a normal behaviour. I am well aware that hundreds of readers would not agree with me, and some would even be very angry with me.
However, I am also aware that there would be hundreds of other readers who would agree and appreciate the views I express. So I present my views according to my knowledge and understanding of the facts, not according to what readers would feel and react to them. I am aware that no amount of my explanation or logic would convince Jenniefer Dkhar to agree to my views. But it also implies that no amount of her explanation and logic would convince me to agree to her views. We have our own freedom of thought, faith and belief, and so she has every right to criticize my views. Probably I would have utilized all my reason and logic against myself if I had been in her place. So I wish her well in her endeavours.
Yours etc.,
Fabian Lyngdoh,
Via email