By Omarlin Kyndiah
Many of the great discoveries or inventions in all fields of science are made by amateurs who without proper formal education contribute to the entire human kind. For instance, Antony von Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) earned his living as a draper and haberdasher (a dealer in men’s clothing and accessories) but spent much of his spare time in constructing the simple microscope that led to the discovery of microorganisms or proved the existence of the microbial world. Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb, motion picture camera and has thousands of patents in his name who was expelled from school as his teachers thought he was slow to learn. The Wright Brothers never graduated but invented the flying machine observing the birds flying high in the sky which must have triggered their bright minds. It is the vision and dreams that such people have which make all the difference and make our world a much better living place.
Four years ago on June 16, 2016 a humble but great innovator left us for his eternal abode. This man is a perfect example of how even without proper education, a person can combine practical experiences with common sense to make a difference in the lives of people. He is none other than (Late) Mr. Kambel Shullai. One of the greatest innovations of Mr Shullai is the famous Eco-friendly crematorium known in Jaintia as Khnap Thangbru. This low cost environment friendly crematorium is a long structure open at one end and connected to a 36 feet chimney at the other end. The chimney has a cover that can be operated from outside for controlling the intensity of the flames. With this new system it takes only 40 kgs of firewood to cremate an adult dead body. Earlier, with the old traditional method it required to uproot one fully grown pine tree whose average weight is between 150 to 200 kgs.
Mr. SS Dasgupta, Chartered Engineer & Advisor at Indomen Engineering Service has this to say about Mr. Kambel’s innovation: “It is definitely an improvement on the conventional cremation practices followed till now i.e burning pine wood. There is a lot of saving in consumption of wood, which besides saving costs ensures conservation of our precious natural resources”.
Mr. Shullai’s wonderful creation has earned him many awards which includes the Third National Grassroot Technological Innovation & Traditional Knowledge in 2005, Silver Harmony Award in 2008 and the (L) Lakhon Shullai Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Born in Jwai on 8th February 1934 to (L) Nesimai Shullai and (L) Mahim Rymbai, Mr Shullai dropped out from school after Class II due to ill health. Then his father asked him to learn the craft of goldsmithy. However, soon he realized that it might affect his health further. So he asked him to take up the profession of an artisan. By 1961 Mr. Shullai came to Shillong to work under the guidance of (Late) Mr. Lakhon Shullai, the then President of Sein Raij Niamtre Shillong. After a brief stint he worked as a mechanic under (Late) Bah Ling Jyrwa. But as he could not manage to make ends meet, he moved back to Jwai and took up the job of repairing sewing machines, guns and watches etc. Mr. Shullai’s innovative skill is first seen when he developed a Camera made of Cardboard that can take twice the number of photographs of a normal Camera. Soon his name spread as a backdrop and lighting expert for the theatrical show during the annual Bamphalar festival organized by the seven localities of Jwai at their respective Yungwalieh (community hall). Recently, Panaliar locality celebrated 100 years of the existence of their Assam type Yungwalieh constructed in 1916. Prior to this it was a thatched house.
Mr. Shullai’s life took a turn during the Chinese aggression of 1962 when he joined the Civil Defence Training organized by the Government of India at Sein Jaintia Hall, Shillong. In this training, he gained experience about the mechanism of fire control. The first hand experience which he gained made him think about innovating the system of cremating the dead under Niamtre. The idea of cremating the dead has emerged from the pre-historic times side by side with the idea of burial. However, man’s forefather believed that if the dead was cremated it would make the passage of the departed soul to heaven easier. There is an abundance of evidence of this belief throughout the world from archeological point of view. No wonder many tribal societies practice cremation.
According to the Niamtre belief, once the mortal remains are cremated the soul stays in the abode of U Tre Kirot (God) known as ‘Soorkep’. The followers of the Niamtre believe that the departed souls must be respected and it is the duty of the members of the family concerned, of the clan and the community members to see that the departed is not cremated in an open space. A crematorium and a burial ground must both be respected with an element of spiritual sanctity.
Mr. Shullai had already seen that when the dead were cremated in the open space fumes sometimes engulfed the immediate neighborhood. Secondly, he felt that the society expects one to respect the departed and the dead should not be burned in the open space nor buried. It was this which motivated him further! Probably in his sub-conscious mind there was a concern for environment. Whatever may be the case, he began his journey to fulfill his dream project of creating a new system of cremating the dead under proper fire control which would incur less wastage of firewood and man power. He would do so without disturbing the Niamtre tenets. It took him three years to design his dream project. However, it further took him eight years to convince the conservative elders of Jwai to accept the new system of cremation because they did not want the technology to take over tradition. This fact illustrates the patience in him to persevere for the welfare of society.
The first Crematorium was inaugurated at Jwai in 2002. Since then many Eco-friendly Crematoriums have been built in Jaintia Hills, Khasi Hill, Ri Bhoi District and even in Garo Hills. This great contribution has also been recognized by the Forest Department of Meghalaya, which has acknowledged the potential of this model being an absolutely environment friendly one. So much has the potential of this been realized by the Forest Department, that so far the Department has funded no less than twenty such crematoriums to be constructed throughout the State. Under this scheme, very recently such Crematorium was inaugurated at Byrnihat, Lawsohtun and Nongphoh. There may soon be a day when this model’s significance will be accepted in other parts of the country too where Open Wooden Pyre Cremations (WPC) are so common. The adoption of this eco-friendly crematorium which is a Closed Wooden Crematorium (CWC) will undoubtedly serve mankind and help in protecting the environment to a great extent.
It goes without saying that Mr Kambel Shullai is an icon and a true role model for many individuals. For the youth and very young people, here is a person who stood against all odds of life, braving ill health, paucity of resources and without any formal education, but having made such a mark in society that generations will remember and reap the benefits of his innovation. The youth of today should imbibe these qualities from him and ensure that small hurdles in life are but stepping stones to success. Let us all remember Mr Kambel Shullai not only on this day but every day. He believed in simple living and high thinking. We salute Ma Kambel Shullai for his wonderful creation!
(The writer is the General Secretary, Sein Raij Niamtre Shillong)