Tribute to first Padmashree awardee from State
By Sumar Sing Sawian
Born on February 21, 1924 in Shillong, Sitimon Sawian, who passed away on Sunday had the distinction of becoming the first person from Meghalaya to receive the prestigious Padmashree award in the year 1974, in recognition to her distinguished services in the field of social work and education. She was also honoured with the Mondon Bareh Award in 1993.
During the early stages of her life she had felt the need and urge to uplift the poor and downtrodden, especially in the rural areas; people who were underprivileged and children who had little or no opportunity to go to school.
She was also deeply concerned about people with disabilities, especially children and had resolved to take up the task of contributing, with all her might, whatever she could help in realising her vision for the betterment of the people.
As the headmistress of the Seng Khasi Primary School at Mawkhar, which was established as a free morning school in 1921 by RM Roy Nongrum, Sawian, with a sense of devotion, raised the school to the standard of Middle English school in 1958 and then as a high school in 1964 and finally as a higher secondary school in 1973, putting in all her efforts, till she was incapacitated owing to the after affect of anti-rabies injections.
Despite being physically disabled, she continued to serve the social needs of the people.
Earlier, she was the founder member of the Seng Kynthei, a women’s welfare organisation, and held the office of honorary secretary and also the treasurer.
It was through her initiative that several rural extension projects were carried out in remote and land locked villages spread out in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
She was also made the honorary secretary of the Women’s Food Council- district branch, secretary of the Rural Welfare Extension Project, Khasi Hills and also member of the Assam State Social Welfare Advisory Board, in charge of Khasi and Jaintia Hills districts.
Sawian recounted that during these early days in the fifties and sixties, when the Khasi and Jaintia Hills were under the Assam administration, communication was very difficult, especially in reaching villages, having no motorable roads.
On many occasions along with her team mates, she would have to trek great distances and yet felt after meeting the villagers who were made aware of improving their living conditions, and that the social organisations were ready to give all possible help and assistance in matters of health, education and nutrition, and also to imbibe the habit of small savings.
These visiting teams under her supervision also taught arts and crafts especially to the women folk, so that people could make some extra money, besides their occupation which was mainly agriculture.
Sawian related that during those early days, the forest cover was also much thicker and people also grew fruit trees. It was during these visits that she had enjoyed and appreciated the beauty of nature.
On the way to many villages beautiful colourful orchids greeted her and her team and many kinds of birds chirped and sang merrily on the tree tops and branches. Nature had therefore been a soothing effect on her.
Sawian had attracted attention not only in Shillong and among the village folk that she attended to but also made name in other parts of the country. She was a member of the Associate Country Women of the World and presided over the All India Women’s Conference, which was held in Shillong in 1967.
Ms Hathi Singh the youngest sister of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, had paid a visit to Sawian at her Umsohsun residence in Shillong.
Former prime minister, Indira Gandhi had also personally met Sawian, during her visit to Shillong and was presented with cultural items in the Seng Khasi Hall at Mawkhar.
She became a member of the National Committee, International Women’s Year in 1975 and also the National Committee, International Women’s Decade in the year 1976.
Being a member of the Central Advisory Board of Education, she had taken a keen interest in the education of children, especially in the rural areas and had paid special attention to disabled children, by virtue of being an executive member of the Mary Rice Centre for Children in Need of Special Education and was also an active member of the Managing Committee of Mary Rice Centre for the disabled.
She became a member of the Middle English School, Khasi Textbook Review Committee of Khasi and Jaintia Hills, Shillong and was also a member of the Syllabus Sub Committee (Khasi), Board of Education, Assam.
Sawian felt that the young boys and girls, should not confine themselves only to their home state and villages, but should be exposed in a wider context. It was in this connection that she became a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and engaged herself in a project of students’ experience in inter-state living.
The young girls and boys, therefore, gained new experience and created in them an awareness and knowledge of the diverse communities in the country.
Despite her physical disability, Sawian bravely ventured to set up the Lakreh Memorial School named after her grandmother and also side by side the Jeebon Roy Memorial Creative Art Akademi providing new vista to young people aspiring to make best use of their talents in the field of music and performing arts, especially to be more at home with their culture and heritage.
Sawian, the first woman from Meghalaya to receive the Padmashree award, presented by the then President of the country VV Giri, in the year 1974, had all along lived an eventful, meaningful and purposeful life.