They are the lifeline of local markets. They pick up any load without qualms. They are the faceless porters dotting the city
They are always around to lessen your burden. They will carry anything and to anywhere without complaining. Come rain or shine you will always find them waiting for your orders and without them shop owners in local markets are handicapped. They are the porters, or nongkit or daju as they are locally called.
The serpentine lanes cutting through the sprawling Iewduh come to life when the rest of Shillong is still sleepy. As goods arrive in the wholesale market, these porters get into action. They can port almost anything, including furniture.
These carriers are an indispensible part of Iewduh, the arteries and veins that keep the market breathing from morning till late evening.
There are about 700-800 porters in the entire Hima Mylliem, which includes Iewduh. The Khasi porters are registered with the local union whereas the non-tribals, like the Bihari and Nepali dajus, work independently as they “do not have documents in place”, says a member of the association in Iewduh seeking anonymity.
Most of the carriers have their areas of action except a few, like Gonbahadur Thapa, who move around the city. “I have some regular customers around the city. After finishing my work at Khyndailad I go to Ganesh Das Hospital (Lawmali) and TB Hospital (Jhalupara). From there I come to Jail Road before calling it a day,” says 41-year-old Thapa.
Thapa, who has completed matriculation, came to Shillong 21 years ago to join the army but could not clear the physical test. He stayed with his family for a few years and then sent them back to Nepal. Now he stays alone and spends his days carrying weight.
The minimum payment is 100 but the amount goes up with weight and distance. The monthly income of a porter is around Rs 8000 but many among the carriers have to spend on transportation and house rent
The faceless porters dotting the city have the same story, that of drudgery. Their sinewy bodies slouch under the burden of poverty and fight for survival and one could hardly see their faces. They do not have the time to stand and stare because the more back breaking it is the better the income.
Bidingstar Jyrwa, the president of the porters’ union by the name Hynniewtrep Nongkitnong Association (HNA) at Bara Bazar, says the average income of a nongkit would be around Rs 8,000 a month, a paltry amount at the time of inflation. The monthly income varies as per the work.
The 35-year-old man with a bandana and a weather-beaten face has been working as a carrier for more than a decade. With a family of nine, Jyrwa has no other option. “Sundays are the only time I get with my family. That is a holiday for all of us,” he smiled after 15 minutes of conversation.
Jyrwa comes from Umlyngka every morning and returns home late in the evening.
Most of the nongkit live on the periphery of the city and have to incur travel and food expenses from the daily earning of around Rs 300.
Some of the “outsiders”, like Bhim Prasad Poudal, who stay in rented houses, have to shell out as much as Rs 1,500 per month.
- Mariang has to travel for over an hour to reach Shillong from Sohiong. The 50-year-old porter has been working for over 15 years.
But is it not difficult to carry heavy load at this age? Mariang says age is not a deterrent for him to work and he does it as enthusiastically as 28-year-old Brusten Kharshanoh.
“I have eight children. My wife is a homemaker. Though I have a house of my own, I do not own any land. I guess I have no option but to work as long as my health permits,” Mariang laughed as he nudged Kharshanoh. His paan and gutkha-stained teeth mocked the tone of concern in the question and the “upper-class” myopic view of society.
Though the local carriers have their own houses in villages, almost all of them are landless and have no alternate source of income.
As Mariang’s mockery continued, another nongkit crossed the group, drenched in the afternoon rain. His hurried foot marks on the muck vanished as fast as his mumbled greetings in the cacophony of Iewduh.
There is nothing that a nongkit cannot carry and there’s no place where a he cannot go, said 41-year-old Donbor Jyrwa. If not for the sling bag and the star (rope) the short lean man from Lawsohtun would look more like a helpless class IV employee in a government establishment buried under files than a nongkit. His stature, however, proved to be inversely proportional to his strength.
- Syngkrem, a wholesaler of betel nut at Iewduh, said these daju or nongkit are godsend.
“We benefit a lot from them. They carry the load from warehouses to the market and take them back in the evening. Not just kwai, they carry everything, from slaughtered pigs, vegetables and fruits, garments to furniture. Without them we are helpless,” said B. Rangslang, another wholesaler.
The minimum payment is Rs 100 but the amount goes up with weight and distance.
But the hard work often takes a toll on health. “Body ache and stress are part of our lives,” said Donbor.
None of the nongkit that Sunday Shillong spoke to have health cover under the Megha Health Insurance Scheme. “Years ago when we had a union for the nongkit in Khyndailad, we would save some money with the union head so that the fund could be used when an individual was sick. But the head of the union took all the money and fled. And now we don’t have any union at Khyndailad,” said Thapa.
The union at Iewduh said the government should organise health camps regularly for the porters.
Besides health, there are other problems that nongkit face. Poudal says it is difficult for the porters to work during monsoon. “Also, late payment is a headache. Delays in payment make it difficult for us to sustain,” says the 34-year-old daju from Nepal who visits his family every six months.
The porters at Iewduh, which is under the jurisdiction of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), do not get any help from the Council. A few years ago, KHADC decided to introduce uniforms for carriers but the union rejected it “as the Council was asking for money and it would have been an extra expense for us”, said Bidingstar.
However, they got blankets from the KHADC last Christmas.
Now the nongkit at Iewduh are trying to get government registration for better facilities. “We have applied for registration but it is under process for the last one year,” informed Bidingstar.
Kharshanoh, the youngest among the nongkit who had assembled, was in a hurry. As he gave his hand for shaking, the untidily bandaged wound across his palm caught the eyes. “What is it?”
“Nothing, just a cut from a load that I was carrying. But it is okay now,” he said with a dry smile and turned to leave. He suddenly turned back and said, “I am married but do not have any children yet. I studied till Class IV and never thought about going back to school or attending night schools as I could not afford. But I will never let my children grow up like this. Education is necessary to break out of the shackles of poverty.”