By H.H. Mohrmen
It was such an inauspicious week which does not bode well with the family that was directly hit by the tragedies. The whole state too mourns the loss of precious lives. In the week that was, one tragedy after the other struck the state like it never did before. It started with the big one where three precious lives were lost in what was called a freak accident. The passing away of the dear souls would have any semblance of reparation to their near and dear ones only if there is a lesson we have learnt from the accident. They know their dear ones will not come back (no matter what) but if the unfortunate accident can at least provide lessons for the future then their deaths will not be in vain.
It was indeed a resounding wake up call for the government (which of course learns lessons the hard way) of the need to take stock of the old and aged trees which pose imminent threats to the people and are still standing in many public places. Of course the action taken by the government is too late for the families that have lost their near and dear ones in the accident and there is no need of blaming and finger pointing, because death comes in mysterious ways. But it is the irony of life that a tree which supports life by providing us clean air to breathe and succour from heat and rain is also the one that has taken not one but three lives in one stroke.
Then there are two young lives that were lost when they were away from home. The young lady who died in harness or with her boots on was a brave young woman who dared to step out of the comfort of her house and the state to work outside. For a tribal girl this itself is an achievement. Then the brave heart who gave up his life for the sake of others is a living example and a testimony to the fact that humanity is still alive. It also proves beyond doubt that in a situation like that, all that distinguishes us one from the other vanishes and only the instinct to save another fellow human prevails. It is comforting to know that he grew up in SOS village and the credit goes to the mothers and the keepers of the village who have done a commendable job of raising such a fine lad. I used to say that it is not how you die but how you live your life which is important but in this case how he died sets him apart from those around him.
For the families who lost their relatives, there will never be answer to the question why their loved ones died the way they did because there are no answers to that question. But let us find comfort in the fact that they just unfortunately happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Let us also remind ourselves that the dead are not mere statistics; they are somebody’s sons, daughters, friends and relatives. I happen to know the relatives of the two young ladies who died recently – Anthony Khongsit the brother of the young flight steward and Raphael Warjri the father of young lady who died in the freak accident.
I wouldn’t have brought this issue to the fore again had it not been for the lesson that we can learn from the Mylliem funeral imbroglio. I was given to understand that the protest was because the cremation produces a foul stench which causes inconveniences to the community. This is not new because traditional cremation indeed produces foul smell and the community living around the cremation ground often protest.
If we only care to look we would find that traditionally, all the cremation grounds are located in the outskirts or away from the village but as population grew and the village also expanded what use to be areas away or beyond the village are gradually getting populated with people living around the cremation ground. In Jowai too, the cremation grounds were initially thought to be outside the town till people started to construct houses around it due to urbanisation. Then because the cremation was done traditionally, all the smoke and the stench envelops the houses around and the community complained to the Deputy Commissioner. Of course, there is no foreseeable solution to the problem.
If the saying ‘one man/women can make a difference’ still rings true’ then the story of how a solution to this complex problem was arrived at is a substantiation to the fact. A humble man with very little education is always being seen as a genius in the town. He is the perfect description of a barefoot scientist. He pondered and experimented with his miniature model till he came up with a solution to the problem. Ma Kambel Shullai designed and made the first crematorium which ultimately solved the problem and which also addressed all the needs of cremation in the traditional way. For example in a Pnar Niamtre cremation, timing is kept that the ritual of ‘choh syiar’ coincides with the time the cremation is completed and when ‘ka siang ka pha’ (offerings to the departed souls) can begin. Ma Kambel’s model took all these elements into consideration when he designed the crematorium.
Ma Kambel not only came up with the brilliant idea but more importantly his crematorium can also be called eco-friendly because it consumes very less firewood. Traditionally one or two trees were cut for use to cremate one dead body, but now only two or three bundle (which is fraction of what was used in the traditional practices) is needed to cremate a person.
Unfortunately the Mylliem problem was blown out of proportion; sadly it was also given a communal colour by certain vested interests. Why do we have to protest when we can sit down and talk and come up with a solution like they did in Jowai? After all we speak the same language don’t we? My other concern is with the use of students in any protest or even government functions. Did the school management give the DSEO prior information about the students being taken for the protest? How can the education department allow the schools or the shnong to use the students at their beck and call?
Now even government functions will remain empty if the students are not involved. Why do we have to do this? Parents send their kids to school to learn and not to attend functions and protest marches. And also why do students have to suffer to give the politicians and the bureaucrats an opportunity to inflate their egos? What did the students learn from all the functions that they were forced to attend anyway?
It is good that this problem is being given its final burial and the credit goes to the District Administration, East Khasi Hills, but it will be futile if we do not learn anything from the incidents. There are lessons to be learnt even from tragedies if we only open our eyes and look around for solutions instead of looking for excuses to create more problem.
With all the rain and the floods, it was a difficult week indeed but we are glad that it is over and we can resume our work as usual.