By Barnes Mawrie
Ïew or Markets have a special significance for the Khasi people since time immemorial. No wonder the ancient Khasis speak of the Ïew ki laiphew-mrad (Market of animals) where humans and animals did business transactions together. That famous market culminated on a sad note when there was total chaos which led the market to be known as Ïewluri lura (Market of Chaos). It is not surprising therefore that the Khasis value the market as an age-old institution. In fact, the traditional Khasi reckoning of days of the week is based on market days. Even now, the older generation still keep track of market days like Ïew-umni, Ïew-lyngka, Ïew-nongpoh, Ïew-shillong etc. Ïewduh of course, is the biggest market as the name indicates.
Sad to say that one of the places in Shillong which has never seen any development or change even with the passage of time, is Ïewduh (known to non-Khasis as Barabazar). I have witnessed the same old rickety sheds, the same narrow and water clogged paths, the same dirty drains and felt the same stench. During rainy seasons, the condition becomes unbearable. The market itself is infested with rodents of massive sizes. Considering the fact the Ïewduh is a place of great cultural significance, it is unthinkable how the responsible authority has been blind to such a plight and left this place to become an “eyesore” of the city. Perhaps it may benefit the readers to enumerate the multi-dimensional significance of this particular market.
Economically, Ïewduh is literally the “rice bowl” of Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills. People from East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Jaiñtia Hills and Ri Bhoi, come to this place either to sell or buy goods. Every day hundreds of vehicles converge at this important place for daily business transactions. In fact, the business is growing year after year as is seen by the increasing number of shops, traders and customers. For every Khasi, Ïewduh is still the best place for business enterprises. On important occasions like Christmas, Ïewduh is literally packed with people. So, if there is one place in Shillong which has the greatest economic significance, it is undoubtedly Ïewduh.
From the point of view of religion, Ïewduh is not merely a business centre or a place for shopping, but it is a holy ground under the supervision of the Hima Mylliem. The Hima has been offering an annual sacrifice to the Shillong deity since the genesis of this market. There is in fact, a place for such a ritual somewhere in the market. This religious significance of a market goes back to that ancient “Market of men and animals.” It is believed that this market was ordained by God himself as a manner of expressing the interdependence between humans and animals. This is the reason why when our ancestors would establish a market in any place, they would always offer sacrifices to God and seek his divine sanction. Then they would continue to perform the ritual periodically. Thus a market is truly a sacred ground. For this reason, it is expected that no cheating or unfair means be practiced in such places.
Socio-culturally, Ïewduh is a place of social interaction between people coming from different parts of Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills. In the olden days, it used to be a privileged place where citizens of the Hima Mylliem used to conglomerate and share with each other not only economically but culturally as well. Once a year during the annual sacrifice, the cultural identity of the people is also displayed. Ïewduh is a traditional institution of the Khasi people which pertains to the fundamental essence of their culture and tradition.
Today Ïewduh has become an eye-sore of the city. It has turned out to be a matter of shame not only for the Hima Mylliem but for the Khasi society in general. Perhaps if we have a leader like Chandrababu Naidu, Ïewduh would have been transformed into the most attractive shopping location in the whole of Northeast India. Unfortunately, we have Syiems in the Hima Mylliem who have neither a vision nor a sense of mission. To say that there is no finance to develop Ïewduh, is not acceptable. We all know that a lot of revenue is generated from the thousands of shops located here. Perhaps the annual revenue would run into crores of rupees. Taking into account the collection of the last ten years, it would be a whopping amount.
I do not want to level any accusations of corruption on the Syiems of Mylliem since I still respect our traditional institutions. But what I want to voice here is our concern for the total absence of any sign of development of this place. I believe, nowadays it is not difficult even to get some international funding agencies to take up developmental work of this market. I believe if Ïewduh is properly done up with modern planning (shopping malls, pubic parks, gardens, of course a prominent place for the annual sacrifice), it would definitely become the best tourist attraction of the city. Up to now, there seems to be no master plan for Ïewduh for if there is one, we would have known about it by now. It looks like we are condemned to live with the misery of this place for another century. Can the District Council do anything about it? I believe it can, since the traditional institutions come under its purview. I am still optimistic about the future of Ïewduh for I believe someday visionary leaders would emerge to change the face of this important place.