By Dameshwa M. Warjri
It is definite that we are aware of the political, economic and social predicaments in our state but are we oblivious of the downgrading of our own ethnic culture. The world is growing and changing rapidly but we must understand that a world without history is like a measurement without reference. There is no way of judging the future but by the past. Are we just going to stand and watch as our roots gets sucked into the abyss of uncertainty? We are always ready to cavil at the political imperfections, flaws faced by the state and even the ‘famous Shillong weather,’ but are we too ignorant to see the dying of our own native traditions; our language, our musical instruments, our food and most importantly our principles? Who makes us ignorant? We ourselves! “We put our hands over our eyes and weep that it is dark,” says Swami Vivekananda. Half the ills of mankind are due to ignorance; the other half due to egotism. The prerequisites that constitute a community is culture and in it lies the language, music and so on. Language is not just a set of words but it is a tool to see culture in its own perspective.
As quoted by Noam Chomsky, “A language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in a language”. Within the language we speak, both non-verbal and verbal communications reflects whether or not a culture values individualism or collectivism. It is sorrowful to find that we give less relevance to our own language. We prioritise it to be less significant than English. As S Bryon said, ‘He who loves not his country, can love nothing’. Here, to love your country means to love everything about it and what it stands for. Many citizens of countries around the globe refuse to speak foreign languages among themselves. They have that sense of pride in their mother tongue and they embrace it to the fullest; a true expression of patriotism! It’s a true fact that we look down upon our principles, we opt to find pride in other customs and not our own. A noticeable change that our honourable prime minister, Narendra Modi has done is that, he refuses to speak in English at any international summit. This is a question to be put forth to each and every individual; will you destroy your own vineyard to help others grow theirs?
Over many years, author after author have dedicated their lives to ensure the growth of our literature and articulation by publishing books, writing poems and translations. But their effort has all been in vain, as we the heirs have failed to take them into our care and give them the importance they deserve. Truth be told, we prefer speaking in English than in Khasi. We assume that it elevates our intelligence, which is immensely incorrect. English is just another language and not a measurement of intelligence.
Why are Khasi, Jaintia and Garo not kept as compulsory subjects by the Board of School Education for all local students studying in the state? Khasi students will opt for Khasi as their Major Indian Language and same goes for both Jaintia and Garo.
Students of Kendriya Vidyalayas and schools affiliated to the CBSE may have to read Hindi till Class X after President Pranab Mukherjee gave “in- principle approval” to a suggestion of a parliamentary panel. E.B. Tylor defines culture as a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, laws, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”. In the Khasi community, the phrases ,’Ka Ri tip briew, tip Blei,’ translated in English means, ’The nation that knows God and man,’ and ’Ka Ri don akor don burom’, in English is, ’The nation that knows honour and respect’ are what have to be taught as they were followed by our forefathers. But the question arises as to where have all these noble teachings disappeared? Frankly speaking, our youth including me have drifted away from the teachings of the old and are strongly influenced by different forms of diversions which have corrupted our minds and replaced those noble teachings. Moral values are extinguished; minds have been rid of their character, discipline and authenticity. We do not have that sense of fraternity or brotherhood that unites us to protect and promote what is ours. Our selfish nature has brought us to the precipice.
Our country thrives on the phrase, ‘Unity in Diversity.’ Just consider the North Eastern states of India. There are about 220 languages spoken according to the 1971 census. Each and every culture has equal importance and they are not to be separated but if we do, it should be because we celebrate the diversity.
The number of different tribes around the world makes it impossible to record or otherwise preserve more than a tiny percentage of the knowledge being lost. Since 1900, 90 of Brazil’s 270 Indian tribes have completely disappeared, while scores more have lost their lands or abandoned their ways. More than two-thirds of the remaining tribes have populations that are fewer than 1,000. Some might disappear before anyone notices. A recent study by M.I.T. linguist Ken Hale estimates that 3,000 of the world’s 6,000 languages are doomed because no children speak them. Researchers estimate that Africa alone has 1,800 languages, Indonesia 672 and New Guinea 800. If a language disappears, traditional knowledge tends to vanish with it, since individual language groups have specialised vocabularies reflecting native people’s unique solutions to the challenges of food gathering, healing and dealing with the elements in their particular ecological niche. Hale estimates that only 300 languages have a secure future.
The legends of Tirot Sing, Kiang Nongbah and Pa Togan Sangma which are woven into remarkable and impressive chronicles; the folklores of ‘Ramhah’, ‘Kyllang bad Symper’ and so on; the monoliths or ‘mawbynna’ erected across the Khasi and Jaintia hills; the traditional dances; the music; the food; the traditional medicine all contribute to our majestic history. This will all dissipate if we show no respect and importance to them.
The evanescence of our culture is inevitable. We will be nothing more than people without a history, without a language and without culture. Nothing but a tumble weed in the wind. “Ioh shah shong kulai h’u mynder shisngi, tang katta ar khiewja la bynta” – extract from a poem written by B.C. Jyrwa. Let us heed the teachings of the old and revive our spirit to love our own culture.