By Daiaphira Kharsati
SHILLONG: The century-old tree that stands strong till this day on the premises of the All Saints’ Cathedral was planted to mark the beginning of the church but over the years it has been made into a Christmas tree.
Rev PB Lyngdoh, Bishop of the Diocese of Northeast India, shared anecdotes about the tree with The Shillong Times on a quiet Saturday afternoon.
Terming it as a historic tree, he narrated that it was planted on August 22, 1874 (143 years old) by then Viceroy of India, Lord North Brook who had arrived in Shillong to lay the foundation of the first church building which, however, collapsed in the Assam earthquake of June 12, 1897.
“After laying the foundation stone, he planted the tree to mark the beginning of the church. But over the years we have made it into a Christmas tree. It is a cedar tree which is very strong… standing here for centuries,” he said.
Lyngdoh said some students from North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) had collected the seeds of the tree to experiment by planting it on the NEHU premises but it did not grow.
“There is another kind of this tree in Raj Bhavan,” he added.
Since the tree has a story behind it, the All Saints’ Cathedral is also preserving it and Lyngdoh expressed delight that it is evergreen throughout the four seasons of the year.
Pointing to the parts of the tree branches which have been cut down as they were blocking the entrance, he said, “Otherwise, there is no cutting or trimming of the tree.” When asked, Lyngdoh said there are no plans to enter it into the Book of Records.
The tree is all decked up for Christmas and the church gets specialised men to climb up to the top of the tree to get it decorated. “Not anyone can do that but only experts,” he said.
Christmas carols and programmes are usually held under the Christmas tree but this year the church did not hold any annual programmes.“The tree has attracted foreign tourists and local people who take pictures of the tree, especially when the lights are on,” he said.
Turning on to the heritage status of the All Saints’ Cathedral, he said, “I have not received anything in writing about the matter but the present generation desires to preserve it as it is.”
The first church that was made of stone had collapsed during the earthquake of June 12, 1897, but the Bible, a big and complete version, remained untouched. “It is preserved and we don’t use the Bible,” Lyngdoh said.
Asked on the Christmas message, he said, “We should be inclusive and share Christmas with non-Christians as well.”
“Christmas is becoming commercialised as in the West and we need to turn to the spiritual meaning more and more as the years pass,” he said.
Speaking of persecutions of Christians, Lyngdoh observed that persecutions have been going on for a long time but Christianity still flourished.