Editor,
What appeared in the context of the Shad Suk Mynsiem in your paper (ST April 10, 2018) that the President of the Seng Khasi “…maintained that the festival is open to those…who converted to Christianity”, is misplaced and misleading. It is therefore an imperative now in this hour of confusion to set this matter right and accord it the clarity it deserves.
At the outset it is important to affirm that in the ancient and original “Way of Life” of the Khasis, culture and worship are two sides of the same coin, inextricably interwoven, co-existent and inseparable. Flowing in the mosaic of this “Way of Life” is the river of a defined philosophy and its attendant cosmology that has been handed down to the people by the Almighty Creator from the dawn of creation or as is proclaimed “naduh ba dang lung ka sngi u bnai”.
As it was handed down from generation to generation, since time immemorial from the “Dawn of Consciousness” lies the story of origin of the Human who descended onto this earthly abode from the celestial heavens via the “Jingkieng Ksiar” or Golden Bridge straddling the heavens and the earth atop Lum Sohpetbneng. To this day the sanctum sanctorum on the summit of Lum Sohpetbneng stands witness to the origin story of the Khasi and to which they pay utmost reverence.
Emanating from this fountain of thought and repository of ancient wisdom is the concept of “Tip briew, tip Blei” the presiding philo-theological precept which defines, guides and inspires the Khasi as they navigate their day to day life in prayer and praise to their Creator. At the core of “Tip briew, tip Blei” lies a deep consciousness of the “Divinity within the Human” and its link with the “Divinity without”. The simple translation of this aphorism is that only in the “Knowing of the human, will the knowing of the Creator be revealed”.
As a continuum to this philosophy they journey through life on earth in the pursuit of Righteousness and the Truth, “Ban kamai ïa ka hok” striving earnestly sans prophetic, saintly or any other intervention. In the social context the Khasis follow a very defined system of kinship which has deep roots in the respect of matrilineal and patrilineal relationships or “Kur and Kha” and where marriage between members of the same matrilineal group or “Kur” is strictly prohibited and taboo.
In conclusion it is clearly evident that dancers and participants in the “Shad Suk Mynsiem” are those who steadfastly adhere to the above philo-theology and the tenets therein.
Yours etc.,
Wallamphang Roy,
Via email
Stringent punishment for supporting child rapists !
Editor,
Apropos your editorial, “Death penalty for child rapists” (ST, April 23, 2018), the effectiveness of the provision for death penalty for child rapist will remain just on paper unless there also exists political will, administrative neutrality, public vigilance and moral education. However, is there any penalty for the supporters of child – killer – rapists? An inhuman show of solidarity with such heinous criminals was staged by some people with our national flag in their hands! This is an offence against our national flag, against India’s image and above all against humanity.
Now, if these people can make an easy getaway after publicly demonstrating in support of the child – killer – rapists with our national flag in their hands, how can a law, however stringent it may be, become effective?
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata
Death penalty for child rapists!
Editor,
It is a great day for us that the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind has approved an ordinance for death penalty on those convicted of raping girls younger than 12 years of age. In fact, death penalty should have been given to all those who are convicted for raping women, girls or toddlers of any age. In many of the cases the convict being a juvenile gets freedom after some years of imprisonment. Why is rigorous punishment not given to juveniles who are involved in destroying the life of an innocent women, girl or a toddler. These juveniles become a threat not only for the nation but for their own parents, their mother , sister or any female members in a family. I hope that the Government will come up with a strict law and give capital punishment to everyone irrespective of the age of the victim or of the convict.
Yours etc.,
Anil Singh Roka,
via email
Respect the queue culture
Editor,
The incident that happened in a railway station on the Lucknow – Kanpur line on April 23 last where one person died and several others were injured was because of a stampede. As usual, the train came late and had not come to a complete halt when the waiting passengers rushed to board the train. In the rush one passenger slipped, got caught in the wheels and died on the spot. This incident, like many others in the past, occurred mainly because we have forgotten the queue culture. Had the passengers queued up to board the train, perhaps such accidents could have been avoided.
In my locality, at Lower Barapather, the Municipal conservancy truck comes every alternate day. People wait with their receptacles (blue and green bucket), to dump their household wastes. No sooner does the truck come when people would rush towards it to hand over their receptacles to the two truck attendants. It used to be very difficult to manage to hand over the receptacle to the attendants because people push their dirty buckets over the heads of the people in the front, even though the truck stops for a sufficiently long time and until the attendants have picked up the last bucket. One day an illiterate truck attendant shouted at people to fall in line. Since then it has become a relief to dump our waste in the truck.
According to me, the greatest sign of civilization is not our great invention or discoveries. It is the culture of waiting for our turn or the queue culture. I have observed that only human beings queue up. This culture of forming a queue can avert a lot of anxiety, inconvenience and tragic accidents. First come first served should be our motto in everyday life.
Yours etc.,
Krishna Chettri
Shillong-2