By HH Mohrmen
There is no other word in Khasi Pnar vocabulary to describe the virus which has affected the whole world other than the word Khlam. In fact in the Khasi and Pnar language Khlam is the name given to an illness which is contagious and which affects a large number of people and has the potential to kill the patient too. It was considered to be the most dreaded diseases and the very fact that we already have a name for a similar occurrence in our vocabulary proves it is not something new. People are in the know about similar episodes which means that they have experienced similar incidents in the past but perhaps at a smaller scale.
The Khlam that people experienced in the past is plague or pestilence and maybe few others and the name of which they dread to hear. If we are to try to comprehend how people in the past understood the Khlam, first and foremost it is believed to be transmitted from the air or it is cause by the bad spirit. Khlam affects both human and animals and in fact according to the Pnar belief system there are two different kinds of Khlam, one which affects human and the other which attacks only domestic animals. Till today every once in a while Khlam occurs in the village and sweeps all the domesticated animals reducing people’s hard work to nothing. As such people experience Khlam regularly almost on an annual basis.
Since plague also happened in the past, let us look how our ancestors according to their own wisdom organised a protective mechanism to protect themselves if and when the plague hits the area. In situations like this it is worth reminding ourselves that the defensive mechanisms that our ancestors had to protect the people and the village from the attack of the Khlam are in the form of deities and divinities. In both the Khasi and the Pnar tradition the Ryngkew the Basa are deities worshiped to protect the people not only from the Khlam but even the physical attacks of the enemies too.
In the case of Jowai, ka Myntdu which flows around Jowai is known in local parlance as ka Tawiar ka takan. It is like a second line of defence for the place and its people. It is also believed that Myntdu which flows almost encircling Jowai, also protects the person from harm even if he crosses the River to visit other places. Then the inner most defence are ki Soo duar soo luti, or the four ways and the four passages. The soo duar soo luti include u Moosniang, u Mookhai, u Mutong and u Mooralong, which are in the form of monolith and one is an image carved on a stone. The followers of Niamtre pay obeisance to the divinities in the form of sacrifice before the Behdieñkhlam festival is celebrated. In the other places particularly those in the War Jaiñtia area, there the Phlongs which are gateways to the village to protect the village and its people from any harm.
Khlam was feared by the people in the past because if and when it occurred it almost swept completely both humans and animals from the area. Places like Nongtalang, Ïalong, Moosakhia and Samanong, till today share stories of how people came to settle in the present location to flee from the Khlam which has swept the place where they settled earlier. Perhaps it is for this reason that to drive away plague or pestilence people not only pay obeisance to the deities and the divinities around but they also organise a festival invoking the deities to protect them or to come to their rescue. It is for this very reason that the most popular and perhaps the festival which is widely celebrated in both East and West Jaiñtia hills is called the Behdieñkhlam festival.
Khlam in the past was of a smaller magnitude sometime it hits only a certain village or few villages in its vicinity, but the current Khlam is of a different kind. Its magnitude is so huge that it cannot be measured and no one has come up with any prediction of how and when this pandemic will end. The measure that is being taken is only preventive in nature as this is a new kind of Khlam altogether.
The easiest and the most effective measure to prevent the spread of the disease is going back to the basics like regular and proper washing of our hands. This is something that we were taught since when we were in the kindergarten, but Corona Virus has reminded us that this simple act can make a huge difference to people. So the lesson we learned in Kindergarten as kids is simple but very important to protect us from the attack of the virus. But it is now obvious that Corona virus is not just a simple virus.
The Virus is so contagious that it compels the governments of the affected countries to order complete shutdown in the affected areas to prevent people’s movement. In an unprecedented move borders between countries are sealed, airports and railway stations are closed to prevent movement of people from one place to another. Since it is difficult or even impossible to stop people from visiting places, governments have to enforce isolation and self-quarantine of people who live in cities and towns. The reason is because the virus communicates so rapidly that the only way to control it is to make sure that people do not move from one place to another.
People are advised to avoid public places but in places like Meghalaya where it is also almost impossible to avoid social gatherings, the next line of defence is to maintain distance. But the major impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it will change the way we live our life. lives. Terms like social distancing, isolation, self-quarantine have become new catchwords in our day to day lives. Covid-19 has also ushered in new way of life too. So near yet so far is the new normal that Covid-19 has brought to the world today; people are isolated yet they are connected. People who have the leisure and can afford the lifestyle are now working from home. In some advanced countries in the West Home Schooling or online learning has already begun and it looks like the learners are enjoying the new arrangement too. So are we are embarking on a new way life after Covid-19. Or are we saying that this too will pass and it is only a matter of time that it will be normal again. But the question is what kind of normal. The world will never be the same again, Covid-19 will usher a new normal to the world.
The pandemic will definitely have its impact on the society we live and even in the whole world. Fear for the virus will compel people to change their lifestyles for good and maybe people will start avoiding social gatherings. In such a situation, the society too will be affected. Perhaps skype, zoom or other virtual conferencing tools will become the new meeting place for people. And with the effect of climate change looming large over our heads and as expected global warming will have its impact on the earth, in the future will people will avoid going outdoors and have everything delivered to them in their houses? Or is staying put in one place and living in the virtual world, the new normal?
Not only more people will prefer to stay inside the house than venture outdoors, but will they start avoid travelling too and travel only when and if it is necessary. These are questions that will be answered only when we have surmounted this gigantic problem, but in the meantime people only hope and pray that this pandemic which has turned everything upside down will end sooner than later.
For the Niamtre people the wish is for Behdieñkhlam festival to happen sooner to get rid of the Khlam that is plaguing the country and the world at large. This perhaps is the Behdieñkhlam that even those who are not followers of the Niamtre are earnestly waiting for.