SHILLONG: Kongthong, better known as “the whistling village” is tucked away some 55 kms from here. The village has drawn international media attention for many of its unique social practices, but deep inside, the residents nurse a feeling of apathy as governments in the past half a century have failed to address their core problems — motorable roads, healthcare, education and setting up fruit processing plant.
A tour of the village on Wednesday helped this writer to absorb the pent up feelings of being let down by their own political class. The villagers who do not camouflage their rusticity, told in so many words that despite repeated assurances, they have not found favour with the elected representatives. Maybe, because their number doesn’t count in terms of votes, they were born to continue with the long legacy of neglect which can be traced to the British regime.
Barring some cosmetic touches here and there, Kongthong has by and large remained encapsulated in olden times.
Broomstick is the only source of livelihood in this village. Each family harvests at least 2000 kg of broomstick every year, the least being 500 kg. At Rs 100 per kg this amount is what enables families to send their kids to Shillong for higher studies. Broom is the only wasteland crop that grows on this rocky precipitous landscape and requires no tending at all. It just renews itself season after season. However, the broom can deplete the soil like no other crop and its increasingly encroaching into forest land too.
They grow vegetables just enough for their own consumption. Since the villagers don’t rear cattle they have no manure other than the compost from leaves and grass. But the land seems fertile enough to allow luxuriant growth of oranges and pineapples among other local fruits. When asked if they market these fruits which are at present selling at Rs 60-80 apiece in Shillong, they said that it’s difficult to cart the fruit to the market at Mawjrong or Sohra. They were earlier told by government agencies that the jackfruit they grow would be bought and processed by government agencies but nothing has happened so far.
Kongthong with a population of about 700 people and roughly about 100 households has two lower primary schools and one upper primary school. Most parents prefer to send their kids to Shillong or Sohra after that.
There is just one health sub-centre manned by an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM). The PHC with an attendant doctor is at Khrang several kilometres away. Five or six Tata Sumos ply between Shillong and Kongthong charging Rs 200 both ways. There is no other public transport system to this village.
With no processing plants and the fruit having a short shelf life there is very little they can do to add value to these fruits. So the villagers end up consuming the fruits or sharing them with those who don’t grow any fruit. The villagers said they wished the elected representatives would understand their plight and enable them to scale up their livelihoods.
Google Kongthong and the catch phrase is “Whistling Village.” So who whistles? The villagers? Why do they whistle? The very phrase Whistling Village is wrong, say the elders of Kongthong because the tune that each mother coins for her child is not a whistle.
It’s a unique sort of humming sound which a mother creates for each child that is born. The locals call it Jingrwai Iawbei. The child in turn learns to respond with a corresponding but shorter sound. When a mother wishes to call her child in the fields where they go to farm she uses that tune and no one but the child will respond. Point to note is that fathers don’t create that humming sound.
Kongthong shot back into prominence last year when Rajya Sabha MP, Rakesh Sinha, raised a point about granting heritage status for the village under UNESCO in Parliament, because of its unique naming culture. Prof Sinha also visited Kongthong in September 2019 and continues to evince keen interest in what happens there. Recently he called this correspondent to find out the reason why people of Kongthong refused to take the rice distributed to them.
The story of Kongthong first saw the light of day when Alan West, then with Peitngor Cable News first did the story. After that hordes of journalists including those from the BBC and curious visitors wend their way to Kongthong despite the difficult drive over non-existent, narrow roads which a careless driver can drive off into sheer precipice hundreds of feet below.
A couple of years ago, some progressive youth from Kongthong started the Indigenous Agro-Tourism Cooperative Society (IACTS) with the aim of promoting tourism and making the name-song as their unique selling point. A few one-roomed huts made in the indigenous style with two beds close to the floor, two chairs and a typical Khasi fireplace in the middle of the hut to keep warm in the winter months. The huts are called ‘Travellers’ Nest.’
The IACTS has a number of enterprising youth some of whom have completed their Master’s Degree from NEHU. They prepare meals and serve the tourists. Rothell Khongsit, Secretary, IACTS says they have been getting over 1000 tourists annually and have been earning close to Rs 50,000 a month.
One of the rare VIP visitors to Kongthong was Governor Banwarilal Purohit who visited the place on May 23, 2017. On that day the Governor inaugurated the Solar Street Light Project. That day Kongthong get 20 solar street lamps. Unfortunately with no one being trained to maintain them, some of those lamps are not functioning today.
Having braved his visit to this back of beyond, Governor Purohit shot off a letter to the then Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma drawing his attention to the abysmal road condition right from the turn off at Mawjrong to Tyniar-Ponlum Kongthong Mawshuit Jarain and the absence of a road from Kongthong to Mawmang-Myion-Mawsohmat-Sder and beyond. The Governor said, “Since these villages are in the interior areas and their feeling of neglect was perceptible, I felt that the matter should be taken up with you personally so the matter gets well-deserved attention.”
The Chief Minister replied saying that orders are being given to the department concerned for immediate action. But the action on the ground is far from happening even today. This correspondent had to trek at least 3 km since some earth cutting was being done by a JCB and the road of what’s left of it is blocked.
The reality today is that despite the visits by a rare VIP and several film and television crew, the government of the day is not concerned about these distant villages. Film and documentary maker Oinam Doren spent much time at Kongthong for his film My name is Eeooow, which won awards at international film festivals but is yet to be shown here closer home. Doren however, gave a special viewing to Governor Purohit and some women of Kongthong who were visibly excited to step inside the Raj Bhavan for the first time.
That movie being done and dusted, Kongthong is again a forgotten Eden. It only made news recently when the rice distributed by the Food and Civil Supplies Department was of such inferior quality that the villagers refused to take it. Another case of gross neglect and apathy by both government and public representatives!
“Every time the elections come we vote for change and hope for change but that never happens,” echoed the women of the village.” Indeed the question is when will the change come? And when will the Shillong Raj Bhavan inmate travel to these back of beyond forgotten villages of Meghalaya.