By Dominick “Dauni Roising” Rymbai
India is an ancient country, with the Indus Valley civilisation as proof; but a young nation-state. Looking at that time period, the ancestors of the present-day English people were literally barbarians compared to the amazing drainage system, architectural wonders and culture of the Indus Valley people.
A news article, “Materials to be on display during Monolith Fest” from The Shillong Times, dated March 28, 2016 mentioned a research excavation project carried out by archaeologist Dr Marco Mitri, along with Prof Desmond Kharmawphlang and Prof B.Myrboh of NEHU at a site on Lum Sohpetbneng. Neolithic age tools and objects, dating back to 1220 BC, were found after preliminary excavation. That means the Khasi people are an ancient tribe.
The British empire, the one where the sun never set, was built by Englishmen in which they used (and disposed off after use) the blood, sweat and tears of their colonial subjects’ men and women. They used these subjects to advance and protect their interests, through their divide and rule policies. Starting off with the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish, they moved on to other colonial subjects – the Indians, Chinese, Africans, Malays, Gurkhas, etc. And like most imperialist powers then, the Christian Missions were used to advance the British interests – the gun on one hand and the Bible on the other. It took the mass non-violent Indian Independence movement of Mahatma Gandhi, a half-naked fakir in their imperialist leader’s words, to bring about the beginning of the sunset of the empire. In today’s 21st century, the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish are demanding independence from the UK (English)through constitutional, non-violent means.
As we commemorate the 158th Death Anniversary of U Woh Kiang Nangbah and his leadership of the Jaintia Rebellion or Resistance of 1861-62, certain oral narratives, urban legends and academic works come to mind. In his Ph.D. thesis, Prof. Shobhan N. Lamare remarked that “The resistance broke out when certain administrative measures (of the British Raj) were introduced where it affected the religious sentiments and the economic life of the (tribal) people”. The religious sentiments started off with the police intervention on the Shad Pasteih of Raid Ialong, Elaka Jwai and the ban on cremation rites; the imposition of house tax added to the economic hardships of the Aam Aadmi. A common man named Kiang Nangbah, literally and figuratively, rose to the occasion and took on the leadership of the Resistance. He was ably supported by the Dollois and other traditional functionaries. The rebellion was purely a tribal movement. In many places of the Jaintia Hills, though the leadership mantle was taken by the traditional official heads, men and women from all walks of life joined the resistance. Women suffered hardships as much as the men.
In 1860-61, Christianity was in its early days in the Jaintia Hills. During the Rebellion urban legend in today’s Jwai town has it, supporters of U Woh Kiang Nangbah from todays’ Pohchnong (the original Jwai village) used to massacre and burnt down the houses of the early Pnar Christians in todays’ Pohskur (Mission Compound). The Christians were seen as collaborators of the white colonial power. Today, to look at it objectively, it was in accordance with the spirit of those times and the prevalent socio-economic and geo-political factors.Simply, an enemy’s friend is an enemy. Post-1947, it is time for all generations, irrespective of religious beliefs, to forgive and forget and move on. Why harp on the past when we can build a better future for our children through unity, collaboration and engagements.
Today, nobody can deny the positive effects of Christianity in our hills, especially in the education and health sectors. Many of our leaders, educators, doctors and nurses, irrespective of clan or caste or creed, have been educated in Christian Mission schools. Also today, Christian Mission hospitals augment the government’s efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19 virus.
We are a state of barely 3.2 million people, in a country of 1,350 million people. We share a 443km border with our southern neighbouring country of 160 million people. Surrounded by hundreds of millions of people, it is but natural to worry for our Jaidbynriew. As we demand protection of our interests, the question is: Will a Regulation drafted in the 19th century help to protect us in the 21st century of globalisation and ever-changing scientific and technological innovations? Will violence beget protection or more violence?
As we move on to a new year with new challenges (hoping and praying that there is no second wave), we should learn from the glory of our past and, the rights and duties of our present.
The Neolithic Age objects proved that we have survived in these hills for thousands of years. In terms of language, the Khasi language belong to the Mon-Khmer group surrounded by the Tibeto-Burman group speakers, a unique case. Geographically, the Khasi-Jaintia-Garo Hills may be considered to be the foothills of the Himalayas but they are also an extension of the ancient Chotanagpur plateau. We are a 3000 year old ancient people!And settled in these ancient Khasi-Jaintia-Garo Hills we call home. We will survive.
Former MLA, Loniak Marbaniang used to tell the story of a certain Ahom invasion of our Khasi Hills. Hima Shyllong was the target. The Ahom’s war machine camped downstream. Upstream and uphill, the Syiem of Hima Shyllong could not mobilise enough men to meet the Ahoms in battle. So, in the trek downstream, he told all his men to carry 50 leaf plates each but with just enough food bundles. When they break for food, he told all his men to use all the leaf plates for eating and then throw them in the river. The Ahom war camp downstream, saw tens of thousands of leaf plates and imagined a huge army, retreated from the potential battle. For our children’s future, we can strategise, without violence. We must not forget the roles of Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi and Rev.JJM Nichols Roy in getting us the protection of the Sixth Schedule within the then composite state of Assam and inclusion in India, not East Pakistan. Also, Meghalaya achieved its full-fledged statehood in 1972 through a non-violent movement.
Much has been written that the British Raj was responsible for uniting this ancient country (and these ancient hills too) into a modern political entity called India. They only did it inadvertently, for their own vested interests. In the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, the colonial rulers used their Divide &Rule policy and cultural/religious domination to suppress the tribals, of which the scars are still present today. We need to remember the Old Khasi anthem by Bah Brek (Late E. Brektist R. Wanswett), “Khynriam, U Pnar, U Bhoi, U War, Udei u paid Khasi baiar” and, encourage unity and discourage petty divisions. We may have been ruled by a white colonial power for a hundred years but forget those with which we had dealings with for a thousand of years. We worship white skin but look down on the brown and wheatish-yellow skin. As part of a young nation in the globalised 21st century, we need to engage, cooperate and collaborate with our fellow Indians from the mainland. Fighting the insurgency hand-in-hand with our able tribal officers and men, the brown skin IAS/IPS officers shed blood, sweat and tears to bring peace to these hills. In the Lockdown, the brown skin took initiatives to support our economically less-privileged. We are Indians first, our passport says so.
Border Management Division is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Under the Constitution of our Republic, we have every right to demand a water-tight border with our southern neighbour and the border openings well-managed to facilitate Education, Trade & Commerce and Tourism.
To conclude, we should not hate the white skin. It took an acclaimed academician of Scottish descent, Prof. David Reid Syiemlieh, to confirm the correct date of death of our beloved freedom fighter, U Tirot Sing. English, our official language, is the lingua franca of the world and technology; and we are quite good at it. There’s a lot to learn from the positive traits of the English, Rudyard Kipling’s poem If.
Our Honourable Prime Minister has invited the Prime Minister of our former colonial power to be the Chief Guest for our 2021 Republic Day celebrations where our 5000 year old civilisation will be showcased. They will sit as Equals, discuss business and geo-politics, and sign agreements that may concern us Khasis too.
P.S.: The writer is a Khasi tribal; a Pnar married to a Khynriam, with roots in Tuber village and most relatives permanently settled in Jowai town. Brought up in the Niamtre and Roman Catholic traditions, presently he is a member of the Riatsamthiah Presbyterian Church, Shillong. A graduate of IIFT-Delhi, he opted for public service.
Disclaimer: Views are personal; they do not reflect those of the Government of Meghalaya.