An undisputed hero of the land, martyr of the soil, unsung or celebrated, U Tirot Sing has carved a niche for himself in the annals of the country’s resistance to British occupation of India. U Tirot Sing is synonymous with the pride of the Khasis probably as the brightest iconic star of the tribe.
17th July being his death anniversary, Sunday Shillong had a question-answer session with Professor David Reid Syiemlieh, the celebrated historian who is credited for establishing the exact date of the legendary freedom fighter’s confinement in Dhaka and his eventual death.
The erudite Professor Syiemlieh, sheds light on some interesting anecdotes from his journey that led onto the discovery of the leader’s final years and his demise, substantiated by factual evidence based on his famous discovery in 1988 of a chunk of history; hitherto unknown to his own community. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
SS: As we commemorate U Tirot Sing, what do you make of this day?
DS: I think it is very relevant that we are observing the death anniversary of U Tirot Sing; a freedom fighter and a great leader of men. It is appropriate that at this time of the year we remember somebody who in the past laid his life for the people of Meghalaya and particularly the Khasis.
SS: Tell us about your stint with the British Archives?
DS: It is actually the India Office Library and Records, London where I had been several times before 1988 when I did this research and several times thereafter for continued research. I had gone to London on a scholarship to research on a book that came out subsequently titled On the Edge of Empire.
SS: What motivated you in the first place to dig into the archives? Were you sure that some little-known chapter was buried there?
DS: I had not planned to do a story on U Tirot Sing. One day in early February 1988 when between receiving one file and another to be requisitioned I decided to do some research on U Tirot Sing. I asked for the files relating to the Bengal Political Consultations of 1835. Why 1835? Because many years earlier in 1986 after finishing my PhD at NEHU I was in Calcutta for some research where I glanced at The Friend of India – a newspaper published in Kolkata. I read a very interesting comment by an Englishmen, where he mentions that Tirot Sing enjoys not the Dacca jail but a comfortable house with Rupees 30, a palkee at command and the liberty to go wherever he pleases, subject of course to the indispensable accompaniment of a sentry. With this information, which previously nobody made any reference to, I concluded that in 1835 (and not in 1834 where a book says he had passed away) Tirot Sing was alive. I then decided to check the Bengal Political Consultations and there I got a reference on U Tirot Sing’s death.
SS: What was your first reaction when you first read the documents?
DS: I was excited on the find because it was a significant discovery. There were many who had given their ideas and thoughts on U Tirot Sing, many books that were written and tried to locate his death, but they were not substantiated by any document. The document that I brought with me was the basis for an article published by NEHU journal . It was here where I first indicated the date of death of U Tirot Sing. So, it was an interesting find and one of much interest to many in Meghalaya.
SS: Apart from unearthing the correct date of his death, what startled you the most?
DS: What startled me was the efficiency of India Office Library and Records in maintaining records. Not only did they keep them very well, and catalogued them well, but it was also available for consultation without much time taken to locate records. I must thank the Records Office for the maintenance. Interestingly, this document is also to be found in Kolkata, where I researched many years later.
What could’ve happened with many other scholars, who tried researching on U Tirot Sing’s death is that even if they read the same document as I did, they might have looked up the index under “Cossya” for the name of the tribe, who were not then under the rule of the British. What I did was, I looked up the section under “Dacca” and there I was able to get two important letters relating to the death of U Tirot Sing.
The Officiating Commissioner of Circuit in his letter to the Secretary to the Government of Bengal in the Political Department, Fort William, informed him of “the fact of the death of the state prisoner, the Ex Rajah Teeruth Sing.” He was forwarding the letter of the Officiating Magistrate, Zillah of Dacca, written on 18 July 1835, which informed: “I have the honour to report for the information of government the demise of the Ex Rajah Teruth Sing a State Prisoner under my charge, which event took place yesterday at one P.M.”
The letter is dated 18th July 1835; that clarifies the date of the death was17th July 1835.
SS: As a historian, how would you describe Tirot Sing’s persona?
DS: Young, physically strong, courageous and he fought for a cause that unfortunately could not be accomplished but it showed his love for his people and land.
SS: Can you throw some light on the compelling reasons for the British to keep Tirot Sing in life long confinement? Was there a threat perception because of his recalcitrance or was it his choice?
DS: There was no indication of his imprisonment being lifelong; it was just indicated that he was under house-arrest. Initially he was sent to the common jail in Dacca and I had checked up the general records of Dacca jail several years ago and I did not find his name mentioned there.
In his imprisonment he was kept in a common jail for a period of time but the British respected his position as a native chief and a house was rented for him in Dacca. He was given an allowance, a servant and he lived pretty comfortably in the last part of his life in Dacca. It was very common for the British to send leaders like Tirot Sing away from his centre of activity, in this case the Khasi Hills. By keeping them away the ‘threat perception’ as mentioned would have been reduced.
SS:What was the lingua franca between the British and Tirot Sing?
DS: Well, much of it was in Bangla because that was the language of communication at that point of time. There is reference by U Tirot Sing and several of his men and Khasi chiefs who were knowledgeable with speaking in Bangla. Trade and commerce with the Surma Valley was much in demand because Khasi products were taken down to the plains below and a cultural and economic connection with Bengal had enabled many of the Khasi chiefs to frequent the place and be acquainted with the language there. Negotiations were translated from Khasi into Bangla, the British officials would have had their own translators from Bengali into English. Interestingly, most of the treaties and other engagements, which we find in the official records, are all written in English.
SS: Do you believe that the governments in Delhi and Shillong have done justice to his memories?
DS: I think so. Justice has been done to his memory because there is a state holiday commemorating his life as a Chieftain, a stamp has been printed in his honour, films have been made, monuments have been raised to commemorate him, books have been written, a college is named after him, schools are named after him. So the memory of U Tirot Sing is alive and the respect for the Syiem remains not only for one day in the year but in institutions in his memory.
SS: Any thought on what else needs to be done in this regard, if any?
DS: I do not have any thoughts on what else needs to be done but I would like a proper understanding of the last days of U Tirot Sing. Many who gave speeches on the day of his death continue to regard him as a common prisoner and that he died in the Dacca jail. He did not die in the Dacca jail as my research was able to show. I think there has to be a correction in history regarding the last days of U Tirot Sing.
SS: How do you think the unsung heroes can be better celebrated?
DS: By proper research and by commemorating the lesser known freedom fighters. There were several others who fought alongside Tirot Sing. These go down as unrecorded and unwritten and perhaps not even mentioned. Only a few are mentioned including Tirot Sing for his leadership to the sad neglect of several others who should be mentioned in the recall of the past.
SS: What, according to you, can the youth derive from the life of the leader today?
DS: Tirot Sing was a young man when he took up the leadership in the struggle against the British. He led the Khasi confederacy for four years against the British. Therefore, his life will give inspiration to the young people. His love for the land was exemplified in the way he fought for the preservation of freedom and this will, I think, go a long way in encouraging our youth to respect and to love our land.
SS: Could you shed some light on the lesser known details about the notable four year-long battle between the British and the army of Tirot Sing from 1829-1833?
DS: Again, I’ll make a correction. There was no sense of an army in those days but Tirot Sing like many other chiefs who fought in the confederacy gathered able-bodied men and there was also one woman who participated in the struggle , Phan Nonglait as books refer to her. Tirot Sing did not fight this struggle alone. There was Monbhot one of his servants from Nongkhlaw, Bor Manik the Syiem of Hima Khyriem collaborated with U Tirot Sing; so too did Zubar Sing, Syiem of Hima Rambrai and there was also Lar Sing of Myriaw. The confederacy came together in 1829. Other Syiems also gave leadership thought they must have looked at Syiem Tirot for more direction because of his ability as a leader of men.
SS: Not much is known about what transpired after Tirot Sing’s defeat and eventual banishment to Dhaka at the hands of the British. Could you share some interesting details? Is there any new research to foreground the last days of the great warrior?
DS: Over the last few years, I have written a number of articles and essays in The Shillong Times as also articles published in journals. These give accounts of the last days of Tirot Sing after his surrender in January 1833 to his death in July 1835. First, he was sent down to Gauhati and after his trial there he was sent to Dacca in the common jail where he resided as I mentioned for a period of time. The British did have some sympathy and made provision for a much more comfortable stay for him; having servants in a well-guarded house. There is a common belief that he died of a stomach ailment but records do not mention the cause of his death.
SS: “Better die an independent king than reign as the vassal.” As a historian, how do you read these immortal lines by Tirot Sing in the present day?
DS: These lines come from a drama written by Victor Bareh. The drama was entitled U Tirot Sing written in English. It is a very interesting drama of his life and his times, particularly his involvement in the struggle against the British. These interesting lines come as the closing lines in the life of the man. These were not the leader’s words but the words of Victor Bareh that have been immortalised in a way that the sentiment is captured and used on the day we commemorate the life and times of U Tirot Sing.
Prof. David R. Syiemlieh is an academician, former Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University and the former Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission of India. Author of several books and articles on the history of North East India, he is credited with discovering the date of death and other details of the last days of U Tirot Sing.
(The interview was conducted by Ms. Esha Chaudhuri)