By Maitphang Syiem
“Chem kynphaw nga Ri Bhoi Thymmai Ba da i Hun ba i hai hai” Chem Kynphaw nga Ri Bhoi Tymmen Zin sarngu ka la eh ba Chem,” an excerpt from the legendary poet of Ri Bhoi, R.Shadap in Ri Bhoi dialect which translates to how the Transformed Ri Bhoi has overshadowed the old charm of Ri Bhoi. It’s indeed something which the people of Ri Bhoi need to introspect on about the existing transformation and the rapidly changing cultural landscape. It is 30 years now since Ri Bhoi was upgraded from a Civil sub-division to one of the Districts of Meghalaya on June 4, 1992, and ever since there has been no looking back for the District. Indeed, those men and women who had burned the midnight oil to make the creation of the District a reality and built it brick by brick, deserve credit and applause from all of us.
As a District, Ri Bhoi has gone through many monumental changes in the context of education, sports and health infrastructure, utilities, agriculture, farming, commercial activities etc. We cannot deny that the peoples’ representatives have played an important role in shaping the District back then, therefore credit goes to them as well and to those in the civil services back then who helped shape the idea of Ri Bhoi District. They cannot go unmentioned as they were the driving force of the entire process of development. If we look at the current scenario the kind of changes that Ri Bhoi has undergone is quite commendable.
The District based on 49 indicators and 5 thematic domains had witnessed accreditation in the recent years, particularly in the aspirational district baseline ranking report as published by NITI Ayog in 2018. It was ranked 51st position from 101 aspirational districts and in 2022 the ranking leap-frogged to 5th position from among the 112 districts in the country, therefore this justifies the claims that The District has gone through monumental transformation. However this signifies one aspect of the changes; there are more that the people should introspect and should strive for.
With no intent to offend anyone, legends in the past suggest that Ri Bhoi was a place nestled in the jungles, so was kind of forbidden to visit. Such narratives would be carried forward at times to suggest that Ri Bhoi is still in the woods. But look at the situation today! Who would not like to come down to the plains of Ri Bhoi? In fact many people have ventured to acquire vast acreage of agricultural land and are engaged in farming. Resorts have come up and tourism is flourishing. However, there is something that the people of Ri Bhoi are really blessed with and that is the gift of soil fertility. Hence agricultural farming is an activity that is very closely associated with the people of Ri Bhoi, and the gift of fertility is a compliment to that legend that says, “Just close your eyes and throw a seed anywhere it will surely sprout up and grow.” So the focus here is whether we are really using that gift which can be a blessing for many. Ri Bhoi District may have earned the sobriquet Food Basket (Shang Ja) of Meghalaya and this point may be well justified because Ri Bhoi is indeed the rice bowl of Meghalaya. It is said, “As you sow, so will you reap.” This should be an inspiration for the people of Ri Bhoi.
That was one part of the story, where we have seen the birth of a District and the changes that have been effected and also the contributions of the people who have laid the foundation for taking things forward. But what lies ahead for the people are still huge challenges. The question to ask is whether people are content with the current scenario of development. This is where the people need to introspect. As it is, many key areas of development have been established which undeniably have been a blessing to the people and many are in the process, so here the general question is to rate how far the District has progressed and whether people are really satisfied?
Let us find the answers through self-introspection. Let us also be reminded that we need to come out of our complacent nature ( chalta hain attitude) as we need to strive for good and quality development. Hence the educational infrastructures and other utility services etc., that we are entitled to should carry values and quality. In this aspect, since we are in a democratic setup we need to understand that we are not alone but are a force if we act unitedly. It is important to educate ourselves and our future generation that it is imperative to elect public representatives who are competent, educated, understands the virtues of democracy, has a rapport with the downtrodden, the young and the elderly and also one who exhibits transparency and accountability and understands the concept of more governance and less government in letter and spirit.
With time we are also faced with many more challenges in the social, environmental, economic and spiritual spheres but these challenges can always be overcome if we start educating ourselves and our generation about the challenges we are facing to be prepared for the ones to come, but let us have clear aims and objectives that come what may we need to strive for excellence. In particular, the younger generation would have forgotten about many of Ri Bhoi’s legends. They have left behind a rich legacy which could inspire us. Its time to find who these legends were and their contributions to the growth and development of this area.
With time everything has changed. Gone are those days when people hardly knew about the professions of medicine, engineering, administration, scientific knowledge, business management et al. Today we have professionals from every field. However, the people of Ri Bhoi must strive to produce more professionals who can add value to the District.
To conclude, let the people of Ri Bhoi be reminded of the words of the legendary poet R.Shadap and the lines which speak about the anticipation for men and women who will be leading Ri Bhoi to a brighter and more prosperous future.
“Khlur Rupa jan e hi ba tbeh ba iah luti/ Soh Chibet ha ka Ri zong i/ mynta la shai bnei ha pyrdi Ri Bhoi/ Jingshai kala poi ka ri nang roi/ Neng zi muit ki sngi jingkyrkhu, longbru manbru nangku/ chaduh ki kyndong kynshrot karlein ki ri bastad sepngi chaduh ka ri zo i ba khei kani longbru manbru nangku nangmuit ki jingkyrkhu. Wishing good luck and prosperity to the people of Ri Bhoi District on the 30th Anniversary of Ri Bhoi Foundation Day.
(The writer is a native of Ri Bhoi and a Geospatial Technology Expert)