By Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh
The year 2022 is remarkable for Meghalaya as the State celebrates 50 years of its existence. Much has been talked about the sacrifices and achievements of the pioneers and citizens. A few of them had been recognized and praised, while legions of men and women will remain unsung in the horizon.
Though the State is no longer the same as it was 50 years ago, development is sporadic and distribution of wealth is unequal. Moreso, the degeneration of moral and ethical values in all aspects of socio-economic and political life and the manifest injustice is deplorable. The State and community are profoundly religious in which every second or third person is either a “tymmen basan” (Church elder) or an active leader of “ka Kynhun Niam Tynrai” (Traditional Faith) or is a member of Sat-Sangat. However, there is a complete disconnect between our professed faith or spirituality and socio-political reality, whereby corruption and criminality are rife and offenders have no qualms. In fact, illegality is now being formalized and normalized in the State. Whereas the commoners are being gripped by fear and uncertainty, the othering of others is causing deep psychological impact and the cloud of uncertainty is hovering over us.
Against this backdrop and in honour of our past leaders who were men and women of great intellect and integrity I wish to reproduce here the Christmas Message of Prof G.G Swell, the statesman par excellence and I thank the Editor of Shillong Times for the consent to publish it along with my introduction to it. The family of Professor G.G Swell runs the museum in his honour at Laitkynsew.
In the political and economic context of his time, Professor G.G Swell via this Christmas Message wrote to the Nation and the World about the core values of Christianity. As a citizen of a free and secular nation he expressed his core belief in the public square and even called for the renewal of our being.
Once again Christmas, which is the season of Joy, is here. And the Angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day…a Saviour, which Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). But how do people feel the Joy in the midst of fear and suffering? There are so much corruption and injustice in the State and society. Inequality is sharply rising and the widening gap between the haves and have nots is perturbing. How do we celebrate the joy of Christmas in the State where nearly 33% of the populace are living in abject poverty? But yet we celebrate the joy of the season with the spirit of determination to challenge the powers and principalities of darkness and doomed. The joy and hope of Christmas must be shared with others and that we all reaffirm our commitment to Truth and Justice. The State of Meghalaya must be renewed and reclaimed from the hands of a few who are hell bent to sell everything which we possess, including our life and being, for their own selfish gains.
Professor G.G Swell was born to a pious Christian family in Laitkynsew, a Village near Sohra and he rose to become the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha twice, one from 9 December 1969 to 27 December 1970 and the second time from 27 March 1971 to 18 January 1977. He was the disciplinarian who firmly committed to probity in public life. His 16-point programme for the development of Meghalaya was set to be guided by the principle of moral leadership. He stressed on the character of leadership and envisioned that, “The implementation of any programme rests primarily and mainly with the leadership of the State…If this leadership is corroded by vices that corrupt and sap its strength, vitality and will, the best of programmes will remain but a scrap of paper. It is the duty of the people of the State to ensure that its leadership is healthy, pure and dynamic.” (16 Point Programme for Meghalaya, New Delhi Dated 6th July 1973).
During one of the Christmas seasons while occupying the office of the Deputy Speaker, he published the pamphlet entitled, What Christianity Means to Me, in which he stated “This being Christmas and New Year time, I thought it is a good occasion for exchanging thoughts on this vital and fundamental subject.” This fifty-year old pamphlet is speaking to us today in the same tone and tenor as it did fifty years ago. Though the message is simple, but its pungency will cut through to the veins and make every one of us feel ashamed of the mess we have created. Similarly, now when the entire Nation is witnessing the violence and discrimination against minorities, this Christmas Message is telling us that all is not lost, and the message is reproduced below:
What Christianity Means to Me:
“The position of the Deputy Speaker of India may or may not be considered an important office. Although I take this job seriously, the office itself sits lightly on me for I respect a man for what he is and not for the office he holds. Yet, from an impoverished home in the deep outback in the Khasi tribal area in the North-East, through poverty and without any political patronage, to the Deputy Speakership of the Parliament, it has been a long and arduous journey. How did I make it?
The first thing I remember about my early childhood was the loud voice of my mother in early dawns when she would unburden herself before God and plead for His help and guidance. The second thing was the school I went to after completing my studies in my village. No one, who could afford, wanted to be enrolled there as it had just been started and was still unrecognised. But it was in this school, the Ramakrishna Mission School of Cherrapoonjee, that I came in contact with the quintessence of the finest of India’s thoughts and ideals that laid the foundation of my character and outlook. From then on it was as if someone had taken over and put me on course. Was it because of my mother’s prayers? Looking back from this position I believe it was. She was a Christian and unquestioningly trusted in Jesus who was far stronger than her or anybody else, so strong that in His life of flesh and blood He conquered want, fear, hatred and death itself, and yet so loving and personal.
Modern sophisticates may scoff at this as maudlin. Let us take bigger issues that cut across nationalities and religions, for example, the question of disarmament and restructuring of world economic order. In disarmament the gains of SALT-I has been overtaken by technological progress and talks about SALT-II are now mired in the question as to whether a cruise missile and backfire bomber are strategic weapons or not. Before these questions would have been disposed of, more technological progress would have taken place and so the race goes on. On the economic question proposals of transferring 0.7 percent of GNP of rich countries and of indexing prices of raw materials of developing countries to manufactures of developed countries have so far remained brave talks lost in semantic confusion. We are getting nowhere while the world continues to languish and decay under the shadow of total destruction. Yet 2000 years ago Jesus had gone into the heart of both these problems when he said: “And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also another; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also,” and “If thou will be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt treasure in heaven and come and follow me.” The radicality and stark simplicity are astounding. His law is the moral law. At the core of every human problem is the moral question and man will find a lasting solution only if he himself is radically morally transformed.
Thus, in every situation, personal or global, Jesus comes alive. If we are not able to respond to Him it is our inadequacy. This is what Christianity means to me”. Prof G.G Swell.