By Patricia Mukhim
A brand new writer as far as The Shillong Times is concerned – Mankular Lamin Gashnga – was bold enough to share his views on the current controversy vis-à-vis the State Anthem and the claims following the release of that anthem that Jaintias as a people are a separate entity with a separate script/language. That debate is never ending because there are many sub-tribes under the broad umbrella of ‘Khasi.’ I am no linguist and nor do I have any claims to scholarship authenticated by a PhD, hence my arguments here will be that of a common citizen who dispassionately watches how even the indigenous faith (Niam tynrai of the Khasi and the Niamtre of the Jaintia) is now being equated to Hinduism with its myriad deities/gods when the indigenous faith has always stressed on U Blei Nongbuh Nongthaw – one God the creator who has placed us humans on this earth. This enthusiasm by some leaders of the indigenous faith to jump into the bandwagon of the Ram Lalla temple consecration in all their finery, actually reeks of politics. Such people give credence to the claims of the RSS that before the advent of a ‘foreign’ religion (read Christianity) into these hills, we were all Hindus. If people want to join the BJP and fight elections from that Party they are free to do so but stop using religion to create a new narrative about us as a tribe.
It is unfortunate that some scholars have come down like a ton of bricks on Mankupar Gashnga and even made personal references about his profession/religion et al. This is pettiness at its worst. While disagreeing with someone’s point of view there is no need to make disparaging remarks.
In a democracy every person has the right to express his/her views and it doesn’t really matter what the person’s occupation – present and past is. If anyone wishes to argue, let him/her argue on reason and logic alone. As it is this society is one where people prefer to simply gossip about issues. Most are experts at outsourcing their ideas to the sundry “Seng Bhalang” while others cajole someone else to write so that the crossfire is not borne by the person with the ideas but the poor guy who decides to write, out of a sense of concern.
There are many things wrong with governance in this state; there is unbridled corruption, nepotism and appropriation of powers by those who are actually vested with powers to take governance to the people. But how many scholars/academicians/thinkers/intellectuals et al actually pen down their concerns and send them to the newspapers? Either they don’t want to offend the powers that be lest they need favours from them; or they are just too lazy to read up, sit, write and send their write-ups. Those who do write will do so when something affects them personally but they will come up with the rider, “Please don’t mention my name, mo.”
In a society that keeps flaunting its matrilineal descent, there are very few or no women writers. Don’t women have a point of view on the functioning or the malfunction of society? Who is sealing their minds, brains and mouths from speaking out? Isn’t it true that Khasi women are acting out their gender roles where they are always warned not to speak or laugh out loud and that when women do speak they don’t make sense? I have heard this many a time while growing up. Hence when women attend the dorbar meetings within their localities they sit quietly; they are not expected to speak. We can actually count the number of women who voice out their views without flinching. They are ubiquitous like Angela Rangad, Agnes Kharshiing (who has in recent times gone silent). Other than these two ladies, no political party has a woman spokesperson; no pressure group is headed by a woman unless it’s a women’s only group. And yet we see nothing wrong with these insidiously gendered arrangements.
The Khasi society is faced with multiple problems and haranguing about the languages of the state anthem is to me a waste of energy which could be deployed to look at the real issues confronting society, one of which is the growing poverty and the fact that Meghalaya is becoming a state with the highest number of school drop-outs. This is a matter of grave concern because a semi-literate population is a burden on its family and society. Take the growing number of drug dependent individuals whose numbers are rising. They are a burden on their families and by extension their society. Everywhere we turn we hear stories of bold thefts taking place and the police just don’t seem able to keep track of such heists because they have become commonplace and hence normalised.
So yes, instead of quibbling over the language/languages of a state anthem its time to focus on more critical issues. One point I consider important is that of having societal conversations on issues. Pressure groups of all shades make demands on our behalf without consulting us. We the people are taken for granted as if we have no minds of our own. Before any demand is put before the government, pressure groups should consult people and have a series of discussions in different areas. Let’s make the demand-making process a democratic one because we will all be affected one way or the other by the demands (a) if they are fulfilled (b) if they are not fulfilled. We need to weigh the pros and cons of both.
Coming back to the state anthem, in Assam, a state of many tribal groups speaking different languages; some of them already recognised in the 8th Schedule like the Bodo language, but the state anthem is, “O mur apunor dekh” which is in Assamese and all the people of Assam, tribals included sing that with pride. That basic unity is important. But our Achilles heel as a community is our disunity. We can never agree on any single point. And whether we admit it or not we are a very communal breed of people. We are divided by community, faith and politics. The fact that we cannot, till date, have a common platform for regional parties is indication enough that we thrive on division. And it is this division and the absence of a single-minded purpose as a people (not as different communities) that is keeping Meghalaya backward. While we have these internal squabbles, issues that need focus are thrown like garbage into the rivers. There are too many people with too many ideas and too much rhetoric but too few to do the dirty work.
When will we ever learn to transcend the community ego and start working to correct the trajectory on which Meghalaya is riding? The State is 52 years old. Do we need another 50 years for revolutionary ideas to take shape?