From Kynsai L Sangriang
MAWKYRWAT, March 10: In the remote corner of South West Khasi Hills, lies Mawtngam village — a place of immense historical significance — the birthplace of U Sngap Sing Syiem, the King of Hima Maharam, a braved freedom fighter and last Khasi King to have stood up and fought against the mighty British colonial forces to protect his land and people.
According to Rev. SD Marwein in the Souvenir of the Hima Maharam, the fight between U Sngap Sing and the British forces lasted almost seven years from 1833 to 1839.
It was in the battle at Nongnah, the tableland of Meghalaya, that thousands of British were killed. In February, 1839, however, U Sngap Sing surrendered before the British after being betrayed by his brother, Bermit Syiem.
However, despite its rich legacy, Mawtngam’s history seems to have been forgotten by the successive governments since India’s independence. What remains today is a village with 19 families grappling with neglect, no roads and only one deficit lower primary school that has turned into cattle shed where 20 schoolchildren have to sit in a kitchen room amidst the foul smell of cow dung.
The only 4-5 km road, the very veins that connect a village to the outside world, have remained underdeveloped for decades and the residents have to walk for hours to reach the PWD roads at Lad Rangthong. In 2023, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) alongside the villagers took matters into their own hands, starting the construction of a 1.4 km road to connect Mawtngam to Nongeitser village, yet the road remains unpaved, and further progress seems stalled. Mawtngam village seems to have become a victim to a system that promises but fails to deliver.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Myntri (headman) of Mawtngam village, Lamphranglin Iawphniaw said in the 1990s, trucks would come to the village to carry woods, by constructing roads on their own, now however, successive state governments have failed to construct a proper road connecting the village with other parts of the district even after more than seven decades since India’s independence.
“Our village has become smaller in terms of population as many people have migrated to Lyngngam area of West Khasi Hills and in the border areas of Ri-Bhoi. Now, we only have 19 families. One of the reasons might be because the land here is not fertile, and the main reason I believe is because we have no roads and other basic necessities. There were many times in the past that we have to carry pregnant women and patients in a ‘krong’ (basket carrier) to reach the PWD roads and take them to the nearest hospital,” Iawphniaw said.
The struggles of Mawtngam go beyond just roads. Educational facilities are another area where the village faces overwhelming challenges.
Despite being the birthplace of the freedom fighter, U Sngap Sing Syiem, the village’s access to education is very limited and students have to travel more than two hours to attend school in nearby villages.
During a visit by this scribe, it was found that Mawtngam village has only one school which is called Mawtngam Deficit Lower Primary School. However, it was learnt that the school was but a rotten building with no door. Making matters worse, it had turned into a cowshed with dung strewn on the floor.
Mawtngam’s Myntri Lamphranglin Iawphniaw said that the school was founded in the early 1980s by a group of individuals. “As of now, there is only one teacher who is about to retire this year and about 20 students in this school. Earlier, we used to also get the mid-day meal, but for many years now, we have stopped receiving the mid-day meal as well as the honorarium for the cook,” the Myntri said.
Asked how the children attend school in such an unhygienic environment, a visibly sad Iawphniaw said the lone teacher had to teach the children in the kitchen which is attached to the school. When this scribe visited the kitchen, cow dung was found scattered in that room as well and the smell was unbearable.
According to the village’s Myntri, the village currently benefited from only a few central schemes such as the MGNREGS, PMAY and JJM. He beseeched the Centre to help the people of Mawtngam village by giving roads and schools.
The story of Mawtngam is not one of mere neglect, but a tale of a community that has long been overlooked by the successive governments. This is the story of a place that gave birth to a King who once stood bravely against foreign domination, yet now finds itself under the weight of governmental apathy and broken promises.