By Toki Blah
Television and social media has exposed us so much to the killing and massacre of innocent children and babies in the Gaza and Ukranian conflict that most of us have become immune to the horrific pictures of smashed and mutilated bodies of blameless and guiltless children. Then suddenly last week, the horrors of senseless deaths of such innocent souls blew up on our faces; the destroyed bodies of two guiltless children from these hills killed in far away Karnataka made shocking headlines. We are yet to recover from this shock so much so that the apparent social indifference over these tragic events are eerie because of their very silence. Some brave and concerned souls have ventured to express their views; Government has reacted by sending a fact finding team to Karnataka; but questions hang heavy in the air- unanswered; pregnant with ambiguity and uncertainty. The most pertinent questions are (1) How did this tragedy happen or how was it allowed to happen (2) Why did it ever happen and who is responsible? This author believes that enough time has elapsed for an unemotional and rational attempt at answering these questions and the focus of this write-up will be mainly towards the same.
First lets try and chronologically review as to what’s the origins of this tragedy. It appears that a certain organization going by the name Lei Synshar Cultural Society ( LSCS), an organization with apparent close links with the RSS, went about scouting and identifying children of poor families practicing the indigenous faith. The parents of such destitute children were then persuaded that the best interest of their wards would be in the care of foster homes identified by the LSCS, far from Meghalaya. The LSCS apparently also gave the assurance that the children will be safely brought up within the indigenous environment and faith that the children were accustomed to. So far so good. From here onwards however things begin to blur. It becomes unclear as to who took these children, far from their homes and hearths to such foster homes such as the “unauthorized hostel run by a private school in T Kagepura village, Mandya District , Karnataka,” where 24 Meghalaya children fell ill due to food poisoning while two ultimately lost their lives. Oneis unsure how such institutions were identified as safe and who considered them suitable as hostels for poor children. It also is unclear as to whether the LSCS did any survey, appraisal or inspection as to the suitability and security of these unauthorized (or can one call them illegal) residential hostels. The institutions were simply identified as establishments willing to take in the children free of cost. What deal was reached between the supplier of these children and the institution that received them is not known. The only agreement apparently reached with the authorities of these schools is “Look here are a bunch of 24 Schedule Tribe children from Meghalaya. They belong to poverty ridden homesteads. Educate them, feed them, bring them up in the Hindu way of life. We don’t care how you do it. It is your problem. No one is going to ask how you do it. We leave them to your tender care. Bye Bye”.
Identifying the children as scheduled tribes was perhaps the first mistake made by LSCS. It immediately conveyed to the caste conscious Hindu institution into which they were admitted that these were Dalit children from poverty ridden families from Meghalaya. For those unfamiliar with the term Dalit, Google describes Dalits as “ members of a social group that has been historically marginalized in the caste system in India. The term is also used to describe people who are considered “untouchables.” Almost everyday we read in the papers the social abuses and crimes committed on Dalits in mainland India . Dalits live in a sort of social hell and it is into such a hell that the LSCS condemned our innocent village children to. Press reports simply state that the 24 children fell ill after consuming left-over food. There is no need to describe leftover food from restaurants, feasts or festivals. When eating in public we have all seen the dirty plastic buckets into which the unappetizing leftover slop from our plates is deposited. This discarded unpalatable stuff is then ultimately fed to dogs or pigs. In T Kagepura village, Mandya District , Karnataka 24 Hynniewtrep children from Meghalaya came down with food poisoning because they were fed putrid and decomposed leftovers! Two innocents eventually died. In a caste ridden society untouchables are fair game for such left-overs. A disturbing question – was such free leftover food the daily fare for the poor children from Meghalaya? We don’t know but were the 2 children from Meghalaya killed ( I call it murder if it was done intentionally) because of caste differences? I ask these uncomfortable questions because I have seen such abuses on Dalits during my postings in the Indian heartland.
Press reports also claim that the LSCS has apparently transferred more than 1600 poor children to other parts of the country. So we ask the 2nd question, Why? The answer apparently is to save them from being converted to Christianity and to preserve their indigenous faith. We respect the Niam Tre and the Seng Khasi because we consider them the safe-keepers and guardians of our Hynniewtrep culture and traditions. Indigenous faith needs to be preserved. That’s logical and understandable. What is not logical is why then admit them to unauthorized Hindu institutions where, as Kong Patricia Mukhim in her article has claimed “they are coerced to recite prayers, sing bhajans” and forced to learn Sanskrit Shlokas! Secondly they are made to shun meat and encouraged to be vegetarians. How do such Hindu practices help preserve Indigenous beliefs? These are kids belonging to an animistic faith very closely associated with the land and the environment and what they are being taught in these Hindu institutions are totally alien to their cultural belief systems. So why this perverted attempt at Social Engineering? Brought up , educated and reared up in an environment totally foreign to their indigenous tribal roots what happens to these kids when they return home? Will these children eventually return with a distorted view of their own egalitarian society that they will view from a prejudiced upbringing of social discrimination based on caste untouchability?
This is a situation fraught with unforeseen danger and risk for a small minuscule Tribal community such as ours. It will sow the seeds of mistrust, suspicion and social disintegration among the rank and file of the Hynniewtrep people as a whole. There are people who would love this to happen but it is a clear and present danger that the Khasi Pnar community will have to address with urgency and haste.
In India very often the poor, the homeless, orphans and the disabled are admitted into homes or social welfare centers where their well-being is supposed to be looked after. The sad fact is that very often such destitute homes are left under the supervision and care of cruel, heartless and cold-blooded individuals who are not above exploiting and mistreating their charges. Heartbreaking stories of abuse especially sexual abuse and exploitation by the management of such institutions is too common a narrative to be repeated. Did the LSCS that took our children to the unauthorized homes in Karnataka first carry out a survey of the suitability, security and safety of the unauthorized hostel run by the private school they were admitted to? Remember these are village children often too young to look after themselves. Locked up in a stuffy one room accommodation; unfamiliar with their surroundings and language; away from friendly faces of relatives and parents, to whom do these poor helpless abandoned children turn to if , heaven forbid, they are subjected to any form of torture or abuse? Have they unwittingly been forced into a form of bondage from where escape is impossible? Oftentimes helpless silence is the burden of poverty that only the poor understand! Here we turn again to Google where it describes the act of human trafficking as “the criminal exploitation of vulnerable people.” Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery, often transnational in character and its victims are of both genders and all ages”. The author is unaware if any transaction has taken place but has human trafficking taken place in this instance?
In conclusion this is a wake up call for the Hynniewtrep people. There are forces out there, who because of religion or politics, are interested in dividing and fragmenting our society. Perhaps because of an intuitive sense, we as a community have always sensed this and despair of the fact that Hynniewtrep unity always seems so unattainable. Ironically in our despondency we fail to realize that its always there, a unity unique to us and to none others. I speak of the Khasi Pnar Kur or clan system. Within the Kur there is no distinction of rich and poor; of creed or caste; of political allegiance or otherwise; of haves and have-nots. Within the Kur, religion and faith is a personal issue. Everyone is equal before everyone else. The Khasi Kur is the perfect example of classless egalitarianism. It is the unity we look for and we practice it everyday. As we speak a rapid evolution of the Dorbar Kur and Rangbah Kur is on the rise. The call is for the ADCs to come up with legislation that will further buttress the Kur concept so that it stands the Khasi Pnar community in good stead in the 21st century. Lets begin to recognize our strengths instead of asking for things we know nothing about.