By Bijoya Sawian
The main concern of any faith is conquering the ego .It is the most odious and detrimental trait in anyone’s personality .It completely annihilates the very essence of religion. In its entourage it has Hatred, Greed, Envy and Sloth in all their inglorious glory. The fact that this is either not fully understood or is purposely ignored shows the nadir to which humanity has plummeted. This is evident in every aspect of our lives be it familial, social, emotional, intellectual, political and religious. Conquering the Self is the first victory and, to me, the height of success. Heaven is not just the heaven above but heaven, the perfect state of being, on earth and within each one of us.
I have worshipped U Blei everywhere because He pervades the entire Universe. Whether I am in Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan or Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, the Jain temples of Ranakpur, the stupa in Kathmandu , the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the Bahai Lotus temple in Delhi, the Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Kamakhya and the Nam Ghars in Assam , I pray to U Blei and connect and pay obeisance to the Divine Energy that resides in that particular sacred space. That is only natural. Yet it does not matter where I am. I strongly feel my belongingness to Niam Khasi. That was how I was brought up.
My father who was born a Hindu was a man of vision and luminous intelligence and he was not a radical. He knew and understood the importance of a cultural identity as a focal point and foundation of our lives. He respected all religions and felt that the Khasi worldview ,ethics and etiquette was in harmony with the world around us .He made sure that we grew up as Khasis because we lived in a traditional Khasi home. He did not want us to have an identity crisis. He was very clear about that. My mother made sure we attended all the pujas in my Meikha’s and Parad’s house and during the Pujas ,on ashtami we would accompany father to the Ramakrishna Mission and pay reverence to Goddess Durga and have the prasad.
My maternal great-grandfather, Jeebon Roy was not against any religion, he was against conversion in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills because he felt that the missionaries were simply replacing the indigenous religion and culture, making the people ashamed of everything connected to it and nothing else. The white men were pushing the flock into a cultural vacuum. Jeebon Roy thought this was callous and not ethical. He felt it was not good for the people in the future. He foresaw the times ahead when the majority, not the exceptions, would not be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world because of an amorphous identity. I was not quite sure about this until, one day, many years ago, my mother’s cousin who was in the IFS came over. He came to borrow books on Khasi culture. Wherever he went people wanted to know and his knowledge was zilch.
I find it strange that there is so much conflict and bitterness based on religious beliefs. No one’s religion is the best, the oldest or the most evolved. Even if it is, how could one feel superior and one -up about religion? In that moment of misplaced arrogance one completely nullifies the essence of religion. In this earthly life the biggest achievement is conquering the ego. The single most important victory is the conquering of the Self. Every religion professes that and humility is always glorified. Respect is the bedrock of all relationships-familial, social, marital, political, cultural and so on. Respect irrespective of caste, creed, colour and class. Respect for all God’s creations animate and inanimate. That respect is worship. Your thoughts, your words ,your gestures and your deeds are your prayers. Specific places of worship are mere clubs if your life is not in harmony with what your recite and chant, sing and play inside these places. Worst of all blasphemies is this constant attack on other religions spreading hatred and suspicion causing havoc in this one lifetime you have been blessed with. If one harbours hatred and venom one cannot claim be religious.
When I was referred to as a pagan in school I found it exotic. When I told my mother she said it does not matter. They don’t know that a thread of paganism runs through all religions. Paganism is based on the proven theory, the inextricable inter-connectedness between Man and Nature. How beautiful is that ! And think about it ,there is no religion that does not consider this to be an indisputable truth. If one wants to name the numerous beliefs that are common in all denominations it would fill a book. Anyone who is educated (not merely literate) knows it. Divisiveness ,however, is the rage and we go out of our way to find the differences rather than the similarities. It suits the people who hunger for power at all costs. They are the new demons of our times.
Westernization is attractive, it is meant to attract and appeal to our senses. It bears reminding that many hugely successful westerners journeyed to India to find happiness and fulfillment in India. Steve Jobs and Richard Gere are but two of the thousands who did so.Well, westernization does not matter as long as one does not have this grossly misconstrued notion that it is superior to one’s tradition and culture. It is not. Take fashion for example. It is horrifying to know that young people actually feel embarrassed to wear the jainsems, dharas, mekhlas of various designs and all the beautiful attires of their communities. Our NE youth look good in Western wear, unfortunately they often opt for dresses and jeans even when it is not appropriate for the occasion; a funeral for example. I hope the traditional Khasi jainboh, dhotis will return some day. It is the same everywhere in our country. Rather generously endowed women and men who would look decent and classier in a salwar or a churidar suit would squeeze into attires and jeans that seem to be crying for assistance to be released !
In our part of the world a white man will always be welcomed but not a fellow Indian. The British made sure that the hillmen will always dislike and be suspicious of plainsmen. Their devious Divide and Rule policy worked wonders here, far beyond their expectation. So, we do not mind people coming from Rome and Wales to spread education and preach. We, however, vehemently object to those coming from other parts of India who, in fact, only come to teach. It is a known fact that the missionaries had come mainly to preach and felt that the Khasis, “do not need education beyond Class 6.” That period is over. The story of the struggle for higher education is part of my family saga. We bear no grudge because it was all part of those times, two centuries back. I do feel a sense of remorse, however, that Babu Jeebon Roy has not been respected and recognised by the numerous governments for his contribution to the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and its people. He was not a Christian but had he not made an enormous contribution by bringing in Higher Education to our people? Regarding the schools where some of our children study outside the State -one does not become a Hindu by eating vegetarian food and reciting slokas. To the best of my knowledge one cannot be converted to Hinduism .You are born one or the gotra of a Hindu male can also be adopted by his spouse. I love hymns and so did my mother. We sang them but that does not make us Christians. We sang, ‘Come Hear The Angels Sing’ with as much fervour as we would sing Syntiew ka Ri and other Seng Khasi songs. My mama used to belt out Kishore Kumar songs (not very melodiously but never mind) but that did not metamorphose him into a ‘dkhar.’ They say poets are the true chroniclers of the times and their understanding of the world is elevated. Our poet laureate, Rangbah (L)Soso Tham attended the first Seng Khasi meeting and also the first Shad Weiking. Some people are just born great.
I fully agree that a Department of Indigenous Affairs should be formed within the Ministry of Culture. We had, undoubtedly, been ignored. There has been a great change though in recent times because of a more progressive generation of Khasis at the helm. I am deeply grateful to their commendable approach. There should also be some kind of screening before people from outside come in for interviews and documentaries. I cannot get over one documentary on the root bridges. The anchor was in a dress and red stilettos. She was falling all over the bridge giggling away while she tried to explain how the bridges were formed. Those bridges, the examples of brilliant indigenous engineering, were reduced to a ramp for an amateur model. I take this as an affront.
These are the best of times and the worst of times. Is identity fluid or static ? The answer and the choice is ours. I am comfortable in my cultural identity and it has stood me in good stead. Whatever it is, let us choose peace and harmony above all else. There are many problems to be solved, many issues to be tackled so let us not get swamped by our ego because that is the quickest one -way ticket to hell.
They say that being rich is not counted by what one has but by what one can do without. We can do without hatred.