By Rev. Lyndan Syiem
In previous years, my articles on Thomas Jones Day have been on the pioneer Welsh Calvinistic-Methodist missionary, Thomas Jones I, and others who followed him. This year my article will not be on persons or past events but upon buildings and colonial-era architecture, specifically the Thomas Jones School of Mission at Nongsawlia. This is a large, imposing structure, painted post-office red, located just down the road from the historic Nongsawlia Presbyterian Church. In 2014-15, the Sohra Civil Sub-Division had erected a signboard identifying the building as a ‘Historical and Religious Site.’ This has naturally raised expectations of a formal evaluation by the Government of Meghalaya in order to officially recognize and notify it as a ‘Heritage Site.’
This historic 113-year-old building was earlier known as the Cherra Theological College. This institution however was shifted to Mawklot in 1994, and the entire campus and buildings were handed over to the Thomas Jones School of Mission in 2000. As the main academic building is well over a century old, perhaps it is time for the Government to recognize its heritage status, for reasons of history and geographic location, religious and literary significance, as well as for its unique architecture:
First, historically, Sohra is an important place in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, in fact, in the entire North-East India. Here Sohra refers to the plateau-edge region from Khliehshnong to Saitsohpen. Saitsohpen, adjoining Nongsawlia, was the headquarters of the colonial British government in undivided Assam from 1832 to 1866. Sohra is also significant for its long-standing record of the heaviest annual rainfall in the world. Second, the religious reasons: Sohra was where Christian missionaries (English Baptists in 1832 and Welsh Presbyterians in 1841) began their work among the Khasis. Sohra (Nongsawlia) was the mission headquarters till Shillong grew in importance in the latter 19th century. Again, Sohra (Khliehshnong) was for a long time the base of the Ramakrishna Mission’s work in the Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills.
Third, the educational reason: the first schools among the Khasis were established at Sohra, Mawmluh and Mawsmai, first by Alexander Lish in 1832, and again by Thomas Jones in 1842. The Sohra variety became the written form of the Khasi language, making Sohra the literary centre of the Khasis. Fourth, the religio-cultural reasons: from a traditional Khasi perspective, it was Sohra culture and folk religion that became the archetypal Khasi form. From a Christian perspective, it was converts from Sohra who carried their Khasi Christian culture to Shillong when the capital was shifted in 1866 and the Shillong mission station established in 1871. Fifth, the politico-economic reasons: Sohra had long been the main trading centre between the Khasi hills and the Bangla plains. Consequently, Hima Sohra became the foremost among the various Khasi kingdoms, where the British first established their headquarters.
The above reasons make Sohra the natural location of a Heritage Site. The building itself offers the sixth, architectural, reason: It is one of the oldest buildings in Sohra, actually in the entire Khasi-Jaintia Hills. The claim to being one of the oldest can easily be sustained because all large buildings were destroyed by the Great Earthquake of 1897. The oldest major building, post earthquake, is the neighbouring Nongsawlia Presbyterian Church, which was rebuilt in 1898.
Among the next oldest is the erstwhile Cherra Theological College (CTC), founded by John Roberts in 1887. After the 1897 Earthquake had destroyed the first building, a second building was constructed and dedicated in 1912, during the Assembly held at Nongsawlia. This second building was constructed under the supervision of Robert Jones, the second principal of CTC and a skilful builder. It combined the classrooms, library, chapel, hall and the administrative rooms under one roof, for better protection against the extreme Sohra dampness. It was designed to guard against two hazards: another earthquake, and the rainy, foggy, soggy climate. It had to protect people from collapsing masonry and books and documents from dampness and fungus.
Robert Jones avoided the old method of piling up stone walls, what the Khasis called ‘kynroh maw,’ and instead used hardwood posts and bamboo covered with lime mortar, ‘ka biar.’ The building has a distinctive ultra-high roof that slopes down very low on the verandah all around. The verandah has thousands of glass panes fitted on the upper portions to keep out the fog, while allowing in the sunlight. Robert Jones built thick, double ‘biar’ walls, especially around the library, to combat the humidity. The structure certainly merits preservation as an example of early 20th century colonial architecture in Sohra, amidst the threat of earthquake and the constant fog and rain.
The name “Thomas Jones” is the seventh reason for recognition as a Heritage Site. It was the Rev. Thomas Jones I and his wife, Anne, who established the first permanent mission among the Khasis. They arrived at Sohra on 22 June, 1841, and pioneered the Khasi alphabet, literacy and literature. Thomas Jones taught the Khasis to commercially extract lime by burning limestone with coal; he introduced the saw and other iron tools and improved their agricultural and construction techniques. This pioneer was followed by over 150 missionaries who contributed greatly to the socio-economic development of the Khasi-Jaiñtia people.
One of those was John Roberts, the founder Principal of CTC, who trained most of the early Khasi pastors. He translated much of the Old Testament and composed many hymns and songs, including the famous “Ri Khasi, Ri Khasi.” He co-founded the first Khasi journal, he wrote many books and poems, and so is honoured as the ‘Father of Khasi Literature.’ He died in 1908 and was buried at the Nongsawlia cemetery. His towering monument overlooks the sprawling TJSM campus –reason number eight. There is a deep connection between John Roberts and the plot of land where he lived and worked, which is where the Nongsawlia Church and the present TJSM stands.
As years passed, the CTC expanded and added more buildings: missionary bungalows, staff quarters, hostels, a dining hall. These buildings were used not only for religious instruction but also for a teachers’ training school; from 1938 till 1983, the CTC housed the ‘Normal School,’ a government-recognized institution. This notable contribution to education is justifiably the ninth reason for recognition as a Heritage Site. The school shifted to its own building nearby in June 1983, and was renamed the Cherra Teachers’ Training Centre.
The CTC has trained generations of pastors, not just Khasis but Mizos, Nagas, Garos, Kukis, Bodos and others; and not just Presbyterians but also Baptists, Lutherans, Anglicans, Church of God and other denominations. It continued to grow and as part of its expansion and upgradation, the college was shifted to Mawklot, near Shillong, in 1994, although the Sohra campus and buildings were still used for junior classes. This arrangement continued until the TJSM was established and inaugurated on 22 June, 2000, to train mission workers of the Church. As the TJSM celebrates its Silver Jubilee in 2025, it serves as a living monument to Thomas Jones and the Welsh missionary legacy in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills. That rich legacy continues to inspire our students and graduates to educate, enlighten, uplift and above all to serve others as we ourselves have been served.
Meanwhile, the historic, 113-year-old building at Nongsawlia continues to defy the wind and the lashing rain, and to remind this present generation of the vision, the faithfulness, and the sense of duty of ages past. As a tribute to the courage and determination of the human spirit, this is the tenth and final reason for seeking the Government’s official notification of the Thomas Jones School of Mission as a Heritage Site.