Descendant speaks of missionary’s Khasi life
SHILLONG: Andrew J. May, the descendant of Thomas Jones, the Welsh missionary who came to India in the mid 1800s, is keen to spend time in the hill state and delve deeper into the Khasi culture.
The professor of History at the University of Melbourne told The Shillong Times, “I am interested in the origin of Christianity and the influence of missionaries as well as the relationship between Christianity and traditional Khasi religion, the Seng Khasi.”
May, who has recently penned a book titled ‘Welsh Missionaries and British Imperialism: The Empire of Clouds in north-east India’, was in Shillong to deliver a lecture at Lady Keane College.
Speaking about the missionary, who May described as headstrong who stood up against the British Raj for their exploitation of the Khasis, the professor said, “Jones had lived here for eight years. He increasingly came to realise that the British authorities and the court at Cherra were particularly nepotistic and corrupt and he was prepared to say something about that which put him at odds with the government authorities.”
“In my research, I have found that the government was concerned that he was fermenting rebellion.
“He was clearly seen by the government as something of a troublemaker and he knew that it would come at a personal cost to him. He and his family were intimidated and they had to flee to Kolkata. That was a very brave thing to do because he knew he was sacrificing his own safety and well-being,” he added.
Describing Jones as adamant, May said he was less of a rebel but someone who was pushing the system a little. “Maybe rebel is not the right word but he clearly fell out with the other missionaries. It is a complicated story. He may not have always made the right decisions but he went ahead with it because he saw it was in the best interest of his mission. But the mission authorities felt that he was a bit of a troublemaker,” he added.
When asked on the claims as to whether Jones renounced his Christian faith in his last days, he refuted the allegations, “He did not renounce his faith, right to the end of his life he did not turn away from Christianity but he turned away from people he didn’t respect, people who were controlling, conservative, corrupt, and he continued to feel strongly that the mission was important.”
May informed that as per the British records in London, people can read Jones’s petition to the government which described the way the Khasis were oppressed and he was determined to make the government aware of that.
“He was peeved at the monopoly that the British enjoyed and their commercial interests in the hills led to exploitation of the Khasi labour force. Jones found it difficult because he was at a no-end situation as the government was not responding to his complaints,” said May as he explained his ancestor’s work in the hills.
On the challenges in the present century, the History professor said, “The challenges for any society particularly in the 21st century is to be adaptable and open minded and prepared to find a middle ground rather than become isolationists and that is something that we fear globally. We certainly live in an age where anxieties come to the surface but historically it is nothing new of the tension between maintaining an identity and change.”
Putting across his thoughts on urbanisation, he said at a time of rapidly expanding economies it puts the urban centres in a fragile situation and that local authorities need to be responsive.
Commenting on Shillong, May said, “Shillong has expanded hugely but the challenges for cities and towns are the same everywhere… There are certain basic standards that any city needs to observe, I do see a lot of rubbish, garbage disposal, and littering in Shillong and the rivers are polluted, all this may be due to rapid development but fundamentally if we don’t look after the environment, they may not look after us. We must be humble enough to see ourselves to see part of the eco-system.”
Speaking of his ancestor, he said, “My grandmother told me about the earthquake of 1897 and I think she might be living in Sylhet, probably about 5-6 years of age when the earthquake struck and she stayed with her father who was a doctor and she narrated that all their possessions were lost.”
“My grandmother and great grandmother spoke some words in Khasi. There is a strong memory of Khasi that ran down my family,” he added.
When asked whether he knows Khasi, he said, “No, I would love to and want somebody to teach me.”
May said he will attend the 174th celebration of Nongsawlia Church and will attend one if its services.
