By Toki Blah
One may take this article as an observer’s comments as to what is really happening in Khasi society today or simply as a rejoinder to Ellerine Diengdoh’s excellent OpEd titled “Why my knee-bone is a threat to National Security” (ST February 6th 2026). I would like to start from her closing remark, “I have to ask, are you sure the hen hasn’t already crowed?” Yes, indeed has the Khasi hen ( meaning its women folk) already crowed? This is interesting simply because the often quoted, shopworn and stale Khasi adage “Ynda kynih ka iar kynthei , Pyrthei ruh ka lah wai” ( When the hen starts to crow, the world would have come to an end) has been so overused that it has simply become a banal saying quoted equally by both academic scholars as well as the nearest street urchin.
Lets then first start with the latter part of the saying, “Pyrthei ruh ka lah wai,” (the world has ended). Can this be seriously taken as a literal prediction? Does it connote that the physical world we live in would literally end or disappear if the biologically impossible feat of a hen turning into a rooster were to occur? In an educated and scientifically tempered society the adage is simply an amusing turn of phrase. For an illiterate community however it can be the reason for mass public hysteria and fear. Taken metaphorically however, the aphorism is indicative of how our ancestors viewed the world they lived in. It simply means recognition of the fact that social change is a constant factor of life and that it takes place continuously with the passage of time. In the case of the Khasis it would mean that when women are at liberty, permitted or given the chance to participate in the work space conservatively reserved for men, the way of life and the social order of our tribe would also change. So now to the pertinent question “Has the Khasi hen already crowed , and if so, for how many times?” Interesting question simply itching for an answer.
The answer to the above question shall lie in two parts. Firstly, do other indigenous communities the world over have similar predictions relating to future changes that are likely to affect or change the world they live in ? The second answer relates directly to the belief of the Khasi- Pnar people on the veracity of this particular maxim in question; whether it is yet to happen or has it already occurred; and if it has, then how many times before and what were the outcomes? As to the first question , the answer is “Yes”! . Other indigenous communities too have their respective predictions on their own future and some of the more famous ones are :- (a) Cree Red Indian Prophecy: “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, and the last river poisoned will we realize we cannot eat money.” It’s already happening, especially to us an indigenous community who pride ourselves of our umbilical relationship with nature. (b) Lakota Sioux Teaching: “When the world shakes and the animals disappear, a new people will emerge to live in harmony with the Earth.” Not clear but does sound ominous (c) South American Maya Indian Saying: “The end of the calendar is not the end of the world, but the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.” The meaning here is akin to the Khasi Pnar prophecy on the crowing hen. (d) Ojibwe Red Indian Saying: “Someday the Earth will weep, she will beg for her life, she will cry with tears of blood. You will then make a choice to stand with the Earth or against her.” I guess this is one of the most intimidating prophecies of them all. For as this forecast plays itself out, in all its catastrophic sequences, the tragedy mankind has brought upon himself lies nakedly exposed for everyone to see. In Meghalaya our rivers; our land; our forests cry out in agony but money and power have muffled the ears and eyes of our leaders. The scream of Nature remains unattended.
Now coming back to the Khasi belief in the crowing hen. The saying has sunk in so deep into our indigenous psyche; the saying literally taken in verbatim instead of its metaphorical implication, that traditional society has actually taken up the practice of preventing women from assuming any sort of authority or power in public life. A gender hierarchy to preserve social order was evolved where the role of the male as the protector; the decision maker and the natural leader was acknowledged while the role of the woman was confined to that of a procreator of the clan; the manager of community assets and the home maker was decided upon. Accepted community norms disciplined society to think that only, “Men speak for the community; women speak only for the family”; “Leadership belongs to warriors, not to mothers” and that, “the woman’s place is in the home not at the decision making level”. These traditional beliefs governed the life of the Khasi woman till the mid 19th Century. In 1842 the first formal structured school based on a Western styled education system was introduced into these hills and ever since there was no looking back for our women. The introduction of modern education had profound effects on Khasi society. For those skeptics of our matrilineal system , it must be acknowledged that this unique feature of our community gave educated Khasi women the impetus to propel themselves in society as no other system could. Education reinforced women’s already central role in Khasi society, where lineage and inheritance pass through the mother. Educated Khasi women began to participate more actively in professions such as teaching, nursing, administration, physicians and clerical work and this trend in on the increase instead of the reverse. Today they are crashing their way into the sanctum sanctorum of male dominance – the fount of governance. The Khasi hen has started to crow. The World has not ended. Instead we witness a change where an era of male dominance in governance has begun to be questioned .
I would like to end by assuring all that the crowing of the Khasi female is not an existential threat for the tribe, like we are given to believe, but of an older era yielding to a new way of life. I would like to see it as a strengthening of our democratic faith of governance BY THE PEOPLE; OF THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE. As a state , for 54 years we have been governed by men. This cannot be denied. Nor can we deny the grief; despair and depression this male dominated governance has led the people of Meghalaya into. Today we see no vision for the state. There is no Road Map to give hope to the youth. We simply drift like dead wood to God knows where. The electoral roll of the state shows that our women outnumber men. On that count by what logic of reasoning do we keep qualified; educated and capable women out of the ambit of governance be it at the Village Dorbar ; Dorbar Hima ; head of our political parties and in the process from being leaders of the Government? Isn’t it time for the Political parties of the state to bring in better candidates in the form of women with education; dedication; spirit and commitment to serve Meghalaya, and please don’t give the ridiculous answer that they are hard to come by. There is no shortage of such women. What we are really short of in supply is a male mindset willing to step out of traditional gender discrimination; of statesmen who can see beyond a stupid 5 year Assembly term; of leaders who are capable of seeing the challenging trends in the states socio- economic needs. The hen has already crowed. Perhaps its is heralding the end of another era and the dawn of a new one. Is the inevitable entry of Artificial Intelligence into our lives the start and beginning of a new era? If so, are we prepared as to what the crowing hen is trying to tell us?
