By HH Mohrmen

Very often we associate ‘thoh tim’ with gambling and yes without the slightest doubt thoh-tim is a game of chance, but it is more than a number guessing game. It would be interesting to know how long the Khasi Pnar people have been practicing this game of chance. Perhaps very few know that this game also has some connection with the Khasi- Pnar’s milieu of interpretation of dreams. An uncle of mine, who represented NEHU at the University game somewhere in Punjab, told me that while in Punjab one CRPF personnel who was earlier posted in Shillong, on seeing the inscription NEHU, Shillong, on his tracksuit, approached him and exchanged pleasantries with him. But in course of the small talk the policeman told his fellow policemen, “In Meghalaya the State from where this man comes from (pointing his index finger at my uncle) if you are lucky to dream a good dream you have the opportunity to win big money.

In the seventies during our childhood days my parents owned a cloth shop at Yawmusiang market of Jowai. Those days in the entire district and even in the State readymade garments were not so popular; so every dress was made by the local tailor. There were women seamstresses for tailoring female dresses while men made dresses for males. So the local cloth store was also a tailoring shop. My father employed two tailors in our shop named Join and Moor and since both my parents were also working in the shop there was nobody in the house to look after me and my siblings. So we were taken to the shop every day. I remember that every morning as soon as we reached the shop, the first thing that both the tailors would do was to ask us, “What did you dream last night? (ym em u ymphoo mi?) And if the answer was in affirmative then we were asked to tell them the entire dream and they would then interpret the same and convert it to numbers for playing Thoh-tim.

I learned from them that in the Khasi Pnar tradition of interpretation of dreams, each individual is represented by a number. If one dreams of an ordinary Khasi Pnar man the number is 6 while a woman is represented by the number 5. The number 4 signifies blood. Four is ‘saw’ (pronounced saaw) in Khasi and since ‘saw’ also means red, the colour of blood, so 4 gets its meaning thereby. The number 7 is for a non tribal and 9 is the number for death. If one dreams of teeth the number is 3, and water is represented by 8, the number for money is also 8. All animal’s are numbered 7 except for the elephant whose number is 9. If one dreams of an elder like the daloi the number is 9 and a car is also represented by number 8. These are but few examples of the numbers used by the Khasi-Pnars to interpret dreams for playing the game of Thoh-tim.

There are instances where the numbers was arranged to rhyme with the incidents or the items it represents. For example number 4 ‘saw and soo’ in Pnar rhymes with ‘mynsaw in Khasi and mynsoo’ in Pnar; hence 4 is chosen when an accident or something which has blood in it occurs. It is the same with money ‘pisa or poisa’ and number 8 ‘phra’ was chosen because it rhymes with the above words. It reminds me of the time when as a young boy I tried to listen to my father’s tailors debate on our dreams. If the dream is about a woman who met with an accident the number to be played is 54 or 45, number 4 for accident and 5 for woman and if it is a man who met with an accident the number 64 or 46 and if it is a non tribal, the number is 74 or 47. The number for a dead man is 69 or 96 and dead woman is 59 or 95 and a dead non tribal is 79 or 97 and if one dreams of a man and a woman the number is 65 or 56.

Recalling the days gone by, I understand that for the people who play Thoh tim it was a pastime which gave them some money if they were lucky. During those days there was very little or no entertainment in the towns and villages in the region. Initially the game was organized privately. Later Thoh tim was considered illegal. Later on the government legalised the gambling game of Thoh-tim and that was also when it became commercialised. In Jowai the game was uniquely organized in such a way that localities like Loomyongkjam, NGOs like the Kiang Nangbah Iasiat Khnam Memorial Fund and even individuals were allotted a day of the week to organize the game. But once the state laid its hands on the game, Thoh-tim was no longer part of culture. It became pure and simple gambling. Later it became a bad habit that was difficult to get rid of. Some became addicts of the game. This compelled lyricists to compose the popular folk song, ‘La shet u 57’ (betrayed by number 57, meaning that the person invested his all on the number but lost)

Perhaps if one understands Thoh-tim and the number associated to it then one can also have a little insight into numerology or people’s understanding of numbers and its usage in the Khasi Pnar tradition. For instance we already see the link between the number 9 and the dead and their abode. But then when we call the Khasi Hills ‘Ka Ri ki laiphew (30) Syiem,’ it does not mean that there were precisely 30 chieftainships only in the Khasi hills. The number 30 is associated with something that is uncountable or innumerable because we also say, ‘Ki laiphew mrad’ which means innumerable numbers of animals. Then there is also something unexplainable with way the Khasi Pnar use the number 12, we say ‘Ki rang khat-ar (12) bor’, ‘ki 12 daloi’, ’12 snem pynthiah,’ ’12 snem lynti’ and so on and so forth. The Khasi Pnar’s understanding and usage of numbers is an interesting study that one could pursue.

It would be interesting if the department of folk studies of the Universities in the state conduct a study on this unique tradition of the Khasi Pnar. Where did the tradition of Thoh-tim start? Was it Jwai or Shillong? When did the Khasi Pnar first play the game of Thoh-tim? If Thoh-tim has its origins among the Khasi Pnar, then how did our ancestors link the game of archery which is another favourite pastime game of the Khasi Pnar with dreams and numbers? And the most important element is the interpretation of the dreams to numbers. How are incidents, individuals and other parts of human life linked to the numbers? There are still a few elderly individuals who gather everyday at Yawiongpiah, Loompyrdi, Jowai who still while away their time interpreting dreams and converting them to numbers to play the game of Thoh-tim. Unlike the now big time players in Jowai and Shillong who play with big money, these few individuals still play the game the usual way they used to a long time ago. They do not buy big stakes. Unlike the big time players who spend a lot of money in the game and are sometimes accused of manipulate the game in their favour, the elderly individuals play the game just for the sake of playing it.

(The writer is a researcher and an environmental activist)

Mamata loses the gamble
By Sugato Hazra

When in doubt say perhaps. So did Mulayam Singh Yadav and escaped. Mamata Banerjee failed to do that and has burned her face. What is most critical in the drama that unfolded in Delhi is Mamata managed to burn her face on behalf of some other equally strong anti-Pranab elements. A novice in communication – not merely in usage of language – Mamata failed to read the writing clearly, incensed as she had been with her personal hatred.

The first communication mistake of Mamata was to trust the untrustworthy. Like in life so in politics the first principle is maximize your personal benefits. For a political leader heading a political outfit this means the collective interest of the party. Personal hatred has to be surrendered in case this militates against the collective interest. The second principle in any game is always use others never be used. Mamata blinded by her hatred ended up being used. Third and most critical is speak carefully – don’t say what you feel like saying. Failure to do so coupled with inability to use language brought Mamata to this pass.

Take a careful look at the events that unfolded since Monday the 11th June. Amit Mitra came to Delhi to discuss with Pranab Mukherjee a bail-out package for bankrupt West Bengal. But Mitra clearly did not have the authority to accept or reject the same. In Mamata’s Bengal only one person thinks, decides and talks. Apparently the package offered was acceptable and should have been grabbed by Mamata with perhaps some noises for her constituency. Instead she accepted Sonia Gandhi’s phone call and rushed to Delhi.

Impetuous as she is Mamata failed to realize that she has bitten the bait. The much needed financial package took a back seat. Instead a much-hyped election for a ceremonial post, irrelevant for Bengal as such, came to the fore. This was an unpardonable blunder for Mamata the Chief Minister.

Next she thought she would be the King maker (President in this case) for India. Perhaps the thought of hogging the national limelight clouded her judgment assuming she has some. Her body language said what was unsaid – that the two choices mentioned by the UPA chief did not find favour with her. That also clearly signaled that she had a sure-shot victory formula, which was hatched, inside the residence of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. Her primary mistake – Mrs. Gandhi knew well enough how not to rattle her own boat, an issue Mamata is still oblivious of. The second error of judgment for Mamata was to presume that the veteran Mulayam Singh, too, would not think of his own party’s interest like Mamata does and will do again.

Third error of judgment for Mamata was not to keep her information channel open. The hectic politicking that went on in the capital after her alliance with Mulayam did not reach her. Even if it did she winked at the same. Mamata turned out to be oblivious of the fact that the Prime Minister did not want to relinquish his post. Thanks to her lack of knowledge and intelligence she helped to adversaries to join forces – Manmohan and Pranab grabbed the Mamata-given situation with both hands.

The next morning illustrated the indelible writing on the wall. There was some efforts to manage the crisis by the silent camp of Congress president. Both Dwivedi and Ambika Soni fired salvo at Mamata. Some smart plants appeared in mainstream media in the capital to highlight that Mamata did act whimsically without any prompting from her meeting with Congress President. Curiously Mamata still persisted with her camaraderie with Mulayam – the shortest one in the history of Indian politics.

The events which unfolded on Thursday the 14th June were signals to Mamata. She should have created her escape route then. Instead she sat with her collage of assorted advisors in a flat on Baba Kharak Singh Marg in Delhi. Those who track news will blame her for sacrificing the need for financial rescue package for Bengal just to outsmart Pranab Mukherjee in his bid for presidency. Mamata’s actions in Delhi clearly demonstrate that she is not fit to be the chief minister. Even if she fell into the trap at the behest of somebody, it is her face she lost in the end.

What should she do? If she tries to narrate her part of the story – that she was trapped – she must accept that she was vulnerable due to her intense hatred for Pranab. Can she do that? The other option is to accept Pranab’s olive branch – meet him and then extend her support. She should be the first one to honour the first Bengali President the way she celebrated the Kolkata team’s win in some over-hyped game.

People have a short memory, not necessarily Bengalis. They will keep on discussing Mamata’s failed storming of Delhi. But that will not impact her core support base. They are ever willing to accept intransigencies of their temperamental Didi. She has an escape route. She can still support Pranab and retrieve her loss. (IPA Service)