>In order to honour our own heroes we must learn to honour the heroes of other
>communities. It is a rather unpalatable fact that the Assamese middle class
>has consistently refused to provide space to the other nationalities of the
>region. The hegemonistic ambitions of this class has been one of the many
>factors responsible for the break-up of Assam. This class been so obsessed
>with defending its linguistic identity that it has had little time to consider
>the feelings and aspirations of the smaller communities/nationalities that
>once formed part of the province. At the present juncture, for its own
>survival, the Assamese middle class must learn to shed off its exclusivist
>approach and help create a broader cultural milieu which would be
>representative of the entire region
>communities. It is a rather unpalatable fact that the Assamese middle class
>has consistently refused to provide space to the other nationalities of the
>region. The hegemonistic ambitions of this class has been one of the many
>factors responsible for the break-up of Assam. This class been so obsessed
>with defending its linguistic identity that it has had little time to consider
>the feelings and aspirations of the smaller communities/nationalities that
>once formed part of the province. At the present juncture, for its own
>survival, the Assamese middle class must learn to shed off its exclusivist
>approach and help create a broader cultural milieu which would be
>representative of the entire region
The writer of the article is very right in saying so. Those people were very close to our heart once. But due to the utter negligence shown to these simple minded people, we are at present a divided lot. We must work for unity among our brothers in hills as well as plains with an open heart to make it a big North eastern community.
Mridul Bhuyan
nripen gogoi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
nripen gogoi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hey this is an excellent article, I do remember my golden days at Bishnupur & Motinagar, Shiilong. The Khasi Mama's who sells potatoes on their back & the Kong's with Soflong & Sayangs...Ooops ! Those were the best days of my life.We were there for 35 long years till finally our family shifted to Guwahati on 2000.Thanks....keep it up with such nice articles.Nripen GogoiGreenville, South Carolina
Rajiv Baruah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:All,
An excellent article from Udayan Misra on how limited an interaction the
plainsmen had with the hill people. Has anyone read the Siddhartha Deb's "The
Point of Return"? A very poignant novel about memories, migration,
belonging,being a stranger in one's own birthplace. As a (past) resident of
Shillong, it had a very powerful impact in me. To top it all, the house where
Siddhartha grew up and our was separated by all of a kilometer, we would have
gone to the same school and had the same interests - the State Central
Library, egg rolls, and the rock concerts. In fact, I recognise him from his
photograph in the back cover of the book. I so wish now that I had stepped out
from my comfort zone of my group of (Oxomiya) friends and spoken with him.
Attached Article
On reaching out to other cultures
NORTH-EAST PERSPECTIVE
Udayan Misra
R ecently I had the opportunity of going through a PhD dissertation on the
Khasi poet Soso Tham by Kynpham Singh Nongkynrih. It was a highly satisfying
piece of work accompanied by some excellent translations into English of Soso
Thamâs poetry. Soso Thamâs biographer, Hughlet Wazri, tells us that the
poet was born in Sohra near Cherrapunji in 1873 to a poor family which had
been newly converted to Christianity. He studied upto class six in Sohra in a
missionary school, resisted attempts to be put into a theological college, and
then moved on to Shillong where he eventually became a teacher of Khasi in the
Shillong Government High School. He served as a teacher for 26 long years
before retiring from service in 1931. A self-taught poet, he took pains to
understand the "rules of poetry" and finally wrote two volumes of poems
entitled Ka Duitara Ksiar ( The Golden Harp, 1925) and Ki Sngi Ba Rim U
Hynniew Trep ( The Olden Days of U Hynniew Trep, 1936). Both these works are
heavily laden with the tradition and culture of the Khasi people and expresses
Soso Thamâs deep love for them and his faith in their future. Throughout his
poetry he engages himself deeply with the customs and traditions of his
forefathers, the Hynniew Trep people who were the ancestors of the seven Khasi
sub-tribes. Describing how the socio-economic and political systems as well as
the religious beliefs of the people were forged by the uncles and the fathers
of U Hynniewtrep on the hearth of the âMotherâs Houseâ , Soso Tham
writes: Since the days ancient and lost / There it rests their kinship their
wealth; Then they raised their Rites their Rituals / There they founded their
religion; It was the Fire in the Hearth, / Then they raised their politics.
The poet continuously strives to go into the mythic past and spiritual life of
his people and laments that they were now far removed from their traditional
roots: Enlightenment we seek around the world; That of the Landâs we know
but not.
Expressing deep faith in the future of his people, Soso Tham says: Though you
may be small and week / Quietly if you have to weep; Who will say you cannot
claim, / Glory and a name. (all the translations by KS Nongkynrih)
Reading the thesis on Soso Tham by Nongkynrih opened up a totally new world of
perception and experience for me. Soso Thamâs lyricism, his world view, his
innate love for his people and his faith in their future have all made Soso
Tham the father figure of Khasi poetry.
I wondered why I had not read anything by this poet before. When we were in
college in Shillong in the mid-sixties we had vaguely heard of a Khasi poet by
that name. Shillong was then still the capital of Assam and the first
stirrings of the Hill State movement were taking place. When I look back on
those days now I am stuck by the ignorance, indifference and prejudice that
marked the relationship between the plains people and the hill men. The
Assamese were then running the Government and were too obsessed with their
language and culture to make any effort to relate themselves meaningfully with
the history, tradition and culture of the local Khasi and Jaintia people.
There were Government holidays to mark the Assamese festivals and the
anniversaries of the Assamese saints. But the Assam Government had never
thought it necessary to declare a holiday, for instance, on the birthday of a
martyr as great as U Tirot Singh of the Khasis or U Kiang Nongbah of the
Jaintias. I can never recall any Government function being held to honour
Khasi or Jaintia heroes. It was only after Meghalaya was formed that a
martyrâs memorial was set up to honour U Tirot Singh and others who fought
the British. No effort was made at the level of the Government or that of
civil society to acquaint one another of their cultural and literary
heritage.
Walls of prejudice were built on ignorance and soon divisions became so sharp
that separation was the only remedy. It is indeed a pity that we belonging to
the "North-East" and who talk so much about the bonds between the seven
sisters happen to know so little about one another. It is only recently that
some attempts have been made to bring about some meaningful interaction
between the cultures and life-styles of the different States of the region.
But a lot remains to be done.
The initiative for this must come from the people and it should not be left to
the State. State-sponsored cultural exchange programme end up as farces. In
this Assam has an added responsibility. It is not only home to the largest
nationality but also has the most developed literature of the region. The
Assamese must get out of the rather constricted groove of linguistic
nationalism and learn to reach out to the literatures and cultures of the
neighbouring communities and nationalities.
In this connection, one may refer to the laudable efforts of the North East
Writersâ Forum which, in its own small way, has been going about building
cultural bridges. Other nationalities will evince an interest in Assamese
literature and culture only if the Assamese themselves learn to develop a
genuine interest in the writings of their neighbours. For instance, how many
of us are acquainted with the poetry of Temsula Ao? Or with the productions of
one of Indiaâs greatest theatre personalities, Rattan Thiyam?
In brief, this is time to reach out and to replace ignorance and old
prejudices with a new sense of enthusiasm and willingness to expand oneâs
cultural frontiers. If the past generation of Assamese leaders failed to
understand and accept the plurality of cultures that marks the northeastern
region, then let the present generation resolve themselves to try to
understand and appreciate the literature and culture of its neighbours.
We expect everyone to know about Maniram Dewan. But how many of us really know
anything about the great Khasi martyr U Tirot Singh ? In many senses, he was a
greater patriot than Dewan, for at no stage of his life he collaborated with
the British. And what about U Kiang Nongbah of the Jaintias who led a three
year struggle against the British and was finally defeated, captured and
hanged?
In order to honour our own heroes we must learn to honour the heroes of other
communities. It is a rather unpalatable fact that the Assamese middle class
has consistently refused to provide space to the other nationalities of the
region. The hegemonistic ambitions of this class has been one of the many
factors responsible for the break-up of Assam. This class been so obsessed
with defending its linguistic identity that it has had little time to consider
the feelings and aspirations of the smaller communities/nationalities that
once formed part of the province. At the present juncture, for its own
survival, the Assamese middle class must learn to shed off its exclusivist
approach and help create a broader cultural milieu which would be
representative of the entire region.
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