(WRITER INTRO)Wan Kharkrang, is a well known short- stories writer and plays in Khasi. Besides writing several other short- stories and plays, he also writes a collection of anecdotes Ka Pyrthei ki shohkhleh. His major works include the short- story collections, shi Hali ki Khana and Ki Syntiew ka Ranab, the play Ka Khun Khatduh. Now he worked as the Parliamentary Secretary at the office of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Shillong and also served as the honorary secretary of the Khasi Author’s Society. The Adventures of Bah Ta En was originally published in Khasi as “Ki Jingiakynduh Jong u Bah Ta En” in Shilah Ki Khana. Kynpham Sing Nongkynrik translates from Khasi to English. Kynpham also writes short stories and poems in both Khasi and English. (STATE)Meghalaya is a small state in north- eastern India. The word “Meghalaya” literally means “The Abode of Clouds” in Sanskrit and other India languages. Meghalaya was formed by carving out the two districts of the state of Assam: the United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, and the Garo Hills on 21st January, 1972. Prior to attaining full statehood Meghalaya was given a semi- autonomous status in 1970. The Khasi, Garo and Jaintia tribes each had their own kingdoms, until they came under the British administration in the nineteenth century. Later, the British incorporated Meghalaya into Assam in 1835. The region enjoyed semi- independent status by virtue of a treaty relationship with the British Crown. At the time of Independence of the country in 1947, the present day Meghalaya constituted two districts of Assam and enjoyed limited autonomy within the state of Assam. Meghalaya attained statehood on 21st January, 1972. Tribal people wake up the majority of Meghalaya’s population. The Khasis are the largest group, followed by the Garos. These were among those known to the British as “hill tribes.” Other groups include the Jaintias, the Koch and the Hajong, Dimasa, Hmar, Kuki, Lakhar, Mikir, Rabha and the Nepali. (TRIBE)The Khasi people belong to one of the earliest groups of races migrating to north- east India. The term Khasi has a particular significance. “Kha” means “born of” and “Si” refers to “an ancient mother.” Khasi therefore means “born of a mother.” The Khasi followed the traditional matrilineal norm, wherein the “Kha Khadduh” (or the youngest daughter) inherits all the property and acts as the caretaker of aged parents and any unmarried siblings. However, the male line, particularly the mother’s brother, may indirectly control the ancestral property since he may be involved in important decisions relating to property including its sale and disposal. The tribal people of Meghalaya are therefore apart of what may be the world’s largest surviving matrilineal culture. At the same time a man can carry on business and contracts in his own name which are legally enforceable against him and his own property though his wife’s property cannot be effected. This is now- a- days an everyday feature of Khasi life. (STATE HISTORY FACT)Meghalaya is one of the three states in India to have a Christian majority with 70.3% of the population practicing Christianity. The other two being Nagaland and Mizoram. The earliest mission that arrived was the Serampore Baptist Mission established between 1812- 1838; at the latter dates, it abandoned its field in the Khasi Hills and was in 1841 to replaced by the Welsh Cahinistic Methodist Mission. The earliest missionaries were engaged in the heart struggle to win their first converts against the vehement opposition from the local people who followed their indigenous Khasi religion. The conversion into Christianity plays a crucial role in understanding the present trends in society. Before 1864, Shillong, the present capital of Meghalaya was an unknown momenclature. Its present area was then covered by deep forests with Lalan as a small Khasi village under the then United Khasi state of Shyllong. It was in 1864 that Shillong became the administrative village for Khasi and Jaintia Hills district. Two years later in 1866, Colonel Henry Hopkinson, Commissioner of Assam and Agent to the Governor General of India has strongly advocated in favour of Shillong as the future headquarters of Assam. Accordingly, on 20th March, 1874, Shillong was declared the capital of Assam Province. Therefore, Shillong is essentially the creation of British administration. Since then, Shillong has become not only the centre of administrative establishments- civil, military, and para- military but also the centre of learning, judicial organization, church activities, banking systems and students’ welfare movements. With the coming of British administration, the modern period started and many political and administrative changes took place. T. Cajee made a general study of Shillong in his paper on “Shillong- the transition for village to town to city.” The study points out that despite the gloomy forecast of pessimistic citizens of Shillong, the capital had managed to show spectacular growth during the decade 1971- 1981 closing it with a steady growth. It also indicates that Shillong development is following a familiar patterns existing in the rest of the country- the inner city, the semi- urban zone, and the outer transition zone. Big city status for Shillong is a source of pride as well as posing big challenges to the citizens such as problems of water supply and the like. Meghalaya is predominantly an agrarian economy. Agriculture and allied activities engaged nearly two- thirds of the total work force in Meghalaya. Agriculture in the state is characterized by low productivity and unsustainable farm practices giving rise to a high incidents of rural poverty. As a result, despite the large percentage of population engaged in agriculture, the state is still dependent upon imports from other states for most food items. Infrastructural constrains have also prevented the economy of the state from growing at a pace commensurate with that of the rest of the country. It is well known that the Khasi people practice both the permanent and shifting cultivation, the methods of cultivation being applicable according to the topo- graphical conditions obtained in the land. The Khasis since time immemorial, value the settle agriculture more than shifting cultivation. The Khasis raise the cultivation of vegetables, fruits and crops of a variegated nature. The Khasis further practice the system of heavy deforestation to prepare for jhums and also a modified system of shift and burn in their practice of shifting cultivation. (EDUCATION IN STATE FACT)Education plays an important role in socio- cultural transformation. Credit to the beginning of school education is due to the work down by a Christian mission. At first Reverend A. Lish of Serampore Baptist Mission started three schools at Chera where thirty- six peoples were admitted. More progress in the field of education was made resulting from the coming of Catholic Mission. The mission recognized the needs for higher education for the district and particularly for the Shillong metropolis and sought to intensified such activities. Having received government encouragement from time to time especially in respect of setting up European schools. The rich Christian mission sometime in 1914 set up St. Edmund’s School which offered a Cambridge pattern or course of education and St. Mary School in 1927. The first Catholic denomination had started a school known as St. Anthony’s School on orphanage. All these three schools were now acknowledge as the most well- known colleges in the North- Eastern regions. From the inception of Meghalaya as new state, we find that schools have increased by leaps and bounds. Many more colleges were set up in Shillong. North- Eastern Hill University was commenced to function on 5th August, 1973, various activities, academic and co- curricular, have been undertaken within two years of its establishment. Education should be so devised that it will produce effect on only in elevating the moral and cultural standards but using more dynamic means to build a sound economic structure towards increasing the national wealth. The growth in education like the establishment of schools and colleges occur mainly in the urban areas. A hundred years of contact with the British Administration led to a gradual social change in Meghalaya. This transformation has brought about a change in the dress pattern, house and village models, food habits, arts of music and other aspects. New tastes and fashions spread and quickly captivates young people. The change resulted to the gradual expansion of the new administration coupled with the spread of Christianity and education. The position of Shillong as the premier capital in the North- East India in the process of urbanization resulting therefore, have also their share in imposing both the economic and socio- cultural change. In this process of transformation, there was fear that some primeval trades were being lost. In one way, the change killed some of the indigenous characteristics while in another way, it replaced them with the modern ideas, techniques and occupation. The traditional system of education along with its consistent programme of community living became gradually broken down. Social change infact is more phenomenal with the Khasis than with their neighbouring and far flung tribes. They were the first of all the tribes to come into the regular contact with the British government. The transformation that occurs due to the contact with the British administration has led to a crucial change in the process of trade and commerce. To a certain extend this change has its demerits as the traditional mode of occupation like weaving, etc gets diminished to a great extend. New trade habits are so essential to be cultivated on a wider sale. Possibly too much attachment to modern comforts and too easy going have spoiled the young generation who had refused themselves to be involved in trades with the rigors and hazards as one would encounter. That is why a gap was made in which the labour and trade sectors were filled up with persons from outsides. For so long, education was channelized to provide a sets to white-collar jobs and so now, vocational training needs to be intensified so much so to meet the inadequacies in many branches of operation. The present situation however is quiet encouraging as various banking and government agencies have come forward to provide loans and other forms of financial assistance for the economic development in Meghalaya. (STORY)The adventures of Bah Ta En is taken from the Heart of the Matter which is a collections of short- stories, novellas, folk- tales, plays and children’s stories. The Heart of the Matter aims to bring to the forefront, through translations, the rich treasures trove of literature of the North- Eastern states of India. In this short- story, we see that a simple farmer who was ignorant and innocent became frustrated because of what happens to him. The story reflects how even an innocent man can became hardened because of his society and what goes around him. Wan Wharkrang also project the cruel world of corrupt officialdom, the peasant and innocent world and how the poor are down trodden in the society. In The Adventures of Bah Ta En we see that the protagonist Bah Ta En decided to set out for Shillong in order to apply for a loan for his agricultural expansion. He went straight to the house of the fellow villager one who worked as a peon in one of the offices, for he did not know where to begin and to go about his tasks. This reveals that though education flourished vehemently in the state and is one of the most developing educational centre in North- East India, illiterary skill prevails in the rural areas as most of the educational centres are located in the capital city of Shillong. The rural areas are deprived of the development in the field of education. Bah Ta En was an innocent man and his mind set is not as corrupt as those who lives in the urban areas for he trust his friend completely. He too was influenced by the development around him and wanted to uplift his present economic condition and the only mode for him to attain betterment in life was by applying for the loans advance by the government and banks. The social and economic development has brought about a change in the mindset of the people as especially those living in the urban areas. As the wanting of a betterment in life motivates them to practice immoral means like corruption and taking advantage of the ignorant people. Even Bah Ta En friend the peon did not hesitate to outwit his friend for he too was motivated by the corrupt world. The mindset of the people changes with the wants for economic development and money plays a crucial role in it. The problem arises in the story as Bah Ta En was a simple farmer, a God fearing and conscientious man with a mind that was pure and innocent. But he could neither read nor with write. His friend could not fill the form for him either. It was in English. Thus illiteracy and ignorance creates a huge problem in the modern developing world. The sentence “only thing is you’ll have to give him a little tea money, for that is the custom” is often repeated which reveals the changes in the mindset of the people to take advantage of any situation wherein they could gain a little profit and also the notion of the corrupt officialdom. Whenever Bah Ta En had to proceed with his application he always need to give “a little tea money” because “nowadays it is not easy to just say, thank you very much.” The involvement of money even to apply for proceed a loan creates a heavy burden for the poor people living in the rural areas. For they did not earn much from their agricultural products. As the narrative moves on we see that the simple farmer who was pure and innocent had in away study the corrupt notion. “The words of wisdom from his two friends repeated themselves to him you’ll have to give him a little tea money for that is the custom.” When he return to the office after six weeks he was told by the dealing assistant in a peremptory tone that he was busy and to come back after a week. Bah Ta En rushed out of the office in shame. No one had ever spoken to him like that. After all he was a respected village elder.” The traditional practice of respecting older people in the way or the other had disappeared in the urban areas. He returned to the dealing assistant with the “words of wisdom and apply it by giving him thirty rupees for the tea money.” The dealing assistant’s face underwent a cataclysmic change and assumed a benign expression which reveals the hypocrisy of the people. Two months later, an inspector arrived from the loan office at Bah Ta En’s village with the purpose of surveying and taking the measurements of Bah Ta En’s farmland. He bawled drunkenly at the poor man “you, come here. Do you know…do you know that the granting of your loan depends entirely upon my report. The moment I snap my fingers like this, everything will work like magic. Get me a deer within the next few days and I promise you’ll get your stinking loan without fail…without fail within the next few weeks. Do you understand? Why are you staring at me like a nincompoop?” this shows how the poor people are down trodden and how they are left with no choice but to obey the orders given to them. At the end of the narratives we find that Bah Ta En despite all the hardships and offerings he faced, the loan schemes had been turminated by the government and Bah Ta En had to return to his village frustrated and helpless. The story as a whole reflect how the simple and innocent people became the helpless victims of the corrupt world. In one way, the growing economic conditions can corrupt the minds of the people as the love for money is inculcated in them indirectly. The economic development also creates a gap between the rich and the poor. It is the poor people who suffers most in this developing world and, this is highlighted in the story.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 07:27:33 +0000
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