Shillong, Apr 13: The Seng Khasi’s Shad Suk Mynsiem concluded today at Weiking Ground in Jaiaw here.
Over 1,800 dancers participated this year – 964 males and 846 females.
Seng Khasi vice-president PD Nongrum, while speaking to reporters, expressed pride in the number of youngsters who “have understood the importance of preserving our own traditions and culture” by participating in the Spring festival.
Nongrum noted that the number of young participants, including children as young as 5-6 years old, has been increasing year on year. “I am very proud that the youth have understood the importance of preserving our own traditions and culture, especially knowing that we can only preserve our distinctiveness of a race through our culture and religion,” he said.
There have been some arguments that only those tribals who still follow indigenous faiths should be allowed to claim Scheduled Tribe status. This would effectively remove most Khasis from the ST category as the majority of the tribe follow Christianity. Another argument is that followers of the indigenous faith should be given special minority status and concomitant benefits within the tribe.
Nongrum, however, declined to be drawn much on this subject. “We don’t pay much attention to that. We work towards preserving our culture and we work towards making our youth understand the values of protecting your identity through your customs and through your faith.”
On the issue of conversion, which has seen followers of Niam Khasi/Niamtre reduced to a minority since Christianity arrived in these hills in the 1800s, Nongrum said, “The Constitution itself gives you freedom to profess any faith. We are more concerned with sending the message to our own community, to our own youth, that you have your own culture, you have your own customs, you have your own religion – why should we go and adopt something which is…foreign to us?”
He warned against the dangers of believing one’s faith is superior to others, saying, “If you think that your belief is better than mine and mine is better than yours, that is when the trouble starts, that’s when religion will divide.”
Nongrum stressed, “We are taught to respect others but to love your own. If we can work on this, this simple message that I respect you and you respect me, I hold dear to what I believe and you hold dear to what you believe [then] we [can] live peacefully.”
