Mike Sangma
It’s been little over 50 years, yet being two sides of the same coin, the twin dominant communities of Meghalaya, the Garos and the Khasis rarely see eye to eye. Left alone, derogatory terms are reserved for each other that are plain ridiculous.
The bad blood or just siblings failing to reconcile their differences have gone too far. For years, the situation has been aggravated by the politicians, student unions and the civil society itself who have perpetuated and exploited the mutual distrust. While it deepened the underlining crisis, it benefited political and student outfits like VPP, KSU, GSU and tons of NGOs whose existence depended on the community fault-lines.
Politicians must however take bulk of the blame. No Khasi or Garo politicians worth their salt have ever even given a thought of uniting the community nor understood the importance of cohesive Garo-Khasi unity.
It’s high time we break the vicious cycle and the proposed introduction of Sister Language initiative for children till class IV is indeed a small step in the right direction. It could saw the seed of better Meghalaya henceforth.
In statecrafts, 50 years of statehood is not a long time. Neither is it that short. But the rumblings of Garo demand for a separate state is only growing stronger. The bad feeling has been festering for years.
But why is Garo-Khasi unity important? Let me put these points to the Khasis first. In the territorial integrity of Meghalaya, Garos are your First Line of Defence. They are the Buffer Zone protecting our precious little State from being salami sliced by ever expanding Assam. The Maikhuli-Pilankatta, Khannapara-Jorabat-Iongkhuli-Hahim to name a few have borne the brunt. Had it not been for the vociferous Garos, these places under Ri-Bhoi and Khasi Hills would have collapsed under Assam’s constant border slicing tactics long time ago.
This is important to understand, especially for the hinterland and the insular Khasi brothers and sisters. Most of these places are strategic gateways to keep the movement of people and commerce free. Even if you don’t, Garos will fight till their dying breath to protect these areas because it has also been their homeland for as long as they remember. Trust me, their stakes are higher than yours.
We all take pride in Shillong being the supposed trendiest and avant-garde state capital in India. It would be an understatement to say the least, that Garos have contributed to a large extent slowing down the ‘Mainstreaming’ of Shillong. Forget the political class for now, large number of Garos man the lower bureaucracy, the lower rank Garo police force smoothen law and order and eases traffic. Garos serve in restaurants and domestic households. If you pluck them out, Shillong will be a different story all together and overrun by Bangladeshi and economically disadvantaged mainstreamers who you want to prevent through your failing ILP demands. Given the current Central dispensation, I doubt your ILP wishes will ever be granted.
Nevertheless, the commercial Shillong is now beyond the sphere of influence of Khasis and Garos. It is now the hunting ground of small but powerful Marwari community while the capital’s underbelly is left to Bengalis, Nepalese, Biharis and others.
This is not denigrate or not acknowledge their rights and contribution but to highlight the Khasis myopic vision. In this Shillong, Garos are not allowed to buy property, set up shop and even shunted from renting houses in their own capital. I wonder how any Garo in their right senses have allowed such flagrant discrimination for so long being the Co-Founders of Meghalaya. Not that many Garos have the financial clout to buy houses, many would rather die peacefully in their Garo villages. In some Garo villages, they are being prevented holding the post of Rangbah Shnong or the village Headman. This was even an election issue in the recently concluded KHDC polls. These are some of systemic and community characteristic traits that needs reassessment.
If ‘Dhkars’ or the others can wrestle the economic control under your own nose, isn’t it wiser to ally with someone who has same stake as you and share the spoils? Think about it.
Khasis have excelled as individuals. You have top bureaucrats and technocrats but I am afraid as a community, Garos are better off as collective leaders. No wonder more Garos have been the state’s Chief Ministers and dominated the political narratives. Had these politicians not made strategic restrain and not been mindful of the state’s unique demographic make up, Garo Hills today would be as prosperous as Shillong. If the community is economically and socially languishing today, it is to be blamed on the Garo leadership who have complied with the Khasi pressure tactics of not diverting institutional and social investment from Shillong, just to keep the communal integrity intact.
Therefore, as a community, Khasis need to reflect on the repercussion of Meghalaya without the Garos. While many Garos have mastered Khasi language, how many of you have ever felt the need to learn Garo. Many a Garo men have married Khasi women and raised beautiful families. But Khasi men have not really ventured into that territory. May be, you just need to upgrade your taste in women!
If Garos and Khasis are proverbial Tom and Jerry, why bother living together? Separated, Garos have much to gain. Yes, many Garos seek divorce but their demand for a separate Garo-land state is as precarious as Tom and Jerry’s antics.
Like any other economically alienated community, Garos deserve to have their own state by all means. I am all for it. It will bring new investment, usher in economic prosperity, state and central institutions will mushroom and flourish. But be careful of what you wish for. Garos are not just the inhabitants of Garo of Hills. As a typical migrating community, we have scattered ourselves thin and wide all over, including Ri-Bhoi, East and West Khasi Hills districts.
So, what would be the criteria to partition Meghalaya and Garo-land? Would it be based on current Garo Districts or based on the contiguous Garo population? Later would mean carving out land from West Khasi where Garos are majority in few villages including places like Aradonga and others. What about Garos who inhabit border fringes of Maikhuli-Pilangkatta, Umpher-Byrnihat? What happens to those from Balat-Ranikor? How about Garos who have called Shillong their home? Will they not be hounded and driven to their new land? Will Garos from Assam, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal be welcomed and rehabilitated in the new found state? Will Khasis be generous enough to agree to the boundary re-organisation? Will the transition be peaceful, no bloodshed and communal tension? The imaginary outcome is unsettling.
None of us need the repetition of historical mistakes done with the creation of Bangladesh and with the partition of Meghalaya from Assam. Forget about the situation of Garos in Bangladesh, today the Garos in Assam are languishing behind in the economic and social index compared to their counterparts here. While others like Tangkhuls and Tripuris are seeking community unification under Greater Nagalim and Greater Tripuraland, many Garos are ready to let the history repeat itself. Our behaviours are not welcoming either. Those Garos, whose roots are from Bangladesh are mocked as refugees while others who are from Assam are derided for their singsong accent.
Back on track. Whether we like it or not, Khasis and Garos are better off together. That doesn’t mean we go on living the old ways. Things have to change. We all have to be mindful of the economic aspirations of not only of Garos, Khasis and Jaintias but also of so many smaller indigenous and even non-indigenous communities. As India’s economy grows, so will our fortune. But can we share the Fortune Cookie equitably?
Hopefully with the new initiative of Sister Language, our children will open up their perspective and bring an end to tribal xenophobia and myopic insularity and learn to appreciate how integral we are to each other’s well being. Because a coin is no good to anyone if one of the sides is damage or soiled. The sibling rivalry must end.
(Mike Sangma is a Delhi based former journalist and media professional. He writes on various social issues and is also keen observer of economic and geopolitical issues. He is a post graduate alumni of Indian Institute of Mass Communication and holds MBA from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.)
He can be followed on:
https://www.facebook.com/mike.sangma
https://www.youtube.com/@miketalkpictures605
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of this organisation.
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