The lure of Shillong

The lure of Shillong

The term “Khasi” may have been first and then generally applied to the hill tribe by people of Bengal and Assam with whom their hills abutted. Sources in Bengal have mentioned the hill people as "Khassia".
Invariably a tribe which is in migration take the name given to them by their neighbours. In this case, the name “Khasi” is derived from the Bengali “Khassia”.

As mentioned previously, soon after the British control of the hills, the Cherra Political Agency with its Head Quarters at Cherrapunji was set up. At about the same time the Bengal Light Infantry relocated its base in the hills. These two decisions brought into the hills a fair number of "babus" and soldiers. The political control of the hills and the relative safely also enabled Bengali traders referred to as "boxwallahs" to bring their wares into the hills. When the civil station was shifted from Cherrapunji to Shillong in 1866, these traders set up shop in Iewduh. Therefore Bengali settlements in the hills had a colonial imprint. 

Shillong grew as a town from a tiny village, known as Laban when the British rulers shifted their Head Quarters from Cherrapunji and established their Civil Lines, Cantonment and made it their hill station[1]. For their administration, they brought in middle class people from outside, with the facilities for trade and commerce to sustain the increasing population. Eventually due to the suitable climate it gradually developed into a health station. The Sanatorium with a large area of land in the central area, still stands as a witness to this, but at present, it is in a deplorable condition.

In the formative period of Shillong, the relationship among different communities was mainly economic. At that time the Khasis were mainly traders in Bara Bazar and other market areas. The Nepalees were confined to army services, and a few Marwari traders were also there. Almost all the communities were living in separate localities. During festivals, dining with the peoples of other communities and even with other castes was uncommon. Most of the non-Brahmo Bengalees were very orthodox and they did not mix with the Brahmos at all. The Britishers did not mix with the Indians and lived in separate neighbourhood wards which are at present known as European wards.

The first settlement of Bengalis in Shillong took place in 1864. The British administration in India, especially in the eastern and north-eastern parts, came to depend significantly on the Bengalis as they had been the first to receive an English education[2].

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[1]Sengupta, Sutapa. & Dhar, Bibhash. & North-East India Council for Social Science Research. 2004, Shillong: a tribal town in transition / editors, Sutapa Sengupta, Bibhas Dhar  Reliance Pub. House, New Delhi: A Critical view of some aspects of the changes and development of Shillong during the recent period, P.C. Biswas.

[2]Mousumee Dutta, University of Calgary, 2000.http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-28163065_ITM.