Introduction

Shillong – Tales from Moolem Poonjee

[Sesquicentennial (1866-2016)]

 

Shillong was born in the twilight of 28 April 1866 and therefore, 28 April 2016 is the Sesquicentennial (150 years) of its formation by the British. This is not a historical account, rather it is my humble tribute to the hill station where I was born on 28 February 1968, by the side of the Umshirpi, in the humble Red Cross Hospital.

How did it all begin?

How did it all begin?

 

To answer this we need to delve into Khasi legend. Major Philip Richard Thornhagh Gurdon was the Deputy Commissioner of Eastern Bengal and Assam Commission, and Superintendent of Ethnography in Assam. His 1906 monogram, The Khasis, provides an authoritative account of the Khasi people.

Khasi legend

Khasi legend

The Syiem of Shillong is a very great and powerful Chief in the Khasi Hills[1]. He is generally known throughout the Khasi Hills as the ‘god king’. By the term ‘god king’ is meant that god has been pleased to give over to him the largest portion of the Khasi country, i.e. the Kingdom of Shillong, to rule. There is great uncertainty about the origin of these ‘god kings’.

A bit of history

A bit of history

Our first knowledge of the Khasi Hills dates from the time when the East India Company acquired the Diwani of Bengal in 1765[1]. The adjoining District of Sylhet was included in that grant, but as the hill men had never acknowledged any subjection to the Muhammadans, so they still remained absolutely independent of the British power.

The quest for a Sanatorium

The quest for a Sanatorium

 

There were two main reasons why the Company came to the Khasi Hills in the first place – one was the need to connect the Brahmaputra valley and the Surma valley by road, the other was to construct a Sanatorium for European troops and invalids.

The hard sell for Shillong

The hard sell for Shillong

By this time, Political Agents, geologists and botanists were suggesting the shifting of the District Head Quarters to the place now known as Upper Shillong or any other suitable site in the vicinity which would be more advantageous for communication[1].

Acquiring land for Shillong

Acquiring land for Shillong

It was Major Rowlatt who actually started the process of acquiring land for the proposed station of Shillong[1]. He entered into Agreements with individual proprietors (or Ry Kynti owners) for purchase of an extensive tract, which he called “a gentle undulating plateau”.

The formation of Shillong

The formation of Shillong

In the 1862-63 Annual Report on the Administration of the Bengal Presidency, the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Cecil Beadon, had authorised the transfer of the Civil Station of the Cossyah and Jynteah Hills from Cherra to Shillong, in the territory of the Rajah of Moleem, and the question of establishing a Sanatorium and a Military Cantonment in that locality awaited the decision of the Government of India[1].

The Capital of Assam

The Capital of Assam

 

In 1866 the military administration was shifted from Gauhati and a Cantonment was established. During 1866-1867, Colonel Hopkinson pleaded with the higher authorities for transfer of the Divisional Head Quarters from Gauhati to Shillong on political, strategic and climatic grounds[1]. But the matter remained undecided till 1874.

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".

The Muslim Community

The Muslim Community

 

The Muslim community made a huge contribution to the formation of Shillong. Apart from the Khasis, Government employees and professionals, Bengali Muslims were the earliest settlers of Shillong[1]. The Shillong Bar had about 20 members belonging to the community. 

Gurkhas of Shillong

Gurkhas of Shillong

The entry of the Gurkhas in Shillong started with the transfer of the Military in 1867 - when the 44^th Regiment moved into their new quarters in the Cantonment. Since the British yearned for the Gurkha troops, they took foremost care for the welfare of the Gurkhas and this led to the establishment of Gurkha village in Shillong.

Tigers and Leopards of Shillong

Wildlife in Shillong

As noted above, in June 1867 Thornton was ordered to Shillong, and in July 1867 his wife and children joined him there, although the house was not nearly ready and they had to live in the kitchen and cow-shed. Leopards swarmed in the jungle, which had as yet been very little cleared, and one afternoon, as they were sitting at tea outside the cow-shed, a leopard bounded from the jungle close by and carried off their little dog from beside them.

A seething cauldron of iniquity, sin and blasphemy

What was Shillong like in the early years?

Cholera made its appearance in the Hills in May 1869, travelling from the direction of Jaintiapur, on the borders of Sylhet[1]. It only showed its presence by a few sporadic cases from time to time until the 11 July 1869 when the disease broke out in an epidemic form among the police and in the jail.

Hopkinson's Tank (Ward’s Lake)

Hopkinson's Tank/Ward’s Lake

The existing artificial lake in Shillong, Ward’s Lake, was named after the two-time Chief Commissioner of Assam, Sir William Erskine Ward[1] (1885–1887 and 1891–1896). The preparatory work was initiated by Colonel Henry Hopkinson, the Commissioner of Assam in 1872 (1861–1874). In the early years it was known as ‘Hopkinson's Tank’. Local people still call the lake after the Executive Engineer, Mr. Fitzwilliam Thomas Pollock as ‘Nan Palok’.

Brahmo Samaj

Brahmo Samaj

In the late 19^th century, Bengal experienced changes from conservatism to liberalism. The Brahmo Samaj acted as a catalyst for this liberalism. The Brahmos had tried to relate oriental philosophy with occidental philosophy. This idea of reform was brought to Shillong by the Bengalee Government employees.

The Shillong Club

What was Shillong like in later years?

By this time, residents of Shillong were forming associations. The Shillong Indian Club was a literary institution established in 1876 and had ever since been catering to the literary tastes of the Indian public of Shillong[1]. Satyendra Kumar Bose was the joint Secretary of the club.

Schools of Shillong

Schools of Shillong

 

The Brahmo Samaj and the various Christian missionaries had a significant role in the formation of the educational institutions of Shillong. Soon after the Head Quarters was shifted from Sohra to Shillong, Babu Jeebon Roy worked for the establishment of a High School in Mawkhar area of Shillong.

Shillong Anglican Church

Trade/Commerce

A curious feature in the trade of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills was the total absence of Marwari or Jain merchants - an enterprising class, who were found everywhere else in Assam, even to the farthest corners of the Brahmaputra valley.

Municipal Station

Local Government in Shillong

 

Shillong was constituted a Station in accordance with the provisions of the Bengal Municipal Act of 1876 on 26 November 1878. It was made only after the decision was taken by the Deputy Commissioner for the inclusion of Mawkhar and Laban villages with the consent of the Syiem of Mylliem.