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Monday, August 20, 2012

The Mass Exodus: Rumors, Race and Indian Society

Mass Exodus: Is it just rumors and Pakistan? Courtesy: santabanta.com 
While Indian media and government are blaming Pakistan and technology-driven rumors for the recent mass exodus of Northeast people of India, the fault within us must also be realized entrenched in the Indian society. The consolidation of ethnic and racial heterogeneity of Indian society has much to do with the mass exodus coupled with fear psyche in elsewhere of the nook and corner of ethnic Mongoloid people.

It is not just that rumor triggered mass exodus of Northeast people from Indian cities especially Bangalore on the 66th day of Independence of the country, what media and intelligence inputs has deciphered about the wrong-doers seems not convincing to an average northeasterner like me, one is for sure that there are revealing reasons that why northeasters rush were seen in railway stations, seemingly overcrowded with fearful foots. I had definite inputs from my childhood friend based in Bangalore on an early morning itself on the eve of Independence day, that they are frantically looking for tickets since days back and sought our help for safe return.

My friend is a higher secondary drop-out who had moved to Bangalore six years back in search of much-heard employment opportunity to the IT city of South India.Before the news of mass exodus went viral on web and televisions on the night of independence day, I had posted at least one hour earlier on misingonline.com based on conversation with the friend, who was already in the railway station. What is more attributive to Indian media was the news of "rumors", that was not at all to many workers, security guards from our place. Member of Parliament from Congress party, Mr Ninong Ering was right when he said that people of Mongoloid features are being targeted in the Indian cities. That is what story behind why people become so panic since the faces of northeasterners can be identified easily. And here the government blames Pakistan again!

Whatever it is rumour or real threats, one fact must be agreed that Mongoloid ethnic minorities who basically belongs to northeastern India are vulnerable to attack and abuse, if they are once out of their homelands.

It is not just good to blame that the fleeing Mongoloid Indians were threatened by one particular religious group but the ethnic minorities too suffers from solidarity and lack of cooperation from other counter-parts in rest of India irrespective of caste or religion. The present exodus of people of northeast tells that reality. As it is evident from the arrests made by police, the culprits are from different religious backgrounds.

From Delhi to Bangalore, from Kolkata to Mumbai, ethnic minorities having Mongoloid features suffers from insecurity just because they look differently. Girls belonging to Mongoloid stock are most vulnerable to gender-based atrocity even in Delhi. India's veil of racism on ethnic Mongoloid minorities should be exposed at the global level so that India is force to do justice to the suffering indigenous peoples. Otherwise, why people from Mizoram or Arunachal Pradesh, even with negligible Muslim population ( if Muslims are to blamed!), had to flee the cities when they have nothing to do with the violence happening in lower Assam? Some matters really needs second thought to dealt with for better unity and integrity of the nation so that every citizen can live like an any Indian, anywhere in the country.

Friday, August 17, 2012

» Kapila Bangalore bokké taniyé dukpakpé idungkun ?

Mass Exodus: Northeast Rush in Bangalore. Photo: AFP
Ngo August 14 ro yubkolokke darobla kumnam ni:tom ako tadla dungai, rokom 8 ka:ngaboi, do:nyi ngok dungko rumdo kanga:ladu:bo. Ngok cell phone sé bagémpé bé:sang kang, ka:namé Bengaluru ( Bangalore) bok du:né ajon Bongali bí. Phone dém torík sumadap méngkang kapé édílosin rokompé phone kíman amisé phone ikinkan? Luposula "ainé rokom'" émna aidun-aiman émnam do:yingko tatsa do:do méi bí lukang, atai do:ying ako kabomap taddumalalng, édé Assam mo:di kapéi idung émdakmalang, okkar dém émna tatto ném lukang "Sido ngolumsin gíkangku:bo émdumalang". Ngo taulat toném lukang, " Odo Boro-Muslim pa:mín sula ngolukodok éddík taniyé so du:ji 20 longé ara:do gípayeku émdak". Ngo tattoném kapil August 20 ara:do émdun...okkarla édémpé ludun.? Eid longé lédupé 'halat kharab hoga" émdak.

Porin ko kísapé mé:moko kala ngok ajon dém ngo luto, "Do:yidé arrolang atai, no sékkolok pa:dun, aiyop confirm po:to?". Ngok taunamdém lulat sukuma:pé pésonémpé lukang, "Amme one week lédudokkébo ticket ém langab to:bo. Ticket ma:lasin mélokébong pa:map idung, no okoi ko ibi la:yéne, ngo sido sílímang". Ngo bík sémpé lunam dém taddannai tatkinto:bo. Ngok ajjoulokkébo jonnam ajoné bí, arík ila, so:bo kanggab jonla sí:sa jonnam ajoné, jikong aríklo oi kabjon nam ta:niyé, ngo kindak okaiko anguru:pé ima:pé sokkídíko lagila rokompé bí phone ima. Bím ngo dítak takkéng (6 years) ko ka:ngkíkumanam idakbo, ngo édílokké Jonai mé:pakla porikolo gílenduji, odokkébong ríksoi kíkuma.....sémmopé phone lo luposumíndo, mo:tép du:né ajon akko dém kapé ajukala du:moyen! Ngolu Mising angé-bírrangésin deeko bolo ngasodla dag émda.....ngo kindak do:lulok sí:sa:né kísapé kapin ngasod a:la, éddík porige:la gídakji mo:téng amo:lo bottan ma:nyingém yékbomla...ajuka dung émye mílo mé:péi iyé.


Ngo do:yidém mé:mi ge:la bím asin kínggídop luto no mé:pénam kamang, ngolu sokké kapéi daggom gílangkunam dém ibiyé. Ngo ngoluk abín ami kídarém office gípíla email, phone ila bík lunam agom takam dém, ngasodém anpasuyenémpé idung émnamdém lubito. August 15 India sok 66na:né Independence longé ro:do lubidak ngolu siyum sa:len yeku...yu:mé ma:dapé bí dungko dokké ajon takam gílenyeku. Lédupé ticket émsin pa:tobo émna lubidak, ngo asinsé mé:po kang. Odokkésin lukang ngolu first train dém pa:mang, annyi ko special train bisettak..11.45 yumépé dukyé émdak. misingonline.com do ngo yumédo atto ta:niyé Bangalore station dé bingka:bo émna, Northeast sop gíkkopénné. Okolosin do:yidém nérkíkpé bima:da Hindustan Times dém mé:gela, édésin andongo:pé. Yumé 12 AM anin dokké ka:namé Facebook do do:yidém orbomdu:bo aso asopé. Twitter do ka:namé 'Bangalore" dé trending la dung Top 10 ara:do. Do:yidé odokké gusangkang......


Ka:pé yumé atérlo special train annyiko la:len layen Southwestern Railway yé, édílai bagémpé la:len kítaklang? Ngasodém anpa su:ma mílo tu édémpé yumé atér lo ilamang, Ngoluk réngam légang ager gerné kébang ami, Assam odokké Northeast sok migom amiyém sok légang ngolu aséngko bipaye.. Supak ipénamko du:daggom ima:bo, takamé amik miktar ka:bo! Amme okkoi aí émpésong mé:mipénamé. Lédupé émdaggom tauto atai do:lung gíladla supak okkom iyekun, ager ikko kamang! Bí lukang, "édémína mé:du:né, ager-asak no matokai odok". " No édém mé:yok no aiyop pí:potoku ajon", ngo luto. Mé:mi pénamé aro:pé éddíko ngoluk réngamé sé mo:lékso ngasodla turbek du:ji.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Obituary: Noted Mising leader Sibaram Pegu dead

Late Sibaram Pegu Photo: misingagomkebang.com
Noted Mising personality, who was involved with various community organisations in critical juncture of the tribe- Sibaram Pegu- is no more. Pegu left for heavenly abode after a week-long illness at his Laimekuri residence yesterday in Jonai.

Pegu was a dedicated community mobilizer who lead the people during nascent stage of Mising ethnic nationalism from seventies to early nineties. He was a founder member of Takam Mising Porin Kébnag ( TMPK), that was re-christened on October 16, 1972 at Jonai Higher Secondary School, after the bifurcation of All Abor-Miri Assam-NEFA Students' Union ( another group is the powerful All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union), when the state of Arunachal Pradesh was declared first as union territory. During the period of anti-foreigners movement of Assam from 1979 to 1985, he had to left his post-graduation studies incomplete from Gauhati University. He went to establish, later on, the Laimekuri Koneng High School, realizing the importance of women education and empowerment in the society.


Pegu was an active member of Mising literary movement in the eighties. He served as the general secretary of Mising Agom Kebang from 1983 to 1987 consecutively. It was during his tenure the Mising language was recognized formally with adoption of Roman script in October 30, 1986, when the regional party AGP was in power in Assam, which is today observed as language day by the community. The Mising organizations have expressed deep condolence over his untimely demise and said it was irreparable loss to the society. His mortal body was taken around several places in Jonai where hundreds of people paid their last respects to the deceased Mising national personality. His body was cremated with full honours according to Mising social rituals and rites. He was born in Haldhibari village of Sisikalghar and was 58. He left behind his wife, a son and three daughters as well as number of friends, relatives and well-wishers.

Reminiscence of personal encounter with the leader

Last month in early July, when I met him in Laimekuri, whom I fondly called Tato, he was looking quite well. When I enquired about his well-being , he replied in positive and exhorted me for further good studies. " No okkoméi idakji aiyo:pé ilang", he advised me. Once in summer 2009,  he came over to our house to congratulate me on hearing the news that I passed my graduation with flying colours from Cotton College, my parents told me, later, since I was already back to Guwahati . When I was doing my post-graduate studies,  and was in home  due to a brief vacation, he once  stopped me and passed me hundred bucks seeing me to have light refreshment in the journey to Guwahati. He didn't gave me just the bucks but shared inspiring thoughts with me,  which I will remember it in my entire life,  for it is done rarely in our place. He had that personality , at least ,  to inspire the lower strata within the community, not just a leader. I am really very sad to learned that a towering personality like him is no more in the society. I was thinking of having an interview relating to the present and past state of society with him one day but he didn't lived upto that. With tears...I am expressing my grief. RIP my dear Tato!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Flashback Bi(h)u: Atai siyum unsori kokkolo gíma:ne?

Unsori kokladung do:lung akolo dek posuré.Photo: RK Mili

Gíné Ru:nyi longédo (Saturday)ngo rokompé asupdokké darobma:dapé inbox do sms ko dénga:do kinmanam nombor akolokké..inbox dém ka:namé sémpé attak "Oi Pegu kapé...Bi(h)u so okum gíkumane,asinang omane do:lung maksong so:namdém...mé:pa mane ya:me-mímbír  penamdém....oi ni:tom monam...ngokké aipé mé:namsé ka:ngab la:ma:nam sí:lungko...".Lékko:lo poritísuma:la lényik porito. Yig émangkang asinsé...ní:lad sukunammé ngok lekek ajon ako, hostel du:jonko....Dhakuatokké! Bí:sin nétalujar (metropolitan) Guwahati so dung émdak, okum gílatokumang. Ngo darobla khiriki dokké ka:namé mo:tépé jajjarém mé:pangkang ané ruyidok dité dém ka:bekla...aropé poril du:la turnamsé sémpéi ikabon?Asinang odaggom nítum sul du:padak....Mé:mi mé:mi la du:dom....po:pé agomém dekko mé:patoku...édémíng ngo orpan sudung sido noluk kéra:lo....

Rígu monan ayir angka:bo! Photo: RK Mili
Supakké po:lo sé kombong po:lo....gejik-geropé takamloi néi-néngan ngansa:né ayirré.Ngo mé:padak supakké ayir souíma:lang rígu modí dan!Yummém Bi(h)u kokkolo ngolu apin dodangel sumrop dungai....longgém édílo:sin gípí mangko do:lu lo:pé yumé atéré do:lung ko:um-ko:pi ko:pé sambín dungai (h)unsori kokkolo. Mímbír oko do:lu lo aba:yadakji édém 'target' la:la ajon-arum appíngé gídungai okolai ako yadgab layebaji émna! Unsori kokdom abayang koué "atai déngatobo" émgel ko:néng ara:do kogangobomdagai.Odokké ko:néngém kapidagbon kindagéipe...baibí oko jadén?okkom poridubon??okolo???jajjarpé tadbomna ikum sipal asin do:yingém kíleno bomdagaboi. Kabo ma:yenémpé imíloi rígu moko aríkdém tadgab bomna gídakkubong ko:kídí dé.Kindagéi pé longkondo lékoda rígu mo:kodo "bostu"dém 'yadgabpodanyé' émgel apin dogel yaplenéi dagbo. Oi kapjoné kouém gíbo dungai....mibo (aloi) ya:me yé ni:tom mopa:yé émmíloi odo mojonédé jé:rob bomdagaboi. Lamku do ngolu asopé 'oiya...."émna jé:sa do:do jé:míno dagaboi...


Tuesday, April 10, 2012

How to download songs from misingOnline.com?Here's the solution

There are less than one hundred Mising songs available on net in various sites.Of the available  audio songs,most are in www.misingonline.com which is again in limited number.But netizens who wishes to download the songs on the networking site has no option except listening online.

Many wonder and even enquire the MO administrators how the songs be downloaded.Since MO doesn't provide for 'download' option on its page,the netizens are left option-less.Few days back when I was visiting one of my mate's room .I was browsing the net in his laptop for listening some oi ni:tom on Youtube I found a plugin appeared in the window while listening the songs. Immediately I asked him the name of the software appearing on the window.He told me it was Crack IDM.Crack Internet Download Manager (IDM)http://www.filestube.com/i/idm+crack help you directly to download any video or audio on net by a click as the software appear on the top-right side.

If you're wondering how to download you can install a crack IDM version on your PC to keep your favorite ethnic songs saved in your PC.Install crack IDM after you download the software from any of he host of sites available free of charge.Go to the ethnic site misingonline.com >Explore>Music and rest is your work!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

In where villages are known by clans:Ligang experience from Mising villages of Dhakuakhana

This year I enjoyed the initial Ali-Aye Ligang festival on the banks of Charikaria river in where there are number of Mising villages in Dhakuakhana subdivision of Lakhimpur district of Assam.The villages where I visited used to be my ancestral place.If you go towards northeast facing Machkhowa(Dhemaji) from Dhakuakhana,you'll find number of Mising villages along the banks of Charikaria river.Dhakin Chapori in Thekeraguri area is the first Mising village you find on this route which is just around 8 kms from Dhakuakhana town.One interesting fact about Mising villages here is that barring Dakhin Chapori,the villages here,are known by the name of the clans of the Tani people.The roadside village near Thekeraguri is known as Oyan,another there is Delu to the east of Dakhin Chapori,and Padam to the southeast.If you're wondering that Padams are only in Arunachal Pradesh or in the Siang Valley,you're wrong.What I'm writing is nothing new but I must say it is unknown to many that Padams are there among Mising tribe,not just in the Adi tribe among Tani people.Although the Misings called the villages by their clans' name,I don't know what they are named by the non-Mising.It is said that they have another name for their villages.

On February 15,on the first day of Ligang,I along with a cousin witnessed two sites of celebration of the festival in Dhakin Chapori village.What I found there was surprising,people built just a prototype Mising stilt house made of banana coats and an small ploughing ground to initialize the sowing of seeds with sipag,piro and white yarn that was tight round on it.I was looking a different kind of celebration in my life for the first time that was different from Jonai villages,where I grew up.Elders asked for suggestion and assistance from me to look after the event in this particular village.(They said that I should tell them that the kinds that are done in Ligang as in Jonai.)It was too late here at that moment to add more clouts to stick to Ligang norms like that of Jonai.I helped them in initialization of sowing seeds particularly the chantings during Liggod.Things were not all under my control.Elderly women picked up the microphone during the Gumrag dance after sowing.Again,no one was singing Lo:le rhythm.I wanted them to help out but I restrained myself since they were elderly women.The ceremony passed like this where I also blasted some oi nitoms upon request from elders.I was treated with apong in brass bowl and purang apin,the boiled rice in wild cardamom leaves.I thought myself really there are many things to improved among the people even on the issue of national festival.I could sensed the diversity among the same people.How things are different from Jonai?Later ,I told the elders what actually we have seen in Jonai ,and not here.I told them to build at least three prototype houses for the Ligang celebration-the dwelling house,the granary,and the po-yub,i.e.house generally build in the agriculture field.After that I left the spot to look out for more Ligang celebration.We walked on the sand filled road to see the end site village celebration.The same structure was followed here too where both olds and youngs were the revellers.Here,I didn't had the opportunity to add or suggest something because it was the time for feast when I was reaching the celebration site.I found men singing oi nitoms on the mike and women folks dancing to the beats of drums(dum dum) and cymbals(lu-pi).The site was filled with sand layered with green grass on top on the ground that was very beautiful by the side of the Charikaria river.If Misings are portrayed as riparian people,I think this place would be an ideal place that match the words in the literatures.

On the night,we visited the Oyan village.The time was half passed nine.We reached a courtyard where Lotta So:man,the Ligang dance, was on full swing.Beautfully clad Mising damsels were dancing to some male's voice folk song,the oi nitom.We joined the So:man.I found a childhood friend from my village of Jonai who has married a girl from the same place.My friend said,"Pegubhai,as you see there are many things to improve here.Let's help them".At that time,someone from the middle caught my hand and said,"O Magbo,no oi-ni:tom mopa:ye!"(Magbo,actually means son-in-law or an elder who is married to someone's younger sister,you have to sing oi nitom!).I responded the courtesy positively ,and lend my voice to a common oi nitom where all the young boys join in rhythm.The beautifully dressed damsels were dancing as the gas light help the boys to glance the face and the moves of their dear ones.The Oyans here peacefully co-exists with Assamese speaking communities,also maintaining the distinct dialect too.(To be continued.)

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Northeast India's gateway to witness Mising tribe festival on open field

To set forth the rich culture of the Mising people to the world stage ,the chief festival of the tribe Ali-A:yé Lígang has been planned to celebrate with two-day long programmes in the city of Guwahati,the gateway of northeastern region of India.The Ali-A:yé Lígang is basically an agriculture based festival of the Mising Tani tribe of the region. The All Guwahati Mising Kébang(AGMK) ,the organization of the Mising people of the city ,which is organizing the mega event with this objective in mind is planning various programmes to focus the rich cultural aspects of the tribe.Although the festival falls on the first Wednesday of Phagun,observed according to Assamese calendar ,this year the organization has deferred the date of celebration in Guwahati in order to attract more people to the festival cutting across cultural lines.For the first time ever,the city of Guwahati would be witnessing two day event of Ali-A:yé Lígang at the College of Veterinary Science (C.V.Sc)ground in Khanapara on 18 and 19 February,2012.Earlier,the festival was celebrated in the premises of Murong Okum located at Japorigog in the city.The Ali-A:yé Lígang is also seen as an spring festival as it coincides with the season.This is likely to be the biggest ever Ali-A:yé Lígang festival celebrated in Guwahati so far.

Attires,recipes and apong stalls on the venue!
Sources in the AGMK told misingOnline.com,the two-day event is all set to shine the Mising tribe's culture, lifestyle and to keep on the spirit of the festival in such an open space of the city.There will be stalls on Mising attires,recipes and drinks as well.Various cultural troupes will perform Mising dances like Gumrag,Léréli,Sélloya in this two-day event.The Mising tribe's love song, popularly known as Oi Ni:tom,will fill the atmosphere of Ali-A:yé Lígang festival.A fashion show with Mising attires will also be organized on 19th February.It is expected that huge number of stalls will precipitate in this spring festival.One Mising youth of the city excitedly told MO that he along with friends are very interested in opening apong(beer) and adin(meat) stalls and they have already asked some women to make stuffs ready for apong during the festival.

AGMK to dedicate cultural function to Oi Appun and Bhupenda
In the two-day programmes,the first and the second night of cultural functions are set to dedicate to Oi Appun Gonesh Pegu and Dr Bhupen Hazarika respectively.Ms Bobita Sharma of 'Bideshot Apun Manuh' fame and chairperson of Assam State Film( Finance and Development) Corporation Limited will inaugurate the first night of cultural event ;and noted writer and editor of Assamese daily ''Amar Asom'' Mr Homen Borgohain will inaugurate the second night.It is to be noted here that the organizer of Ali-A:yé Lígang,the AGMK ,is one of the oldest organization working for Mising people especially in Guwahati.The AGMK was formed in 1968 with the initiatives of noted educationist Prof Tabu Taid ,writer and scholar Late Bhrigumani Kagyung and linguist Prof Nahendra Padun.The AGMK is regarded as the precursor to Mising Agom Kébang(MAK) that came into existence later in 1972 at Dísangmukh,Sivasagar.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Nobel Laureate Stiglitz visits Mising tribal villages in India

India's Tribal Reality:A Mising tribe woman with child on her back taking water from a well  dug beside a river stream at a village in Gohpur,Sonitpur district,Assam.Stiglitz visited the same tribe's villages in the same district of the Indian state.Photo:The Assam Tribune
                     2001 Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University,USA ,former chief economist of World Bank ,who was in Assam, visited Buruli,considered as Mising tribe's last traditional habitat in the north bank of Brahmaputra,especially two Mising villages named Baligaon and Bukagaon at Balipara in Sonitpur district of Assam yesterday,according to a local newspaper in Assam.It is also noteworthy to mentioned here that Stiglitz who was coming with his wife and nephew even took dinner delicacy in one Mising village the previous night.He was treated with the tribe's local recipes.According to the local daily of Guwahati,he also visited Nameri National Park located in the vicinity and took taste of various local recipes.(Hope,Stiglitz was treated with namsing, rasor or amin oying in the Mising village,our  favorite recipes!).He took stock of Mising people's village economy and also visited a weekly market.All he toured for hours on foot!A top official of the government of Assam who accompanied Stiglitz said in a huge gathering minutes before where conversation between Joseph Stiglitz and Meghnad Desai was held. (Let's hope our Indian planners/intellectuals tour the villages the way Stiglitz did.)He also significantly pointed out that he felt flood prone state like Assam should not go for big dams instead choose for micro hydro projects.He delivered talks in Guwahati along with Meghnad Desai of London School of Economics on Asian economy .

Speaking Economics:Desai and Stiglitz in conversation at Guwahati.Photo:Pawan Kumar
          Both Stiglitz and Desai were invited by Youth Forum on Foreign Policy(YFFP),an organization formed by Assam chief minister's son Gaurab Gogoi along with his friends to focus decision-makers traverse from center of powers to the less highlighted region like landlocked northeastern region of India.YFFP said that they would take such steps by inviting top personalities of the world in the future too.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Agom kéba:do Jonai gíyén ajona?

            Ngo silopé agom kébang ba:namdém kangkima:da...bangke agom kébalok ba:namém ko:ka dokké ka:sa sula ngo gítak...émdaggom ki:ni kéba lokkém  kangkímang.Ajjou dodo ngolu lambé do mike,sound box bommín sudanla yamgo nammém ka:bekdungai ....dítak dok 30 October longé do lambé lo dek poriné  ko:kangém abí:nkíd yamgobola  Mising agom turyaryé !,Mising réngam  írroi ya írroi ya !émna jé:mín sula do:mír ésaré  mírgo mínsu do:pé ,sargomínsudo:pé  inamém Laimekuri amo:lo ka:pa dungai.

      Sium sí:ro mo:tép du:langkula kangkitokumabong...aropé édé  bulu oko longan émna mé:dag ngo lékom,yumé ayir míloi dírbí yumdéng inam kangkolo berdungai.Lékom ajon gidakbo émna tadbekla apin dosud doludla lomnak-pisak la dugdungai...longém abín ami kídídé agom do:yíng ém kéba lo ludagai,yumé do ngolu oi ni:tom,anu ni:tom,natok,luse: senam,sonam atí atí tarung inam kabek dungai....harmonium élang tabla lo oi ni:tom monamém aipé ka:lídakku...asinang airup odak...suk 2012 so January 16 dokké ba:yé émdag Jonai to January 19 dop.Jonai émyém ngok le:keké poriko school lotta do....amindé Jonai Higher Secondary School.Agom kébang do Jonai gíyéne ajona,édésin ki:ni kéba lokkar malang ayi?


            Agom Kébang agomdém luyémílo a:písé kapéike idak..supak agom sé kapil dun émdodém okkomna lulad bipayekusong kinma:bo....Agom  jarmonam légangé  sekoi okkoméi gerdusong okkomsin kinto kumang...po:pé  ké  LP School lok pa:nam potin kidi dok Ta:to tolíng sipak,tapum tari dopak;Mipak ao malbuk,bomla anu abbuk(mensarung ko ka:bekla sikang émnam lube: lusak ka:na ,édésinyowwa!);ba:yom ba:to,ya:yoké  ra:sor ra:nam doppo....édé mo:bulum mé:padag .Odokké  kinsed tokumang ...O Ru:na!Bojeko pagtakbo ngo:sin,souo lok ngo silo attér du:bo... Yo! agom ako...Jonai gíyem ngomsin goksudanlang ajona,léko lakko:pé ír-pongkír bolapé Jonai mongke tém!Mikpandanyoka déi ajona...sa!!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Midnight Call of Spirits:The Strange Story of Pegu Siyeng of Arunachal Pradesh

 Lake of Spirits :The Pegu Siyeng near Yingkiong,Arunachal Pradesh Photo:Dinesh Pegu /TPOK
                  The Pegu Siyeng is consider as once an inhabited place of the Pegu clans of the present day Mising tribe,most of whom are living in to-day's Assam,India.Siyeng literally means lake in Tani language,so it got its name from Pegus who were once in the side of the lake.The beautiful lake of  Pegu Siyeng is located near Yingkiong,the head quarter town of Upper Siang district of present day Arunachal Pradesh.The Siyeng consisted of two lakes previously but it is said that one of the lake was developed for agricultural farming by an influential resident.When Omak Apang ,son of Gegong Apang,the former chief minister of Arunachal,once became an union minister in the centre,there was a bid to develop it a hotspot tourist destination.Elder Pegu clan members told this blogger that the minister efforts led to construction of houses to facilitate lodging for tourists near the lake.
          The surroundings of Pegu Siyeng was improvised from its bare natural state to replenish a better look.However,the houses were soon abandoned for some strange but serious reasons after few years.A caretaker,who was in charge of the newly constructed buildings and living in one the houses by the side of the Siyeng,woke up every midnight from his deep slumber.The reason:the caretaker was awakened by nightmare from none other than the spirits of the Pegu Siyeng.The horrible dreams of midnight due to the call of spirits led to abandoned of  the houses,since then. By teleological assumption,we must called it as a sacred place.May be a customary rites and rituals by Pegu clan will  make free the lake from spirits!Well ,it can be Amarnath or Haridwar for Pegu clan!

             The story about Pegu Siyeng find mentioned in one of Arunachal's former top bureaucrat's autobiography.Rajani Kanta Patir ,who rose to become the chief secretary of the young state of Arunachal during Gegong Apang's tenure,vividly describe in his memoir ''Dawn in the East" the existence of this abode of Pegu clan in this part of Siang belt.Patir hailed from Moukhuwa in Assam's Lakhimpur district and was a cousin of Kaziranga National Park's pioneer Mahi Chandra (Patir)Miri.Patir was a Mising tribe man,the largest group of Tani people.Patir also helped in running the Donyi Polo Vidya Bhawan schools of Arunachal Pradesh.

Note:Pegu is a surname of Mising>Mishing>Miching>Miri> Tani tribe of Northeast India.It is interesting to note that the Pegu surname holders have formed an association called Takam Pegu Opín Kébang(TPOK) few years back to  deal with the aspect of origin and history of the clan.In 2010,the TPOK even hold a mammoth meeting at Akajan near Silapathar in Upper Assam.I'd the opportunity to talk with one of the office bearer of the TPOK once while I was travelling to Pasighat in a night service bus.TPOK men told me that together with Megu,the blood brothers of Pegus on Arunachal side,are making efforts to develop the Pegu Siyeng as protected heritage site with the help of government as well as clan members.This blogger is grateful to Mg Dinesh Pegu and Mg Juwel Pegu for their valuable inputs on Pegu Siyeng.





Saturday, December 17, 2011

More on Pagro Clan origin story

    • From our further conversation on Pagro clan origin,Dr Riba said ,"I negate those theories about the origin of d term Pagro. Pagro was a name of a person. All Tani tribes inherit their clan from their forefathers. As per our oral history, Pagro clan might be the earliest clan of Miri people (no offence). Pagro might have been son of Ato Tapak (Tapak was again christened as Nyipak. Tapak(who left Ato Tame at Tibet) was earliest migrant from Tibet to enter Assam plain. So, our people mistakenly consider all plain people be Nyipak but actually, Mishings were/are the descendants of Ato Tapak/Nyipak. Now, the term Nyipak is exclusively used for non-tribal people. But it would be wrong to say-Mishings are non-tribal again). It would have been possible to find the origin of the term Pagro (we pronunce as 'Pagro) had you followed our system of genealogy counting".

      Dr Riba added that it would been easier if the Miri/Mising would have adopted the genealogy based name.The name of this begin with the last name of the father when it comes naming of new born babies.Unfortunately,the Mising people under the influenced of Hindu cultures has abandoned this unique genealogical naming pattern nevertheless that could have easily helped in tracing the origin of Pagro or any other clans.Dr Jatin Mipun in his book 'The Mishings(Miris);Development of New Style'' said that the Misings left their genealogical naming system in the early nineteenth century.It is noteworthy that the Galo Tanis still follow this naming pattern.