This is the story of the people of the land of the Hynfuewtrep who, by divine will, descended down the golden vine to Earth and made it their home. These are the Khasis of today's Meghalaya. The narrative begins, as it were, at the very beginning when Dorbar-Blei, the Divine Council heard the pleas of Mother Earth to send God's most beloved creations to her for them to live with other human communities. It then takes the reader through an account of the Khasi way of life with its religious and moral underpinnings, its traditions of crafts, architecture, music and dance, sports and political organization, to the Khasis of post-independent India.
It is not at all easy to put across in a language other than one's own, ideas which form the particular and palpable basis of a culture's life. Sumar Sing Sawian has overcome the difficulties of linguistic barrier with much sensitivity and ease. His book carries forward with aplomb the tradition set by people like Babu [eebon Roy, Ba Kympham Sing, Ba Hipshon Roy, Ba Token Rymbai and others.
The Khasis are one among multitude of small communities in India who have a language of their own which is not a dialect of any other language, and a profound belief in the moral basis of human life. This is most effectively conveyed by the author's lucid narrative. The ethical environment of today's globalised world is, in many ways, quite the opposite of the traditional moral environment of the Khasis, The moral world of the Khasis can provide a critical and constructive perspective on modernity and its globalised utility driven moral outlook. Sumar Sing's work is, therefore, an important contribution not only to our understanding of the Khasi way of life but also to a critical reviewing of modernity and its values.
The book will be of interest not only to the general reader but also to researchers with a variety of interests- historical, sociological, aesthetic and philosophical. It is undoubtedly among the most authentic accounts of an ancient and yet living tradition.
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