Nga dei u syntiew ha ki khlaw ka jinglong khynnah jong nga,
Nga dei ka kshaid ha ki riat ka jinglong samla jong nga,
Nga dei ka diengsoh ha kyrpong iing ki khun jong nga,
Nga dei ka khla ha ka pyrthei ka jinglong tymmen jong nga.
Author: Donboklang Ryntathiang
Donboklang Ryntathiang has his roots in a remote village in West Khasi Hill called Wahrit. Hestarted playing music while he was in class 9 and in 1999 he along with four friends formed a band called 'Snow White'. Since his interest had always been music, he started writing poetry only after finishing his MA. He is presently the bass guitarist of the band 'Snow White' and is an Assistant Professor in English at Seng Khasi College.
I am the orchid in the forest of my childhood,
I am the waterfall on the precipice of my youth,
I am the fruit tree in the garden of my children,
I am the tigress of the winter of my life
Bah Skendrowell Syiemlieh’s inability to sing in English made him a not-so-sought-after singer by the urban elite. However, he has remained “the singing story teller” for many in the villages and small Khasi towns that till date are considered ‘Nongkyndong’ (a derogatory term used by the urban elite to paint the village folks as village idiots).
Even the posthumous Padma Shri in 2008 did not help to raise his image among the Khasi urban elite. His songs have remained the subaltern art of a subaltern rural narrative. But despite this his courage to sing about himself as a son of the village bore him great success when without any inhibition he sang ‘Ah Moina’ in the Mawiang dialect.
The Mawiang dialect comes along with the rural, rustic life that he held dearly till his last days. Nobody ever imagined that a song sung in one of the West Khasi Hills dialects would ever be appreciated.
For all that he had written there will be no posthumous award for Phrangsngi of the green house. You see only the well-connected shine and speak, even from their graves, to those giving awards.