Impinging the Pristine Culture

Culture is the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time as describe in the Cambridge Dictionary. It is the most interesting and everlasting part in our life which always goes with us like our shadow, as because our culture is behind what we are today.  It taught us in every sphere and at the same time we cannot break free from it in regard to traditional rituals like marriage and dead ceremony, and in the conservative traditions it is always at the helm of it. So, to be precise culture starts from our birth like our naming with whose rebirth we have taken, birth day celebration, ring ceremony, marriage and up to dead ritual; in short it is always a part of our life with goes hand in hand.

In this regard I would say that the beautiful and richly Karbi culture are being intruded and diluted unwittingly by our own people. On this part I would start from the religion where most of us who have deviated from the aboriginal religion, the animism which believes in polytheism have to some extend are either modified or moulted to their desired point. But at same time if you note with diligence you will find that those who still embrace the conventional belief, you will find an interesting fact; it is a mixture of belief with lots of flavoured combinations from the other sides. The system of worship, the faith and the Sabbath too sublimated the aboriginal belief. As substantiation you will find a worshiping place inside these houses hung with the photos or idol of varied deity or the worshiping house in their campus. The new beliefs turned into supremacy by surpassing all the power of the gods and goddess of animism which always go hand in hand. To note with great significance a new such culture have already evolved and practiced with parallelism. That is really serious which need immediate ratification; I mean to say preserving the sacred with originality. For that I would like to take the reference of the Bhagawad Gita, which says “It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.” So, to please somebody or others to equivalence with the main stream at the cost of our true culture should be seriously and adamantly be avoided. And in addition to that which has a close relation is the mandatory common and popular ritual, the marriage rituals. In this union of two soul’s ceremony; of late there is always a fusion with either the western or the dominating majority culture, which is solemnised in the shortage way which will gradually spring up into a new culture. In accustomed to this new and short method of system cultured, we will find that there is always a mixture of modern philosophy, family structure and marriage, wedding and wedding rituals and greetings.

The other most concerning points of view are in regard to festivals, cuisine, clothing and language that need to be conscious and put an end to the eroding factors. The festivals and traditional clothing’s of the Karbi’s are termed as the unexplored sliced of paradise by the outside world; which they have come a long way to explore and enjoy the festivals with great fervour. Festival like Chomkan, Hacha Kekan though still performed scarcely in the society, the magnitude or the randomness etc. is no longer witness as like that was celebrated by our parentage. In such a celebration, especially the Chomkan and Adamasar, whenever or wherever it is performed, the organiser seems to be just a formality. As we always see on the tip of the tongue of the organiser that; whatever it be, the only concern is to complete the custom (Ajat le klem seta chok lo, hala jutang lapen aron le pleng lote chok lo). It is very desolate to say that this act will steadily wither the sacredness in an incognizant conduct. Indeed it is an ultimate reality what we celebrate today is not the one that was celebrated by our forefathers with great pomp and fervour. The feverish festivities is not seen what I have witness in my early days today, e.g. the presence of crazy revellers. Whoever attends the celebration is only to give their gesticulated presence in front of the inviter, but as such as like observance, abstraction, research, to take into knowledge, to enjoy, to learn or to study by the concern society is seldom seen. On such premonition to the diminishing culture and the tradition, it is really a hats off to the thinker and founder of Karbi Cultural Society, without which it would not have been able to preserve at least to what it is today.

On the famous Karbi cuisine, it is also vanishing from the taste of the modern culture. As we see that the menu like kangmoi (Khar sobji- alkaline added curry), ki-up (Boiled) and kalangdang (Boiled with addition of salt, sesame-til etc. are added according to the taste desired. The other like the kar-ut, kangthu, kimung, ki-ur or so are also missing in the modern menu, out of which some can be said as the forgotten menu in the changing food habitat of most of the household.

We have also observed in the last three decades many makeover have taken with the traditional clothings. At the foremost I would mention is; Choi Hongthor: the original choi hongthor (Traditional shirt) is not like what we wear today. The modern choi hongthor is no longer a shirt, but have turned into a jacket with lots of modification in the print, design, colour etc. This is followed by Poho (Traditional turban), pini-pekok (Women dress) and khonjari (Shawl). The amang (Print and design) too have changed a lot. This is due to the high demand which leads to large scale production started by the unconcern businessman outside the circle. With the gradual modification to the demands of the customers without much observance or unconcern purchase and make use of it; which ultimately makes a big difference. By this time it has now become serious to reintroduce the original one. But I would say, better to be late than never, so and era has come to have a cultural patent for such design with the ministry of commerce and industry and patent department, and then work for necessary correction and resurrection.

The other is on the threatened vulnerable language lists as identified by the UNESCO. The diversified Karbi language spoken spreading across several districts of Assam, and in the state of Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and in the Sylhet district of Bangladesh have so far been very much influenced with the proximity of the place and tribe. It is quite evident from the way we speak or hear people speak, as most of the sentences cannot be completed without making use of words that has proximity with the area or tribe. So the encouragement to the activist in this field is very much necessary.

Initiatives undertaken at different level by various social organisations like the holding of Karbi Youth Festival, Hacha Kekan, literature body etc. is to be appreciated, but have to undergo more vigorous research for the preservation and dissemination which is the demand of the hour. In such endeavour in holding of fest is also to be encouraged by the local government and participation of all concern in various capacities will also have to be ensured.