Jaiñsem goes designer

The jaiñsem has finally gone designer, but the cost that ranges from Rs.500 to Rs.2000 will be within the reach of the masses. The traditional dress of Khasi women is set to become a hot attraction on the fashion ramps of the rich and the famous if Shillong seamstress Sangita Agarwall has her way. Displaying the first designer jaiñsem to be ever made, Aggarwal’s creations drew gasps of admiration from the women visiting the two-day Style Mantraz Exhibition, at the All Saints Cathedral Hall recently.Each designer jaiñsem was created in raw silk and exquisitely embroidered with intricate zariwork of all hues, woven by craftsmen in Mumbai and Kolkata. The finishing touches to the embroidery were of course done by Aggarwal to give the distinct flavour of a designer label. Agarwal, 39, who came to Shillong as a young bride of a Marwari businessman and has two teenaged children, told The Meghalaya Guardian that she hit on the designer jaiñsem idea when she was asked to conceive creations for the Mrs. Shillong contest this year. Before that, Aggarwal was content to make cushion covers and other household drapery.“I designed jaiñsem so as to give it a modern look, without diluting its ethnic authenticity,” Aggarwal said, adding, “It is a renovation of culture.” The casual jaiñsem of everyday wear is from mill-cloth that is widely available in the market and in need of a new look, unlike the Dhara which is made from fine silk and worn on festive and very special occasions by the Khasis.Women visiting the exhibition agreed that there is a need for a change and that the young preferred to follow modern concepts of fashion. L. Shangpliang, a lecturer at St. Mary’s College said: “We are to make change in our lifestyle and keep up with the fashion trends.” With modern girls opting more and more for western clothes, the jaiñsem is fast becoming formal wear for the elders. It was not always this way. Historically, the jaiñsem originated from the jaiñkyrshah, which served as an apron or a pinafore and worn inside the home and in the fields by the Khasi and Jaiñtia women since time immemorial. Then, the cloth was cotton, of small square patterns.Khasi man had in the past had worn unstitched lower garment (dhoti), jacket and turban, but that has been all but sacrificed to the needs of modern society. They now wear western clothes, unlike the women, who have retained their traditional dress, called the jaiñsem, which consists of an undergarment, and above it, a two-piece cloth of two meters, pinned on each shoulder.

A Khasi King seeks a balance between Tradition and Modernity

Amidst the splendour and gaiety of the grand finale of the Nongkrem Dance a Khasi king pondered the balance which his family must strike between the ways of the past and those of the present to keep alive the glorious traditions of the Khasis.“We have to face the challenge and go along with changing times. There are certain practices that clash with modern life, but as up-holders of our own cultural heritage we manage to strike a balance” Dr. Balajied Sing Syiem, King of the Hima Khyrim told The Meghalaya Guardian as he hosted the festival of traditional importance for hundreds of people gathered at Smit on the third day of the festival on Friday.Armed with a campaign to preserve Khasi culture, the Syiem, who enjoys great prestige amongst his people, is no ordinary King to carry out his routine duties within his council. Dressed in suit and tie, and speaking flawless English, the Syiem is a physician by profession. He expressed his concern for a wide range of issues affecting his people, ranging from education, job opportunities and infrastructure. Tracing the origin of his kingdom the Syiem said that the Hima Khyrim separated from the Hima Shyllong in 1853, and now extends from Karbi Anglong in the North to Pyrdiwah in the South with over 400 villages and a population of 2 lakh. “The Hima Khyrim is very much alive, walking side by side with change,” he said.Not just the King, but his sister who is the Queen also pursues a profession as a principal of a high school in Smit. But the siblings do not let the worldly profession interfere with the discharge of their traditional duties to uphold the welfare of the people and maintain the rituals and traditions of their ancient culture.

Maiden Princess prepare for Nongkrem Dance on Nov2

A High Priestess and her two royal daughters were today busy preparing for the grand finale of Meghalaya’s ancient Nongkrem dance festival that their family believes will preserve the traditional way of life of the Khasis.As the women kept indoors in the Iingsad or traditional palace of the Syiems of Hima Khyrim, male dancers in gorgeously brocaded costumes practiced vigorously in the courtyard for tomorrow’s grand finale at Smit, waving their swords and batons topped with yak hair tufts. The dance practice was watched by an equally colorful crowd of spectators waiting patiently to see the two daughters of the High Priestess emerge from the palace and lead a procession to nearby Lum Pomblang, where they would perform another set of rituals.While the crowd waited, the High Priestess, who is Hima Khyrim’s Queen or Syiem Sad, a hereditary position that has passed down an unbroken line of more than 500 years, and her two daughters -- the princesses -- were carrying out sacred rituals inside a room of the palace, too secret to be open to the prying eyes of others. Outside the room was the large durbar hall used by elders of the Hima or kingdom to discuss weighty issues of the community. The hall was dominated by a sacred tree trunk believed by the faithful to be the means to send their prayers to God. “Nobody can touch this trunk except the Queen and a priest,” the Kongor or Queen’s consort told Meghalaya Guardian, requesting that his real name and place of work be kept anonymous. Employed in a government office, the Kongor saw no problems in maintaining a foot in both the traditional and modern worlds, as did the Queen, who is principal of a school. Her two daughters are students.The elder daughter is a student of law at a local college, while the younger is doing commerce in school. The Kongor said all of his children made their own decisions on what to study and where to work, though his elder daughter would one day become Queen and his elder son King. He said there was no problem following a modern lifestyle. “But we should never forget our own traditions,” Kongor said, stressing that his family had a duty to safeguard traditional rituals like the Nongkrem festival.“Everyone looks to us to preserve the tradition…If we go to the modern world, we will lose our identity. We must preserve the identity of the Khasis,” he added. But he saw no difficulty in Khasis pursuing other faiths such as Christianity from taking part in Nongkrem rituals. “At Christmas time, Christians visit our palace,” he pointed out. The palace is unique in being built without metal nails, all of wooden planks locked together with wooden pegs. The two daughters will be joined by other unsullied maidens in a dance ritual that will provide the highlight of tomorrow’s concluding festival rituals. The Kongor said all the girls taking part in the dance rituals tomorrow would have to be maidens. “We don’t check this, but we leave it to their conscience (to be maidens),” he said, adding that a violation of this rule would result in unexplained severe consequences befalling the transgressor.

An Island in Umiam--Lumpongdeng

‘Lumpongdeng’ an island about 400 meters away from Orchid Lake resort in Umiam will be the next tourist spot to gain attraction from tourists, besides the existence of a number of tourist base in the state.
Surrounded by the dazzling blue ripples of Umiam Lake, coupled with the lush green environs, Lumpongdeng Island is a picnic-spot, camping area and an idyllic lover’s point. However, this 23 acre island still has more to hold. Cottages, cabins and an entertainment park will make it complete—just perfect for a holiday.
With its ‘back to nature surrounding,’ Lumpongdeng Island will adopt a traditional village module said Maitshaphrang Tourism Promotion Group (MTPG) Chairman Michael Syiem who is tied-up for this eco-tourism project. He said to work on the project for attracting tourists the group will make sure that the ecological balance of the place is not disturbed. “We will try to leave ecology as it is and the structures will be eco-friendly,” Syiem said, adding, “We will avoid cemented structures by constructing traditional structures by using thatch and locally available wood.” Lighting in the cottages and cabins will be by means of lamps and the traditional lamps—Dongmusas Syiem said.
Though Lumpongdeng Island is still in the growing process, the sanctioned amount of Rs.27 lakh by the union tourism ministry is the sum that would bring about the needed infrastructure in the island Syiem said as till date there is no additional revenue generated. This project is still in its infancy stage Syiem said confident that Lumpongdeng will be the best in creating a niche for itself in tourism.
Syiem also informed that the group is planning to start off with farming in the island so that picnickers and visitors would have access to fresh meat and veggies.
Get up, get started and make your plans to this exotic place away from the hustle and bustle of the madding crowd yet within Shillong’s romantic vicinity.