(ANS – Shillong) –  The Khasi people live in the vast region of North East India. Their origin and history is not well known, even among scholars, and the little that is known is often mixed up with ancient legends and local traditions. The Salesians, faithful to the missionary spirit of the Congregation, exercise their apostolate also with the indigenous Khasi, and have recently opened a new church for them in the village of Jairot.

The Khasi are one of the two principal indigenous tribes of the Indian state of Meghalaya , the other being the Garos. In the Khasi language, their name means “seven huts”. They are located in the western part of Meghalaya, one of the seven states of North East India. It is known for the beauty of the countryside, and is called the Queen of the North East or the Scotland of the East.

Khasi culture has its own peculiar characteristics. Society is organized in such a way that authority, nobility, inheritance, and succession are all traced matrilineally.  The woman has the right to choose a husband, to live with him and marry him, and to decide on the place of residence of the new family.

The first changes in the life of the Khasi people began with the arrival of the English and of the missionaries at the beginning of the 19th century. Cultural practices and the social structure were affected without doubt.  Nevertheless, the work of the missionaries brought about great progress in the areas of education, the development of a sense of tribal identity, the emergence of local leaders, a greater freedom for women, the organization of society, and finally in the field of religion.

The Christian presence in the area took on a permanent structure in December 1889 when the Apostolic Prefecture of Assam was established. This later became the Diocese of Shillong-Guwahati in 1934, and in 1970 it became an Archdiocese. The region where the Khasi live at present forms part of the Archdiocese of Shillong. The Archbishop is a Salesian, Dominic Jala, the sixth Salesian in a row to lead the Church in this area. The first was Mons. Louis Mathias, in 1922.

In the territory of the Archdiocese, the Salesians have care of a parish dedicated to Sts Peter and Paul, founded in 1997 in the village of Pynthorumkhrah to commemorate the visit of John Paul II to Shillong in 1986. The first parish priest was an Italian Salesian missionary, Fr Piero Schiavon. Thanks to his good work and that of his confreres, the parish now has 15,000 faithful, mostly young and poor.

On 21 April last, the parish celebrated the building of a new Church in the village of Jairot, a sign of the good work of the Salesian missionaries and of the good will of the local people. Fr Ïoannis Warpakma, present parish priest of Pynthorumkhrah, presided at the solemn Eucharist. Concelebrants included Fr Schiavon and three other priests, two Salesians and one Claretian.

The day was celebrated with great joy by the Catholic people present in the village. They thanked the Salesians for the new church and the activities that take place there. The festive occasion was also a reason for hope and joy at a difficult time for all the people of the area, which was struck by a violent cyclone on 10 April. This caused some deaths and huge damage to the houses, fields and property of the local people.

Published 07/05/2013