Shillong in the mid-80s is still idyllic although the times are anything but. Set in this period, Shillong Times is as much about the clash of cultures as it is about a young boy’s journey from a comparatively secure life to a dystopian world.
The book dives into the heart of the matter in the very first sentence. The word dkhar comes hurtling towards the reader as the stone does to the ‘Outsider’s’ head. Dkhar : Outsider. The innocence of a 14-year-old’s world shatters as he realises that he does not belong, but does not understand why not.
Debu, born Bengali in Shillong, has a predictable life till he meets Clint Eastwood Lyngdoh. Living as he does in the middle-class Bengali ghetto of Upper Jail Road with a mother who views most things Khasi with suspicion, Debu’s meeting with the delectable Audrey Pariat — known as the coolest girl in Shillong — draws him into the world in which he was born, but was kept away from.
Living presence
The drawbacks as well as the strengths of both communities are sketched lightly, yet this background aids the reader’s
understanding of age-old enmities. The arc of Debu’s life follows that of most Assamese and Bengalis who once considered Shillong their home, but were forced by circumstances to leave it for other cities, where they were never at home.
In spite of the bleakness of the theme, there is no sense of victimhood. Besides, the book is leavened with humour. There are delightful sequences as when Debu is forced to learn Rabindra Sangeet. The faultlines between the two communities, Khasi and Bengali, are delineated in superb set pieces that bring out the incomprehension on both sides about the Other’s way of life. It is Rabindra Sangeet versus Pink Floyd, Delhi Mishtan Bhandar versus Kalsang.
As the book progresses, it gets darker, with stone-throwing, window-breaking, extortion, vandalising, and even lynching. The author shows how hoolganism can overtake good judgement on both sides.
Through it all, Shillong is a living presence. As it spirals down into a dark, fearsome land of Lotos Eaters, the terror of the minorities huddled together in the curfew-bound town is palpable. The panic when a dear one is late coming home is felt by many living in similar situations even today.
Though its mist-covered mountains and sacred forests remain beautiful, Shillong turns into a city of ghosts. The Bengalis leave the city for an uncertain future in other cities. Sometimes they are waylaid and killed, but they have no other option.
Where’s home?
It is this Insider-Outsider question that is the central theme, viewed through several points of view. While Clint points out that Bengalis never bothered to learn anything about Khasi traditions, Audrey is tired of all the lawlessness around. She plans to go to study in Delhi to get a better life, even at the risk of being called a “Chink” there. These are contemporary issues, though the roots go back deep into history, some of which are touched upon in this book.
However, the characters are much more than mere vehicles for ideas — they are drawn with understanding and kindness.
There are moving moments, such as when Debu’s father knocks on many doors, trying to get justice, but without success. And the story also takes in how the simple kindness shown to the perceived “Enemy” can result in one’s own people turning against one. Gradually, the Duttas are isolated, shunned by the inhabitants of Jail Road as well as by the Khasis.
But compassion and friendship ultimately transcend all this. In a gripping climax, the values of humanity and understanding come to the fore in an unexpected way.
The book deals with difficult themes in an honest, clear-eyed manner, describing in a non-judgemental way the way things were. People on both sides of the divide are characterised realistically, but with kindness.
Though positioned in the Shillong of a particular time, the book will resonate, especially with those who live in areas where there are clashes between different ethnic groups. The big picture remains the same everywhere, though the details may vary.
The writer is a novelist, short story writer and translator whose latest book is A Full Night’s Thievery.
Shillong Times: A Story of Friendship and Fear ; Nilanjan P. Choudhury, Speaking Tiger,
