The knolls on which Shillong, the exquisite capital of Meghalaya stands and the series of maiden hills that surround this queen of India’s hills stations are known as the Khasi Hills. These charming hills which are mostly clad in bluish-green attire, overlook the flat plains of Sylhet on the South and Kamrupa on the North. They extend over to the Garo Hills on the west and the Borail ranges on the east. The sturdy inhabitants of this elevated region are known as the Khasis. They have a matrilineal form of society which is rather rare in the world now. They are one of the most advanced tribes of India with a wealth of ancient culture, tradition and enough of modern education.
These hills gave birth to one of her celebrated champions - no other than U Tirot Sing- the Khasi chief who stood as boldness personified against the British lion early in the 19th century and gave a resilient fight for the sake of liberty, honour and dignity of his motherland and its robust people.
Unfortunately very little of U Tirot Sing’s great deeds have been recorded as nobody has written much about this part of our country. The casual references that are there are also hidden in the pages of rare books awaiting collection and propagation. As a result, India hardly knows this great son of her up till now and very soon his deeds will be lost in oblivion.
When the British first came to this part of the country (second quarter of 19th Century), the Khasi Hills encompassed several petite states ruled by ‘Syiems’ (kings). U Tirot Sing was the Syiem of a state called Nongkhlaw. He was a man of medium stature; he also had his left hand maimed. But within his small imperfect physique throbbed a heart with muscles of iron and nerves of steel. He mastered the art of combating in his early boyhood; a masterful archer he was and a man of nippy resolves, vigorous activities.
The evil diplomatic devices of the British went on, and region after region slipped to their hands. Soon their voracious eyes fell on the lovely tract of the Khasi Hills and they planned to annex them. David Scott, then a British Administrator offered the Syiems to construct a track connecting Sylhet to the Khasi lands. Being at their hospitable best, the Khasis obliged, soon to realize the blunder they committed. At once, the entire tribe under U Tirot Sing, rose like one man and assailed the white-enemies in 1829. Serious conflicts followed-
1.) In one warfare, two British officers, Lt. Bedington and Lt. Burton (along with sixty armed rascals) were put to death.
2.) In another, Lt. Beadon was defeated and his followers massacred.
3.) The residence of David Scott was reduced to ashes.
There were casualties on the Khasi-bench as well, but victory smiled on them and smiled brightly.
The news of U Tirot Sing’s success spread like wildfire and soon he had the backing of plentiful Syiems. The authorities in Calcutta sent reinforcements and planned the leader’s capture. Obliteration and devastation went on unabated. Finally, a terrified David Scott held forward the bait of a peace treaty- U Tirot Sing did not swallow it. He preferred the life of a commoner to that of a slave king.
In 1831 David Scott expired with Mr. Robertson taking the official charge. He too tried to establish peace. But as U Tirot Sing was living in a cave (known as ‘Tirot’s cave’ till this date), far away from British headquarters, these offers hardly reached him and those that did were also not entertained.
The British then tried a filthy device- blocking trade routes with a view to starving the Khasis as a measure to compel them to accept their fallacious terms. After a perilously long four year hostility, U Tirot Sing (out of true love for his ravenous suffering countrymen), accepted the peace proposal and came out of seclusion. The deceitful colonial rulers played false as usual, and as a punishment for his antagonism, decided to exile U Tirot Sing in Tenessarim in Burma. Subsequently, the verdict was revised and he was thrown into Dacca Jail as a captive. There he breathed his last on March 29th 1834.
The lovely Khasi village Mairang which has in its lap the memorial monument of this great hero erected in 1953, is a place of pilgrimage for all his admirers. Let us bow down to all such forgotten souls that aided in preserving the liberty of our motherland.
During his imprisonment, U Tirot Sing was offered back his Syiemship and he turned it down again. He exclaimed, “I prefer dying as a prisoner in a dungeon to living as a king in chains”…
LONG LIVE U TIROT SING….
