Mankara Finds A New Friend

Hi guys! I am Mankara (the morning star) and I live with my mei (mother), kpa (father) and my 2 little hynmens (sisters) in a small 2 room hut in a remote village in the North Eastern State of Meghalaya.

I used to go to school when it was in the village to Miss Lizzie, my nonghikai (teacher), who taught me the alphabets, the numbers, about thee stars, the moon, the sun and many interesting things. Like all 12 year olds in my village, Miss Lizzie was my heartthrob too.

But unfortunately she got married last year to Peter (he will rot in hell for stealing her away from all of us and me particularly), the village constable and he got transferred to Cherrapunjee and took Miss Lizzie with him.

There ended the story of my going to school, for my village has only till 5th class and the nearest big school is in Mankachar around 2 miles from my village. My kpa cannot take the financial strain since he says that the school in Mankachar will cost him the entire snem’s (year’s)savings to send me to the school far away. And besides my short 12 year old legs won’t carry me to the city (buses have not yet started to the city).

Two years back when Miss Lizzie was still in my school as my dreamgirl and favorite nonghikai, she once told us that our state belonged to the seven sisters of the North Eastern States of the mighty country of India (others being Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram according to her). She also told us that our dearest state of Meghalaya meant “abode of the clouds” and also that it was considered one of the beauties of the mighty India. One thing is for sure, beautiful or not, it is surely “abode of the clouds”.

Every morning as I get up to help my kpa in the fields (the step system of agriculture as in the books Miss Lizzie had shown us in the classroom is prevalent in our state) I have to go shivering through a curtain of clouds to reach where my kpa has already started the days work. It is a tussle everyday to convince him that I am just 12 and need to enjoy my childhood. But the reaction that he gives is the same everyday. “Mankara, you are a big boy now. After me you are the head of the family. If I am not there tomorrow, you are the one to look after your mei and hynmens. So,please start behaving like a responsible young adult.”

I really do wonder where he is going to go leaving this village and four of us.

The incident I am going to narrate is when I was 10 years old that is 2 years back (also when my nonghikai was still with us).

One day while we were returning from school it started raining (it always rains in our and village which is good for the khaw (rice)crop, but leaves us wet and unable to go to school, which again means another day of not meeting Miss Lizzie). As we were trudging through the muddy track (me with my little hynmens-8 and 6 year old) we came across Xei Xei, a Chinese boy from our class (we have many Chinese families staying in our village- they are friendly but don’t interact much with us locals and we also don’t bother much about them).

Since it was getting dark a known face was a welcome relief; me being a big boy (10 years old) wasn’t too afraid, but me little hynmens were getting scared of the dark. I asked Xei Xei if he could come with us till the turning which he readily agreed; you see my mei had packed some delicious Pu Khlein (fried rice cake) for tiffin and I had saved some for a little treat on the way home. Now never mind if I had to share it with Xei Xei. He agreed as I bribed him with the snack and we 4 trudged through the muddy trail and reached home.

 Xei Xei is a very interesting character. His father is the forest officer’s driver(nothing short of a forest officer himself) and they stay in a palatial home of 4 rooms and running water and electric bulb and he has invited me and my hynmens for tea tomorrow (tomorrow being Sunday and we being Christians – I think I forgot to tell you that my Christian name is Michael). He promised to share his indoor games with us.

It is getting too late and my eyes are feeling too droopy with sleep. I will get back to you my friends with more of my adventures once the Sngi God (Sun God) peeps from the lyoh (clouds) and fills our world with light.

So good bye for now with a promise for more of my adventures (which I will keep for sure)