DANCE OF THE HAPPY HEARTS, MEGHALAYA

Dances are the finest monitors of the heartbeat, displaying the waltzing motions and emotions. Music is just a friendly accompaniment being in tune with it.

Dances begin in the cradle’s lullaby and end up in the crematory’s dirge. Precisely, there are the Chhatti dances of northern India, celebrating the birth of a child, to the Ka Shad Ksing, the funeral dance of Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills district.

India's rich cultural heritage pulsates with colourful dances from classical to folk, dating back several thousand years.

In the northeast, some of the best known classical dance traditions are the Manipuri and Sattriya dances. Folk dances are what dancing shoes were made for. Some of the most colourful and vibrant folk dances of the region are the Bihu, Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem, Cheraw, Wangla and others.

With India being an agrarian society, there is no better time to celebrate than the harvest season. The Bihu, Bhangra, Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem are therefore all dances of the harvest season in spring.

Many of these dances are replete with myths and legends. Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem (dance of the happy hearts), celebrating its centenary year from April 16 to 18, is one of them.

Khasi legends say that in the beginning there was void and God decided to create Ramew, the guardian spirit of earth and her husband Basa. Sun was their first daughter, followed by Moon their son and three other daughters, wind, water and fire.

But still there were vast emptiness and Ramew turned to God who finally decided to let descend seven of the sixteen clans from heaven to earth and populate it.

These seven clans came to be known as Hyniew Trep or the seven huts, the seven sub-tribes of the Khasi people. God, however, made a covenant with Man. Ka Tip Briew Tip Blei (know man know God), Ka Tip Kur Tip Kha (knowledge of one’s paternal and maternal relationships) and Ka Kamai ia Ka Hok (live with virtue). But, Man became rebellious and greedy, breaking its covenant with God.

So, God planted Diengiei (tree of gloom), which grew everyday and its branches covered the Earth with darkness. Man became vulnerable to wild beast and evil spirits due to the growing darkness.

He, however, came to know from a Wren called Phreit that the tree had a weakness and cannot heal its wounds and there was a gash which the evil Tiger was healing with his licks so that the tree grows further and he would be able to hunt more easily.

The Wren advised Man to fortify the portion of the trunk, with knives and axes, which they had hewn so that the Tiger would not be able to heal the portion with its licks. Man did likewise. Eventually, the Tiger could not heal the tree and enabled man to fell Diengiei.

This was a great occasion and Man decided to celebrate it with a dance and according to legends it was the first Shad Suk Mynsiem celebrations. But, during the celebrations, the Sun and Moon (brother-sister duo) were late and were insulted by the gathering.

The Sun decided to hide herself in a cave and never to show her face again on Earth. Everyone failed to convince the Sun to return and finally the humble Rooster brought back the Sun to Earth after much persuasion. The Rooster was given the title of U Saw Shyrtong or the purple crest for its effort and dance celebrations began again.

But the celebrations were short-lived as the animals began to rebel and fall out of the way with Man threatening to destroy them with its brute strength.

Ka Lei Hukum (the Goddess of divine law), however, taught man to make Ka tir ka Sumar or the weapon of protection, with which Man defeated the animals and Shad Suk Mynsiem was organised to celebrate the victory.

Recorded history say Shad Suk Mynsiem was first celebrated on April 14 and 15, 1911 at Weiking ground at Mawkhar, Shillong.

However, it is also said, the dance was first organised before that at the courtyard of an old Khasi woman of Mawkhar called “men Jorhat.” The dance was called Ka Shad Sujin after the main organiser.

The place was congested and so the venue was shifted to the premises of one Mohan Massar. The dancers were given as a token of gift, Shira (flattened Rice) and so the people also called the dance Ka Shad Shira.

The dance is part of the Seng Khasi’s objective to further the ancient socio-religious cultural heritage of the Khasi people and to thank God for his blessings. Seng Khasi was formed in November 1899 to protect the indigenous Khasi religion.

In Shad Suk Myniem, both male and female dancers participate. Female dancers wear a Jainpien or a piece of cloth tied around the waist. A velvet blouse called Mukmor, a sarong-like garment called Jainsem and gold, silver necklaces together with bracelets and armlets.

But, the most important part of the adornments is the crown known as the Pansngiat made of gold or silver signifying the dancer’s dignity, purity of heart and modesty. The crown also consists of the Tiew Lasubon which is a wild orchid that symbolises the unmarried dancer’s chastity.

Male dancers wear the Jainboh a colourful silk dhoti. A sleeveless jacket called Jymphong. A waist band of colourful silk called Jain Syngkai and a red or yellow turban of pure silk called Jain Spong Khow attached with bird feathers called Thuia. The men also wear gold and silver necklaces and earrings.

Additionally, the men carry a silver sword, a whisk or Ki Symphiah and a silver quiver, Ryngkap with three arrows each symbolising Nam Blei (dedicated to God), Nam Lawblei (dedicated to the first mother of the clan) and the third, Nam Thawlang (dedicated to the first father of the clan.)

There are six different mode of dance in Shad Suk Mynsiem. These are Shad Nalai, Dum Dum, Klang, Padiah, Pyllun (circular formation) and Mastieh (sword or warrior dance).

During Shad Pyllun, women dance moving in the inner circle of the dancing arena through slow drag of the body with the foot digits surrounded by men on the outer circle accompanied by drum (Ksing and Nakra Bom) beats and the Tangmuri’s (wind instrument) melody.

In fact, drums form an important constituent of the festival and can be a male or female drum. Specific wood of the Lakiang tree is used to make the drums but not before strict religious ceremonies invoking U Biskorom, keeper of fire, king of artists, the master moulder, who is the patron spirit of drums and musical instruments.


“Drums are one of the great arteries palpitating in the heart of the Khasi people beating to the rhythm of one voice and culture,” says Sumar Sing Sawain, a Seng Khasi elder and senior journalist.

Shad Mastieh is a dance for males only and two groups of dancers face each other and charge shaking their swords and whisks demonstrating their fighting skills before bowing each other at the centre and retreating. The dances continue till sun-set.

Before this three-day dance festival, consecrators invoke the God for his blessings at the Seng Khasi House, Mawkhar.

Then a procession is taken out from Mawkhar to the Weiking ground with people singing, dancing to the tune of drums and flute, chanting Phawars (chanting clusters).

“There were lot of challenges in keeping this ancient tradition of ours alive. The British tried to stop it unsuccessfully. There are still challenges, but we are happy and proud that we have continued to progress completing 100 years of Shad Suk Myniem this year,” Seng Khasi general secretary, BS Rumnong said.

However, the practitioners of this indigenous faith are decreasing and contribute a little over 10 per cent of the state’s total population.

Nonetheless, the “happy hearts” continue to celebrate life, chanting light-hearted Phawars: Aaaaa! Lama ka seng khasi, bah kaweh na u sai sieij, ban duh ia la riti, lah bah duh te i baieit, Hoooi kiw..!. Hoooi kiw…! - Flag of Seng Khasi, flying from a bamboo string, rather than lose my culture, it’s better to lose my beloved.