Essays On Christianity In North East India

Commemoration volume, comprises contributed articles, sponsored by the Department of History, North Eastern Hill University.

Contributed seminar papers.

Standing at the intersection of social science research and poetic musings on the flux and flurry of life, this book vividly captures the multifarious problems that India's North East encounters as it comes into contact with the forces of modernization and change. Organised in two parts, the first part focuses on the economic crisis that plagues the Northeastern states, the spread of Christianity, and Khasi men's movement against matriliny. The second part contains fifty-two 'stories' in verse on a variety of subjects ranging from the gender question to environmental degradation, and problems faced by the Northeast diaspora in India's capital city. While the book argues for a more nuanced reading of the issues examined, it also questions the way in which the North East and its people are represented, the model of development adopted, and ability of the much-hyped 'Look East Policy' to benefit the heavily militarized and infrastructure starved region. What is also remarkable about this book is the novelty in its approach. By combining different theoretical perspectives and genres of writing, it not only succeeds in bringing together different sets of issues within a single cover, but also lucidly communicates the angst and trauma, dreams and aspirations of a people/s long viewed as the cultural and peripheral 'other'.

There is a perception that the region of north-east India maintained its ‘splendid isolation’ and remained outside the reach of the Mughals and did not have a pre-colonial past. The present book is an attempt to decenter and demolish the said perceptions and asserts that north-east India had a ‘medieval’ past through linkage with the dominant central power in India – the Mughals. The eastern frontier of this Mughal Empire was constituted by a number of states like Bengal, Koch Bihar, Assam, Manipur, Dimasa, Jaintia, Cachar, Tripura, Khasi confederation, Chittagong, Lushai and the Nagas. Of these, some areas like Bengal were an integral part of the Mughal Empire, while others like Koch Bihar and Assam were in and out of the empire. Tripura, Manipur, Jaintia and Cachar were frequently overrun by the Mughals whenever the State was short of revenue and withdrew soon without incorporating them in the state. Despite not being a formal part of the Mughal Empire, the society, economy, polity and culture of the north-east India, however, had been majorly impacted by the Mughal presence. The brief, but effective advent of the Mughals had supplanted certain political and revenue institutions in various states. It generated trade and commerce, which linked it to the rest of India. A number of wondering Sufi saints, Islamic missionaries, imprisoned Mughal soldiers and officers were settled in various states, which resulted in a substantial Muslim population growth in the region. Besides the population, there are numerous Islamic and syncretic institutions, cultures, and shrines which dot the entire region.

The advent of colonialism and its associated developments has been characterized as one of the most defining moments in the history of South Asia. The arrival of Christian missionaries has not only been coeval to colonial rule, but also associated with development in the region. Their encounter, critique, endeavour and intervention have been very critical in shaping South Asian society and culture, even where they did not succeed in converting people. Yet, there is precious little space spared for studying the role and impact of missionary enterprises than the space allotted to colonialism. Isolated individual efforts have focused on Bengal, Madras, Punjab and much remains to be addressed in the context of the unique region of the North East India. In North East India, for example, by the time the British left, a majority of the tribals had abandoned their own faith and adopted Christianity. It was a socio-cultural revolution. Yet, this aspect has remained outside the scope of history books. Whatever reading material is available is pro-Christian, mainly because they are either sponsored by the church authorities or written by ecclesiastical scholars. Very little secular research was conducted for the hundred years of missionary endeavour in the region. The interpretations, which have emerged out of the little material available, are largely simplistic and devoid of nuances. This book is an effort to decenter such explanations by providing an informed historical and cultural appreciation of the role and contribution of missionary endeavors in British India.

Study on Christianity in Northeastern India in the works of Frederick Sheldon Downs, b. 1932, American Baptist missionary.