By Parag Ranjan Dutta
The beginning of 20th century ushered in a momentous event. On January, 26, 1901, Swami Vivekananda wrote a letter to Sara Chapman Bull, an American writer, philanthropist and dedicated disciple of the Swami, expressing his desire to take his mother for a pilgrimage to Kamakhya (then spelt as Gauhati).
Along with his mother Bhubaneswari Devi and few disciples, he came to Assam to visit the revered temple, one of the 51 Shakti pithas of India. Unfortunately, the monk’s health was deteriorating fast – he was suffering from acute asthma.
His visit to the hills was, therefore, critical for his recovery in the hope that the salubrious climate would help. Hearing the news of his presence at Gauhati, including his ill health, Sir Henry Cotton (then Chief Commissioner of Assam) went out of the way and invited him to Shillong as his guest.
Swami Vivekananda and his group travelled to Shillong in horse driven cars (tonga). He was brought to Shillong by Rai Saheb Kailash Das and Jatindra Nath Basu in a horse driven cart from Gauhati to Shillong… a distance of 64 miles. It is believed that Das and Basu walked all along with the carriage right from the beginning.
Interestingly, this may be debatable. To cover a hilly terrain of nearly 40 miles in a single day seems improbable. The entourage took them two days to reach Shillong. Norton, a British officer was with them right from Gauhati on the orders of Cotton. Because of Swami Vivekananda’s poor health, the party spent a night at a roadside hut at Naya Bangalow (present day: Umsning).
The celebrated monk knew about this mode of transport and had a similar experience in Switzerland travelling in horse driven carriages.
Back then, horse driven and bullock carts were the only means of travel between the cities of Shillong and Gauhati. The tonga service was owned by one Kasimuddin Mollah, the son of Golam Haider who came to Shillong from Hooghly district of Bengal in 1864. He not only arranged the Swami’s journey, but received the group, arranged food and took care of him.
On that fateful morning when Golam Haider and his son commenced their epic journey from Hatpukur village (Janai) near Calcutta (present Kolkata) toward an unknown hill, they could hardly anticipate that their family would be instrumental in shaping the destiny of Shillong to a certain extent.
A journey of epic proportions, they came to Goalondo by train from Calcutta. Then, they came to Chatak – both in present day Bangladesh. Crossing several beels (huge water bodies), they reached Therriaghat (Surma Valley) close to Bholaganj on the foot hills of Assam (present Meghalaya).
Their arduous journey continued to Sohra (renamed as Cherrapunjee by the British) on foot. From there, they reached Shillong on baskets carried by porters. In 1864, the Shillong Civil Station was established. Golam Haider established his departmental store, first of its kind, for the British army personnel who had moved to Shillong from Sohra, located in the midst of a deep forest (present day Police Bazar) in downtown Shillong.
Kasimuddin Mollah owned about 20 bullock carts and 80 horse driven tongas, beginning its first journey in 1887. He developed the Shillong-Gauhati Road to ensure a comfortable journey for passengers and his animals.
One Nabinkrisna Bhattacharjee, a back-office employee of the British Army, from Majilpur (Hooghly district, Bengal) also contributed toward the development of the road. He later opened a departmental store in the name of NKB opposite Shani Mandir in Police Bazar.
His son Bijaykrishna along with two other partners, formed Commercial Carrying Corporation and introduced the bus service for the first time from Shillong to Gauhati in 1920. Barring few Shillong residents, the contribution of these two families disappeared into oblivion.
It won’t be out of context to say that the first motor service between the two places was also introduced by Kasimuddin Mollah in 1905. Considering the strategic, political importance of Shillong, the decision to construct the road from Gauhati to Shillong was given shape.
Major D Briggs was in charge of the road construction, which was often referred to as the Briggs Trail. Bullock and horse carts were introduced on this road. Golam Haider and Sons got the mail service contract for this purpose. The historical journey began with 20 bullock carts. While bullock carts cost Rs 3, horse driven tongas cost Rs. 80. It took three long days to reach Gauhati by bullock carts and by tongas… just one day. There were stables along the route for rest – bullocks and horses were exchanged here after dusk.
The monk’s stay was arranged in Laban in the house of the Rai Saheb. Already, a crowd had gathered in anticipation to pay homage to their beloved monk.
Captain D. Herbert (then Deputy Commissioner) arrived there to look into the comfort of Swami Vivekananda, informing him that the civil surgeon, Major Robert Campbell, would visit him that afternoon. Cotton’s concern resulted in specific instructions – Campbell met Swami the same evening and enquired about his health.
While in Shillong, his health further deteriorated. Cotton arranged the civil surgeon to take care of him. The Laban house soon turned into a pilgrim centre, particularly for the Bengali population of Shillong – the monk stayed here for about 20-25 days.
Homurai Diengdoh, a prominent Khasi journalist and editor of the Ri Khasi Press established by U Babu Jeebon Roy (“Father of Modern Khasis”), came to visit Swami Vivekananda the next morning. Though a Presbyterian and a liberal, he was critical about Welsh missionary activity, which he expressed to the monk. He later reverted back to the indigenous Khasi religion.
Cotton was the Revenue Secretary of undivided Assam, who became the chief commissioner from 1896-1902. It was he who established the Cotton College, Gauhati in 1901. Swami Vivekananda was highly impressed with him for showing regard to an Indian citizen. Though born to English parents in erstwhile Madras state, India was his birthplace. A lesser-known aspect revolves around his life post-retirement – Cotton joined the Indian National Congress (INC) and went on to become the president of the party. After returning to Great Britain, he served the British Parliament as a Liberal Party member from Nottingham East.
Soon, Swami Vivekananda’s host and other prominent Bengalis expressed their wish that he deliver a public lecture in Shillong. Initially, he was unwilling. Yet, destiny had other plans. His last lecture was organised in Quinton Memorial Hall in Thana Road, which was named after James Wallace Quinton, the former Chief Commissioner of Assam.
The occasion also marked the inauguration of the new Quinton Hall that was destroyed after the Great Assam earthquake of 1897. The historic meeting was presided by Cotton. Needless to say, this piqued the curiosity of Indians and British officers, alike – the hall was packed.
A report of Swami Vivekananda’s lecture was published in a Khasi monthly magazine U Khasi Mynta by Diengdoh in the May, 1901 issue.
Sadly, Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest spiritual leaders of the world left for his heavenly abode a year later on July 4,1902, at Belur Math, near Kolkata.
(The author is a former Head, Department of Geography, St. Edmund’s College, Shillong. He acknowledges Afjal Hossain, Prof. Jaydev Bhattacharjee and (Late) Prof. Shymadas Bhattacharjee in writing this article.)