GAIACIDE IN WEST KHASI HILLS

One who journeys through West Khasi Hills, will not be able to withold one's tears from falling at the pitiable sight of mother nature. There is a systematic murder of mother Earth caused by the greed of people. It is right that Gandhiji has said "nature has enough for our needs but not enough for our greed". There are three forms of gaiacide (murder of earth) in West Khasi Hills, they are:
1) Timber industry - A large area of forest land is fast disappearing due to irresponsible felling of trees. Timber industry is back to its peak. One can see truckloads of timber being transported to different parts of India from this area. Many hills are already bald and many low lands where once thick forests abounded and animals roamed freely, today are barren lands.
2) Charcoal industry - One who travels towards Rambrai will be shocked to see heaps and heaps of charcoal on the roadside ready for transporting. It is said that Bhutan is importing a lot of charcoal from West Khasi Hills to meet the need of their Silicon factories. The irony is that Bhutan is saving her rich forest resource and is living on Meghalaya forests.
3) Coal mining - Of late, coal has been found in West Khasi Hills and consequently mining has begun. The effects of such unscientific mining are being seen and felt. TB is rampant, waters are polluted and landscapes are destroyed.
4) Imminent danger - The presence of large deposit of uranium in West Khasi Hills, is another temptation towards eco-disaster. If mining of this mineral is done the radiation that will result, will be a mortal threat to our existence.
Our Response
It is true that we need to sustain ourselves economically, but there are different ways to doing so. Man is a creative being who can survive under any circumstances. Our people should learn that exploiting the earth is not the only way to survive, nay, it is instead a suicide or even a genocide. The question we need to ask ourselves is: FOR WHOM ARE WE AMASSING WEALTH? Is it not for our children? But in doing this, what type of earth will our posterity inherit from us? As of now, it will be an earth devoid of trees, animals, clean water and beauty. STOP AND THINK AWHILE AND LET'S START DOING SOMETHING.
One day Henry David Thoreau was watching with pain some people cutting down trees. There and then he uttered loudly "Thank God they cannot cut down the clouds

CARE-TAKERS OF MOTHER EARTH (COME)

COME (Care-takers Of Mother Earth) is my effort to generate eco-awareness among people in our region. It is a humble beginning which I hope and pray that it will get more following in the coming days and years. Meghalaya is one of the states where eco-disaster is being unfolded day by day. Deforestation, landscape disfiguration, pollution of rivers and atmosphere, toxic waste etc, are seen taking place on a large scale. Consumerism and materialism is gripping our people and this is leading to an imminent eco-disaster.

Goals of COME
1) To create eco-awareness among internet surfers and through them to get the message to ordinary people.
2) To build up an internet pressure group to make the government enforce laws that will guarantee the safety of our natural environment.
3) To realize an eco-education for our youth via the internet.
4) To network eventually with like-minded people and groups so as to strengthen eco-awareness programme.

COME - What's in the name?
As the name itself signifies, COME is a request and an invitation to every person of good will who still has love and respect for Mother Earth, to join hands in this effort to create eco-awareness which will lead to eco-responsibility.

Jubilee 2009 (Audio CD)

This is a Jubilee Audio album of 10 select songs written and composed by Dr. Barnes Mawrie. The songs have been recorded at Studio Mediatrix, Shillong. The album has a mixture of beats and rhythm, ranging from slow rock, country, reggae to spiritual.

CD Price - Rs. 100/- ($ 5.00)

Introduction to Contextual Theology

Introduction to Contextual Theology, published by VIP, Shillong, is authored by Dr. Barnes Mawrie SDB. The book offers a fundamental course on Contextual Theology. The book consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 explains the various concepts related to Contextual Theology and as such leads the readers to a better comprehension of the subject. Chapter 2 provides a scriptural basis for Contextual theology. Chaper 3 is a review of the history of Contextual Theology in the Church and it also explains the different forms of Contextual Theology. Chapter 4 is a discussion on Contextual Theology in the context of India, while Chapter 5 brings contextualization to the North-east India situation. This section contains many original theological reflections of the author and speaks about the prospectives for contextualization in the tribal communities of NE India.

The book makes an interesting reading. It is a great eye opener for people interested in inculturation and contextualization of the Gospel.

Burnt Out for Christ

This is a biographical account of one of the greatest missionaries to North-east India, the SOG Fr. Constantine Vendrame SDB. He is popularly known as "The Apostle of the Khasis". He lived between 1893-1957. This book recounts his childhood, his early religious life and above all, his life as a Salesian missionary priest in India. He is responsible for the growth of the Church in this region of India and today he has become a missionary legend. The book also describes about the various missionary methods that he adopted which proved to be very effective and fruitful.

This book is meant to edify and inspire many other missionaries who are actively engaged in spreading God's Kingdom. The book has been translated into Khasi and is currently being translated into Italian.

The Khasis and their Natural Environment

From time immemorial, man’s relationship with nature has been on a give and take basis where man procures from the earth what he needs, and in time replenishes his sources. But as man experiences more technological development, he becomes less sensitive to this man-nature relationship. This has resulted in an uncontrolled exploitation of nature.
Fr. Barnes L. Mawrie’s book, entitled The Khasis and Their Natural Environment: A Study of the Eco-consciousness and Eco-spirituality of the Khasis, is the outcome of the author’s deep love and concern for nature and environment. This has been a fascinating subject for the author since his early years as he himself has confessed. The author expresses concern at the wanton destruction of the environment and the depletion of forests in the Khasi and Jaiñtia Hills, which is known for its natural beauty. Earlier, the people lived in profound communion with nature, whom they held in high regard. Modern culture with its technological revolution and progress does not favour familiarity with nature. The pristine relationship between man and nature that existed once upon a time, has disappeared due to man’s consumerist attitude resulting in a sort of hostility and estrangement. The author feels that in the near future, the Khasis would lose touch with their natural environment. This is the reason why there is an urgency to educate the new generation in eco-responsibility.

The book has nine chapters, and covers the various aspects of Khasi culture and their relationship with the environment. The first chapter discusses the origin, history, culture and the ecological heritage of the Khasis. The second one attempts to understand the Khasi concept of creation which are valuable sources of information. This chapter also highlights the relationship of the people with God and creation. The third chapter deals with nature in Khasi ethics and religion by analyzing the Khasi folktales, natural court of justice and the rites and rituals of the Khasi religion. Chapter four studies the ecological dimension of the Khasi idioms and couplets. The fifth chapter brings to light the natural wisdom of the Khasis as reflected in the various fields as of knowledge-astronomy, geology, medicine, system of calculation of time, etc. The sixth chapter highlights the place of nature in the Khasi festivals, music and dances, and how the various activities reflect the way of life of the people. The seventh chapter discusses the relationship of the Khasis with the animal world as seen in their various folktales. Chapter eight is a comparative study of the Khasi relationship with nature from a Christian perspective. The Khasi religion is based on a strong eco-theology, since nature forms part and parcel of the religion. The last chapter is the author’s reflection on the present state of man-creation relationship and the destructive tendency which we witness today. The author wants to focus on the importance of eco-education in schools and colleges. It is only through education and awareness that our beautiful hills can be saved from an ecological disaster.