Shillong, Dec 18: Remembering U Myllung Soso Tham, the eminent Khasi poet and literary icon, on his 83rd death anniversary. Born in 1873 in Sohra, Meghalaya, U Soso Tham, a beacon of Khasi literature, has shined and will always be remembered despite coming from humble beginnings and limited formal education.
Transitioning through various occupations, he eventually found his calling as an educator, serving as a Khasi language teacher at the Government High School in Shillong from 1905 until his retirement in July 1931.
Breaking new ground in Khasi literature, Tham pioneered secular writing styles, blending Khasi idioms with English poetic forms, marking a significant departure from traditional literary norms. His legacy endures through two seminal volumes of poetry. “Ka Duitara Ksiar” (The Golden Harp, 1925) comprised 46 short poems, encompassing lyrics, ballads, nursery rhymes, and 14 translations of English poets’ works. His magnum opus, “Ki Sngi Ba Rim U Hynniew Trep” (The Olden Days of U Hynniew Trep) (1936), stands as an Indian literary masterpiece. This extensive work, a single long poem divided into ten sections with 181 stanzas, eloquently delves into the history of the Hynniew Trep people, ancestors of the seven Khasi sub-tribes.
Tham’s translations of Aesop’s Fables into Khasi remain a cornerstone of Khasi literature, widely embraced by the community. Additionally, his translation efforts extended to Charles Dickens’ “The Life of Our Lord” and Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” renamed “U Kyllang,” but sadly, the manuscript he translated was lost. His efforts elevated the Khasi language, and he is considered the greatest literary icon in the history of the literature of Meghalaya.
Tham died on December 18, 1940. His contribution to Khasi literature did not reward him during his lifetime. A statue of Tham was only erected in 1975, and it stands tall today at the Soso Tham Auditorium, Shillong.
