Bijoya Sawian is preserving Khasi culture, through stories and translations

Bijoya Sawian retold old stories and translated ancient texts for today's generation

In the mid 19th century, an increasing number of the tribes in the hill state of Meghalaya converted to Christianity. Many among the Khasis, Garos and Jaintias abandoned their traditional faith, practices and beliefs over the years.

Bijoya Sawian, born to a Khasi mother and a Bengali father, felt the loss of a culture — the folk stories she grew up on, the generations-old teachings, the centuries-old traditions... That’s when an aunt of hers suggested she translate the Ka Jingsneng Tymmen (The Teachings of Elders), a book written by her great grand uncle in Khasi verse in the express hope