Kut festival and Christian life

Ceety Khongsai *

KUT Festival at Sadar Hills, Senapati on 01 November 2010 :: Pix - Leivon Jimmy Lamkang

Kut, formerly known as 'Chavang Kut' is the biggest autumn festival of the Chin-Kuki­Mizo-Zomi (Chikim) ethnic groups. Originally, it was celebrated as a festival of praise and thanksgiving to the Almighty for the bountiful harvest rather than an annual festival of merry making and fanfare. In pre-Christian tribal society, each and every village organised the Kut festival in their respective villages wherein all the villagers, young and old, male and female enthusiastically took part equally in showcasing the rich cultural heritage of their people.

However, with the advent of Christianity and its accompanying religious festivals like Christmas, Good Friday etc the Kut festival has gradually lost its charm and beauty. At its best, Kut festival has become annual social Get-together of Chikim officers, moral deficient politicians and the general conference of fun-loving prodigal sons and daughters.

Much to the chagrin of church leaders and cultural revivalists less impetus has been given to cultural aspects and moral ethics while every effort have been made to make the Miss Kut contest more memorable and likeable like the extravagant lakme's Fashion Show or the Miss World contest. Sardonically, the monotonous few minutes cultural dances by prejudicially selected cultural troupes during the day-time session lacks enthusiasm, attraction and creativity as procedural formality being the rationale behind inclusion of such cultural dances rather than its modernisation, promotion and preservation.

It may aptly be pointed out that the need and urgency of promoting, protecting and preserving the distinctive tribal cultures from the surreptitious cultural invasions of numerically dominant other people and the hope of fostering the consanguinal ties amongst the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomis was the vision of the Kut founders. It is also worthy to note that the chief purpose of organising the State level Kut was to bring together the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi people that have hitherto been inflicted by the cynical tribe (Clan) nationalism under one umbrella through cultural unity.

Celebrating Kut in our traditional culture will infallibly add more beauty and grandeur to the festival. In fact, the traditional practices of honouring one of the senior most clan heads among the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi family as 'Kutpa' and other Kut dignitaries in lieu of scandalously elected political bigwigs will undoubtedly bring more unity and solemnity to the festival.

Gracing of Kut festival by the clan heads will irrefutably accelerate the pace of cultural renaissance apart from having the magical powers of healing the emotional ditch created by the 1956 Tribe Re-Organisation Act of Indian Constitution; and it will invigorate our past glories and regenerate the new generation towards a common destiny by instilling in them the feeling of unity and brotherhood. Besides, the clan heads being naturally engrained with passions of cultural resurgence will give utmost importance to revitalisation of our ancient cultures and philosophies in tune with Christian moral principles rather than the ethically demoralising beauty pageant contests which now predominantly occupies the central theme of Kut festival.

The way we organise Kut today can perfectly be called as 'Miss Kut Festival' and nothing more. This article has not an iota of sinister motive to malign the immaculate characters and image of the Kut organisers but honestly tries to articulate the general views of the people vis-a-vis Kut festival hoping that something tangible change having the magnitude of transforming the present system into cultural renaissance be effected to accommodate the interests of pro-culture revivalists.

The present system has literally worried many parents and church leaders fearing negative impact in the minds of the innocent young Kutteers. Moreover, the inner conscience of God fearing Christian Kut lovers hesitates to participate in the mega event as the unbridled Kut bonhomie has the tendency to misinterpret our culture to the outside world. Believe it or not, on Kut's eve, many Christian fathers in their 'Family Alter' counsel their sons and daughters and persuaded them not to participate in the gala event as the 'once in a blue moon' ethical laxity of Kut revellers could impair the formative stage of their golden sons and daughters.

Notwithstanding one's educational grooming in mainland metropolitan cities and towns and, in spite of the whirlwind waves of changes continually taking place in this 21st century cybernetic world, one ardently need to realise the cultural values of one's society. Every human society, civilised or uncivilised, is characterise by its own culture. Similarly, Kut is a cultural festival principally organised to promote and preserve the diverse cultures of the Chikim people. Realisation of cultural values will strengthen our paternal relations, promotes kinship ties and serve as an emotional harmonising therapy to our clan chauvinistic (tribe) society.

Since Kut has become a state festival there is nothing wrong in inviting outside politicians, social workers, Government Officers etc to grace the festival but making them Kut dignitaries sullies our culture. All are welcome but let them carefully observe how distinctive and beautiful our culture is. Further, so long as the pseudo hip-hop dancers, copycat pop-rock singers and ethically bankrupt drunkards brazenly insults the sanctity of Kut for fun and pleasures and the intellectuals, scholars, academicians and the church leaders distance themselves as onlookers, our society will indignantly lost its cultural identity. The traditional cultures synchronized with Christian theological principles will doubly enhance the beauty and charm of our distinctive cultures.

Today, many of the Kut revellers are from outside Chikim family. Come one, come all because it's a state festival. However, it may be noted that Kut has to be celebrated in its true spirit. Neither did the expensively constructed impressive platforms nor the artistically innovative but culturally insipid laser computer designs of traditional shawls exhibited at the back stage podiums reveal the true significance of Kut.

Further, the toxic cosmetic beauties' catwalk on the ramp and the frenzied reciprocal applauds of the intoxicated youths cannot fully reflect the uniqueness of Kut. More importantly, the horrific Night Session insanity, the humiliating verbal abuses and actions of thrashing Kut revellers by the morally ill-equipped state security forces in the pretext of 'mob control' is against Kut spirit and natural justice. Let the security forces sensitised themselves before sensitising the people on civic sense in addition to attending a special tutorial class on "Kut and its true meaning".

While the VVIPs' hearts quiver at the sight of voluptuous snow-white naked thighs of the Delilah lookalike Miss Kut contestants on the stage, the Goliath figure Kutteers vie each other for the frontline, just beneath the dais, for a clearer view of the artificial beauty queens walking on the ramp competing for the million rupees. In the melee, some morally deranged satanic youths, insiders as well as outsiders, taking advantage of the hullabaloo casts their animal instinct upon fellow kutresses (eves) and impure their hands and minds under the twin covers of intoxicants and darkness. These are all material madness unbecoming of true Christians and of our Chikim culture.

If we really want to rediscover the true meaning and significance of Kut we need to look back to our past history. In the past, each and every Chikim chiefs organised a week­long Kut festival in their respective villages to worship the Almighty God for the bumper harvest.

The first day of the festival was completely dedicated to thanksgiving rituals and its associated incantations. Then, come the cultural fest which is nothing sort of the modern Olympic Games wherein 'from each according to his/her talents' was the general rule. Wine was aplenty but fracas was unheard of; singing and dancing continue till wee hours however not a single lady's sanctity was molested.

Kut, in its truest meaning is a festival of praise and thanksgiving manifested in the form of love, peace and brotherhood, and which, finally is synthesised in cultural unity. When the trinity of love, peace and brotherhood reigns the hearts of all Kutteers, emotional integrity will be its outcome; when there is emotional integrity, cultural unity of the past Shinlung OR Khul culture will baptize our composite Chikim family into the blessed river of Chindung (Chindwin) and a new cultural revolution in tune with the new global concept of nationalism will resoundingly echoes in all the huts and caves of the hills.

When all the chikim villages emulate the old traditional Kut in its true spirit and style by realising the negative impact of cultural colonisation, change is inevitable. In such a reformed Kut everyone will have a role to exhibit his/her talents as preservation, promotion and modernisation of culture will predominantly occupy the central theme of Kut and the question of incivility will be a history.

It is therefore necessary to democratise the Kut festival by encouraging each and every Chikim villages to organise Kut, like Christmas festival, in their respective areas or locality. Till then, cultural imperialism in a deceptive face of modernity will ceaselessly sniffed into the very sinew of our composite Chikim society and our new generation will glee and dance ignorant about the impending cultural assimilation by so-called numerically dominant people.