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REYIFWS 277

From 1841 to about 1905, the Christian Missions converted around 25000 Khasis to Christianity, established nearly 350 schools in the hills with 7000 pupils (p. 162). The Khasi students sang in the Khasi language, the following song taught by the Missionaries of the Ramkrishna Mission :

“Oh ! Our Mother India You have given birth to us all We all the Indian like brothers Will serve you

We give all our body and soul At your feet - dear mother.” (p. 196)

The song taught by the Presbyterian Church, sung by them was -“We have come in the name of You Oh ! Father The Son and Holy Spirit Save us and teach us also To be yours upto the end of life.” (p. 202)

The author describes anolher radical change in the economy of the War Khasis after Independent India.

“From the earlicst days of British rule”, according to the monograph under review, “the ąuarrics of Shella formed one of the principal attractions of Sylhet and drew the Europeans to establish a trade on limestone” (p. 49) and “this village accumulaled considerable wealth with this trade" (p. 49). But who shared the wealth ?

Shella limestone is exportcd by boat, and every day between 150 and 300 boats ply between Shella and Bangladesh border. Each boat carries one tonne of limestone. “Thcre are six exporters (all War Khasis of Shella)”, according to the author of the monograph, “who purchase the limestone from suppliers (scvcn in number and all are War Khasis of Shella) and export to Chattak" (p. 51). The importers of Bangladesh arrange for the transport solely run by the Muslim boatmen of Sylhet who own the boats. Even voyage from Shella to Bangladesh border cost Rs. 4 per boat in 1956, but in 1981 each boat charged Rs. 100/- in Bangladesh currency from the importers. About 500 men and women worked daily in the limę quarries, of whom 300 were Garos and the rest were War Khasis and Bengali Hindus (p. 51). Blasting and brcaking of stones were done by men while women carried the limestone from the ąuarry to the river with the help of carrying baskets. The chargcs for carrying limestone from ąuarry to the river was Rs. 1.80 per tonne in 1956, but Rs. 6/- to Rs 8/- in 1981. One could carry about 3 tonnes of limestone a day (p. 51). In the Shella village there was a Post and Telegraph Office, a police station, a bank, double or treble sloried pucca houses with elcctricity, and buses, jeeps and trucks speeding across busy roads.