(It needs no mention here that the debate centering around the Nomenclature of the tribe (whether it should be Mising or Mishing) has been one of the most gripping debates in the recent times, at least in cyber space. There also had been a long exchange of letters via email between the MisingOnline and the Mishing society of Mumbai, which have all been duly published in respective blogs. In the process, I was also quite amused by a Blog titled “Mr. Manoranjan Pegu's Linguistic Misadventure” published by some Mishingrenaissnace. Regardless to mention, that the same was already received by me via email quite a few days ago before it was published. I had refrained myself from replying to the same as Mr. Peter Pegu had specifically mentioned that “No further written communiqué will be made with him henceforth”, If I don't come back with fresh knowledge. I don't know if this blog/letter shall reflect more knowledge or not but this definitely shall try to answer a few questions and a few unnecessarily pointed fingers. Thus in that regard this can be viewed as a response to the blog/letter of Mr. Peter Pegu)
(1)
The link to the blog/letter addressed to me was sent to me by a friend from Guwahati, or else I never knew that a blog with the name of misingrenaissance ever existed. Perhaps the motive of the blog was to tarnish my image or use me as an example to get a point passed. Personally speaking I was of course shocked to find a very personal letter published as a blog. As mentioned we had a long exchange of letters via email and each of those emails are with me and some of them were even published as Blogs but with due permission from Mr. Pegu. But nevertheless, I must admit it did give me good publicity. But here I would like to respond to the blog.
(2)
Mr. Pegu's accusation on me has been all addressed by picking some words rather than the arguments that I stand by. I always stood by the argument that changing the spelling from 'MISING TO MISHING' just because it turns to Missing by default fails to raise any academic interest in me. And also it seems like an attempt to accept the royalty of English language and not giving precedence to the pride of the Mising people. And also my basic argument was that the mising language does not have 'sh' sound thus Mishing spelling finds no place. So, if the spelling needs to be changed then it will have to be accompanied with a lot of changes in the Language and also in the way the Mising language is written.
(3)
Youth of GeNext: I find a person of his stature using words like Regressive mindset, person in enclosed confinement, cave-man attitude and frog-in-a-well would not be a member of the innovative to address a youth and that too in response to a completely academic exchange of letters and arguments very unfortunate. Here I would like to give the background. Mr. Pegu had written that today's youth vies for the spelling Mishing because they are ashamed of Mising turning into Missing by default to which I responded that If Mr. Pegu is talking about today's youth then I guess I fall into the same category and I don't necessarily think that Mising turns into Missing by default and also even if it does than I prefer to explain to people the right spelling rather than completely changing it into Mishing.
Mising to Missing: Mr. Pegu has quoted me wrongly here when he says that I don't think Mising turns into Missing. In fact I have acknowledged it but have just stood for it that even though it does, I would not like the spelling to be changed solely for that reason. I have mentioned that I would rather spell it as Mising and explain to my friends the spelling rather than totally changing the spelling to accommodate English language. And I am a tough nut to crack not because of my so called cave-mindedness but because the above mentioned argument by Mr. Peter Pegu fails to raise any interest in me.
Whims and fancies and Dictatorial way: Here again words are picked and the whole line is omitted which will definitely make no sense to a person who has not been the part of this long debate. I had specifically mentioned that I did not like the way Mr. Peter Pegu had spelt the Mising surnames (he spelt Taid as Tawid, Kuli as Kouli). And this was done in reference to the letter which Mr. Pegu had written to me in response to the argument that Prof. Tabu Taid had given us. I had approached Prof. Tabu Taid with a certain questions regarding the Nomenclature (as a representative of MO). Prof. Taid’s response has been published as a blog in Misingonline.com. I wrote that Mr. Peter Pegu acted in a dictatorial way while writing the spellings (where I meant that he should have tried asking the person he is referring to before changing the spelling or at least should have thought about it that it has the potential to hurt someone) For instance I would not like someone to write my surname as Pegoo rather than Pegu. Thus, I was against the change of spelling when I mentioned the words. Speaking firmly definitely do not mean hurting others or not caring about the feelings of others.
Spelling Progression: Here again Mr. Peter Pegu Blatantly accuses me of informing him about the changes in Mising Language. I have respect for Mr. Pegu and have had visited him many times when I was doing my master’s thesis on
“Socio-cultural significance of the Belief system of Mising and the Deoris communities of Assam”. I have also used his books as reference points which mean that I know that Mr. Pegu or Mishing Society of Mumbai is not alien to these developments. I guess he again missed the whole context. I had written that spellings in Mising Language have changed today and is not the same as we have learnt earlier. (Aipc mcnam is now spelt as Aipe Me'nam). Thus, if at all we change the spelling of Mising into Mishing then it shall have to be accompanied by changes in the Mising language and vocabulary. When I mentioned this line, that meant that I am not against the changing of spellling but against certain arguments. Thus, these cave minded guy turns out to be more accepting than expected.
(4)
In the constitution of India we are still mentioned as Miri and thus this discussion on Mising or Mishing still finds less importance. Many of us have faced a lot of problems because of this as in some of our caste-certificates we are mentioned as Mising while we are still referred to as Miris. And there were reports that during certain recruitments exams in the Indian national army many of the Mising youth could not get job as Mising is not mentioned in the ST list of the Constitution. Thus, rather than focusing on only these spellings we also got to focus on the above mentioned issue. Fortunately or unfortunately we have the Mising Agom Ke'bang (MAK) who facilitates such kind of changes, thus I have always been for involving them in this discussion.
And Like Mr. pegu has quoted me; I shall still have active interest in this discussion. I had only stopped communicating with Mr. Pegu as he had said that he won't further have any more communications with me (though he has written to me even after that) as he knows that in me he finds a good listener, a person who responds to him and actively involves in the discussion which the others have not done to him. And this was mentioned by him in his first letter to me where he writes, Manoranjan Pegu is the first to break the ice-to talk about this debate.
N:B: As mentioned this blog is in response to the blog titled (Manoranjan Pegu's linguistic Misadventure). The link to the blog is http://mishingrenaissance.blogspot.com/2010/07/man... This above article has also been send in a letter format to the author to the Blog. The above article has been published as a blog not to hurt any sentiments but just to reply to the accusations that were thrown against me- Manoranjan Pegu)
