The dying Khasi locks amaze tourists

SHILLONG, NOV 4: The uniqueness of the handmade indigenous Khasi ‘Locks’, which were once very popular in the 18th century, has caught the attention of the foreigners and tourists at the International Terra Madre.

The locks, made out of scrap metal such as rods, nails and an umbrella spring, were put on display for exhibition at the International Terra Madre by a noted social activist Michael Syiem, who wanted to get the reaction from the visitors.

“I was amaze by the reaction that I got from the people at the event when they exclaimed that they had never seen such locks, though they have travelled in many parts of the world,” Syiem told reporters on Wednesday.

Khasis here, popularly called these locks as ‘Mylliem-locks” though originally they were being manufactured at Laitlyngkot village in East Khasi Hills district.

They come in all sizes, where the big one are double locker, which look very secured and hard to break, if one loses the keys, made from nails which are meant for making wooden houses, while the small ones are single locker.

Syiem’s decision to take these Locks to the one of the biggest tribal festivals is to revive and promote the ‘art of making them’, which is gradually disappearing with the domination of the factory-locks in the market.

“Sadly, the art of making of these lock is disappearing because the people, who still inherit the knowledge, are not making them anymore because they are no longer economically viable,” he said.

According to him, a dozen of these locks, which he was exhibiting in the ITM, were made by a third generation lock maker, Bah Dipsi from Laitlyngkot on special request only.

Bah Dipsi had to employ two helpers to help him finish the order, so you can imagine that such a dying industry, if revive, can also become a source of employment generation, Syiem said.

Besides him, he informed there are also other families who still carries the indigenous way of making locks, but all have deviated their interest to making knifes and other agricultural tools.

Meanwhile, not only tourists but even the younger generation from Meghalaya were surprised that such locks are made by the local people.- By Our Reporter