At the dawn of time, humanity lived in ignorance, toiling with great difficulty as they had no tools and no knowledge of how to create them. Observing their struggles from heaven, the Great God decided to help. He sent a heavenly being down to Earth, taking the form of a young man named U Biskurom. None of the sons of mankind could match the majestic appearance U Biskurom and he also possessed a gentle and kind nature.
U Biskurom taught humans many valuable skills. From him they learned to know the value of metals and the way to smelt iron and to make tools However, humans were slow learners and liked better to muddle in their own old ways to U Biskurom's teachings
As a result, he had to remain on Earth for so long that he eventually forgot the way back to heaven. Yet, he remained patient and diligent, and eventually, humans mastered the making and using of high-quality tools. Over time, humans noticed that U Biskurom was faster than them at finishing his instruments, doing twice the work in half the time. They began to take advantage of his gentle nature, making him do their work to ease their own burdens. They even demanded tasks that were impossible. When he couldn't meet these demands, they grew angry and abusive.
One day, they created a clay figure and asked U Biskurom to bring it to life. When he replied that he didn't know how to create life, they mistreated him and threatened to put him in jail until he followed their instructions.
The people gathered to discuss this idea. Many thought that he might never come back if they let him go. However, most believed that since the ability to transfer life would be so precious, it would be worth taking significant risks to get it.. Finally, they decided to let U Biskurom go, hoping he would return with the extraordinary knowledge they sought.
Because he did not remember the path that brought him to Earth, U Biskurom needed to find a way to ascend. He told the people to twist a long piece of string and create a strong kite on which he could soar to the sky. The people complied and twined a long piece of string to form the kite on which U Biskurom rode it into the sky. He advised them not to let go of the string when they said, "Perhaps if we let you go you will not come back,". He assured them that if he couldn’t come back, he could write the knowledge on the kite and send it down to them. This satisfied the people, and they let him go.
Biskurom saw that they would not listen to reason. He suggested that if they truly wanted him to bring the image to life, they must allow him to return to heaven to learn the knowledge.
When U Biskurom reached heaven, the Great God met him. The God told U Biskurom that he could not return to Earth because He had seen how mankind had mistreated him and their ungrateful ambition to create life. Respecting the Great God’s decision, U Biskurom wrote the knowledge on the kite and sent it down to Earth.
When the kite began its descent from heaven, a great crowd gathered, eager to read the directions for imparting life. However, to their, disappointment none of them could understand the writing. At this they got very angry with Biskurom. In their anger, they decided to send a loud cry to heaven, hoping the powerful noise would kill U Biskurom of a boom.
U Biskurom watched their foolishness from heaven and laughed. To further mock their ignorance, he caused a few drops of blood to fall from the sky. Seeing the blood, mankind assumed their shout had succeeded in killing him.
Humanity has continued to live in ignorance due to their ungratefulness and arrogance. All the knowledge they possessed was imperfect and acquired only through immense effort and expense.
Dr. Peacefully Kharkongor is an Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Women’s College, Shillong. She also has a passion for art.
