Shillong: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday unveiled life-size statues of the three freedom fighters from Meghalaya, U Tirot Sing, U Kiang Nangbah and Pa Togan Nengminza at the State Central Library premises here.
Besides unveiling the statues of the three freedom fighters, the Chief Minister inaugurated the two days’ Tri Hills Ensemble, showcasing the arts and culture, heritage, tradition, music, attires and cuisines of the indigenous Khasi, Jaintia and Garo communities.
Addressing the gathering at the U Soso Tham Auditorium during the inaugural function, chief minister Sangma observed that the current year is “very significant” as India celebrates 75th anniversary of freedom and Meghalaya celebrates its 50th anniversary of Statehood.
“It is in the right earnest that we are having a cultural program of this kind for two days, to not just celebrate our culture, but also to recognize the fact that we have touched 50 years as a state and have also touched 75 years as an independent country,” he said and also added that such programs help recollect and remind the people of their “great history”.
Sangma also underscored that everyone, especially the younger generation need to be educated and made aware of their culture and roots.
“These two days are not just simply a celebration of the different cultures that we have but it’s more of a reminder and more of a mechanism for us to ensure that the younger generation does not forget who they are and be proud of our roots but at the same time respect other cultures,” he said.
The Chief Minister further said that preserving the culture is an important aspect that needs to be given due weightage.
“We would like to give financial support to the six villages that have been awarded today so that they can continue the good work that they are doing and we will ensure that this kind of reward and recognition is done annually because it encourages other villages,” he said.
Sangma also mooted the idea of using technology and creating database so that information about the history, culture and tradition can be accessed. “While we are ensuring that we preserve our culture and tradition and pass it on to the younger generation it is also important to see how we could use this in order to enrich the experience of the different tourists who come into our State which would then become a USP for the State,” he emphasized.