Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma inaugurated the Me’gong Festival, which aims to promote the culture, diversity and the lifestyle of the Garo people in Babadam, on the outskirts of Tura, today.
The three-day festival is showcasing the different brews from across the region. Apart from Meghalaya, participants from Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Assam are showcasing their traditional drinks, mostly made out of rice and fruits.
Inaugurating the event, the Chief Minister said, “The festival is part of the various celebrations to commemorate Meghalaya’s 50th year of statehood and India 75th year of Independence.”
He said that through the Me’gong Festival, the Tourism Department will showcase Garo Hills as a tourism destination.
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism industry has suffered. As the Covid situation is now improving, the state government has planned various events to promote and attract tourists to the state,” Sangma said.
During the programme the logo for ‘Meghalaya at 50’ was unveiled by the CM in the presence of MLAs Marcuise Marak and Thomas A Sangma, along with the Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden, Gautam Bhattacharya.
The CM also announced at the inaugural gathering that the Tribal Research Institute (TRI), which is being set up at Chidikgre in Babadam, will be opened on September 1, 2022, the birth anniversary of his late father and political figure, Purno A Sangma.
“We want to make TRI a vibrant centre for research and documentation of different tribal cultures. We will open this centre for all tribest of the North East and even beyond,” he said, adding that Me’gong will, from next year, be held on the TRI campus.
Meanwhile, the CM told the gathering that a number of activities and festivals will be organised across Meghalaya in the run up to the 50th year of statehood, which will culminate with a grand event to be held in Shillong and other parts of the state on January 21 next year.
“We started Me’gong with a theme of exploring the different brews of the tribal cultures. Tribal people are proud of their culture and their traditional drinks represent their cultural identities. And, as a government, we feel that people should be given an opportunity to experience the unique cultural diversities of the North East. We all share a bond and, through this festival, we aim to foster our relationship,” Sangma said.
Apart from brew competitions and food shows, this year’s event will witness rock shows by local talents and display of different dances from different parts of the North East.
