To mark Meghalaya’s 50th anniversary of statehood, Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU) today organized an event attended by staff, faculty and students to highlight the history of the state, the sacrifices made by many and the expectations for our future.
The event saw a blend of music, poetry recitation and role-play by students and faculty of different departments of the university.
While the event celebrated the many successes of the state, the students of the Department of Environment and Traditional Ecosystems gave a presentation on the stark reality of the dismal state of waste generation and management in Meghalaya, which needs to be highlighted and taken care of now before it is too late.
The students also listed steps that can help our state with waste management, including the Himalayan Clean-Up movement and the Zero Waste movement.
Speaking on the occasion, MLCU Chancellor Dr Glenn C Kharkongor stated that Meghalaya has actually gone backwards and its people are poorer today than in 1947.
He added that the state prides itself in having intelligent, well-educated, talented people across the various fields of life yet has not been able to tap into these resources for development in education, health, sports, arts and even governance. He concluded that the most important thing to do as concerned citizens is to work together and pool our resources and knowledge to improve the state as a whole.
MLCU also organized an essay writing contest on the topic, ’50 Years Meghalaya: A journey thus far & my future expectation for positive changes’.
Mebanialam Tang, of the Department of Politics and International Studies at Pondicherry University, was the first prize winner while Bandashisha Rynjah, of the Department of Tourism and Travel Management at MLCU bagged second place.
