The two-day Tri Hills Ensemble was inaugurated today by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to celebrate Meghalaya’s 50th statehood and Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav.
Organised by the Meghalaya Arts and Culture department along with the Tribal Affairs Ministry the festival aims to capture the essence of the three vibrant tribes – Khasis, Jaiñtias and Garos.
The event is being held at the premises of the State Central Library here where a number of stalls showcasing the art, culture and food besides other attractions were set up.
The festival is an ensemble of micro workshops and repositories portraying the culture, cuisine, crafts, attire, songs, dances and drama of the Khasi, Jaiñtia and Garo Hills.
Addressing the inaugural function, the chief minister said the event is significant as India celebrates 75th anniversary of freedom and Meghalaya celebrates its 50th anniversary of statehood.
He said that everyone especially the younger generation needs 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 do not forget who they are and be proud of our roots but at the same time respect other cultures,” he said.
He said that preserving the culture is an important aspect that needs to be given due weightage and 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 young 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 added.
The chief minister also conferred the Award of Recognition for Development of Arts and Crafts Villages to six villages— Wahkhen in East Khasi Hills well known for its traditional instruments and expertise in traditional music, Larnai village in West Jaiñtia Hills famous for black clay pottery, Pahambir in Ri Bhoi rich in arts and culture and folklore, Tangmang in Pynursla known for its bamboo art making, Mairang- the headquarter of Eastern West Khasi Hills district where there are many artists, sculptors and Amindagre – a village in Garo Hills known for living wood museum.
“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.
Earlier, the life-statues of Meghalaya’s unsung heroes—U Tirot Singh, Kiang Nangbah and Pa Togan Sangma—were unveiled by the chief minister in the presence of Arts & Culture Minister, Shanbor Shullai, Commissioner, Arts & Culture, Frederick Roy Kharkongor and Director, Arts & Culture, S K Marak.
An animated publication of Unsung Heroes was also released on the occasion.
