At a time when the demolition of a World War I memorial has elicited a passionate response from the people of Garo Hills, a timely reminder of the sacrifice of men from what is now Meghalaya during the Great War was screened in the form of a documentary, Because We Did Not Choose, at the Tura District Auditorium on Saturday.
The documentary, by filmmaker Wanphrang Diengdoh, presents a detailed picture of how men from Garo Hills and Khasi-Jaintia Hills were recruited by the colonial authorities for service in Europe and the Middle East on the side of the British Empire.
Diengdoh was present for the screening via video link from the United Kingdom. He addressed complex questions of identity, marginalisation and colonial amnesia while speaking with members of the audience.
A memorial to the Garo Labour Corps in Tura was demolished by the Tura Municipal Board with the government planning to renovate the site, which had become a haven for anti-social activities, particularly at night. However, many civil society groups were aggrieved by an apparent lack of consultation before the cenotaph was demolished.
