Shillong, Sep 1: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today launched the ‘Tracing the Roots’ programme at the District Auditorium, Tura, in presence of Arts and Culture Minister Sanbor Shullai and MLA Mehtab Chandee A Sangma.
The state government initiative aims to document Meghalaya’s indigenous heritage through critical and multidisciplinary study of the origins and historical movements of the Garos, Khasis and Jaintias.
Dedicating the project to his late father Purno A Sangma on his 79th birth anniversary, the Chief Minister said the idea stemmed from a conversation where Late Sangma flagged the absence of scientific documentation of the state’s tribal history and culture.
“About two years back, I decided we must start a programme to study all aspects of our culture and history and scientifically bring out evidence on the actual identity of our people,” Sangma said.
Under the programme, 75 scholars will travel to Vietnam, Cambodia and Tibet. The Khasi-Jaintia team will study “Ki Dienjat: Re-examining Khasi-Jaintia Socio-cultural Linkages with Southeast Asia,” while the Garo component will examine theories of origin including the Tibet hypothesis.
Sangma also launched an e-Portal as a central platform for research data, digital archives and publications.
“Tracing the Roots is more than a research project. It is a journey of rediscovery,” he said.
