Renowned sociologist and writer, Dr A Kyrham Nongkynrih from the Department of Sociology, North Eastern Hills University (NEHU), passed away today. He was 57.
Nongkynrih was a youth icon and a social communicator. He was also the Vice-Chairman of NESFAS.
The service for his funeral will be held at Pdengshnong Sohra and will be laid to rest at the Catholic Church cemetery, Sohra on February 23.
Meanwhile, condolences have poured in from various organisations which the late sociologist was associated with.
The Catholic Association of Shillong remembered him as a person who gave hope to the youth and to spread the message of social equality and development. “He was a powerful speaker and a great motivator,” a condolence message from the association said.
NESFAS remembered Nongkynrih as a man of great intellect and vision who contributed immensely to the cause of preserving traditional knowledge, the indigenous food systems and advocating the role of women participation.
“He dedicated himself to building bridges to a better future and in this way; he touched the lives of all of us and especially the community members in the rural areas. He strongly believed that traditional farming is one of the many ways that we can preserve our traditional knowledge in this region. One of his aims was to defend the local food systems in the state,” NESFAS said.
The Meghalaya Confederation for Academic Welfare (MeCAW) too mourned the demise of Nongkynrih. “We fondly remember his contributions towards awareness building on any social cause by educating the public on thinking and understanding society from deeper perspective,” MeCAW said.
The confederation said the professor was a towering thinker and has created a vacuum that is not so easily be filled.
