Shillong, Sep 30: Rilbong is set for a three-in-one celebration this year — 100 years of the locality as an urban habitation, 100 years of Durga Puja and 100 years of Rilbong Sanatan Hindu Dharma Sabha.
Advisory Committee Chairman Donald P Wahlang said year-long celebrations will begin on October 2 with a ‘Centennial Run’ followed by a multi-cuisine food festival on October 3.
Rilbong came into being in 1925 with allotment of land to offices of the British regime and became a habitation in 1927.
A dance recital by indigenous communities under ICCR, NE Zone will be held on October 12 ahead of Puja festivities.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma will formally inaugurate the centenary on October 15 and unveil a commemorative Centennial Arch.
The organising committee will honour 25 iconic personalities as “Trailblazers” for their contributions over a century — ranging from literature and institution building to political leadership and education. The list includes the first Khasi poet, the first woman to become a Cabinet Minister in Indian political history and the man who brought electricity to Shillong. Next of kin will arrive from the USA, Delhi, Kolkata, Dibrugarh and Shillong.
On October 16, Governor C.H. Chandrasekhar will open the remodelled Puja Mandap. Assam Rifles DG Lt Gen Vikas Lathera will be the guest of honour. Both will felicitate 50 torchbearers who served the locality.
Top singers from Kolkata and Mumbai, and Bengali actors Debshankar Halder and Paulami Basu, will perform on October 23 and 24.
The committee also plans to draw up a roadmap for the next 100 years of Shillong through dialogues with urban planning experts in May-June next year.
