The Shillong Film Society was dominated by the Bengali intellectual community and promoted cinema vigorously without the inclusion of the aspiring local indigenous talents. Generally, the Shillong Film Society was preoccupied with the great masters of Bengali cinema. For obvious reasons, the likes of Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak films are outstanding works of art, which are way ahead of the nascent Khasi film venture of the time. Even the acclaimed Khasi feature film Manik Raitong, produced by Rishan Rapsang, is a literal narrative of the folktale and was directed by Ardhendu Bhattacharya, a filmmaker from Bengal. There is no denial of the fact that the canopy of art landscape in Meghalaya was shadowed by Bengali films, if not the mainstream cinema. Later, there were numerous local topics of interest that were explored through homegrown initiatives and made a mark at some national and international fora, without any expert involvement from the mainland. The Assamese and Manipuris excelled by their own motivation and intervention due to their proximity and similarity with the Hindustan cultural tradition. The other communities from mainland India are more inclined towards trade and commerce, although few philanthropists dedicated their services towards social upliftment. The initial attempt to include local folk culture was spearheaded by the Bengalee cultural society, Manju Smriti Majlis, during the 1980s. Specifically for visual arts, the turning point occurred in 1987 with the formation of the Meghalaya Artists’ Guild and thereafter, the Riti Academy of Visual Arts facilitated further growth and was instrumental in exposing the regional arts across the borders, while other art societies and cultural institutions also intervened and motivated throughout the years.
For decades, the Riti Academy of Visual Arts has intervened with the State Government regarding the representational image of cultural heritage in the prominent cultural establishment of the State, popularly known as the State Central Library complex. However, over the years, the bureaucracy rigidly observed the usual convention and procedure, until another bureaucrat with artistic sensibility lent his ears to the aspiration and enthusiasm of the local art fraternity that changes have taken place for the better; or perhaps better than the best. It is under the initiative of Mr. F R Kharkongor, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya that the Riti Academy of Visual Arts was entrusted with the task of conceptualisation and execution of a commendable artwork starting at the threshold to the cultural establishment of the State Government. The planning and consecutive meetings with senior Government officials have brought about tremendous changes in the aesthetic consideration of the facade to the State Central Library complex and more enhancement is in the offing.
The Meghalaya @50 commemorative pan Meghalaya Arch-gate to the cultural complex of the Government of Meghalaya is artistically represented by the drums at the apex of the gate to herald and usher the people into the treasure trove of natural and cultural heritage. The state’s rich cultural wealth is depicted through relief sculptural murals that comprise the native resources bestowed by nature and its inhabitants. The binary canopy of the ‘Knup’ signifies the providential protection of the original resources and vividly articulates the roots of ethnic tradition. The totemic figures on both sides of the posts of the arch-gate reflect the myths and legends of the tribal people of the State. The various components in the mural consist of the primary elements of the land and its people while capturing the unique ethnic ingredients of our intrinsic tribal culture. The floating assemblage of cloud formations on the horizon signifies the abode of the clouds, the indigenous bio engineering of the living root, which is singularly spectacular and prominently depicted at the centre. The age-old traditional system of ecological conservation of our sacred groves, the cascading waterfalls which are all richly interwoven with fascinating legends and folk tales, the exotic caves and caverns which hold distinction among the best known natural caving systems of the world; and various other prominent characteristics which signify Meghalaya are portrayed and distilled in the mural. The traditional methods of cultivation on both the hill slopes and the plain signify prosperity and sustainable livelihood. The watchtower hut ‘Borang’ of the Garo Hills region and the megaliths ‘Mawbynna’ of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region are depicted along with the respective customs and traditions of our hill tribes. In the foreground, perched prominently is the clouded leopard-the State animal, the State flower -the Lady’s slipper and pitcher plants that are endemic to the region and which are spread over the diverse contours & topography amidst the sprawling meadow as the haven of pastimes and festivities. The perilous cliffs and steeped cobbled stairways astride the peripheries of the all pervasive limestone regions of our state are surrounded by soothing vegetation and a precarious rocky facade. Furthermore, everyday tribal life is depicted across the landscape, showcasing tribal people in traditional attire at the hilltop and a hardworking maiden ferrying the Khasi mandarin oranges to signify the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature in consonant with other creatures within the bosom of mother earth.
Thereafter, the bland pyramid tower in the complex was enhanced with aesthetic compatibility through the tangible sculpture of brave-hearts and freedom fighters of the State conceptualised and executed by Riti Academy of Visual Arts. It is a huge task and an expensive proposition to demolish the towering structure of a historical blunder. However, with compulsion without compromise, creativity discovered the transformation of the redundant megalithic pyramid into a plausible conversion of artistic innovation. At the onset of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Statehood and the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of India’s Independence in 2022, an opportunity came forth for the Riti Academy of Visual Arts to pave the way for a turning point in the history of visual art tradition in the State of Meghalaya. The heroes of freedom struggle from British colonial supremacy, Tirot Sing Syiem of Khasi territory, Kiang Nangbah of Jaintia territory, and Pa Togan Nengminza Sangma of Garo territory, ultimately found an honorable legacy with the magnificent sculptures that will be cherished for posterity.
Nevertheless, there is more room for change in the identification of the tribal milieu of Meghalaya, particularly with the lack of a distinct visual art tradition. A similar situation happened with theater when there was a time that the Rympei Theatrical Centre, Royal Theatrical Troupe, and Hynñiewtrep Cultural and Welfare Organisation staged their original and translated plays. With the onslaught of television media, theater encountered a natural death, although the Seng Biria U Khasi could sustain to a certain extent in recent times, Riti Academy made a tremendous effort to revive with great struggle, due to a lack of resources, even as young talents are emerging. On the other hand, there are marvelous prospects for music to grow with some excellent artistes already making a commendable foothold in the entertainment industry.
The prospect of art generally grows and flourishes with patronising and history revealed that the initial and perpetual support came from religious organisations. Moreover, the concept or subject matter in art is usually derived from life, culture, society and gets more defined by the thought process inspired by the ancestors through myths and legends; and the myths and legends are the foundation of every race, which are always professed through religion, and retained in the custody of religious organisations. Although other concepts or subjects prevailed from various streams of knowledge about the world or the universe, religious topics dominated artistic expression in any culture throughout the world. Religious organisations patronised arts for the furtherance of faith through images, while the institutions or the corporates of the modern era promoted arts for intellectual and economic growth and sustenance. The history of art in the Western hemisphere is embedded in Europe and through the ages, there have various art practices and movements in some European countries of Italy, France, Germany, Spain and elsewhere in eastern Europe bordering Asia, particularly the Byzantine. In the eastern oriental zones, the major art practice emerged from China, India, and Japan, even as Russia is more akin to the western style of art practice and the Arabian arts of Islamic tradition. African art is altogether a different character with an emphasis on ethnic culture, and totemic objects and the most distinct is Egyptian art, significantly in the pyramids. There is hardly any movement in the eastern world because art is deeply entrenched in spiritualism, and to a certain extent in social issues, and only recently that provocative topics are visible in some artwork on the respective continents.
In India, what is generally termed as Indian art is the combination of certain traditional arts from different regions of the country. The prominent among them is the Bengal folk art, Rajasthani miniature art, Kashmiri tapestry art, Madhubani folk art, Kerela masks art, and others. These traditions are instrumental in the emergence of Indian art through intercultural exposure and assimilation. Among the first in India to have had exposure to the art world outside the country were Anjali Eala Menon, Amrita Sher Gill, Jamini Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Ravi Verma, Abanindranath Tagore even as most of the others are homegrown geniuses like Ramkinkar Baij, Nandalal Bose, S H Raza, M F Hussain, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Bhupen Khakkar, Satish Gujral, Shivaji K Pannikar, Somnath Hore, Ganesh Pyne, K G Subramaniam, Benode Bihari Mukherjee, Jogen Choudhury, Manjit Bawa, Satish Gujral, Kishen Khanna, and many more. From northeast India, Prithpal Singh Sehdave of Shillong is among the internationally renowned artists, although many veteran artists of the region are Shobha Brahma, Benu Misra, Neelpawan Barua, Noni Borpujari, all from Assam, while Bashai Rai Dohling of Shillong is also been of a certain caliber, but he opted and excelled in animation art. Some of the finest artists of the region are also Tlang Rokhuma of Mizoram, Niki Kire of Nagaland, Imobi Sharma of Manipur, Motilal Kalai of Tripura, Yumlum Tana of Arunachal Pradesh, Vijay Mani Thulung of Sikkim, and from Meghalaya are Benedict S Hynñiewta, Careen J Langstieh, Thomas Mylliem Umlong, Raphael Warjri, and Frederick D Hynñiewta.
