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The War People & The Making of Khasi Identity

By Bhogtoram Mawroh When one talks about Khasi history, it feels like groups such as the Synteng and...
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How Students’ Uprising is Reopening India’s Socio-political Faultlines: A Perspective

By Antriksh Kar Singh India witnessed history on the morning of July 20, when thousands of youngsters took to...
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Sonam Wangchuk, Cockroach Janata Party and the Politics of Paranoia

By Rajdeep Sardesai Conspiracy theories have always thrived in the power corridors of Delhi. But in today’s hyper-polarised India,...
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Is India Still a Democratic Nation?

By Baiamutlang Khymdeit The Preamble to the Constitution of India proudly declares: “We, the People of India, having solemnly...
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Meghalaya Government’s Quiet War Against Its Own Farmers

By Napoleon S. Mawphniang There's something almost mythological about a farmer. Think about it. He is Atlas, really —...
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Potential US President deserves kudos for slamming Israel like never before

By S. N. M. Abdi Rahm Emanuel, a likely Democratic candidate for the 2028 Presidency, has just taken...
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The CM’s Silence on Nongkhlieh Speaks Volumes

By H H Mohrmen While we appreciate the government's stand on uranium mining in the state, we wonder...
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Appalling condition of State Highways

By HT Wells Meghalaya has witnessed encouraging efforts in recent years to improve road connectivity through new highway...
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Economization: Parliamentary, Legislative Council, Local Bodies and Municipal Expenditures

By Melarbor Thabah India is a nation profuse with elections where billions of rupees of public money are spent...
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Let’s borrow a little bit of the fire from Jantar Mantar

By Dalariti Nongpiur How can I be sitting here and not be in awe at what is happening at...
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Tragedy for Some; Football Frenzy & Foreign Jaunts for Others

By Patricia Mukhim This month alone in Meghalaya, tragedy has befallen four families who lost their sons/husbands on Friday...
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Going Beyond Symbolic Observances

By Shivani Pde Today on 17th July 2026, across Meghalaya, wreaths will be laid, speeches will be delivered and...
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Why the Invitation to Himanta Biswa Sarma was Wrong

By Bhogtoram Mawroh The invitation of Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam, to the recently concluded Behdeinkhlam festival...
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Byrnihat, Burnihat – The ‘y’ and ‘u’ matter…in pollution

By Banwan Lyngdoh How many of those who have travelled the Shillong–Guwahati road have noticed the names Byrnihat and...
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At the Crossroads: Envisioning the Future of Our State and Society

By Dr Donkupar Syiem We, as a State, a society, and a community, stand at a defining crossroads in...
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Motorcycle/Scooty Theft in Meghalaya It’s Time to Stay One Step Ahead of Criminals

By Augusten Blah The report in The Shillong Times some days ago that nine two-wheelers were stolen across Meghalaya...
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Who Defines the Jaiñtia? History or Colonial Records?

Dr. Omarlin Kyndiah By reducing the history of the Jaiñtia people almost entirely to British colonial records, Bhogtoram Mawroh’s...
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The Price of Neglect

By Darisuk Syiemlieh There is a quiet tragedy unfolding in Meghalaya, one so ordinary that it rarely makes headlines....
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The Classroom That Swallows Children Whole and Calls It Education

By Napoleon S. Mawphniang Socrates once said that the unexamined life is not worth living. But what, I...
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Salt and Blade: The Oath that Echoed through the Hills

By Maitphang Syiem Imagine a blade, cold and gleaming, with a few grains of salt resting upon its edge....
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Why Are Meghalaya’s Youth Getting Lost In The Career Maze

By Ibormitre Passah & Karissa Berti Khonglam Every year, nearly 70,000 young people in Meghalaya finish school or college...
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New Economic Focus on Northeast in India-Japan Partnership

By Bagmita Borthakur & Bishaldeep Kakati For much of the past decade, discussions surrounding India-Japan cooperation in Northeast India...
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Forget Crowing, the Hens Now Refuse to Even Squeak

By Patricia Mukhim Growing up in a Khasi matrilineal society girls are taught that silence is respectful and butting...
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The Role Models Meghalaya Doesn’t Need

By Tipriti Khonglam There was a time when the Meghalaya government understood that every public decision carried a message...
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El Nino & Lessons from the Meghalayan Age

By Bhogtoram Mawroh Recently, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Sangma, held a workshop on El Niño preparedness in...
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Linguistic pejoration in Khasi society: Reclaiming our vocabulary from tribalism

By Mankular Lamin Gashnga I was reading Bhogtoram Mawroh’s article where he used the word Synteng to refer to...
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80% Deficit Monsoons: A Looming Shadow Of An Approaching Natural Disaster ?

By Toki Blah On July 3, 2026, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma inaugurated a workshop titled “Developing State...
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Trapped in the Colonial Web of Knowledge

By Randolph Langstieh “If ‘cutting trees into parts’ epitomises the modernist epistemology, ‘talking with trees,’ I argue, epitomises animistic...
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Neolissochilus pnar: The Pride of Meghalaya

By H.H. Mohrmen Meghalaya is renowned not only for its breathtaking landscapes but also for its extraordinary underground world....
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UCC Bandwagon pulls into West Bengal

By S. N. M. Abdi After Assam, West Bengal – the politically, electorally and demographically dominant state in the...
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Farmers Crying Over a Loan the Government of Meghalaya Called Progress

By Napoleon S Mawphniang There's a particular kind of cruelty — quiet, bureaucratic, almost elegant in its indifference —...
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Consumer Choice & Local Enterprise: Finding the Right Balance for Meghalaya

By Shakeel Rafee Swer The debate over whether quick-commerce platforms should be allowed to operate in Meghalaya extends far...
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Tea and Sugar: The Social Life of Red Tea in the Jaintia Hills

By Anna Notsu In Meghalaya, people receive and offer tea throughout the day. During my research in the Jaintia...
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Bob’s Banter

By Robert Clements Bullied by the Bully! I remember a boy in school who strutted around as if he owned...
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Behdeinkhlam: The Covenant of U Lakriah and the Four Sisters

By Dr Omarlin Kyndiah As the monsoon approaches Jowai prepares yet again to host one of its most profound...
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The Decline in Solidarity Among Young People

By Pyndap Lyngdoh It is often said by leaders, elders, and public figures that youth are the future of...
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Who Are the Jaintia? Colonial Records and the Question of Khasi Identity

By Bhogtoram Mawroh Ever since the state anthem was announced, there has been resistance from a section of the...
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Ayodhya scandal signals systemic decay

By Jagdish Rattanani The snowballing scandal over allegations of misappropriation of donations and offerings at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple...
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Geopolitics amidst a changing world order

By Toki Blah Today the term “ Geopolitics “ is often bandied around as if everyone knows what it...
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The Silence of the Lungs

By Ellerine Diengdoh Disclaimer: This op-ed has been reviewed by a team of experts who have spent the last...
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Ïung Blai: The Sacred Institution of the Pnar

By H.H. Mohrmen Niamtre religion is not an organized religion and does not have a place of worship like...
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The Reality Behind Meghalaya’s Education Crisis

By Ibanriakor D Pakma I would like to express my agreement with Patricia Mukhim’s article, “Stop Playing the Fool...
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Meghalaya’s Electoral Roll and the Politics of Disappearance

By Napoleon S Mawphniang Critical Questions on Meghalaya's Special Intensive Revision 2026 There is a myth from ancient Greece that...
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Miles of Beauty, Nowhere to Stop

By Balakmen Suting I have lived near this highway most of my life. My home sits close to what...
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Mawlynnong: “Asia’s Cleanest Village” & A Diplomatic Faux Pas

By Patrick P. Sawian There are occasions in life when humiliation arrives not as an event but as a...
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Hope of economic resurgence in the northeastern belt

By G N Bajpai The nation has seen much political heat in the midst of elections particularly in West...
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Obsessed With the Past & With Culture but Lacking Vision for the Future

By Patricia Mukhim The Khasi people of whom I am a member actually believe we are a special species...
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Indian Democracy’s Political Dance: Manufacturing Mandate and Opposition

By Antriksh Kar Singh Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky popularised the concept of manufacturing consent in their seminal...
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Shillong Lok Sabha By-Election: More Than a Contest between Two Teachers

By Bhogtoram Mawroh I am not really sure if this has ever happened before in the history of the...
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Bob’s Banter

By Robert Clements NEET Justice and Our Mercy..! The pictures were heartbreaking. Young boys and girls stood outside NEET examination...
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West Bengal voters need the Right to Recall truant lawmakers

By S. N. M. Abdi Just in case you want to illustrate George Bernard Shaw’s famous remark “politics...
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Women’s reservation: What the modern world demands

By Eugene Arnold Jaraine With each passing day, advances in digital technology, semiconductor innovation, automation, artificial intelligence, adaptive systems...
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Samanong: Where Conservation, Community and Agri-tourism Meet

By H.H. Mohrmen In a state where many rivers are increasingly treated as dumping grounds for waste and sewage...
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A Gun, A Livestream and a Question Bihar Cannot Ignore

By Divesh Ranjan Some deaths cease to belong solely to the individual and begin to speak to the anxieties...
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The Alphabets From A Woman’s Perspective

By Sandra Ramsdam Thomas Jones Day would simply be a holiday and anglers’ chance to have a day off...
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To Touch the Roots of the Trees

By Emidaka Rapsang The mists and the folklore of the mountains always seem to entrance each passerby, each traveller...
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Oil’s peace dividend is real but no return to pre-war situation 6-12 Months required for Hormuz flows to be fully restored

By K Raveendran The US-Iran deal marks a genuine easing of one of the most dangerous geopolitical shocks to...
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The Roads to a New Meghalaya

By Prof Marco Mitri Why the North East Infrastructure Summit marks not a moment, but a milestone in a...
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Stop Playing the Fool With Education: It’s Weighing Us Down

By Patricia Mukhim When we were young kids in school and got into mischief during class hours the teacher...
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A white stripe exposes new political faultlines in Mumbai

By Jagdish Rattanani An unseemly and unprecedented divide has sprung up in Mumbai, carrying with it communal overtones and...
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Nongjrong: Beyond the Clouds

By Bhogtoram Mawroh In recent years, Nongjrong has emerged as one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in Meghalaya....
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Banning Telegram Is Futile and Illegal

By Vedant Choudhary The Central Government’s decision to ban the messaging application “Telegram” till 21st June, 2026 is futile,...
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Meghalaya: Catching Up With its Sister NE states

By Harsh Shrivastava My last article citing official data from the Union Finance Ministry showed that Meghalaya’s per capita...
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Bob’s Banter

By Robert Clements Trash..! Last night at the gymkhana I pressed the lift button to go down. The lift, however,...
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Malnutrition Among Children in Assam: What NFHS-6 Tells Us

By Aakash Boral The sixth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6, 2023-24) data was released by the Ministry of Health...
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From Hiatus to Heartbeat: “The Beautiful Game” is Reviving Shillong’s Soul

By Banwan Lyngdoh On a humid World Environment Day (June 5, 2026), Shillong witnessed a massive traffic snarl stretching...
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The Crown and the Question: Is Pageantry Still Relevant?

By Nimrat Ranhotra I have always loved pageantry which is perhaps why I question it. There is something undeniably fascinating...
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H.K. Singh: A Quiet Reformer

By H.H. Mohrmen Hajom Kissor Singh is widely known as the founder of the Unitarian Church in the Khasi...
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When Cockroaches Started Marching: What the CJP Phenomenon Is Really Telling Us

By Dhruba Jyoti Goswami It began in a courtroom, during a routine hearing that most Indians would never have...
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The Strait, the Dollar and the Specter of Strategic Retrenchment

By Patrick P. Sawian The global economy now finds itself suspended between two converging storms - an increasingly volatile...
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Challenges of an Entrepreneur in Meghalaya

The other day, students from the Sociology Department of Williamson Sangma State University, Tura, visited Shillong for an...
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Running around for water

By Rudi Warjri The United Nations declared June 5 as World Environment Day. The date was chosen because...
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Socio-demographic paradox of matrilineality and high fertility in Meghalaya

By Dr Mayur Trivedi Meghalaya’s matrilineality portrays the popular imagination of female empowerment as a progressive outlier in India's...
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The Choices Working-Class People Make: When Education Is a Luxury

By Bhogtoram Mawroh Places like Mawlai, Pynthorumkhrah and Nongmynsong have long been known to be working-class neighbourhoods because of...
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The Opposition Doesn’t Need INDIA 2.0. It Needs Congress 2.0

By Rajdeep Sardesai Sequels in Indian cinema rarely work. Audiences have usually seen the original, the novelty factor is...
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Jaidbynriew and the Politics of Fear By Tyngshain Kharlyngdoh

The debate around jaidbynriew has long occupied the political and social imagination of the Khasi people. From village...
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Traffic Lights and Trust: A Public Health Lesson from Shillong’s Intersections By Benedicta Sthuti Kumar

Shillong has no traffic lights. At the busiest intersections in the city, where roads converge from impossible angles and...
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Cockroach Janata Party: The New Kid On The Block

By K C Monnappa A new pulse has arrived in the streets of India’s youth, and it came disguised...
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Traffic Lights and Trust: A Public Health Lesson from Shillong’s Intersections By Benedicta Sthuti Kumar

Shillong has no traffic lights. At the busiest intersections in the city, where roads converge from impossible angles and...
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My Experience with the LGBTQ+ Community & The Pride Month

By H.H. Mohrmen The month of June every year is observed throughout the world as Pride Month, and the...
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Will the Khasi People Survive if They Did Away with Customary Practices?

By Richard H. Dkhar Introduction The question of whether the Khasi people would survive as a distinct tribe if they...
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Coins of the Jaiñtia Kingdom

By H.H. Mohrmen Jayantia (Jaintia) was one of the major kingdoms in medieval Northeast India until it was defeated...
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Fill the Classrooms, Fill the Minds

By Maitphang Syiem As you begin to read, imagine a Class 6 student named Bahduh. Every morning, he walks...
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HNLC Bro, Time to Come Overground & Fight Real Battles

By Patricia Mukhim Dear Bro Sainkupar Nongtraw, its now 30 years (3 decades) since the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council...
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Ghuspathiya Narrative & Border Security Along Indo-Bangladesh Border

By RC Sharma Border security is national security. Treating border security as a perfunctory professional domain and linking the...
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More Children in School, More Children Leaving: Meghalaya’s Education Paradox

By Bhogtoram Mawroh The 2026 ‘School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap For Quality Enhancement’ by...
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Meghalaya’s Health Report Card: Cause for Hope, Cause for Alarm

Dr Tiken Das The sixth National Family Health Survey reveals a state that has made genuine strides in child...
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The Concept of Markets in Khasi Traditional Thought

By Fabian Lyngdoh Traditional markets are physical open-air settings where people sell the goods they produce and buy what...
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Advice for UG Students: Four-Year FYUP or Two-Year PG?

By H. Srikanth The first batch of students pursuing the FYUP under NEHU are now writing their third-year UG...
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Beyond Political Blame:Understanding Meghalaya’s PGI 2.0 Performance

Dr. Treemmi Lamare The recent Performance Grading Index 2.0 by the Ministry of Education has generated considerable debate across...
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Supreme Court Judgment on the Dolloiship: A Lesson for Sohra and Khasi Himas

By Dr Omarlin Kyndiah The ongoing controversy surrounding the appointment of the Syiem of Hima Sohra and the recent...
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The Quiet Centralization of the Sixth Schedule?

Between Autonomy and Dependency: By Patrick P. Sawian One of the more unsettling paradoxes, within modern Indian federalism, is...
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On Role Models and bans: World No Tobacco Day 2026

By Dr. Caleb Harris The Indian Premier League(IPL) is a media spectacle, drawing eyeballs, several of them youngsters, and...
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Accompanying the Departure: Niamtre Preparations for Mourning in Shangpung Pohshnong

By Anna Notsu In relatively large villages such as Shangpung, death arrives rather frequently due to the large population,...
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Building Systems for Care: Anganwadi Transformation in Meghalaya

By Bhaswati K Goswami “The new centre has transformed our community—enrollment has grown as the space is safe,...
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Misrepresentation of Facts and Resolutions an Unpardonable Sin!

By Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh This write up is a response to the news item which appeared in your esteemed daily...
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The Gospel of Money and Lust

By Eldora Lyngdoh The Church once warned us that Satan would enter through temptation. We imagined he would arrive...
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What Makes a Khasi? Blood or Custom?

By Bhogtoram Mawroh A friend told me that the basis of the Syngkhong Rympei Thymmai’s (SRT) approach to the...
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Let Our Youth Be Part of Meghalaya’s Growth Story

By Kitdor Manik Hynniewta People like Ngaitlang Dhar, who recently established a plywood factory in the Jaintia Hills, deserve...
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My Shillong MP and Me

By Toki Blah The unfortunate and untimely passing away of (L) Dr Ricky Syngkon, Lok Sabha member from Shillong...
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