Govt moots life-size statue of legendary poet
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Government has proposed to accord Khasi legendary poet Soso Tham his due recognition by erecting a life-size statue of him on the State Central Library premises on the eve the poet’s 70th death anniversary.
This was informed by Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong while addressing an official function organized to observe the death anniversary of the poet on Monday.
“I propose to replace the small bust of U Soso Tham with a life-size statue,” Lanong said, while comparaing him with ‘Little Master’ Sachin Tendulkar, in the presence of the relatives of U Soso Tham, member of the Khasi Authors Society (KAS), teachers, students and other dignitaries.
It may be mentioned that the small bust of U Soso Tham was built inside the State Central Library presimes in 1973 by the Soso Tham Birth Centenary Committee formed to commemorate the poet’s 100 birth anniversary.
The Deputy Chief Minister also called upon the members of the Khasi Author Society to translate the works of the Khasi legendary poet into English and other languages.
“By translating his works it would allow people from different parts of the world to know the greatness of this great literary figure,” Lanong said.
Describing Tham as ‘Sachin Tendulkar of Khasi poems”, Lanong said he had overcome his personal tragedies in life to become the greatest poet of the Khasis.
Earlier, the Principal of St Edmund’s College, Sylvanus Lamare said the government failed to properly inform the people through advertisements to popularize the function to commemorate the death anniversary of the bard. He also recalled the contributions of Tham in the field of education and literature.
Born in 1873 at Sohra, Tham was the first person to make use of Khasi idioms in a form taken mainly from English poetry. He died at the age of 67.