By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Come November and the city will witness a clash of cultural festivals and programmes to be organised by the Government and non-government organisations.
The Shillong Autumn Festival is planned for November 3 and 4, while the traditional and annual Shad Nongkrem Dance is scheduled at Smit on November 2 and 3.
In addition, the Shillong Calm Creative Arts, Literary and Music Festival organized by the East Khasi Hills District Arts and Culture Society, is also scheduled from October 31 to November 3.
Besides, the All Soul’s Day falls on November 2 while the All Saint’s Day will be observed on November 3 across the State.
The confusion in planning the itinerary of the different programmes is an indication that there is total lack of coordination among the organizers of these various events.
When contacted, member of the Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum, Larsing M Sawian, said the Autumn Fest has been institutionalized to be organized in the first weekend of November every year.
“We organize the fest in November so that tourists can plan their trips in advance,” Sawian added.
Traffic management during these upcoming festivals would be a major issue for the Shillong Traffic personnel.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Herbert Lyngdoh, when contacted, said, “We will be on alert to ensure that there is no traffic snarls during these festivals.”
He was confident that the Shillong Traffic Police will effectively handle the situation like they did during the recently-concluded Durga Puja celebrations in the city.
Meanwhile, the lack of cohesion among the organizers of the different festivals and events has created confusion among the tourists.
A tourist from Siliguri said, “I am totally confused whether to attend the Autumn Festival or go to the traditional dance at Smit.”
Some tourists were of the opinion that a calendar of events for October and November could have been prepared by the Meghalaya Tourism department keeping gaps between the different events so that visitors could move from one event to another without any confusion.
East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goyal said the events are organised by different agencies independently and there is a need for a coordination committee which can discuss the issues so that there is no clash of festivals and events.