By Our Reporter
Monolith Festival on Thursday. (TM)
SHILLONG: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council is all set to organise the mega event ‘Monolith Festival 2013’ on October 25 and 26 at the Heritage Village at Mawphlang, aimed at a grand display of the Khasi culture and traditions.
The aim of this first-ever Festival organised by the Khasi Heritage Conservation Forum is to promote and preserve the rich yet dying cultures of the Khasis.
While announcing the dates of the two-day festival, Chief Executive Member (CEM) of KHADC, PN Syiem launched the website of the festival (www.monolithfestival shillong.com) in a gathering held at the newly-constructed auditorium of the Council here on Thursday.
This festival is scheduled to be held at the Heritage Village at Mawphlang, a purely traditional village constructed by the KHADC on 7 to 8 acres of land under the Hima Mawphlang at an estimated cost of Rs 5.8 crore sanctioned under the 13th Finance Commission. This village is still under construction and is almost 85 per cent complete. The KHADC is hopeful of completing the project by September end.
Elaborating on the Festival, Chairman of the Khasi Heritage Conservation Forum, Titos Chyne, who is also the MLA and MDC of Sohra, said that the objective of holding this event is to revive the dying cultures and traditions of the Khasis and its sub-tribes, to uplift the economic income of the rural lots and to provide a platform for all the sub-tribes of the Khasis to converge and celebrate the event together.
“This will also be a learning experience for many as during this event, unique and rare cultures of many sub-tribes of the Khasis will be showcased thereby enriching the culture of the people of the State,” Chyne said.
Chyne also mentioned that during this Festival, for which an amount of Rs 40 lakh has been sanctioned, culture will not be restricted to one form but it will vary from traditional attires, food habits and personality to the living condition, music and occupation of the indigenous tribes, the same of which has been forgotten and overlooked due to westernization and other factors.
Meanwhile, general secretary of the Forum, Alan West Kharkongor, said that in the age of globalization, exchange of cultures and ideas is not a new thing.
“And it would be beneficial for the tribal community like ours to expose and showcase our rich cultures and traditions to the world, with the hope that others will also admire and follow our culture,” he added.
Besides showcasing the traditional cultures of the various sub-tribes of the Khasis, this two-day Festival will also provide a platform for local craftsmen, artisans and musicians to showcase their talents and skills.
Kharkongor also mentioned that there also other forms of entertainment already planned especially for the tourists which includes adventure and spiritual activities like trekking and meditating amidst the serene surroundings of the Sacred Grove besides others.
It was mentioned that altogether 53 Hima will be participating in this Festival and each Hima will be provided space inside the Heritage Village.
Traditional games like archery will also be organised and the same will witnessed the participation of archers from all the Hima. Other traditional games will also be organised on this day.
Highlighting the long-term benefits by organising this Festival inside the Heritage Village, EM in-charge of Finance, AN War, said, “This will go a long way in addressing the problem of migration of rural populace to the urban areas as this village can generate employment which can sustain the local populace.”
While foreseeing this village as a ‘tourist destination’, War said just like Mawlyngnong, this village will also be able to attract tourists thereby raising the economic income of the people of the rural areas.
Hoping that the Festival will be a grand success, the KHADC is looking forward to promoting the event as an annual affair and take the tourism industry of the State to new heights.