Cultural organisation meets CM
Shillong: Members of the Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Centre (SNGCC), Shillong, a city based socio-cultural organization, met Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and congratulated him and his team on the recent poll verdict on Sunday.
SNGCC president, MK Mohanan apprised the chief minister about the activities of the organization and informed him about the evergreen non-sectarian teachings of Sree Narayana Guru. He also highlighted the need to initiate various entrepreneurial ventures including the annual celebration of SNGCC where four different awards in the name of the Guru is given.
The chief minister was also presented with a copy of the book, “The Maharshi Who Made Advaita a Science” by G. K. Sasidharan and a copy of SNGCC’s Quarterly Publication, Oneness. The group’s general secretary, Bellbora Wankhar and cultural secretary, ES Mawlong were also present.
Road construction abandoned
TURA: Residents of Gra Songgitcham in North Garo Hills have complained that the 3 km PMGSY road leading from Gabil to the village has been left abandoned prior to its completion and is now in a dilapidated state.
In a statement issued here recently, the villagers informed that the construction of the said road was started in 2014 which continued for two years but was eventually abandoned by the contractor concerned in 2016. According to villagers, repeated complaints and memorandums were submitted to concerned district officials but nothing has been done to address the issue.
The road which is already in a dilapidated state is getting worse especially, during the rainy season as run-off water is gradually eroding the road’s surface, the villagers said.
“Gra Songgitcham is one of the oldest villages in Garo Hills and is 146 years old. Despite being the oldest, our village is being neglected and without proper roads and bridges. We give the concerned authorities 15 days time to initiate repair work on the road. If there is no action, we will take up the matter with the Chief Minister,” the villagers said.
Inclusion of Khasi and Garo in Eighth Schedule
SHILLONG: Senior city resident Naba Bhattacharjee said that it is a failure on the part of all sections of society as Khasi and Garo were not included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
In a statement issued here, he asked, “What about the demand for getting Khasi language listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The initiative started in 1970s. Languages like Bodo, Assamese, Konkani Nepali etc are included in 8th schedule. Why not Khasi and Garo?”
He recalled the efforts of late Ardhendu Chaudhuri in this regard who motivated the related academicians and others to attain this goal.
Bhattacharjee said that a committee to look into the issue, which had been notified on November 28, 2014, had submitted its recommendations to the state government’s political department on November 14 last year.
He questioned the status of the report and asked whether the report is lost or yet to be compiled.
“Has the state Sahitya Akademi been formed as a step towards getting Khasi language included in the Eighth Schedule and whether members could also speak in Khasi in the House to promote the language,” he added.
Annual school sports held
Shillong: The Laishnong Higher Secondary School, Nongbareh which is under Amlarem sub-organised the 9th Annual School Sports for three consecutive days from March 14 to 16. At the closing ceremony while delivering his speech, the Principal of the school, T. W. Khonglah encouraged the students to take up sports.
The Secretary P. Rymbui, Chairman B L Pohti and majority of the members of the school management committee and the headman of Nongbareh-Rim Village, Kun Pohlong were also present. Blue house emerged as the top scorers followed by the green house and yellow house.
IIM Shillong hosts TEDx
Shillong: IIM Shillong hosted the sixth edition of TEDx recently where speakers from across the country shared their ideas held at the State Convention Center in Shillong. Based on the theme, ‘The 53rd Card’, the edition underscored the transformative power of choice.
The list of speakers included Wendell Rodricks, a Padmi Shri awardee and leading international fashion designer, Archana Sardana, India’s first female BASE jumper and first Indian to skydive with Indian Flag in USA, Shivam Sai Gupta, a virtual reality evangelist and game developer, Tanvi Bhatt, a personal branding pioneer, Shruti Pathak, a Filmfare Award-nominated Bollywood playback singer and lyricist, Baradwaj Rangan, a film critic and author, and Rajesh Kumar, an actor, best known for his roles in Baa BahooAur Baby and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai.
The second edition of TEDxIIM Shillong grabbed the attention of the TED community and earned the license holder a chance attend TED Global in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.