First speaker of state and Khasi visionary remembered

SHILLONG: A memorial lecture was held at St Edmund’s College on Wednesday in memory of Prof Radhon Sing Lyngdoh Nongbri who passed away 28 years ago on December 19, 1990 while in service as a professor in the Department of Khasi, North-Eastern Hill University.
The lecture was organised by St Edmund’s College in collaboration with All India Poetess Conference and Ka Thiar Lyngwiar Dpei Society and was attended by the relatives and children of Nongbri, teachers, members of AIPC and Ka Thiar Lyngwiar Dpei, teachers, students and staff of St. Edmund’s College.
Delivering the lecture, Sylvanus Lamare, Principal, St. Edmund’s College, spoke about the life and times of Nongbri and his contributions to academics and society as a whole.
Nongbri was the first Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly till 1978, and worked tirelessly along with Frank M Pugh to convince the Gauhati University to recognise Khasi as an Honours subject.
His love for Khasi made him work to get the Master Programme in Khasi and was the First Head of the Department of Khasi, NEHU, the first professor in the Khasi Department and also the Dean of the School of Languages.
Nongbri authored three books namely Ka Histori Ka Thoh Ka Tar – I, (1979), Ka Histori Ka Thoh Ka Tar – II, (1983) and Government and politics in Meghalaya, (1996).
He also pleaded for the recognition of Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
He played a role in the establishment of NEHU and in the Hill State movement.
The programme was chaired by Streamlet Dkhar who called upon the younger generation to respect and remember great personalities.