City holds first carnival of peace

SHILLONG: The city witnessed its first-ever carnival of peace and harmony as part of the week-long Meghalaya Day celebrations on Saturday.
Led by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, the carnival procession passed through the busy streets of the city showcasing different ethnic communities of the state and its neighbor.
Part of the city came to a standstill as the procession marched towards State Central Library with music and dances accompanying the crowd. Onlookers were amazed and waved at participants to see different faces belonging to different communities in their traditional attires.
Cyclists from the Meghalaya Cycling Association also participated in the procession following the crowd who were moving in tune with the music.
It was a colourful display of the different cultures, tribes and communities of the state as the carnival made it’s way through the heart of the city on Saturday. Traditional musical instruments were played and the cultural troops danced through the street as the carnival slowly proceeded towards the State Central Library.
Leaving his entourage behind, the chief minister also walked along and he said that the idea behind the initiative is to celebrate Meghalaya and Republic of India even as he added that a series of activities has been planned to bring out patriotism and show the love for the state and the nation.
“There is so much of diversity in the state and we are here to highlight it as troupes from different communities and states are participating in the carnival,” the chief minister said.
Terming the atmosphere as wonderful, he added that in the future, the government would organise the carnival every year and would also encourage more troops to participate next time to celebrate the unity.