By Glenn C. Kharkongor
=“He observed that MLCU had a vision and mission, but no statement of values. He wrote out a list, and we passed it around. In a few days we had a values statement that everyone subscribed to, and it was presented at the next convocation. A syllabus was drawn up and every year the students take a class on human values, based on this list.”
RG Lyngdoh was one of a kind. He had a rare combination of talents: author, musician, poet, politician, polymath, attributes that are not often seen together in the same person. Straight thinker, straight talker, clear action. There was not much room for grey areas in his textbook.
Having only spent brief portions of my childhood in Shillong, I hardly knew anyone when I returned to Shillong in 2006, after a hiatus of 35 years. A few weeks after my return, I was invited to a seminar in Don Bosco Youth Centre. Not sure of distances and location, I landed up at the venue about half an hour early. No one was there, the hall was locked.
A few minutes later, a gentleman showed up and we got to talking. He was also early for the same meeting. He asked me who I was and responded with the same question. The name did not ring a bell, and when I asked, “What do you do?”, he answered, “I’m the Education Minister”. I was probably the only person in Shillong who didn’t know who he was. Of course, I did a double take, since I hadn’t heard a siren, or seen flashing red lights on a VIP vehicle screeching into the compound. Nor was there a retinue of security, personal assistants and chamchas. My immediate mental reaction was, “Wow, politicians seem to be different in Meghalaya”. It wasn’t long before I was dispossessed of that fond idea. RG was also a one of a kind politician.
As Education Minister, he was the chief guest at the inauguration of the MLCU campus in Rymbai. During the function my young daughter clambered onto the stage and I was a bit miffed at the disruption of this official event, in front of a minister, no less. But Bob was cool. He picked up and carried the toddler, and I, not being used to such informality, relaxed immediately.
Cool! If one had to describe Bob in one word, that would be it. When he became Vice Chancellor at MLCU, he was generally dressed in jeans, casual shirt, ear stud and boots. He was often referred to as our rock star VC. In this role, he carried himself lightly, and was constantly chatting with staff and students. Students loved his friendly manner and his light-mannered way of giving advice. Bob, as you know, had a postgraduate degree in management from the prestigious XLRI in Jamshedpur, and started his career in the corporate sector. I once remarked that given his professional work, he could be appointed as a professor according to UGC rules. His response was, “Hmm, I don’t think it will suit my image”, and we laughingly left it at that.
In MLCU, he proved to be a dynamic leader, bringing in his organizational and management skills. In a year’s time he had streamlined important operational areas like human resources and finance. The growth of the university necessitated a move to a larger campus and he led the move to the present Nongrah campus. The university was going through a difficult time when he joined, his diplomatic skills helped calm the turbulent waters around us. There were moments of disagreement, but it was for the larger good of the university, and it was never petty or personal.
He observed that MLCU had a vision and mission, but no statement of values. He wrote out a list, and we passed it around. In a few days we had a values statement that everyone subscribed to, and it was presented at the next convocation. A syllabus was drawn up and every year the students take a class on human values, based on this list.
He was a firm administrator, there was no ambivalence in his decisions. He could size up a situation quickly, weave through the details, and quickly arrive at a solution. Once a decision was made, he would sign the paper with a customary flourish and move on. These attributes would have made him an ideal chief minister, one who would command respect. It was our loss that he gave up on politics.
Everyone in the state knows about his firm actions against insurgency in the turbulent 90s. Perhaps his enduring legacy is that of a strong home minister. He had a natural confidence and fearlessness, in spite of threats to him and his family. I have spent evenings in his company, while he recounted those stories. The tense atmosphere of that era and the caricatures of some of the main actors are portrayed in his book, “Who the Cap Fits”, a story that follows the trials and tribulations of Khrawbor, a young man lured into the life of a militant.
RG seemed to be the quintessential outgoing personality. In MLCU, we administer personality tests to all the new students each year and also to the new faculty. Those who are familiar with the Meyer-Briggs Personality Indicator, know that the test covers a range of attributes that is encapsulated into four letters. We both had identical results, and I remember feeling an immediate bond with this guy. But one letter in his personality analysis puzzled me. It was the letter ‘I’ for introvert. How could that be? Was the test result wrong? He explained that he was by nature an introvert and that his current outgoing nature was a learned behaviour that he picked up from observing and imitating his father.
He leaves a multi-faceted legacy. Perhaps he will be most remembered as a straight politician, one of a rapidly vanishing breed. But his colourful personality was much more than that. During his time at MLCU he often adorned the stage, not only with his speeches, but also with his harmonica. He was a connoisseur of art, poetry and literature, and his book, “A Point of View” contained poems of deep insight, some have been included in our curriculum.
I know that many in this town know RG much better than me, and there will undoubtedly be paeans of praise from many others. There was no hidden side or mystique to this man. What you saw was what you got. I found out this and much more when we worked together closely for four years, and travelled together in the Northeast and other parts of India. It was a special privilege to have gotten to know this larger-than-life man who has touched the lives of so many and has left a firm imprint on the landscape of our society. We will miss this illustrious son of the soil.
Here is a snippet of verse from Soso Tham’s poem, “The Green Grass”.
Tell me twilight, beloved of the gods,
Tell me where is that star. Quietly in the grave let him rest, Beneath the green, green grass.