By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 14: The U Tirot Sing Memorial will be inaugurated at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Friday.
A commemorative bust, life-size portrait, and thematic murals of the legendary Khasi freedom fighter will be unveiled as part of the event along with the naming of the ICCR Library in Dhaka as the U Tirot Sing Library.
A high-level delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, Art and Culture Minister Paul Lyngdoh, Commission and Secretary in charge of Art and Culture, FR Kharkongor, and former UPSC chairman David Syiemlieh will be present at the event.
The traditional heads who will also be part of the event include Syiem of Hima Nongkhlaw, Phrester Manick Syiemlieh, Syiem of Hima Mylliem, Ainam Manik Syiem, and Syiem of Hima Bhowal, Kynsaiborlang Syiem.
The historic development is the outcome of the collective and collaborative efforts led by the state’s Department of Arts and Culture with support and assistance of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the IGCC. Kharkongor told The Shillong Times that the department proposed the setting up of a befitting U Tirot Sing Memorial in Dhaka to commemorate and honour his heroic martyrdom in the Bangladesh capital.
“U Tirot Sing steadfastly emerged as a symbolic figure of the indomitable spirit and resilience of the Khasis,” he said.
A cultural programme under the theme “U Syiem Tirot Sing – U Khla Wait Ka Ri Khasi” will be held at Jatiya Natyashala Milanayatan, Bangladesh Shilpakala, Shegun Bagicha in Dhaka.
This programme has been jointly organised by the IGCC, Dhaka, and the Department of Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
Two animated books on the life of U Tirot Sing Syiem will also be released on the occasion.