By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 26: Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma on Saturday underscored the importance of recognising individuals by their community and mother tongue rather than by religion.
“We are not recognised by our identity. Sometimes, we are recognised by our religion, which is wrong. I am a Christian, but I should not be known by my community—Garo. You may be a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or Buddhist, but we should be known by our mother tongue; religion is my choice,” Rakkam said on Saturday.
“Although I am Meghalayan, I cannot speak Khasi because I am a Garo and my mother tongue is Garo. We are from the same state, but I have my own culture and tradition,” he said, emphasising the diversity in the state while addressing the graduation ceremony and launch of the storytelling handbook of The Forgotten Folklore Project (TFFP) in Shillong.
Highlighting the urgency to preserve cultural identity, Sangma said: “Though I am a Garo, my mother tongue is called Atung, which some 25,000 speak in India and Bangladesh, and it is on the brink of extinction as our children have stopped speaking this language.”
Applauding the organisers for their efforts to revive traditional storytelling, he said, “We have a genesis and origin. The purpose of education of any academician is to discover what is inside and what is unfolding. These are beautiful practices almost forgotten.”
He said he remembers many stories narrated by his grandfather. “I wrote some books, read and forgotten many, but there are some stories told by my grandfather I still remember today. It is not found anywhere on Earth.”
Rakkam also recalled the words of the late PA Sangma, former Lok Sabha Speaker and a towering figure from the state, who, he said, always stressed the need to conserve resources and preserve identity for future generations. “This initiative is more than writing books and storytelling; it is for a purpose,” he said.
The event marked the completion of the fellowship programme.
Over the last six months, 15 fellows and seven artists from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura worked together to research, reimagine and document indigenous folktales from their communities. Their efforts culminated in the creation of 20 new children’s storybooks, deeply rooted in the oral traditions and cultures of the Northeast.
The books, developed during the fellowship, are aimed at promoting Early Childhood Development (ECD) and preserving traditional knowledge for future generations. Each story is accompanied by vibrant illustrations that reflect the cultural identity of the region.
The event also saw the launch of The Forgotten Folklore Project Storytelling Handbook, a guide designed for educators, cultural practitioners, and aspiring storytellers to continue promoting contextual storytelling.
Started in 2020 by the Sauramandala Foundation in Meghalaya and supported by The/Nudge Institute in collaboration with StoryWeaver by Pratham Books, TFFP has so far published 45 children’s storybooks, many of which have been translated into Khasi, Pnar and Garo languages. The new set of 20 books adds to the growing library of literature that captures the diversity and richness of Northeast India’s folklore.
The ceremony brought together fellows, artists, mentors, cultural leaders, and educators in a shared celebration of the Northeast’s storytelling traditions and its future through children’s literature.