Shullai expresses intent to re-erect Tirot Sing’s full-size bust in B’desh

SHILLONG, Oct 24: Arts and Culture Minister Sanbor Shullai has expressed his intention to re-erect a full-size bust of Khasi freedom fighter U Tirot Sing in Bangladesh.
Last year, rioters in Bangladesh torched the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka and destroyed a memorial dedicated to U Tirot Sing that had been placed at the entrance of the building.
Shullai told reporters on Friday that he would personally visit Bangladesh to inspect the site and oversee the reinstallation of U Tirot Sing’s bust once the situation improves.
The memorial was inaugurated last year as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, during which the bust of U Tirot Sing, the valiant freedom fighter of the Khasi Hills, was also unveiled.
Meanwhile, Shullai criticised those who claim that people who have converted to Christianity should not take part in indigenous practices, culture and festivals.
Describing such a perception as wrong, he pointed out that Nagaland, which has a 98 per cent Christian population, continues to preserve its local customs and successfully hosts the Hornbill Festival.
“Even in Meghalaya, be it Wangala, Shad Nongkrem or Behdienkhlam festival, both Christians and non-Christians are participating in large numbers,” Shullai said.