Two-day prelude to Shillong Literary Festival gets under way in New Delhi
From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, May 8: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Friday said that the two-day prelude to the Shillong Literary Festival (SLF) has been organised for the first time in New Delhi to open up Meghalaya further, and to showcase its vast potential in education, tourism, entrepreneurial skill and a plethora of other opportunities.
He said that the state is trying to revive Shillong as an education hub despite a high dropout rate.
The thrust is on education in the master plan for a new Shillong, he told veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta during a freewheeling interaction at the New Delhi prelude.
Sangma said that the prelude is part of Meghalaya’s broader strategy of using festivals, arts and experiential tourism to boost cultural diplomacy, youth engagement and economic activity, while positioning the state as a hub for creative industries.
The initiative, the chief minister added, also aims to expand the SLF’s national reach and strengthen the state’s identity as a destination for literature, culture, and ideas, he said.
During the question-answer session, Sangma said that even in expansion mode, the state ensures that tourism is balanced, sustainable and offers employment to local youths in some way or another.
“At the same time, the state does not support ‘samosa’ tourism where backpackers come in the morning and exit by night,” he said.
Meghalaya has maintained a steady economic growth rate for the past few years, he added.
The prelude had a boisterous start with prominent filmmakers, artists, writers, scholars and intellectuals speaking on themes from literature to culture, while showcasing the creative landscape of the Northeast.
It featured actor Naseeruddin Shah, The Shillong Times Editor Patricia Mukhim, veteran journalist Sanjoy Hazarika, Ambassador of Japan Ono Keiichi, Pulitzer Prize winner Suparna Sharma, filmmaker Dominic Sangma and director Pradip Kurbah, among others.
Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Kuamr D. declared the event open with a formal welcome speech, during which he gave a broad overview of the festival.
There were readings from Khasi and Garo classics on the occasion.
Launched in 2021 by Sangma, the Shillong Literary Festival has emerged as one of the Northeast’s leading cultural platforms, drawing national and international voices into conversations on art, society and storytelling.
This year, the event will be held in November around the well-known Cherry Blossom festival.
In the evening, award-winning veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah read from Vikram Seth’s Beastly Tales from Here and There.
Earlier, Dominic Sangma and Kurbah discussed new possibilities for cinema from and about the region in conversation with Sharma under the programme ‘Reel Glory’.
