By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 23: The fifth edition of the Shillong Literary Festival concluded with a rich mix of dialogue, reflection, and cultural performance. The festival continued its commitment to indigenous voices, history, and modern storytelling, blending global literary perspectives with regional identity.
‘Our Hills, Our Histories’, featured Madeline Y Tham’s book, European Writings in the Khasi Hills and Daniel Ebor Challam’s book, Postcards from the Khasi Hills. The authors, in a conversation with historian David R Syiemlieh, explored narratives of land, stories, traditions and how they are woven into local histories. What was remarkable about Daniel Challam’s book is that he has given shape to the dreams of his parents — the father, an avid collector of photographs, and his mother, a botanist and avid gardener who is fascinated by plants and the sounds of birds.
A panel discussion followed on ‘Cinema, Literature, and the Impact of Social Media’ with Merlvin Jude Mukhim, Ailynti Nongbri, and Lucetta J Syiem. They explored the growth of Khasi literature, the evolution of regional cinema, and how social media language has downgraded the Khasi language with many spelling the Khasi word ‘Phi’ meaning you as ‘Fi’ thereby massacring the alliteration. Ailynti Nongbri cited examples of many such words that have now been anglicised. Merlvin Mukhim said, “Social media is both good and bad. In the hands of a responsible user, who gives an expert comment on a film or theatre, other social media users get a good review and are provoked to watch the film but a troll could queer the pitch for any filmmaker.”
The ‘Power of a Poem’ session brought out the best in poets including Paul Lyngdoh, Lalnunsanga Ralte and Dorothy Marak, who recited a selection of their poems. Paul Lyngdoh, a politician, seemed at odds with the poet he is. He uses poetry to lash out at critics including editors who pillory him without understanding the burden of politics. Lalnunsanga, on the other hand, speaks his heart out and never fails to evoke tears among the listeners.
‘Scaling Mount UPSC’ was an aspirational session, targeting young people interested in a career in the civil services. The speakers included Sajjan Yadav, Davis NR Marak, Cyril Diengdoh, and 2021 UPSC topper Ankur Das, who shared tips and advice on preparation, focus and resilience.
The ‘Hills Are Alive with the Shillong Choir’s Music’ depicted the journey of the Choir since their inception in 2001.
A discussion on the theme ‘Whose History Is It Anyway?’ moderated by Dr Glenn Kharkongor, brought out the difficulties of a Naga, in this case Mmhonlumo Kikon — poet-writer and politician, whose book, His Majesty’s Headhunters, captures the on-the-ground conflicts of World War II in Kohima. His book brings out the British ascribed names for the tribes and their journeys. Sanjeeb Kakoty discussed his book, Technology, Production, and Social Formation in the Evolution of the Ahom State, which brought out several interesting facets in medieval Assam. The importance of indigenous perspectives in rewriting local histories was highlighted.
‘South Asian Literature in World Literature’ with Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka, Jerry Pinto, and Kanishka Gupta, saw the two award winning authors state upfront that awards have become meaningless unless authors are treated with respect. The panellists also described the ascent of South Asian storytelling, now finding a prominent place in world literature, breaking the barriers of entrenched gatekeeping. But they also rued that notable award giving institutions have now closed shop.
In ‘The Tiger’s Share & Railsong,’ Keshava Guha spoke about the tragedy and comedy of contemporary family life as the theme of this book, The Tiger’s Share. Rahul Bhattacharya presented the characters and background of his book, Railsong, set in the context of Indian Railways.
The ‘Footsteps of Giants’ was a deeply emotional session in which authors Jamling Norgay and Priyambada Jayakumar reflected on their family relationships with the subject of their biographies, describing the legacies of Tenzing Norgay and MS Swaminathan. The moderator, Glenn C Kharkongor, drew out their childhood stories, the aura of living with a celebrity, and the inspiration they derived.
In the ‘Songs of Our People and Book Unveiling’ session, Anurag Banerjee, a photographer, presented the second volume of a visual anthology titled, Songs of Our People. In conversation with Janice Pariat, Banerjee celebrated Meghalaya’s vibrant music culture through images and anecdotes.
The concluding session titled ‘Through the Device Darkly’ featured Jerry Pinto, Prayag Akbar, and Ankush Saikia. They discussed the influence of OTT platforms and livestreaming services on storytelling and audiences and the implications for writers.
The closing performance by the Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project blended tradition and music with community themes.
With this, the curtains came down on the three-day-long thought-provoking dialogues and respectful exchange of ideas while the audience engaged meaningfully with their favourite authors, litterateurs, poets, singers, et al.
The organising team from The Meghalayan Age Ltd., led by Malavika Banerjee, who founded the Kolkata Literary Meet in 2012, played a stellar role in managing every detail from assuring that the authors, who flew in, were received and cared for by individual volunteers until the very end.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Banerjee said, “The Shillong Literary Festival worked beautifully, the visiting authors were so impressed by the quality of the discussions and the engaged audiences. On the final day the talks were eclectic, from Green Revolution, to local histories, from music to poetry. And the audiences remained right till the end of the day.”
And this is perhaps what the state government is aiming for – to make Shillong the best Litfest destination.
