By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 8: Adviser to the Social Welfare department, Paul Lyngdoh, on Friday described Shillong as a “confluence of influences,” citing a history shaped by decades of cultural and intellectual exchange.
Speaking at “A Khasi-Welsh Musical Confluence & Pre-Celebration of International Women’s Day” at MIT University of Meghalaya, Lyngdoh highlighted the city’s development since the 1840s. He noted that the arrival of missionaries, who introduced the Roman script to the Khasi people in 1841-42, laid the foundations for modern education and institutions, including the Dr. H. Gordon Roberts Hospital in 1922.
Lyngdoh also noted the city’s connection to John Shepherd Barron, born at Roberts Hospital in 1925, and recalled visits by figures such as Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama. He mentioned that India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, stayed at the residence of J.J.M. Nichols Roy in Kualapati while discussing the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Other prominent visitors included Nobel laureate C.V. Raman and freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.
Regarding International Women’s Day, Lyngdoh said the occasion holds unique weight in Meghalaya due to the matrilineal system of the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo communities.
“For us, International Women’s Day is not merely a day of celebration but something deeply embedded in our social fabric. Respect for mothers, daughters, and women is part of our cultural DNA,” he said.
The event, organised by MIT University of Meghalaya in collaboration with the Department of Arts and Culture, aimed to foster connections by blending Khasi and Welsh musical traditions. Lyngdoh expressed hope that Shillong would continue to serve as a hub for scholars and thinkers.
