Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma inaugurated the third edition of the ‘Tri Hills Ensemble’ on Thursday at the U Soso Tham Auditorium in Shillong, alongside Arts and Culture Minister Paul Lyngdoh and Mitchell Theaker, Head of India for the Welsh Government.
The event highlighted the rich cultural diversity of Meghalaya’s three prominent tribes—Khasi, Jaiñtia, and Garo. The festival, which also commemorated Jan Jatiya Gaurav Diwas, offered a platform to showcase the state’s indigenous arts, crafts, and cultural heritage.
“This festival is a celebration of our culture, our society, and our people,” said CM Conrad K Sangma during the inauguration.
“Through this festival, we aim to showcase the rich diversity and cultural identity of our people," he added.
Emphasising the importance of culture, the Chief Minister noted, “Culture has a lot of power and potential as it connects us to our roots, our past, our unique identity and distinguishes us from the crowd. As a form of soft power, we are trying to harness this potential and release it for constructive purposes.”
Sangma further explained that the state government has envisioned a roadmap to inspire the younger generation to embrace their cultural heritage.
“We want our people to be proud of our culture, customs and language,” he added. The government has also tailored various programmes to promote art, music, literature, and ancient wisdom.
He lauded the Arts and Culture Department for its efforts in revamping the Captain Williamson Sangma Museum and urged the use of technology to enhance visitor experiences.
“Our events and festivals celebrate the richness of the state,” he said.
Sangma also encouraged the Department of Education to make it mandatory for educational institutions to visit the museum to learn about the state's cultural diversity.
The Chief Minister’s Research Fellowship programme was also discussed, with 50 scholars already documenting various aspects of the state's people and culture.
“Our identity is our culture, our pride. It is imperative that we showcase and conserve the wisdom of our forefathers in different fields and take it to global prominence,” he stated.
The event saw the launch of the official web portal for the Arts and Craft Village and the release of two significant books.
One of these, “A Synthesis of Rhythm & Art,” documents the cultural dances of Meghalaya. Another book titled “U Spor na Thwei Pyrkhat” was launched by Banjop Leo Gregory Kharmalki, alongside “KOT (Khasi Old Testament)” by Raphael Warjri.
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