Shillong, April 29: The History Department organised a Guest Lecture on the Thursday in the Conference Hall of the College on the topic, “Hill State Movement and the Emergence of Meghalaya”.
The lecture was delivered by Prof. A. Banshan Syiem Kharkongor, Department of History, Union Christian College. The program was attended by the Principal, Dr. (Mrs.) E. Kharkongor, the Vice Principal, Prof. K. D. Roy, teachers and students from the different departments of the College.
The Principal, Dr. (Mrs.) E. Kharkongor, in her speech stressed upon the fact that the youth of today are faced with many challenges due to changes in all aspects of society. She therefore, encouraged the students to prepare themselves for such challenges as they will determine the future of the State and the Nation.
The Department of History, Shillong College felt the need for a lecture on this topic, “Hill State Movement and the Emergence of Meghalaya”, as it is relevant for the understanding of the history of the State which also forms part of the course of study. It was also felt that the topic is most appropriate as the State of Meghalaya is commemorating its fifty years of Statehood in 2022.
Prof. A. Banshan Syiem Kharkongor has done a comprehensive study on the area and has a number of publications to his credit. His most important work is the book that he recently published and released, The Hill State Movement in Meghalaya: A Socio-Historical Narrative, which was published by the Arts and Culture Department, Government of Meghalaya, in commemoration of its fifty years of Statehood.
In his lecture, Prof. Kharkongor stressed on the factors leading to the Hill State Movement, how it transitioned from a Movement that was confined to the political elite and progressed to a mass social movement in its later stages.
It also saw the participation of the youth as well as women. An interesting point of note is that songs, slogans and poems became an integral part of mass demonstrations in the Hill State Movement.
They were instrumental in galvanising and whipping up the passion of the masses. The lecture was concluded withthe point that Meghalaya was inaugurated as an Autonomous State on 2nd April 1970 and as a full-fledged state on January 21st, 1972.
The Guest Lecture was beneficial for both students and teachers alike. It brought to light a number of lesser-known facts and information about the State of Meghalaya and its history.
