Shillong, Oct 15: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday inaugurated the year-long centenary celebrations of Rilbong, one of Shillong’s historic neighbourhoods, marking 100 years of the locality, the Rilbong Durga Puja and the Rilbong Sanatan Hindu Dharma Sabha.
Arts and Culture Minister Shanbor Shullai and community leaders attended the inaugural programme, which celebrated Rilbong’s legacy of cultural diversity, communal harmony and public service.
Addressing the gathering, Sangma congratulated residents for preserving the neighbourhood’s distinct identity and highlighted the contributions of individuals from different communities to Shillong’s social, cultural and institutional development.
Reflecting on the posthumous Trailblazers Awards presented during the programme, the Chief Minister paid tribute to 25 personalities who shaped the city’s public life over the past century.
“These extraordinary individuals were there in difficult times, yet one thing common among all of them is that they did not give up and consistently pursued what they wanted,” he said.
Sangma expressed gratitude to the awardees’ families and stressed that their legacy should be carried forward by upholding their principles and ideals.
The awards were selected by an advisory panel chaired by former Chief Secretary D.P. Wahlang. The recipients represented diverse fields, including literature, politics, education, healthcare, culture and public service.
The awardees included U Soso Tham, Rev. J.J.M. Nichols Roy, Babu Jeebon Roy, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, Mavis Dunn Lyngdoh, Neil Nongkynrih, Khan Saheb Amjad Ali, Ardhendu Chaudhuri, Bibhu Bhushan Chaudhuri, Sudhindra Bhushan Chaudhuri, Jyotindra Nath Chaudhuri, Saradamanjori Datta, Dr. Basudeb Datta Roy, Dr. Pulin Behari Deb, Dr. Bidhu Bhusan Dutta, Rai Saheeb Shivnath Dutta, Primrose Garfield Gatphoh, Jeewan Ram Goenka, Hopewell Elias Khariong, Brington Buhai Lyngdoh, Dr. Homiwell Lyngdoh, Babu Wilson Reade, E.N. Shullai, Ratanlal Singhania and Col. Puran Bahadur Thapa.
Family members travelled from the United States, Delhi, Kolkata, Dibrugarh and other places to receive the honours on behalf of the awardees.
As part of the government’s support for community-led development and heritage preservation, Sangma handed over a sanction letter for ₹25 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund (CMSDF) to the Rilbong Sanatan Hindu Dharma Sabha.
The Chief Minister said the government supported neighbourhood development through Dorbar Shnongs, residents’ committees and local bodies, alongside wider urban development programmes. He added that cultural and heritage infrastructure received assistance through the Departments of Arts and Culture and Tourism, the North Eastern Council and the CMSDF.
Located near the Umshyrpi River, Rilbong also holds a place in Shillong’s literary history. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore stayed at Jitbhumi in the neighbourhood during his 1923 visit to Shillong. His association with the Khasi Hills is linked to works including portions of his play Raktakarabi (Red Oleanders).
Established as a locality in the 1920s, when Shillong served as the capital of undivided Assam under British rule, Rilbong developed into a multicultural neighbourhood where Khasi, Bengali, Assamese, Nepali and Marwari communities lived alongside one another.
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