SHILLONG:
The legislator of Nongpoh constituency, Mayralborn Syiem, has said that preservation of culture includes the language, dresses and lifestyle.
“In today’s world, in the pursuit of knowledge, we have forgotten our roots. It may be in the way we dress, the language we speak or our lifestyle and the way we conduct ourselves,” Syiem said.
Syiem was speaking at the inauguration of a weaving, handloom and handicraft unit at Mawphrow, Khad-Ar Lyngdoh, Ri Bhoi district on Saturday. He said that when he was a student studying in Shillong, some of his friends who were from Ri Bhoi when they met together felt ashamed to speak the Bhoi dialect.
“If we are in Laban (Shillong), Kolkata, or New York, or London, among ourselves we should speak our own language,” the Nongpoh MLA said.
He reminded that the state is fighting to get the Khasi and Garo languages to be recognised in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
“We want to preserve the language that we speak. But in the Assembly we still have to speak in English because Khasi has not been recognised in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” Syiem said.
Meanwhile, the MDC of Umsning constituency, Magdalyne Sawkmie Mawlong, has said that the women and youths have an important role to play in the society wherein they are contributing towards the betterment and economic development of the society.
She said that this weaving unit will promote the making of traditional fabrics and dresses.
The MDC said that as people’s representatives they too have a role to play in socio-economic development in the district as well as the state.
“Weaving is one such avenue (to uplift) and also an opportunity to give employment to the youths,” Mawlong added.
She said that as a member of the district council, which is an institution that protects and looks after the interests of the indigenous people, it has a role to uplift economic development, preserve culture.
The Umsning MDC lamented the fact that most of the indigenous people are beginning to forget their roots.
“We should be proud that we are rich in our language, the traditional dresses that we wear, and the songs and dances that we have,” Mawlong added.