SHILLONG:
The two-day Festival of Shad Lakhempong, organised by the Raid Nongtung, concluded at Ummat, in the presence of the Syiem Khynnah of Hima Khyrim, Myntri of Hima Khyrim, Syiem of Raid Nongtung and the residents belonging to different communities, living in the border areas of Meghalaya and Assam.
Speaking to The Meghalayan, Secretary of the Raid Nongtung Heronice Masharing said, “We invited the people from others communities to show to the world that we are united irrespective of which community we belong to. The border issue will leave it to the government, but for us, our culture should remain the same.”
Meanwhile, the Syiem Khynnah of Hime Khyrim Habapan Sing Syiem said that through this festival, they want to send a message to the government that they are very much part of Meghalaya as their culture and identity speak for itself.
“But if the government excludes Ummat from Meghalaya after the border talks, we will still consider ourselves as part of Hima Khyrim as this place has been under our Hima since the Hima Shillong”. Syiem added.