Shillong: Jowai residents marked World Folklore Day on Saturday at the District Library Auditorium in Mynthong. The Meghalaya Society for Cultural and Folklore (MeSCaF) hosted the day-long event alongside the Department of Cultural and Creative Studies at NEHU, Shillong, and the Kiang Nangbah Government College.
The event drew a crowd of local leaders and academics. Attendees included Chief Guest and Daloi of Elaka Jowai Puramon Kynjing, Guest of Honour and District Librarian Wanphrang Gassah, Prof Desmond Kharmawphlang, Hercules Toi, and KNGC principal Dr Rimika Lanong. MeSCaF leaders Pynjanai Mallai and Barikupar Paswett also joined the proceedings.
Speakers hammered home the need to save indigenous music, languages, and traditional practices. Kynjing told the audience to value and use the skills passed down by their ancestors. Folklore matters. Gassah echoed this sentiment, noting that heritage must survive alongside modern development. He stated, "Folklore serves as a bridge between the past and the future."
The organization is still young. MeSCaF launched just one year ago, yet Prof Kharmawphlang confirmed the group has already staged events in Shillong and Jowai. Plans to grow its reach across the state are already moving forward. The celebration concluded with displays of local oral traditions and cultural customs designed to ignite interest in the next generation.
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