Shillong: Years ago, a group of Shillong postgraduates tried to launch a local literary journal. They faced skepticism from academics who doubted the market for local work. Unexpected help arrived from shopkeepers and meat sellers who paid for the first print run. Mizo poet and Associate Professor Lalnunsanga Ralte recalled this struggle on Thursday during the Shillong Literary Festival at Ward’s Lake.
Ralte, also known as Poormanspoet, argues that Meghalaya has massive talent but lacks the infrastructure to sustain it. The early journal attempt failed because the organizers could not keep asking small donors for money. Ralte noted: “Looking back over the years, I realised those small traders and meat sellers weren’t merely helping a group of struggling young writers.”
The creative scene remains active despite the lack of institutional support. An open-mic event at a previous festival drew over 50 writers and a packed hillside crowd. Local writers are now forming circles to critique drafts and build their own platforms. Ralte teaches literature at Martin Luther Christian University and performs spoken-word poetry focusing on human connection and conflict.
Ralte also wants to change how the region preserves oral traditions. He warns that transcribing folktales loses the emotional depth found in live performance. He urges people to use digital tools to record storytellers in their natural element. He insists that no single recording should be labeled the official version. “A story shifts from district to district, village to village, and even from one household to the next,” Ralte explained. He believes the future of local literature depends on archiving these variations rather than freezing them in time.
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