Shillong: Rilbong kicked off a year of centenary celebrations last Thursday by honoring 25 figures who shaped Shillong and the wider Northeast. The awards recognize giants in literature, medicine, politics, and sport. Families flew in from the United States, Delhi, Kolkata, Dibrugarh, and Shillong to accept posthumous honors.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma attended as chief guest. He urged the next generation to act on the lessons left by these pioneers. "Call on the younger generation to uphold the principles and ideals of those honoured and to carry their legacy forward," Sangma said.
The list of honorees spans a century of growth. Khan Sahib Amjad Ali earned recognition for his 19th-century Khasi poetry and his 1905 work establishing the Laban dispensary. Literary legends Soso Tham, Primrose Garfield Gatphoh, and scholar Dr. Homiwell Lyngdoh received awards for their deep influence on Khasi history and language.
Journalism and public life stood out through Sudhindra Bhushan Chaudhuri, who started The Shillong Times in 1945, and Parsvanath Chaudhuri. Political heavyweights included J.J.M. Nichols-Roy, a Constituent Assembly member instrumental in drafting the Sixth Schedule, along with Babu Wilson Reade and three-time Chief Minister B.B. Lyngdoh. Mavis Dunn Lyngdoh gained recognition as the first Khasi woman to serve as an MLA and a cabinet minister.
The region's educational and civic backbone was marked by Saradamanjori Datta, E.N. Shullai, Babu Jeebon Roy, Bibhu Bhushan Chaudhuri, and Rabindra Nath Bisarad. Medical history featured Dr. Pulin Behari Deb, who opened Shillong Medical Stores in 1919, and Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy for his early 1920s development work. Municipal pioneer Rai Saheb Shivanath Dutta, researchers Dr. Basudeb Datta Ray and Dr. Bidhu Bhushan Dutta, choir founder Neil Nongkynrih, footballer Col. Puran Bahadur Thapa, and entrepreneurs Jeewan Ram Goenka and Ratanlal Singhania also received awards. Former MLA Ardhendu Chaudhuri rounded out the list for his civic service.
South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai appeared as guest of honor. Organizers Manas Chaudhuri and D.P. Wahlang framed the events as a mission to lock in the history of the region. The year-long program intends to document exactly how these individuals forged modern Meghalaya.
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