Guwahati: The chief minister of Meghalaya Conrad K. Sangma officially inaugurated the second edition of Shillong Literary Festival on Monday at Ward’s Lake.
The Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, addressed the crowd and stated that although it was only introduced last year owing to COVID, it was planned to have the festival as an annual calendar event starting in 2018–19.
“However it is a huge improvement from the 1st Edition as we move along I hope that this will become one of the best festivals not just in India but globally,” Sangma said.
Sangma added that the Literary Festival is intended to honour writers and authors as well as to encourage young people to pursue writing careers, particularly young students, in order to foster a love of reading and literature.
“This festival will also allow you to meet different writers, listen to them, and one-to-one really interacts with them and these interactive sessions can leave a very strong memory and a strong impact on your mind,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that the event would project Shillong as an activity-based tourism destination. “The policies and programs of the government work towards trying to make Shillong and Meghalaya a high-end tourism destination which we feel that we have a huge potential in,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that efforts are on to take the State forward with a goal of making the State among the Top 10 States in the ensuing years.
“To be able to do that requires us to do things that are meaningful in different sectors like Sports and Youth Affairs, Tourism, Health, Education, and Agriculture,” he said.
The challenges that the State faces, he continued include urbanisation and its associated issues with traffic, pollution, deforestation, the youth drug epidemic and environmental concerns. He urged writers to consider these challenges and reflect them in their writings so that readers across the nation and the globe will be able to relate to them.
The Chief Minister said the youth are another very important aspect of the government in his remarks to the youth who had attended the festival in large numbers.
“I am so happy to see so many of the young people here today and this has been done for you. I want to tell you that I strongly believe that you are the greatest strength of this nation and I want to ensure that we give you the opportunity to be able to be shaped in the right manner in Sports, Music, or Fashion,” he said.
The three-day Literary Festival honours literature, the culture of Meghalaya as well as other diverse cultures and traditions and it gives the public a glimpse into the diverse range of artistic mediums.