Tura, Dec 7: The entirety of Garo Hills region is ready to resonate with the melodies of the 3-day Me’gong Festival, which starts on Thursday evening, as people eagerly await for the international and local artists to perform at Jengjal Baljek to kick-off early weekend celebrations. But this year’s Me’gong Festival will be slightly different from previous iterations as besides the live-wire music, eclectic songs and revelry, the venue will be hosting a literary fest to inspire and pivot the youth towards cultural preservation of the Garos.

The inaugural edition of Tura Me·gong International Literary Festival (TMILF), scheduled for December 9, 2023, at Baljek – Jengjal, positions itself as a harmonious convergence of oral and written literature. Jointly organized by Don Bosco College and A’chik Literature Society (ALS) under the theme “Literature for Cultural Preservation,” it aims to be unification of the Garo ‘Songsarek’ tradition and the Garo Christian cultures.

The day long programme will see Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma present at the inaugural session. The event will have discussions on Garo folklore, songs, literature and poetry presentations, bringing a number of perspectives into play and, at the same time, orients itself towards contributing to the inclusion of Garo Language in the Eight Schedule.

The concept note on the festival also mentions that the Garos are in a transitional period, crossing over from their ancient oral to written and recorded one. It emphasises that when considering the life and literature of the Garos, it is important to take into account that the Garo tribe is made up of those who follow the indigenous religion known as ‘Songsarek’ on one hand and Christians on the other. Most of the oral wealth rests with the ‘Songsarek’ and the written form is in the hands of the Christians.

However, today the indigenous ‘Songsareks’ remain a mere 10% approximately and with the dwindling ‘Songsarek’ population, most of the chantings, singing, dirges, epic songs, and other oral performances are disappearing or have disappeared altogether. This is where writing and the written literature can come in and help salvage the oral narrations and performances from getting extinct. This is how literature can work as a catalyst for cultural preservation of the Garos.

This is also the reason that Tura Me·gong International Literary Festival become more important as the young generation will draw inspiration from this festival to read, to listen to folk wisdom, to truly live and experience life and then write and contribute to Garo literature.

Me·gong festival 
Meanwhile, following the conclusion of the Literary Festival, in the evening the festival goers would be treated to the melodies of international sensation Vengaboys, who will make the hearts of all those present go ‘Sha-La-La-La-La’. Besides them, the 3-day fusion festival will have performances from soulful maestro Armaan Malik, the legendary Parikrama, and indie-folk sensations When Chai Met Toast besides local popular artists at the main stage. Some of the local artists performing include: Riprap, Colours, Street Stories, Da Suraka, Wann Manda, G-Hills Finest, Saldorik & Dio, Eh Rngiew, Trance Effect, Nokpante, Avora Records, The Do.pos, Chegim Durama, Crack Gang.

The general entry to the event is free, but for those looking for extra comfort and heightened experience, there is the option of VIP seating.

The event will also have Food Court, FC 24 Tournament, beverages, Hot Air Balloon, Kids Play Zone, Karaoke contest, traditional games, graffiti, indigenous fashion, Ferris Wheel, Zipline, Selfie Zones, Flea market, Makers market, along with host of other activities.

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