Meghalaya Speaker announces ₹2 Lakh grant to preserve Garo Labour Corps Legacy

108th Garo Labour Corps Day observed in Tura; call to include WWI heroes in school curriculum

Tura, July 16: Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma on Thursday announced a grant of ₹2 lakh from his MLA scheme to support research on the Garo Labour Corps, while calling for the heroic contribution of the World War I volunteers to be included in school textbooks.

The announcement came during the 108th Garo Labour Corps Day celebrations at the District Auditorium in Tura, where the sacrifices of the Garo men who served on the battlefields of France during World War I were commemorated.

Addressing the gathering as chief guest, Sangma said the story of the Garo Labour Corps deserved greater recognition and should be documented to inspire future generations. He urged young people to emulate the courage, discipline and sense of duty displayed by the volunteers, many of whom never returned home.

To strengthen efforts to preserve the region’s history, the Speaker announced financial assistance for the research subcommittee documenting the Garo Labour Corps.

The day began with a wreath-laying ceremony at a temporary cenotaph in Ringrey, followed by a police salute by personnel of the District Police and 2nd MLP, Goeragre, and a two-minute silence in memory of the fallen. Fr. Januarius S. Sangma led the opening prayer.

At the auditorium, retired MCS officer and former Fisheries Director Chryslin T. Sangma recounted the arduous journey of the Garo Labour Corps, while 17 descendant families of the volunteers were honoured with commemorative mementoes. Fr. Januarius S. Sangma, grandson of Labour Corps member Rashal Ch. Momin, paid an emotional tribute to his grandfather, describing him as a lifelong inspiration.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, PHE and Housing Minister Marcuise N. Marak said the research committee was working to ensure that every Garo volunteer who served in the war is properly recognised.

He said while 500 men were initially selected, only 456 reached France, and just 54 names currently appear on the existing cenotaph. The committee now plans to include the names of all identified volunteers in the upcoming Garo Labour Corps War Memorial and Museum.

Marak said construction of the permanent memorial at Babupara is about 90 per cent complete, although labour shortages caused by unrest earlier this year have delayed its completion.

The minister also said he had requested financial support from Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma for the heritage project and asked the research committee to prepare a detailed budget covering documentation, logistics and operational expenses.

The annual observance concluded with cultural performances by students of Harding Theological College, Bosco Mount, Rongkhon, and the Do-kaku Art & Cultural Association, underscoring the continuing efforts to keep alive the legacy of the Garo Labour Corps—whose return to Tura on July 16, 1918, remains one of the defining chapters in the history of the Garo Hills.

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