Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday released ‘Ki Dienjat’, a research initiative exploring possible historical, cultural and lifestyle links between the Khasi-Jaintia people and Southeast Asia.
The initiative seeks to revisit the roots and historical connections of the Khasi-Jaintia communities through research into their culture, way of life and historical records.
The launch was attended by Arts and Culture Minister Sanbor Shullai, Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew, Principal Secretary of Arts and Culture, members of the research team and departmental officials.
Speaking at the event, Sangma said Ki Dienjat seeks to reconnect the present generation with its past to better understand the present and shape the future. He said the initiative forms part of ongoing efforts to document, preserve and celebrate Meghalaya’s history and cultural heritage.
The Chief Minister said research based on records from the British colonial period, along with indigenous knowledge and studies by local scholars, has led researchers to explore the possibility that the Khasi and Jaintia people may have originated from regions corresponding to present-day Cambodia and Laos.
Sangma also released the project document and inaugurated the Ki Dienjat Research Room at the Williamson Sangma State Museum in Shillong.
The initiative is part of the Tracing the Roots Project, which seeks to document the history, languages, culture and heritage of Meghalaya’s indigenous communities.
As part of the project, 75 scholars are expected to travel to Vietnam, Cambodia and Tibet to research the origins and historical migration routes of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo communities.
