Shillong, September 9: The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has issued a clarification regarding the State Government’s “Tracing the Roots” initiative, stating that the figure of 75 scholars mentioned during its launch in Tura on September 1 is only an indicative research pool and not a fixed number.
According to the clarification, the initiative will involve scholars, academicians and researchers from within and outside Meghalaya, working in collaboration with universities and research institutions.
The CMO also clarified that the reference to 75 scholars does not mean that all of them will travel abroad. International fieldwork, wherever required, will be undertaken only by smaller and specialised teams based on the specific requirements of the research.
The initiative will remain open to wider participation, and scholars, institutions and community knowledge-holders willing to contribute will be welcome to join the effort as it expands.
“Tracing the Roots” is a State Government initiative being implemented by the Department of Arts and Culture to study and document the origins and historical movements of the Khasi, Jaiñtia and Garo peoples.
The research will draw upon historical studies, oral traditions, linguistics, archaeology, archival research and other allied scientific methods. While oral traditions will be preserved as an important part of the region’s heritage, historical conclusions will be based on evidence examined through established academic methods.
The findings of the initiative are expected to be placed in the public domain through scholarly publications, digital archives and educational resources, the CMO said.
