Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday inaugurated the new office premises of the Shillong Press Club.
The programme was also to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the SPC and the National Press Day.
Addressing the occasion, Sangma said, “I take this opportunity to congratulate and wish you all the very best because I am sure this is a very special day for all of you as this is something which the SPC and its members have been looking forward to for a very long time.”
“Having a permanent office of the SPC is going to bring a lot of stability in the work that you are going to do. It is going to allow you to create that infrastructure and a system that is not just in terms of the office infrastructure but a working system of how the SPC should work,” he added.
The chief minister further emphasized on the need to conduct training for journalists to upgrade themselves in view of the changing times.
“You bring in journalists from outside, you take our journalists outside, let them see, let them feel that they understand that they hear how things are happening outside and other places. Let the other people come in and see how it’s happening. Maybe there’s a lot people can learn from our journalists out here, so I think it’s important to have sensitization programs and training programs,” he opined.
The new office premises of the Shillong Press Club was inaugurated in the presence of eminent dignitaries, Prabin Bakshi, Commissioner and Secretary, Israel Ingty, Secretary, and M Sangma, Director of Information and Public Relations, Meghalaya and a senior member of the Press Council of India, Jaishankar Gupta.
The office is equipped with a conference hall with an audio and LED projection system, a spacious lounge attached to the President’s office, and sufficient working desks for the journalists, aided by internet network facilities.
In order to enhance the ambiance of the new office, the executive committee of the Shillong Press Club has engaged the artists of Riti Academy to provide relevant images for the conference hall with the motive to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Statehood of Meghalaya, the core committee of Shillong Press Club and Riti Academy conceived the idea of a purposeful tribute to the Hill State Movement leaders of the State.
In this respect, a group of eminent and aspiring artists was involved in creating unique artworks, comprising caricatures, illustrations, and tonal artworks of each respective personality of the Hill State Movement.
One segment of the wall was adorned by the first cabinet ministers of the new State of Meghalaya in 1972, which consists of Capt Williamson A Sangma, Chief Minister, and other cabinet ministers, B B Lyngdoh, Edwinson Bareh, and SDD Nichols Roy.
The other segment has the caricatures of eminent dignitaries in the government who are significant people involved in the growth and progress of the State, like Prof Radhon Sing Lyngdoh, Martin N Majaw, P Ripple Kyndiah, and Peter G Marbaniang.
The third wall was occupied by images of important personalities, like Hoover Hynniewta, Darwin D Pugh, Stanling D Khongwir, and Sanford K Marak.
In the subsequent phases, the Shillong Press Club will include some other important leaders of the Hill State Movement to adorn the wall of fame inside the Shillong Press Club premises.