Meghalaya gets its own state anthem, but a controversy has sparked. Here's the full story

January 21 saw the 52nd statehood day of Meghalaya. On this day, the state government released the official anthem of the state in the ceremony. The release of the official state anthem is seen as a great historic moment for the state. However, what comes as a surprising observation is the fact that the state anthem was not played anywhere in the state five days later, that is on Republic Day.

Next, the notices by the government clear the air, as they say, that the state anthem shouldn't be played at present. This is because the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the anthem is actually not prepared yet. The conclusion is that the anthem is put on hold right now. A controversy related to the languages in the anthem is also in the air. Let's understand the story properly.

The anthem and the controversy

The state anthem of Meghalaya is about two minutes long. It comprises segments in three distinct languages. These languages are English, Garo, and Khasi. However, the Jaintia and the Pnar language were not represented in the anthem. This has resulted in discontent among many.

What also makes many frowns upon the state anthem of Meghalaya is the fact that it includes the English language. For instance, the Jaintia Students' Union argued that the state of Meghalaya is actually "promoting a foreign language" in the state anthem. The Students' Union also expressed that instead of including the English language in the state anthem of Meghalaya, the state government should have considered incorporating the dialects of the tribes. The Union stated that the state government should have included the Garo, Jaintia, and Khasi dialects.

There are three important communities in Meghalaya- Garos, Jaintias, and Khasis. These three communities are matrilineal. However, in the Scheduled Tribes of the state, the Jaintias and Khasis are included. These two communities together account for over 14.1 lakh people in the state (as per the 2011 Census information). On the other hand, the Garos account for 8.21 lakh of the population. In total, the population of the state of Meghalaya is 29.7 lakh.

The Jaintia community argued that the Pnar language should be included in the state anthem. The Pnar language isn't incorporated in the anthem, and this has made the Jaintia community of Meghalaya feel neglected. The community insisted that it holds a distinct identity and history. The community argued that it holds a unique culture and great historical and administrative significance, and thus, the Pnar language holds an important place in the anthem of the state.

Reaction of the state government

The state government of Meghalaya strongly defends the choice of language in the state anthem with the help of the Meghalaya State Language Act of 2005. The National People's Party-led government expressed that the English language has been designated as the official language as per the Meghalaya State Language Act of 2005. It also says that while English is designated as the official language, the Garo and Khasi have been designated as the associate official languages. Conrad Sangma, the Chief Minister of the state argued that for making changes in the state anthem, amendments will be required to take place for the relevant Acts.

Additionally, many commentators draw similarities in the Jaintia and Khasi communities. In order to strengthen this point, the Arts and Culture Minister expresses that the two communities have common ancestry and shared origin myths.