Prof Nongkynrih passes away

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaFebruary 20, 2021

Professor A Kyrham Nongkynrih from the sociology department in the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) passed away after a brief illness on Saturday. He was 58.

Condolence messages began pouring in immediately after the news of his demise.

The Meghalaya Confederation for Academic Welfare (MeCAW) termed Nongkynrih as a renowned sociologist and public intellectual and said “We fondly remember his contributions towards awareness building on any social cause by educating the public on thinking and understanding society from a deeper perspective.

Indeed Prof Nongkynrih emerged as a towering thinker of his time and youth of Meghalaya and the region looked for his able guidance and directions.

His demise would create a vacuum that is not easily to be filled up in the coming days.”

Nongkynrih, also a founding member and vice chairman of NESFAS, played a big role in advocating the works and beliefs of the organisation.

“He was a man of great intellect and vision who contributed immensely to the cause of preserving traditional knowledge, the indigenous food systems and advocating the role of women participation.

He dedicated himself to building bridges to a better future and in this way, he touched the lives of all of us and especially the community members in the rural areas.

He strongly believed that traditional farming is one of the many ways that we can preserve our traditional knowledge in this region. One of his aims was to defend the local food systems in the state,” NESFAS said in a condolence message.

Nongkynrih, also a noted sociologist, played an active role during the Indigenous Terra Madre hosted by NESFAS in 2015 in Mawphlang, East Khasi Hills as a speaker and a panelist. He was also a founding member of the Indigenous People Assistance Facility Grant Committee 2006, UN-IFAD.

Meanwhile, the service for his funeral will be held at 12:00 noon at Pdengshnong Sohra and will be laid to rest at the Catholic Church cemetery, Sohra on February 23.