A standout moment at this year’s Shillong Literary Festival emerged from a renewed focus on indigenous storytelling, drawing strong crowds and reaffirming the region’s cultural depth. The three-day festival, held from November 20–22, featured a packed schedule of reviews, discussions, author interactions and cultural showcases, but it was the storytelling segment curated by Riti Academy of Visual Arts that became its defining attraction.

Khasi Cymru Music delivered the programme’s most talked-about performance. The five-member ensemble, all graduates of Martin Luther Christian University’s Department of Music, has been developing a distinctive blend of Khasi and Welsh musical traditions since forming in November 2024 under the Mair Jones Harp Scholarship of the William Mathias Music Centr

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