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| Gregory S. Kharmalki receives the Diamond Pin award from Princess Soamsawali. A Telegraph picture |
When Gregory S. Kharmalki, a lecturer of Assumption University, Thailand, was bestowed with the prestigious Diamond Pin award of Thailand, the people of Meghalaya gloated with pride.
The award was recently conferred on Kharmalki by Princess Soamsawali in recognition of his contribution towards the advancement of higher education in the Kingdom of Thailand.
Kharmalki was the health education officer of Meghalaya from 1978 to 1988.
In 1989, he joined Assumption University as a lecturer in Business English and in 1994, he started teaching community health nursing in the same university. He was, however, sent back to the English department because of his expertise in teaching.
Though he is away from Shillong, Kharmalki has not forgotten his roots. As he is fluent in Thai language, he is now compiling a list of Thai words that have affinity to the Khasi language.
In another recent study, he was able to identify one or two ethnic Chinese communities in the Yunnan province, having family customs and culture similar to the Khasis.