Meghalaya Youth icon to be crowned today

Shillong, Oct 2 : Meghalaya’s first youth icon will be crowned tomorrow evening at the Aurobindo Institute of Indian Culture.

The top five contenders are Eugene Niangti, Larsing Ming Sawyan, Junestar Kharbuli, Lhai Sing Khongshei and Conrad Sangma.

After weeks of voting by the people through text messages, the five known and unknown heroes were shortlisted from among hundreds.

The winner from among the five personalities will be announced tomorrow.

Avenues, a Shillong-based finishing and communication skills academy, will be hosting the award function to crown the Youth Icon of the Year and honour 15 other icons who have excelled in their fields.

Voting for the youth icon of the year closed at midnight, and till the filing of this report, the academy said over 40,000 votes have been polled.

The youth icon award has been instituted in honour of late R.R. Thomas, a renowned orator and philosopher, who was also the principal of Cotton College, Guwahati.

A panel of judges headed by former home minister R.G. Lyngdoh had selected the 15 other icons.

The winners for the categories include Deepak Laloo (entrepreneurship), Rica Lamar (social work), Moinul Haque Barbhuiya (visual arts), Br Eric S. D’Souza (education), Carmo Noronha (administration in education), Raphael Warjri (media), Dominic Stadlin Wankhar (citizen journalism), Deepak N. Marak (conservation), Vidanisth Marak (tradition and culture), Denis Ryan (eco-tourism), Wallambok Lyngdoh (sports), and Daniel Ingty (advocacy).

Afflatus, Marding Passah and Benedict Skhemlang Hynniewta have been nominated in the creative and performing arts category.