Shillong, Jan 25 (PTI) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Saturday flagged off a cultural carnival here held as part of the weeklong celebrations that started on Meghalaya Statehood Day on January 21 and will culminate on Republic Day.

Addressing the gathering of participants, Sangma said, "We felt that it would be appropriate to connect Meghalaya Day and Republic Day by having a series of programmes that would bring out the patriotism and a strong feeling of being a Meghalayan and an Indian."

The chief minister took part in the carnival by walking along with cultural troupes and people from all walks of life.

He hoped that the celebrations will become bigger in the future.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)