GUWAHATI: Located in the dense jungles of Khasi and Jaintia hills in Meghalaya, living root bridges have been sustaining the lives of War Khasi tribal community of the region for centuries.
In an effort to preserve these centuries-old living root bridges, 23-year-old Morningstar Khongthaw has started a foundation, Living Bridge Foundation (LBF) that is dedicated to the preservation of this cultural heritage, according to a report by The Better India.
Morningstar, who calls himself a ‘living bridge activist’ has been involved in the project for about five years.He maintains bridges that need repair and also builds new ones.
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His organisation is trying to spread awareness among the Khasi community about the value of this traditional skill set and art form. LBF currently has 10 members who help raise awareness and conduct programmes and campaigns.
The 23-year-old activist said that this preservation process is his passion and he would want to spread this message for as long as he could.
In addition to preserving his cultural heritage, he is also an advocate for a sustainable and environment-friendly world. Thus, in addition to the preservation of these bridges, Morningstar uses a similar technique to build other creations in the forest which include ladders, swings, seating platforms and even tunnels. He calls this his “living architecture.”
Morningstar is a resident of Rangthylliang village in the Pynursla tehsil of East Khasi Hills district.
