Tura, May 25, 2025: The screening of the documentary film ‘Because We Did Not Choose’ at the Tura District Auditorium on May 24, 2025, served as a historic and emotional convergence of memory, truth and justice. This remarkable film, directed by the acclaimed film maker, Wanphrang Diengdoh, offers a bold and necessary intervention in our national narrative, shedding light on the long-forgotten ‘Garo Labour Corps’ and other indigenous communities from Northeast, India who were forcefully recruited during the ‘First World War’, under British colonial rule. The screening marked not only a cultural event but also a moral reckoning a call to remember those who were silenced by empire and time.
The film is a work of meticulous scholarship and cinematic grace. Through poignant interviews, archival research and deeply reflective narration, Because We Did Not Choose, uncovers the untold sacrifices made by indigenous labourers who crossed oceans and warzones without ever being honoured by the state they served. In doing so, it restores dignity to their memory and raises profound questions about historical justice, recognition and reparative truth.
The documentary’s screening in Tura was made even more significant by the virtual presence of Wanphrang Diengdoh himself, who joined the audience live via video conferencing from the United Kingdom. His dialogue with the people of Garo Hills was both intellectually stirring and emotionally healing. He addressed complex questions of identity, marginalization, and colonial amnesia with clarity and humility. His presence turned the screening into a powerful act of collective remembrance and intellectual resistance.
It is important to recognize that this event took place in the wake of the unjust demolition of the Garo Labour Corps memorial cenotaph a monument that once stood as a solemn tribute to our forebears. Its destruction has left a void not only in our landscape but in our hearts. In such a context, the screening became more than a film viewing it became a public affirmation of our right to remember and to be remembered, said Social Activist Cherian Momin.
“I extend my deepest gratitude to the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad K. Sangma, for his generous financial support, which made this screening possible. His contribution reflects a meaningful commitment to honouring historical truth and supporting indigenous initiatives that seek justice and remembrance. Special thanks are also due to filmmaker Wanphrang Diengdoh for his unwavering dedication to story telling as historical recovery, to Dr. Milton S. Sangma for his scholarly leadership and to all historians, students, scholars and the entire team of the Joint NGOs Forum, whose dedication and labour made this event a collective act of cultural revival” said Momin.
As a son of Garo Hills and a lifelong advocate for justice, “I, Cherian Momin, affirm that we shall continue to remember, reclaim, and resist. The Garo Labour Corps may not have chosen war, but today, we choose to remember them with honour, truth, and purpose” he added.
