Shillong, June 23: Swathed in mist, Laitkynsew village evoked memories of Professor George Gilbert Swell as the family of the former MP, ambassador and teacher opened a museum dedicated to him.

The village, overlooking the plains of neighbouring Bangladesh, is around 67 km from here, and was founded in 1625.

Soaked in rain, with a heady aroma of damp earth and greenery enveloping the hamlet, Laitkynsew was where the Hill State Movement leader grew up and later had a vision to make Meghalaya "a patch of beauty and grace and a shining outpost of India".

The George Gilbert Swell Memorial Museum, which stands close to the ancestral home of the departed leader, will be opened to the public in August.

Those who wish to know about the life and times of the former parliamentarian will acquire a pictorial glimpse of the man who contested the presidential elections in 1992 against Shankar Dayal Sharma. The photographs at the museum depicted Swell's illustrious career as an academician, a politician, a diplomat and a karate practitioner.

The inauguration of the museum yesterday was graced by Meghalaya home minister Roshan Warjri and legislators Jemino Mawthoh and T.W. Chyne in the presence of Swell's family members, well-wishers and villagers of Laitkynsew.

The construction of the museum began in December last year, and was an initiative undertaken by Swell's daughter Lakyntiew Lyngdoh Watrous and her daughter Yarissa Lyngdoh Sommer to commemorate his service to the people.

Lakyntiew said the idea of constructing the museum just "came out of the blue".

"But we went for it, and put our money and our hearts into it. We started constructing this museum in December last year, and amazingly, in seven months, with the help of the workers, we were able to build it," she said.

Adding that she had a large collection of all of her late father's photographs, Lakyntiew said, " Through this museum, we are able to make his image alive again."

However, the museum is yet to house Swell's speeches, especially those he made during his tenure as a parliamentarian, both in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The famous excerpt from one of Swell's speeches - "To make Meghalaya a patch of beauty and grace and a shining outpost of India" was made on the floor of the Lok Sabha. Lakyntiew said a researcher would be required to go into Swell's speeches so that people, especially students, would get to read the speeches made in Parliament. "He was a great orator. He could move the hearts of those in Parliament," she added.

There are many like Chyne, who represents Sohra constituency, who lament the fact that leaders are no longer remembered despite of their contributions to the state and the nation.

Speaking at the inauguration, Chyne said society consumes a lot of time to remember, but can forget in a matter of time. "He (Swell) was a man of principles and one who felt proud of being a Khasi. Although he was a prominent figure who also actively took part in the Hill State Movement (a movement to demand a separate state from Assam), the present generation does not know the man," Chyne lamented. He, however, expressed the hope that the museum would serve as a centre which would make people aware about Swell and his contributions and achievements.

Lakyntiew echoed similar sentiments where she lamented that the current generation no longer knew its founding fathers.

"It is high time for schools to have a subject on the history of Meghalaya. Let the young people in the schools learn about their history," she said.

She was hopeful that others would be encouraged to open museums to promote the founding leaders of the state.

One of the write-ups in the museum noted that utilising his degree in Master of Arts in English from Calcutta University, Swell took up a position as instructor of English in Harar, Ethiopia, in 1952 where he taught higher secondary students.

The Ethiopian experience, which lasted until 1956, was significant as it permitted Swell to assume college-level professorial positions in Shillong, and helped provide a platform for his subsequent ambassadorial assignments.

Swell taught English at St Anthony's College and Lady Keane College in Shillong between 1956 and 1962. Between 1948 and 1951, he was a lecturer as at St Anthony's College.

From 1962 until his demise in January 1999, Swell was actively involved in politics where he also served as ambassador of India to Norway and Iceland (1977-1980). Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appointed him as ambassador to Burma (now Myanmar) from 1980 to 1984.

In 1985, he also headed the Indian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly.

Known for his keen interest in a healthy and active lifestyle, another display pointed out that Swell had won recognition for body-building and he even progressed to a black belt in karate and staged exhibitions of muscular prowess even as late as during his ambassadorship in Burma.