He spent decades shaping minds inside the walls of Dera Natung Government College. Now, as Dr MQ Khan walks out of those gates for the last time as principal, an entire literary community has made sure the goodbye is worth remembering.
A Room Full of Students Who Never Forgot
The Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society (APLS) gathered for its 154th monthly sitting on August 23 in Itanagar — and this one had a different kind of weight to it. The evening was dedicated to bidding farewell to Dr MQ Khan, who superannuated as principal of Dera Natung Government College (DNGC) on July 31. What struck anyone watching the room was this: many of the members seated there weren’t just colleagues. They were his former students. And the warmth in that auditorium wasn’t ceremonial — it was earned.
What He Built, What He Left Behind
In his farewell address, Dr Khan reflected quietly on a career spent teaching English literature and pushing hard for DNGC’s physical and academic growth. He wasn’t one for grand proclamations. Instead, he turned his words toward the young — urging them to walk the path their teachers have laid down, saying it’s the only road that truly leads somewhere. Simple advice, maybe. But coming from a man who lived it, it landed differently.
APLS president Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi didn’t hold back in his praise either. He spoke of Dr Khan’s vast and profound knowledge of literature, saying both seasoned members and young budding writers of Arunachal had drawn from his wisdom over the years. That kind of generational reach is rare.
“He Will Remain a Member Forever”
Senior members — Nani Kojin, Sokhep Kri, Inumoni Das Thongchi, and Nomi Mega Gumro — each took a moment to speak, sharing memories and marking what Dr Khan had meant to Arunachal’s literary scene. But perhaps the most memorable line of the evening came from APLS General Secretary Mukul Pathak, who said plainly that while APLS may have bid farewell to Dr Khan, he will remain a member of the society forever, wherever he may live. Hard to argue with that.
Poetry, Ghazals, and an Evening Well Spent
The sitting didn’t end with speeches alone. Takhe Yasa, Nomi Mega Gumro, and Tarh Susana read out their poems, filling the room with verse. And then Sokhep Kri took over — performing ghazals and old Hindi songs that, by all accounts, left everyone thoroughly charmed.
That’s the thing about a man like Dr MQ Khan — when you spend a lifetime giving to a community, the community finds a way to give it all back in one room, in one evening, through words and song. What a way to close a chapter.
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