RONO HILLS, 26 Jul: Two PhD scholars of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) – Mudang Onju from the sociology department and Taba Yami from the Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies – have been nominated by the university authority to participate in an international summer camp in Tokyo, Japan, under the Hiroshima Orizuru Fellowship programme, supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF).
The Hiroshima University-Sasakawa Peace Foundation-Columbia University Summer Course on Peace and Sustainability-2025 is scheduled from 2 to 10 August at Hiroshima University, Tokyo campus. The programme will bring together young researchers from across the globe to engage in a thematic clinic on ‘Conflict and Collaboration in Natural Resource Management – Advancing Positive Peace and the SDGs’.
Onju and Yami will gain hands-on exposure through workshops, academic sessions, field visits, and collaborative research activities designed to enhance their understanding of environmental conflicts, peace-building, and sustainable development.
In a formal sending-off ceremony held here on Friday, RGU Vice-Chancellor (i/c) Prof SK Nayak said that the scholar nominees attending the programme “will experience synthesized research findings and evidence-based policy recommendations via policy briefs.” Nayak expressed hope that both of them would act as goodwill ambassadors of the university and Arunachal Pradesh, and would be awarded the title of ‘Hiroshima Orizuru Fellow’ on completion of the programme.
RGU Registrar Dr NT Rikam said that this nomination highlights RGU’s commitment to promoting academic excellence and international engagement among its research community.
RGU Finance Officer Prof Otem Padung expressed confidence that the scholars would bring back valuable insights and contribute meaningfully to research at RGU.
Controller of Examination (i/c) Dr David Pertin informed that the main learning objectives for the scholars in Japan would be through a combination of workshops, classroom instructions, field visits and independent research, which would enable them to integrate multiple types of data, “such as quantitative, qualitative, geospatial, etc, to identify the natural resources at stake in an environmental conflict and the technical aspects of sustainable resource management.”
Recalling a crucial meeting held between the representative of the SPF and RGU in the presence of Arunachal East MP Tapir Gao on 23 April at RGU, Dr Pertin lauded Gao for his personal initiative to realize this nomination and academic camaraderie.