Nat’l symposium ends with call for preserving heritage
[ Karda Natam ]
JOLLANG, Nov 25: Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju stressed on the importance of preserving culture and tradition to protect the identity of a community.
Rijiju was addressing the valedictory function of the two-day national symposium titled ‘Arunachal Pradesh: Known to unknown’ at the Art of Living centre here on Sunday.
“We need to grow with the modern outlook but should never forget our own culture and tradition in the name of modernization,” Rijiju said in his keynote speech on ‘Inclusive cultural ethos of Arunachal Pradesh’.
He called for introspection with regard to preservation of the state’s cultural heritage.
“The tribal community has strong indigenous knowledge system which we must document directly from the nyibus, not from the western writers,” he said.
Rijiju said the feeling of patriotism is a unique trait of the Arunachalees. “Arunachalees feel proud when they speak Hindi rather than their own dialect, which is really a noble gesture of patriotism,” he said.
Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy in his address highlighted the important aspects of the Northeast region, particularly Arunachal Pradesh, as a potential tourist hotspot.
“Due to lack of proper individual knowledge there are cultural and ethnic differences in India,” the governor said, and called for protection and preservation of the cultural ethos of the indigenous people of Arunachal.
Tripura Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma also emphasized on the preservation of one’s culture and tradition. He said each one of the Northeast states has its distinct culture and tradition, and called upon the intellectuals to bring awareness on the unique cultural heritage of the Northeast region to other parts of the country.
