PASIGHAT, 7 Sep: The two-day national seminar on ‘Faith and Identity: Traditional Worldviews and Institutionalised Religions in Arunachal Pradesh’, organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru College (JNC), in collaboration with MAKAIS, concluded here in East Siang district on Wednesday.
During the seminar, which was coordinated by JNC English department faculty members Dr S Bennerjee and Abani Doley, eminent scholar Kaling Borang expressed concern over “the eroding value system of indigenous people and disintegration of socio-cultural fabric of the tribal society, especially the Adi society, during recent decades.”
He opined that “in oral tradition, the abangs of Adis trace the origin of human beings to a single womb, ‘Pedong Nane’, and thus teaches us the lesson of universal brotherhood and sense of fraternity.”
He appealed to the participants as well as the community members to preserve and protect the age-old faith, customs and traditions.
MAKAIS vice chairman Prof KC Baral spoke about “the various aspects of faith, culture, identity, and institutionalised religion in general, specifically in the context of Arunachal Pradesh.”
He said that, in the context of modernity and progress, smaller communities in a state like Arunachal face the toughest challenges in terms of education, script and language.
“Despite insignificant numerical strength, the Adi society and its cultural identity has many significant things to offer for the global society at large,” he said.
Considering the theological importance of Donyi-Poloism, Prof Baral stressed the need for “more literary activities, especially publication of books on local culture and tradition.”
Thirty-six research papers were presented by scholars from different colleges and universities all over the country during the two-day seminar.
