DAPORIJO, 25 Oct: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said that every religion should be respected and not criticized.
He said this on the inaugural day of a two-day seminar on ‘Traditional System of Tagin: Change and Continuity’, being organised by the Tagin Cultural Society (TCS), in collaboration with the Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture (VKIC), here in Upper Subansiri district on Saturday.
The DCM also inaugurated the TCS secretariat building-cum-Tagin Heritage Centre here on the occasion.
He lauded the TCS for its efforts in preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Tagin community, and commended it for its continued role in fostering awareness, education, and unity, and for safeguarding traditional values, language, and customs.
“Apart from documenting the traditional chanting of the priests, we need to translate it into a simple language for the younger generations to understand, in order to keep our shamanistic traditions alive,” he said. “We must respect every religion, and without criticizing other beliefs, there should be no harm in protecting and practicing our own indigenous cultures and practices.”
Highlighting the importance of inter-generational cultural transmission, the DCM stressed that education and cultural preservation must go hand-in-hand, ensuring that modernization does not come at the cost of indigenous knowledge systems.
“Our oral traditions, folklores, and rituals carry centuries of wisdom. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that they are not lost in translation but carried forward in spirit and understanding,” he said.
Mein also expressed appreciation for the collaborative effort between the TCS and the VKIC, describing it as “a meaningful step towards academic engagement and documentation of Arunachal’s rich indigenous knowledge systems.”
“By combining cultural experience with scholarly research, we are creating a bridge between traditional wisdom and contemporary understanding,” he said.
Mein called upon the people to create congenial atmosphere for development of hydropower projects which would bring socioeconomic development in the region. At the same time, he cautioned against “building ghost structures on the pretext of claiming compensation, which shall not be entertained.”
He said that the government is open to dialogue with any opposing groups if there are any grievances, and asserted that “genuine compensation and rehabilitation package will be provided as per the relief and rehabilitation policy of the state government.”
IPR Minister Nyato Dukam in his address urged the people of Upper Subansiri to welcome development projects in the district “for the future interest,” adding that “disruption and objection of projects/schemes is not a healthy sign of development.”
“If there are discrepancies and doubts over the projects, let’s sit together and discuss it to clear doubts,” he said.
VKIC (Guwahati) chairman Joram Begi said that the VKIC is playing a very vital role in preserving and propagating Indian cultures and age-old cultures and traditions of the Northeast.
Also present on the occasion were MLAs Tanya Soki, Nakap Nalo and Rode Bui, TCS president Largi Rika, VKIC Arunachal chapter chairman Hage Kojin, community elders, scholars, and others. (DCM’s PR Cell, with DIPRO input)
