OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Cultural Affairs Minister Taba Tedir said on Saturday that the state government is working zealously towards the preservation, promotion, and documentation of the rich cultural heritage of various tribes of the state through a proper cultural policy. Inaugurating the Arunachal chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), the minister said that the state is a treasure trove with as many as 26 major tribes and more than 100 sub-tribes with diverse cultures and traditions of their own. He added that research for the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage would greatly benefit the state.
Expressing his happiness at inaugurating the INTACH Arunachal chapter, the minister said that the government is taking various steps for proper documentation of all tangible and intangible cultural heritages of all major tribes. He added that all the museums in the state would be digitized very shortly. “In order to preserve the local dialects, the state government has introduced dialects of twelve tribes as a third language in the curriculum of schools up to class 8,” he said, and he urged the INTACH to take specific steps to preserve those dialects that are on the verge of extinction.
Tedir added that all necessary supports have been provided to include the Thembang village in West Kameng district, the Apatani Cultural Landscape, Ziro in UNESCO world heritage sites, and many more, including Bhalukpong Fort at Paya and Tameshwari Temple Bhismak Nagar, which are in offing to get enlisted in the world heritage site list. Earlier, INTACH Director Capt. (Retd.) Arvind Shukla informed that the INTACH, set up in 1984, is India’s premier heritage conservation organisation, dedicated to preserving and conserving the environment to revitalize India’s intangible heritage, besides fostering awareness and appreciation of its vast multi-faceted cultural heritage. He said that the involvement of citizens in cultural conservation is pertinent, as the government alone cannot protect the heritage, and expressed the need to strengthen the Arunachal chapter in the state through collaboration with various stakeholders for comprehensive documentation of oral traditions, cultural designs, and culturally significant sites.
Also Watch: