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KOKRAJHAR: A symposium on 'Preserving and Promoting Indigenous Knowledge. Connecting People: The Revitalization of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Northeast India' sponsored by the North Eastern Council, Ministry of DoNER was held on Saturday at Bodoland University (BU), Kokrajhar, Assam. The symposium was attended by dignitaries from Bhutan and the North-eastern states.
The Bhutan team was represented by Dawa Penjor, Secretary General of Bhutan-India Friendship Association (BIFA) and Kamal Pradhan, the Vice-President of Bhutan Chamber of Commerce & Industries, and Kamala Nepal, Managing Director of Alliance International Travels. The distinguished delegates who represented different departments under the state and central governments of India were R Lalrodingi, Director of Tourism and OSD to the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Adela Moa, Director of Art & Culture, Dr Soumitra Mishra, senior official from the Tourism & Industries Sector of NEC, and Dr Sujata Dutta Hazarika, Senior Regional Director of IGNOU, Kolkata, and Pami Brahma, Secretary, Department of Tourism, BTC among others.
Chaired and inaugurated by Vice-Chancellor of Bodoland University Prof BL Ahuja, the symposium served as an enlightening platform, drawing attention to the urgent need for the preservation and revitalisation of indigenous knowledge systems. The keynote address was delivered by Raju Narzary, General Secretary of the UPPL, who stressed upon the need to document and retrieve indigenous knowledge for its extraordinary ability to observe natural patterns and for its potential to offer sustainable ways of living.
Presentation given by Bodoland University team, consisting of faculty members from different disciplines, suggested the creation of a framework for integrating indigenous knowledge into academic and community settings and proposed strategies for improving economic viability for the traditional knowledge bearers, while a presentation given by Dr Amar Deep Soren, a faculty member of Zoology department, B Borooah College, Guwahati, focused on traditional knowledge and medicine. Increased visibility for the cultural heritage of Northeast India, practical initiatives that would benefit local communities, ecological sustainability, and the promotion of cultural and eco tourism were the subjects explored and discussed upon.
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