Government keen to bolster inter-community bond in participatory mode: Nandita Garlosa

GUWAHATI: Assam's Minister for Indigenous and Tribal Faith and Culture, Nandita Garlosa, said on Sunday that the state government has a mandate for strengthening inter-community relationships and consolidating mutual respect among communities through consultation and cooperation among all communities.

Inaugurating a civil society consultation on "Diversity, Inclusion, and Mutual Respect" organised under the joint aegis of the Indigenous and Tribal Faith and Culture Department of Assam and Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture (VKIC) with Aaranyak as knowledge partner, the minister said today's civil society consultation spread over three different sessions: culture and nature. Culture and Society-group discussions and recommendations-were expected to help the government prepare the roadmap for bolstering inter-community respect while preserving the cultural diversity of an inclusive society.

Addressing the inaugural session, internationally acclaimed conservation scientist and Secretary General and CEO of Aaranyak, Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, said, "Directly or indirectly, culture, society, and community are related to nature. Though Aaranyak, a research-based and community-oriented biodiversity conservation organisation, has tread paths in multiple directions during its 34-year journey, the title of today's consultation event is also related to Aaranyak's work. We are keen to assist this initiative within our resources." Dr. Talukdar said, "Nature and biodiversity conservation without the preservation of traditional culture is not complete, given that traditional culture is intricately related to the conservation of natural resources." "Aaranyak will be happy to extend as much cooperation as it can in respect of the study and documentation of intricate relations between traditional culture and natural resources and biodiversity conservation, as it has been all along working in consultation and coordination with indigenous communities across natural landscapes like Kaziranga and Manas in the region," said Dr. Jayanta Kumar Sarma, a consultant in Aaranyak and an adviser of VKIC, stated a press release.

Anchoring the consultation on 'Culture and Nature', Dr. Sarma as Aaranyak has been working for biodiversity conservation and natural resources management in Kaziranga, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao landscapes in coordination, consultation, and with cooperation from indigenous communities. It would be keen to help the initiative to bolster synergy between culture and nature through scientific study and documentation of the nature-culture relationship.

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