‘Arunachal a land of possibilities’: Prof Sarit Kumar Chaudhury

Our Correspondent

Itanagar: Terming Arunachal Pradesh as a ‘Land of Possibilities’, Bhopal-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) director Prof Sarit Kumar Chaudhury said Arunachal’s huge cultural, historical and anthropological diversities have made it a vibrant and happening State.

“This land-locked State could hugely contribute in national perspective, but its unique aspects are not known to the rest of India as its gets publicity for different irrelevant reasons,” Prof Chauddhury told reporters at Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) campus near here.

Prof Chaudhury, who worked with RGU for over a decade, was here to conduct a two-day national seminar on “Cultural heritage of Arunachal Pradesh” in collaboration with Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies (AITS) of the central varsity since Monday.

“The IGRMS board had decided to give coverage to the NE region in right perspective for which the IGRMS team has been touring the region and this is the fifth State after Assam, Sikkim, Manipur and Nagaland,” said the director, who was accompanied by programme coordinator Dr SK Pandey, videographer IBS Parihar, cameraman DD Senapati and photographer Tapan Biswas.

When asked to comment about the contribution of the State’s present IGRMS representative Nyayir Riba since 2012 after the death of Geter Ingo, Prof Chaudhury said her contributions, particularly during annual national exhibitions, are excellent. Riba has been showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the State and receiving accolades, he said.

On his message to State’s younger generations, he was very specific: They should know who they are, what are their roots?

Moreover, a mass awareness campaign within the region is essential as the age-old traditions are facing impacts of globalization and modernization, he said. Former RGU VC Prof Tamo Mibang, addressing the valedictory function of the seminar on Tuesday, said there cannot be history without culture and no culture without society.

He termed this Himalayan State as a meeting point of South East Asia, great India and Tibetan (North) cultures.

The human civilizations have left behind tangible, intangible assets, artifacts and cultures, Mibang said citing the examples of Taj Mahal, Great Wall of China and USA’s Statue of Liberty. He hinted that the State has very few of such tangible assets – Tawang Monastery and Parshuram Kund.

However, anthropological study indicated that civilization of those three cultures grew along foothills as proved by ruins of Malinithan, Mibang said, adding that an in-depth study would unravel more information.

“The State has a total 45 tribal groups and 23 major tribes though wrong figures are quoted very often for which an ethnological study should be conducted,” Mibang added.

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