Chow Mein seeks cultural exchanges for 'one Aruchal'

From Our Correspondent

Itagar, April 26: Aruchal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, Chow Mein on Tuesday called for cultural exchange for integration of the eastern and western parts of the state. He was attending the Moh-Mol festival celebration of the Tangsa Community at Kharsang in Changlang district, an official report informed here on Wednesday.

“Though we have diverse cultures, people of eastern parts of the state hardly know about the cultures of their counterparts in the western half due to less interaction. We need to increase cultural interactions between the people of the state to bring in cultural integration. This will instill oneness and unity among the tribes of the state,” he said.

Citing the role of teachers as ‘crucial’ for bringing reformation in the society, Mein urged them to discharge their duties sincerely. He said that the state government was trying to bring in changes in the education system. “There is no shortage of teachers in the state where the teacher-student ratio is 1:15 against the standard 1:40 but the problem lies in the concentration of teachers in the district headquarters and state capital,” he said.

The deputy chief minister said the government would be ratiolizing the posting of teachers before recruiting new posts, and requested the teaching fraternity to cooperate for betterment of the society. Mein also called upon the students to develop a sense of competition and to refrain from drugs and other bad habits. He encouraged the people to take up cultivation of cash crops for development of sustaible agriculture and to give up poppy cultivation. He urged the officers of agriculture and horticulture departments to undertake follow-up action after distribution of seeds and planting materials. “The government distributes seeds and planting materials to the beneficiaries every year, but the department needs to ensure that these are actually planted in the field and taken care of,” he said.

Mein assured funds for development of general ground at Kharsang and also for construction of a motorable suspension bridge over river Noa-Dihing at Miao. WRD, Food & Civil Supply Minister Kamlung Mossang said that participation of all the people was important for keeping culture alive. “The celebration of festival by a few alone cannot keep our culture and tradition alive. It is the responsibility of every individual and needs cooperation and participation from all sections of the society,” he said.

Mossang advised against commercializing festivals and batted for preservation of ethnic wear, languages or dialects and other customs and traditions, the report said.