By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Understanding and connecting the North East with the rest of the country can be achieved through proper surveys and researches by anthropologists who have a major role to play in providing answers to the various queries relating to the tribal lifestyles and their diverse cultures, observed the ex-Vice Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, Prof AC Bhagabati.
“Till date, we have produced students but contributed nothing to the society. The need of the hour is to lend a helping hand to the government by providing something worth to the society and its people,” Prof Bhagabati said.
Prof Bhagabati was speaking at the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the North East Regional Centre, Anthropology Survey of India (ASI), Shillong, here on Tuesday.
He further stated that till date, the study of the status of the women in tribal societies has not been conducted in details and by continuing with this trend ‘we will never get to the truth and even if we do, we might just get 50 per cent of the real fact’.
Meanwhile, delivering the inaugural address, Governor RS Mooshahary lauded the efforts of the ASI in clearing the mist of myth and confusion by finding out the antecedents of many of the tribals of the North East.
“As per studies on the multi-disciplinary society of North East, there are 279 communities in 163 tribal groups of the North East with diverse languages and I believe that there is so much of similarity in the languages but in due course, some of the languages are disappearing,” Mooshahary said.
“I hope, in due time, we will be able to know the kinds and number of languages being spoken by the tribals in the North East,” the Governor said adding that there is a need to protect the endangered languages.
Dwelling on the few queries which still awaits answers, Mooshahary said the migration of human race and the reason behind the smaller size of North East people as compared to the rest of the country are few of the vexed, curious, complex questions that needs to be answered by anthropologists.
Elaborating on the subject, Mooshahary said that anthropology is the science of society dealing with social issues at the same time, a science of humanity.
“It is a subject having immense potential to create harmony, brotherhood and peace amongst the people while reminding them of one common heritage,” he added.
