SHILLONG: A redemption song urging all to ’emancipate your mind from mental slavery’ could well be the crux of the Mega Arunachal Tribes Festival 2016 where several speakers stressed on the need for the North East to unite and be a part of the nation-building process.
UDP MLA Paul Lyngdoh picked the right song for the occasion when the audience at the festival, organised by Arunachal Students Union, Shillong (ASUS), on Sunday requested him to sing. His rendition of ‘Redemption Song’ by Bob Marley blended with the mood and was followed by huge applause.
During his speech, Lyngdoh asked the members present at the festival to be deep-rooted in their heritage in the face of the onslaught of westernisation. “Heritage is a bird that hovers all day long but comes back to its nest. Again, a boy after the fun of flying a kite brings the kite back to him, which can also be termed as heritage,” the MLA said, and added that it was time for the northeastern tribes to prove their mettle and show the rest of the world what it lacks.
“We cannot consider our strength on the basis of numbers though we are small in quality,” he said.
Known in India as the Land of the Rising Sun, Arunachal Pradesh boasts of the presence of 26 tribes and more than 100 sub-tribes. Dignitaries at the festival had a glimpse of Arunachal Pradesh in Shillong in the dances and ethnic attires showcased by different tribes.
Besides Lyngdoh, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, chairman of Royal Tripura Foundation and chief editor of North East Today, and Animesh Mishra, Head of the department of Cardiology at NEIGRIHMS, also delivered speeches which focused on unity of all communities and tribes.
Debbarma called upon the people gathered on Sunday to be aware of and respect other tribal communities. Observing that the North Eastern region has got a distinct identity, he said, “Mainland India or the world will look at the North East as a community or a race and no longer as the northeastern region.”
Highlighting the need for unity among all tribes in the region, he said, “In Tripura, we feel like a minority. This is because we failed to unite and stand up against the refugees… It is we who have failed on our part to choose able leaders. In this matter, we have to be aware politically. We have to take active participation in nation building.
“Unity is important but we should also have the ability to understand what is wrong,” he added.
He reminded the audience that though Arunachal Pradesh is a beautiful land, it is mired in scams, unstable governments and bad roads, among other problems.
Speaking on the theme for the festival, ‘To stay true to our heritage: That’s what our brand is about’, Debbarma pointed out that people are ashamed of their roots and that there is not enough information and communication between different tribes in the North East.
“We take pride in knowing about the elections in America, Justin Bieber’s new album which is a good thing but how much does a Khasi know about a Garo, or a Tripuri about a Mishing? We have to about know each other well,” he said.
NEIGRIHMS’s Mishra said people in the North East are divided and urged for unity among different tribal communities.
