Need to preserve indigenous rituals: Khandu

Itanagar, Feb 22 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu Tuesday called upon tribal community members to preserve and practice indigenous rituals and festivals irrespective of their faith or religion.

Adorned in Nyishi traditional attire with matchet and headgear in place, Khandu hailed the Nyishis for preserving and practicing their age-old customs and celebrating Nyokum with traditional rituals headed by local priests or ‘Nyibus’.

Khandu was participating in the Golden Jubilee Nyokum celebrations at Seppa, the headquarters of East Kameng district.

“Festivals like Nyokum and the rituals associated with it are the identity of the Nyishis. Therefore, all Nyishis, including those following different religions, must celebrate Nyokum and proudly preserve their identity, which they are doing and my respects to them,” Khandu said.

Observing that several persons were attending the festival in shirts and trousers, Khandu appealed to them to wear their traditional attires at least during festivals.

He urged them to come dressed in traditional attires to the festival ground on February 26, the main day of the festival, when Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda would be joining as chief guest.

The chief minister also called upon youths studying in colleges and universities to lead from the front in preserving the indigenous culture of Arunachal Pradesh.

The state government, he said, is seriously working to promote and preserve the indigenous culture of the state’s 24 major tribes and more than 100 sub-tribes and cited the creation of an independent Department of Indigenous Affairs a couple of years back.

“This department is working in close coordination with community-based organisations, civil societies, and indigenous groups in making policies that would promote and preserve indigenous culture of all tribes of the state,” he said.

Referring to his last visit to the district when he toured Chayang Tajo and Bameng constituencies travelling by road, Khandu said that paper works have been completed for the reconstruction of the Seppa-Chayang Tajo and the Pakke-Bameng roads.

“Very soon construction works will begin. My appeal to the people would be to let the executing agencies do their job unhindered. Please do not raise hurdles,” he said.

Informing that the literacy rate of the state has touched 82 per cent as per the latest reports, Khandu, however, said the focus should be on quality education rather than on the number of literates. PTI UPL MM MM