Guwahati: The Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Chowna Mein, as well as MP (Rajya Sabha), Nabam Rebia and MLA cum former State Chief Minister, Nabam Tuki, attended the Toru Circle’s 50th Nyokum Festival with tremendous excitement.
The Deputy Chief Minister stressed the importance of preserving one’s native culture and holidays while speaking to the group.
He praised the Nyishi community for fervently upholding its unique cultures and traditions.
Mein praised the Nyishi community for maintaining the cultural values of the Nyokum Yullo and for upholding the love and respect for their culture, saying the celebration is a reflection of the Nyishi community’s strong bond and their deep commitment to the preservation of their rich cultural heritage.
He emphasised the importance of handing down this rich history to the next generation and of preserving their cultures and customs because they are a part of who we are.
Mein also urged the residents of Toru to make environmental protection a priority while participating in the festival and promoting tourism by demonstrating their love and hospitality to the guests and participating in a variety of tourism-related activities with them.
Mein further urged people to be proud of the state’s many cultural traditions and customs, claiming that doing so would allow them to better represent the cultural values that make up tribal society. He claimed that regardless of the religions we practise, there should be no disagreement on culture.
Mein urged all communities to work towards creating a model state and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supplying the tools and materials required for the protection of the state’s culture and traditions. He believed that holding folk music festivals would help to preserve and promote folk music and dancing.
He also emphasised the state government’s work to document the “unsung heroes” of history, which is still being done to reveal deeper insights into the past, in order to preserve the rich heritage of their forefathers.
The government is also dedicated to building indigenous gurukuls in each district as part of cultural preservation in order to ensure that traditional values are passed down to future generations. Three gurukuls have already been built.
In addition, he advised people not to hunt in order to protect the state’s abundant biodiversity, pointing out that there is widespread understanding of the need to preserve environment. He urged everyone to contribute to the effort to preserve the wild birds and animals of Arunachal Pradesh.
He added that the State Government is using its resources wisely to promote the quick and equal development of all regions. He stated that the Arunachal University in Pasighat would soon be operational and that the State Government would also investigate building an engineering college in Toru.
On the occasion, Rajya Sabha (MP), Nabam Rebia and MLA, Nabam Tuku also spoke among others.
He also participated in the Golden Jubilee Nyokum Festival at Toru and saw demonstrations of traditional hunting techniques.