Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has announced plans to establish a university-level institute in the state for the promotion, documentation, research, and education of indigenous culture, faith, and languages.
Khandu said the institute would be set up in collaboration with the US-based International Centre for Cultural Studies (ICCS).
ICCS already has a centre in the state called RIWATCH at Roing in Lower Dibang Valley. The centre has excelled in documenting, preserving, promoting, and researching Idu Mishmi culture and language.
Khandu had an exclusive meeting with ICCS founder prof Yashwant Pathak on the sidelines of the silver jubilee celebrations of the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP).
Khandu explained that the idea for the institute originated from his discussions with Prof. Pathak, aiming to further strengthen the indigenous culture movement and highlight the significance of preserving Arunachal Pradesh’s indigenous culture and faith on the global stage.
“Let there be research and documentation of our indigenous faiths and culture at the highest level. Let us produce scholars on indigenous culture and languages. Let our indigenous priests adorn the professor’s gown and teach young minds about the age-old chants,” he said.
Exuding confidence, Khandu said that with the cooperation of ICCS, the establishment of the institute would become a reality in the coming years.
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“If it comes up, it would be a huge boost to our movement to preserve our indigenous culture, faith, and languages and thus preserve our identity. When a research centre of a much smaller scale like RIWATCH can do wonders, think what a university can do,” he added.
