Arunachal: Vice President visits Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum in Itanagar
Lauds it as one of the best ethnographic museums in the country
ITANAGAR- The Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is on a tour of the North East, arrived in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh today. During the day, he visited the Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum in Itanagar and was shown around the various sections and galleries in the museum.
Later in a Facebook post, he recounted his experiences of the museum visit as ‘enriching’ and lauded the museum for being ‘undoubtedly among the best ethnographic museums in the country’.
Among the various sections, Mr Naidu had special words of praise for the “Mountaineering Gallery” set up in the Museum with an aim to develop the younger generation’s interest in adventure and sports. He suggested other institutions and museums to come up with similar initiatives, collaborate with local sporting icons and encourage the youth to take up sports and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
The Vice President visited the galleries displaying collections in textiles, basketry, painting, wood carving among others belonging to different ethnic communities of the state. In another section, he went around observing the 27 dioramas representing all the major tribes of the state. Each diorama has lively figures of tribal men and women in traditional attire engaged in day to day activities.
Writing in his post, Mr Naidu observed that “Arunachal Pradesh with its rich natural and cultural heritage, can be called a reservoir of handicraft. Different tribes have generations of expertise in various craft forms such as weaving, painting, basketry, mask-making, ivory-work, black smithy, doll-making, pottery and carpentry.” He said the state’s rich cultural heritage needs to be preserved.
Mr Naidu also suggested that schools should have guided tours of local museums for school children. This way, he observed, they can be made aware of India’s rich past and it would go a long way in propagation and conservation of our great cultural heritage.
The Vice President was accompanied to the museum by the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Brig (Dr) B.D. Mishra (Retd.), Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu and others.
