Venkaiah Naidu proposes friendship formula to promote 'wonderful' Northeast

Naidu concluded his seven-day visit to the Northeast on Saturday but had to cancel his tour to Mizoram due to the rising Covid-19 cases

Mesmerised by the beauty and "positive stories" emerging in the once militancy-hit Northeast during his week-long visit, Vice-President, M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday urged students from the rest of the country to make at least one friend from the region to know it better and fight the stereotyping of its people.

In a long Facebook post, Naidu highlighted the positive developments taking place in the Northeast despite the "single biggest" challenge of road communication and stressed that many of them could be emulated by other states.

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"After my seven-day trip, I have returned assured that the North-Eastern Region is witnessing a new era of resurgence...A welcome development is a decline in the insurgency in the region. The fact is that seven of the eight states of the region performed better than the country’s Human Development Index (HDI) in 2019. But how many of us are aware of this?" Naidu asked in his post on Sunday.

"Not many outside the region would know that the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report finds Nagaland as the safest state for women in India. Assam is world-renowned for its tea and silk. Manipur, a state with just 0.24 per cent of the country's population produces a good number of international sportspersons. True to its name, this ‘land of gems’ has given us rare gems like Mary Kom and Mirabai Chanu who have done India proud," said Naidu's post.

Also Read | Northeast witnessing new era of resurgence: Venkaiah Naidu

Naidu concluded his seven-day visit on Saturday but had to cancel his tour to Mizoram due to the rising Covid-19 cases.

"My visits to the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development in Imphal (Manipur) and ICAR National Research Center on Mithun in Dimapur (Nagaland) reaffirmed my belief that sustainable development and management of its rich bio-resources holds the key for the socio-economic growth of the region. To their credit, the North-Eastern states have taken the lead in organic farming— the rest of India can learn valuable lessons from them," he further said

"But it is disappointing to note that despite being such a wonderful place, the general attitude toward the North Eastern Region to this day is largely characterised by ignorance, lack of appreciation and stereotyping in the rest of India. This must change," he added.

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Stressing the need to include lessons about the history and culture of the Northeast in the curriculum, Naidu said, "In addition to correcting the imbalance in curriculum, more student exchange programs should be conducted with the North-Eastern states...I would urge students from across India to make at least one friend from the North-East and learn about their rich linguistic and cultural heritage. This is the way forward to strengthen the unity of the nation."

Naidu also recalled how he had to take the road trip from Guwahati to Shillong after his helicopter could not take off due to bad weather and the boxing gloves presented to him by Olympic medalist and legendary boxer from Manipur, MC Mary Kom.

"The rich variety of dance forms, songs and musical instruments that each of the North-Eastern States offers, leaves one enthralled. Be it ‘Bihu Adoroni’ on the bank of the river Brahmaputra or traditional Lotha song that is sung after harvesting of paddy fields or Apatani folk dance, “Pakhuitu” depicting the behaviour of birds and forest animals, every single evening was made memorable by the lively performances by zestful folk artists. I would urge the people from other parts of the country to visit the North-East to appreciate the natural beauty and cultural richness of the region", Naidu further said in his post.

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