April 20, 2024
April 20, 2024
RONO HILLS, Apr 22: Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Sunday inaugurated Cadence 2018, the 12th edition of the Inter-College Youth Festival at Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) here.
Addressing the university fraternity and students from various colleges gathered on the campus, Rijjiju said a great State doesn’t happen on its own and for Arunachal to grow too, each citizen has to contribute to this process of nation-building. It is only when the State prospers that each citizen prospers.
“Sometimes things aren’t the way we want it, and in those moments we have to strengthen our resolve and see how we can best serve the State. It is only when each Arunachali will ask what I can do for my State that Arunachal will truly change,” he said.
Rijiju said that with changing times, society has become more integrated and with the advent of the internet and social media, the communication process has become more democratic and it is very easy to comment on events and issues today that affect us.
“But with this access to information, there is also a need to be cautious as what happens in this space reflects in society and we need to understand that if we move into a negative zone, it is very difficult to come out from it,” he added.
“Earlier, when there were no roads, connectivity was bad, life was very difficult. And yet there was a sense of belonging and a sense of unity. Now with a better state of living, things have instead created a problem of distance. We have started fragmenting as a people and now individualistic and narrow aspirations override the aspirations of the State as a whole,” he pointed out making references to disharmony in the name of different cultures and tribes.
“How have we become so narrow-minded and self-centred?” he asked.
He said that for creating a sense of unity and a sense of responsibility towards the State, students have the biggest responsibility as they have the potential and the ability to influence people around them.
“Today, there has been a lot of change. The time when people didn't even know where Arunachal was has gone. We live in a time where, for instance even in the Delhi Police, there have been special recruitment drives for people from the Northeast and very soon a police hub for the region will be opened in New Delhi. So we need to meet the call of the times and have the maximum exposure for the maximum benefit,” he said.
The MoS called upon the students to participate in the festival as one mind and one thought so that the sense of unity can be harnessed in a broader sense and added that events like Cadence are a gathering of intellectuals, which will provide the potential to influence the future of the State.
“As we plan how our State progresses, the government must ensure that it consults with the university in realising its development plans because what researchers and academics say is very crucial to our understanding of the process of development,” he said.
Expressing that he feels delighted whenever there arises an opportunity to visit RGU, he assured that he will personally follow up on the memorandum submitted by RGUTA and the RGUSU on various issues confronting the university.
Earlier, Vice Chancellor in-charge SK Nayak, in his welcome address, elaborated the objective behind the organisation of Cadence to promote cultural diversity and create an opportunity to involve every student of the state for excellence in every field. Registrar and Organising Committee Chairman Tomo Riba and Organising Secretary Kesang Degi, also the Dean of Students’ Welfare, spoke on the occasion.
Cadence will be held over the next 3 days and has students from Jawaharlal Nehru College (Pasighat), DNGC (Itanagar), IGGC (Tezu), DPGC (Kamki), Government College (Yachuli), Government College (Seppa), Government College (Daporijo), Government College (Doimukh), Don Bosco College (Jollang), Doying Gumin College (Pasighat) and Saint Clarets College (Ziro) locking horns in art, literary and cultural events and vying for the Champions trophy.
