Cultural Heritage of Northeast India

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This book, may be considered as the first book on diverse aspects of cultural heritage of Northeast India. Northeast is one of the few regions in India which is bestowed with incredible cultural diversities. Indeed, it is also recognised as "The Melting Pot of the Mainland India and Southeast Asian Cultures." The multiplicities in the cultural heritage of the region can be observed in its history, archaeology, art, architecture, performing arts, oral traditions and diverse tangible and intangible cultures. The natural topography and landscapes of the region provide other significant dimensions to the study of cultural heritage and this book through some of the articles focus on some of the issues.

Eli Doye is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Dera Natung Government College, Itanagar and his areas of interest in research include English Literature, Literary Criticism and Theory.Tribal Studies in general and Folklore and Oral Literature of tribes of Arunachal Pradesh in particular.

He has several research papers published in the reputed national and international journals and has presented many papers in regional, national and international conferences, seminars and workshops. Besides, he has also completed two Research Projects sponsored by UGC-NERO, Guwahati and Sangeet Natak Academi (SNA), New Delhi. Currently he is working on a research project sponsored by ICSSR, New Delhi. He is also the General Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh College Teachers' Association (APCTA) and also member of a number of academic bodies.

This book represents the fruits of the National Seminar on "Cultural Heritage of North East India", held at Dera Natung Government College, Itanagar (DNGCI) on March 10-11, 2017 under the auspices of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi. The subject of Cultures and Heritages in North Eastern States of India is the central focus of the seminar. The twenty six papers of this book were contributed by academicians, researchers, scholars and thinkers coming from different parts of NE India. Cultural heritage, more precisely, preservation of cultures and heritages of Arunachal Pradesh in particular and entire North Eastern States in general have become a matter of growing interest and concern. Number of papers were commissioned to be prepared for presentation and discussion at the seminar, revised versions of which form the main body of this volume. Of course, a few of these papers have also been invited after the seminar for inclusion in the book to make it better representative of the Northeast India. Some papers dealt with general topics in cultural heritages, others with the positions and problems of specific tribes or states.

Obviously, the publication of this book would not been possible unless the seminar was organised. In organising this seminar we received enormous support and cooperation from different people and institutions which is really laudable and worthy of acknowledgement. First of all, I express my deepest gratitude to the Chief Guest, Prof. Tamo Mibang, the then Vice-Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh, Arunachal Pradesh. Keynote Speaker Prof. A.K. Thakur, the then HoD History, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, Resource Persons Prof. S. Simon and Dr. Wanglit Mongchan of Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies (AITS) and the Principal i/e Shri Kumar Tok, Dera Natung Govt. College, Itanagar.

Cultural heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values. It is often expressed as either intangible or tangible cultural heritage. Intangible cultural heritage refers to those aspects that cannot be touched or seen such as oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, traditional music, language etc. On the other hand, tangible heritage refers to those significant places or things that advocate the country's or people's history and culture. Monuments, mosques, shrines, monasteries etc. comes under this categorization.

Cultural heritage has enormous potential in terms of its contribution to improving the quality of life for people, understanding the past, assisting territorial cohesion, driving economic growth, opening up employment opportunities and supporting wider developments such as improvements in education and in artistic careers. Given that spectrum of possible benefits to society, the central purpose of this collection of essays is to make a creative addition to the debates surrounding the cultural heritage domain in general; the range of studies that follow here are intended to be a resource and stimulus to help inform not just professionals in the sector but all those with an interest in cultural heritage (Borowiecki, Forbes & Fresa 2016, xix). Utmost significance to culture and its heritages have been emphasised by UNESCO right from the beginning of its formation. Beginning from 1946, it has started its first programmes in cultural field and in 1989 it has made a Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore. Subsequently, it came out with its 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage which propose five broad domains' in which intangible cultural heritage is manifested. But while the Convention sets out a framework for identifying forms of intangible cultural heritage, the list of domains it provides is intended to be inclusive rather than exclusive; it is not necessarily meant to be complete (United Nations 2007, 35-48). Cultural heritage is important in understanding the people - its culture, history and identity. It is valued as a core part of the national identity. It is important to share the responsibility to identify and respect these cultural heritages and pass on these to future generations so they will understand what came before them. Apart from these, the preservation and management of these heritages have also an important role to play in protecting the environment, creating vibrant communities and sustaining local economies. The preservation of cultural heritages has been clearly emphasized in the Indian Constitution under fundamental duties as mentioned in Article 51A (6) and (7) (Basu 2003, 136).

Book's Contents and Sample Pages