Matter of tradition

Dree, the annual agriculture-based festival of the Apatani community of Arunachal Pradesh, was celebrated across the state last week, including their homeland, the Ziro plateau, with traditional pomp and gaiety, according to a report in the Guwahati-based Assam Tribune. Braving heavy rains, a large number of festival revellers, including men and women, young and old, thronged the Dree ground at Papu Nallah near Itanagar in traditional attire to celebrate the festival.

Wishing all a happy Dree on the occasion, the chief guest, deputy chief minister Chowna Mein commended the Apatani community for jealously upholding their cultural identity handed down by their forefathers through the ages. He said that due to the efforts in keeping their traditions and culture alive, the Ziro Valley is known all over the world today and many tourists from across the globe come to see the valley.

The major highlights of the celebration were presentation of Dree mythology in the form of a drama by artists, performances of “Pree” dance, multi-tribe dance and the most popular folk dance “Daminda”, release of a Dree souvenir, and felicitation of meritorious students and other young achievers by the Apatani Career Guidance Forum. Reports of celebration of the Dree festival were also received from Ziro, Tezu, Roing and Khonsa.

Residents’ woes

As monsoon rains batter most parts of Nagaland between July and September leading to landslides, travelling by National Highway 29 will be a herculean task in the days to come, says a report in the Dimapur-based Nagaland Post. All that will only add to the current ordeal of getting stuck in traffic snarls for hours on end.

Though it normally takes two or two-and-a-half hours between Dimapur and Kohima by road, currently it is taking anywhere between four to five hours largely due to errant drivers creating traffic snarls, especially in narrow sections.  Ever since work began for converting it into a four-lane road, the condition of the existing road has worsened due to earth cutting, while in some parts it has been deluged by mudslides and landslides.

Construction of the four-lane from Dimapur to Kohima covering a length of 42.48 km was approved at a cumulative cost of Rs 1,199.11 crore. It may also be recalled that a nationwide cleanliness survey christened “Swachh Sarvekshan 2018”, conducted by the Union housing and urban affairs ministry, has put Nagaland in the third spot, behind Puducherry and Tripura, as the dirtiest state in the country.

However, implications of the latest ranking are perhaps yet to sink in among a vast section of the government as most still turn a Nelson’s eye to the woes of the common man.

The near-crumbling infrastructure in Kohima, which was included in the smart city project, perhaps best epitomises the state’s dismal scenario. Against such a backdrop, whether the state capital will indeed become a smart city remains to be seen.

Young Braveheart

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh presented the “Jeevan Raksha Padak Award 2017” to John Lalditsak recently. The award ceremony was held at the CM’s Secretariat, says a report in Kangla Online.

The civilian award was conferred by the President of India and Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, to Lalditsak in recognition of his indo-mitable courage and selfless heroic act in saving three people from drowning on 12 October 2015. The award consists of the Jeevan Raksha Padak medal, a miniature medal, certificate and cheque of Rs 1,00,000. Lalditsak is the son of Edwin Lalrosiem Hmar, a resident of Saikot, Tuithaphai, Churachandpur District.