Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 23
Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya today stated that it is wrong to assume India as a communal country. Speaking at the annual Lions Club of Dimapur’s Deepawali Mela here, where he was the chief guest, Acharya said that India with its diversity “is a secular nation (and) it is wrong to say it is communal (driven by religious fundamentalism).”
While stating that the fruits of Independence have still to spread all over the country, he said that India can overcome this and march ahead only if the people of every religion and community try to become better persons. According to him, the people (Indians and Nagas) are rich but the state (India and Nagaland) are poor, which calls for the people to be more accommodating with achievers becoming givers.
Calling India a country where gold used to be sold on the streets and its people having great scientific knowledge, he said that the country was invaded by foreign powers not out of religious compulsion but for its wealth. It had a deep impact on the social fabric of the country, which eventually cost India centuries of subjugation under invading forces, he added.
Upholding the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ scheme of the Government of India, he said that it in one way reflects a great social problem the country is faced with. In a country where daughters are treated as liabilities, whereas women are equal to men in every aspect, he said that it calls for a sustained campaign to make the people more aware.
The Governor also gave away awards to winners of a drawing competition jointly organised by Lions Club of Dimapur and Lions Club of Dimapur Blue Vanda on October 2. The winners - Chokjenchila T. Jamir (1st) and Tsuzolu Rhakho (2nd) of Livingstone Foundation Higher Secondary School and Sashienla Longchar (3rd) of The Maple Tree School – all aged 11-13 were selected from a pool of 60 contestants from 22 schools of Dimapur.
“The winning posters were selected by Dr. Minakshi Kalita (Ankan Bivakar & Ankan Ratna) from Guwahati for their originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, ‘A Celebration of Peace’,” stated a press release. The posters will go on to compete at the 29th Annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest – an event sponsored by Lions Clubs International to emphasize the importance of world peace to the young.
