“We are proud to be Indian first and cherish ourselves in the service of our motherland”, proclaimed Talem Mije, who accompanied the visiting team from Arunachal Pradesh to Nagpur and adjoining areas.
Mije, who is a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary in Arunachal Pradesh, was addressing a gathering in janjati (tribal) dominated Pandharkawada tehsil in Yavatmal district of Vidarbha recently.
The 25-member team of Arunachal Pradesh was on tour of Vidarbha region from November 10 to 14 last under the programme “My Home India”. These members of the visiting team were taken to a Kolam janjati village in Yavatmal district to interact with the Kolam people. They were welcomed traditionally by the hosts.
Sharing their views with the hosts the visiting delegates said that they were Indians first and Indians last. They explained the pressure which the China is exerting on them against India. They said that “My Home India” has set the direction to their lives and gave them a purpose to live with.
Earlier in Yavatmal, the visiting guests from the Himalayan land were accorded warm welcome by the workers of Poorvanchal Mitra Mandal at a function held at Navjivan Mangal karyalaya.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion the RSS Kshetriya Pracharak of Western Kshetra Shri Sunil Deshpande said that establishing good contacts with the people in Arunachal Pradesh was the only way to frustrate the Chinese expansionist design in that region. He said that the China was claiming entire Arunachal Pradesh as its territory, but seems to be interested in grabbing Tawang and Bomdi-La of Arunachal Pradesh.
The RSS has been active among the people of Arunachal Pradesh inculcating in them the feeling of oneness and nationalism through its manifold service projects. At the same time a sense of fraternity and brotherhood is being instilled among the people residing in the mainland so that they experience the inherent unity, Deshpande said.
There are 40 shakhas of the RSS in Arunachal Pradesh as of now and the Sangh has reached to 26 out of 35 janjatis there. The RSS has specially concentrated on 150 villages in Tawang and Bomdi-La area to counter the Chinese propaganda against India and Indians.
Addressing the gathering Talem Mije said that they were fortunate to receive love, affection and appreciation of the people of Vidarbha. “Now everyone will welcome us as Indians and not as Chinese or Japanese, the difference in physical features notwithstanding”, he said.
He invited the people to visit Parshuram Kunda in Arunachal Pradesh. We are worshippers of Sun and the Moon God (Donyi Polo) and at present there are 522 villages where a prayer hall of Donyi Polo is existing, he said. He was all praise for the RSS, ABVP, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Vidya Bharati, VHP, and Sanskar Bharati for helping the people of Arunachal Pradesh to preserve, protect and practice their age-old traditional culture and religious beliefs.
Smt Yanmot Talom, Gogai Lingi of Lohit district, and others also spoke on the occasion. Students from Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh studying at Nandurkar BPEd College attended the function.
Later at a function held at Nagpur, Jatan Pulu of Arunachal Pradesh was felicitated with Narayan Bhide Memorial “Sewavrati” award at the hands of senior RSS functionary Shri Ranga Hari. The award has been instituted by the Narayan Govind Bhide Smriti Sanskriti Pratishthan, Nagpur in memory of Narayan Bhide who served as RSS Pracharak in Arunachal Pradesh.
In his address Ranga Hari spoke of unity in diversity in the Indian social milieu and said that these underlying factors unite us as a cohesive society. This unity in diversity has to be experienced as we traverse the length and breadth of the country, he said.
Rajiv Gaikwad of Doordarshan Kendra Nagpur, who was in Arunachal Pradesh for three years narrated his experiences of the region and the people.
