MUST READ!!!!! THINK OVER IT!!!!! Source- AT Arunachal festivities on the roll ! [ Amar Sangno ] Festival calendar in Arunachal is on the roll. With the arrival of winter season, there is festival after festival. Irrespective of tribes and religion, festival brings people under one umbrella and spreads joy and happiness thus signifying peace and harmony. Indeed festival is the finest platform or medium to advertise our rich cultural-heritage, traditional values, local delicacies and much-touted tourism potentials and so on; so that we get extra- attention from outsiders (especially tourists) resulting double in its inflow, spawns more entrepreneurship in us to make our state self- reliant. That’s what we are made to believe! The state tourism department has been following this torrid cliché “More we promote tourism, more we are get earning”, in its endeavor to motivate the people that tourism is a good source of earning. We invite guests from across the nation and the world preferably scribes, both print & electronic and photojournalists, so that they write in length of our positive parts. More shutterbugs could focus on us, and it goes viral across the globe to woo more and more tourists. Nonetheless, let’s re-cap what often goes horribly wrong, in pursuit of tourism promotion. What brand image we are marketing for and what we are losing. Firstly, the Indianised kitchen; the restaurants, hotels and line hotels along the roads particularly in tourist places in Arunachal prefer to serve Indian dishes than local. Ironically, no local specialty or cuisine will find a place in catering menu, no matter who runs the hotel. Cant’ district administration make it mandatory for hotels to provide local food? Secondly, the skyrocketing food price in food- stalls during festivals. The food stalls which are supposed to promote our local cuisine appear more like a deceptive trap laid to rob innocent customers. “How come a few pieces of meat costs Rs 1000/? This is ridiculous” a visitor said fuming over the food price of just concluded Panyor River Festival 2014 at Yazali. The people who came with low budget in the festival have to strangulate his or her wishes of tasting local cuisine to escape from the embarrassment, as the local foods are like ‘biblical manna’ (Only source to eat for human beings during the exodus in Arabian Desert). “Why don’t the organizer set uniform price for local food and wines” questioned an angry youth. Thirdly, we often tilt toward westernization in terms of cultural promotion. Our audience cheers at Bollywood and western hit numbers, at the same time sneer at own folk songs. It would be a mere exaggeration if we hail our culture from the rooftop. Fourthly, VIPs centric attitude often mar festive mood of festival. People pay attention to festival or event on the basis of VVIPs involvement. Adventure @ Mechukha 2014 was almost deserted event moment Chief Minister Nabam Tuki pulled out from the festival. Thanks to MoS Home Kiren Rijiju for pulling the crowds during closing ceremony. Yes we really do care VIPs! According to Tourism Secretary Dr. Joram Beda, participation of VIPs in any program is icing on the cake at the same time he said that VIPs movement should not impede the euphoric atmosphere. The tourism department has started a community based tourism in Thembang village West Kameng district, stressing on hospitality and tourist friendly awareness amongst the villagers. However, many are yet to acquaint with the term, ‘hospitality”. No matter how loud, Nagaland is proclaiming to nudge aside Arunachal and other northeast states to win the self-created title, ‘the land of festivals’, Arunachal cannot be easily written off as a potential contender for the title. Our 26 major tribes and its hundred sub-tribes have their own festival, though many do not have an entry in the state holiday lists. If we go by the ‘gross national happiness index’ akin to the dragon nation Bhutanese, Arunachali would be perhaps the happiest people amongst the northeast states in India, if we go by the trend of festivals. Are we really happy ?
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 04:47:18 +0000
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