Itanagar, Sep. 1 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh’s Adi community today celebrated Solung -- the tribe’s most famous agro-based festival -- with traditional pomp and gaiety.
Attending the celebration here Governor P B Acharya exhorted the younger generation of the community to preserve and protect their rich tradition and culture which, he said, is their identity.
“Adi means original and to me Adis are the original inhabitants of North East region and the community has been contributing to the life, culture, traditions and faith of the North East region and India as a whole,” the governor said.
If you want to be Adi, you have to follow your language, Acharya said adding, one particular tribe should not be confined to their own faith and belief but should mingle and help other tribes of the state to develop equally.
Sharing experience from his first visit to East Siang district, Acharya said he was mesmerised listening to the ponung (song) of the community. He also congratulated the community for coping with modernity without deviating from their tradition and culture.
Stating that Solung festival of the Adi community showcased rich custom and faiths of the North East region, the governor further assured to extend all possible help in preservation and propagation of the rich cultural heritage of the community.
The governor also released a festival souvenir ‘Diigok Roli’.
Parmananda Cheyngiya, president of Mishing Bane Kebang, the powerful organization of the Mishings in neighbouring Assam, in his address emphasized on the need to showcase the rich culture of the North East in other parts of the world.
Stating that the festival is an occasion to reconcile with others and promote a sense of unity and brotherhood, he suggested the compilation of a book on Tani clan so that people could understand the unique cultural heritage of the clan.
Most of the festivals in Arunachal Pradesh are agro-based. We must protect nature and should not disturb the ecosystem, he said while appealing institutions like Adi Bane Kebang (ABK) to shoulder responsibility in spreading awareness among the people on the importance of nature.
ABK president Kangir Jamoh exhorted the people of the community to celebrate the festival with enthusiasm and appealed to the parents to impart knowledge to their wards on the importance of tribal identity and culture.
Festivals bind us together and bring unity, peace and cooperation. Without culture, we cannot form a society. Therefore we have to protect and preserve our rich cultural heritage, Jamoh added.
Ponung dance by Adi girls and women in traditional attire, community feast were the highlights of the celebration.
