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Sachin Jaiswal, Dobashi and others seen here after the inauguration of an ‘Ariju’ outside the deputy commissioner’s bungalow in Mokokchung on Monday.[/caption]
Dimapur, April 16 (EMN): An ‘Ariju,’ a replica of bachelors’ dormitory in Ao villages, has been constructed by ‘Aoli dobashi’ (Ao Naga for ‘Ao Doubashi’) at the deputy commissioner’s bungalow in Mokokchung.
According to a DPRO report, the Ariju was constructed from the local area development programme fund for 2017-18.
Ariju, the prime education and military training centre where values were taught to young boys in the ancient days, was inaugurated by the deputy commissioner of Mokokchung Sachin Jaiswal on April 16. In his speech Sachin Jaiswal said with the construction of the Ariju and the installation of a Sungkong (log drum) in 2017, the DC’s bungalow was emerging to be an ‘attractive place.’ Expressing his appreciation to the dobashi for their gesture, the administrator said he was considering inviting students from various schools to see the bungalow too.
The personal assistant to the deputy commissioner, Zulunungsang, said that the Ariju, although small, was constructed ‘in a bid to preserve the values of the Ao people.’ He said social and institutional values are fast disappearing in the face of modernity. He said that the house was constructed to make the DC’s bungalow ‘more like a heritage.’