Imphal, Nov. 19: Leaving behind their differences, hill dwellers gathered to celebrate culture as a bond of brotherhood and fraternity during a two-day festival in Imphal.
The Tribal Cultural Festival, which was organised by Tribal Research Institute of Imphal and supported by the Union ministry of tribal affairs, concluded today after raising hopes of unity among the communities.
Cultural troupes from more than 30 tribal communities gathered at the festival, with the aim of preserving and promoting culture and traditions of the ethnic groups. This was the fourth edition of the annual festival.
Folk songs, dance performances, traditional apparel show and tribal musical symphony were the main highlights of the two-day event.
The theme of the festival was "Tribal culture for national integration."
The festival was a grand success. W.L. Hangsing, additional chief secretary in-charge of public health engineering, proposed to the government to observe all the cultural festivals of Manipur every year to encourage ethnic communities of Manipur to learn culture and tradition of each other, which can promote peace and harmony.
The festival came at a time when Kukis and Nagas have been demanding separate administrations for them.
"Unfortunately, the tribals are polarised today. An all-inclusive cultural festival at the state level will bring the essence of oneness and help promote peace in the state," the official said.
The festival gave chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and his deputy chief minister Gaikhangam, who is in charge of home, an opportunity to call all the tribal communities to work towards social, political and economic equality.
"The government is leaving no stone unturned to bring equal development and progress for all the people though the hills are geographically disadvantaged. The hill districts have been guaranteed constitutional protection. Let's make Manipur a peaceful and progressive state, where peaceful co-existence and cultural values remain intact," Ibobi Singh told the gathering.
He also stressed the importance of preserving and promoting culture for posterity.
The festival could also be termed as a warm-up to the state's annual Sangai tourism festival, which will showcase the varied culture of Manipur. The 10-day tourism festival will begin in Imphal on Saturday. Reminding the gathering that breaking up Manipur and separating the administration# on ethnic lines is not practical, Gaikhangam called upon all communities to demonstrate unity and strengthen the state's integrity.