Shillong, March 29: The North Eastern Hill University (Nehu) here could soon have a department to study the history, culture and philosophy of the indigenous people of the region if a hope expressed by Union human resource development minister Smriti Zubin Irani today becomes a reality.
"I recognise today that the Northeast has a vibrant culture, a philosophy that can be known across the nation and the world and a history# which is rich in its contribution to mankind. However, the challenge is - do we have an institutionalised mechanism to study this history, culture and philosophy?" Irani wondered while delivering the address at the 23rd convocation programme of the central university.
On her maiden visit to Nehu as the Union human resource development minister, Irani struck a chord with the audience at the mammoth convocation hall.
"Even when we have a lot of tribes across the Northeast, I believe there has never been an attempt to institutionalise studies of tribal culture, history and philosophy. I am hopeful that following my conversation with the vice-chancellor of Nehu, soon it will establish a separate department to study tribal history, culture and philosophy," she said, drawing loud applause from the audience.
She said the department would attract students from across the world, and especially across the nation, who are interested in understanding and documenting the social, economic, political and cultural history of the Northeast.
Nehu, set up in 1973, has always been a melting pot of varied tribes and sub-tribes of the region.
The convocation programme witnessed students and scholars, hailing from different states of the region, giving a testimony to the need for Irani's proposal and hope to come through.
Irani also brought cheer to the students of the central university as the much-awaited approval of the university's School of Technology by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) would come through within a week.
Before the programme commenced, the Union minister met Nehu students who expressed their angst over the delay in granting approval to the School of Technology even after 10 years of its existence.
"Although the department (School of Technology) has been in place for quite a number of years, it has not been recognised by the AICTE because of the unavailability of the signature of the architect who designed the building it is housed in," members of the Nehu Student's Union said in a letter to Irani.
During the programme, Irani said: "I have communicated the angst of the students to the AICTE personally, and I am told that the approval will be given in the coming week."
She announced that a coaching centre would be set up at Nehu for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, minorities and female students to facilitate their entry into the services, for remedial coaching for their NET examinations and others.
