Nagaland Governor assures to help preserve Dimasa dynasty monuments

DIMAPUR, June 17 ? Nagaland governor Shyamal Datta on last Sunday during his visit to the ruins of the Kachari Rajbari, situated on the banks of river Dhansiri here assured all possible help to the Kachari Rajbari Preservation Committee. The Monument at Dimapur was once the throne of the Dimasa dynasty. In fact, ?Dimapur? means ?a big water- human settlement? in the Dimasa dialect.

Governor Datta accompanied by his wife Ishani Datta went around the whole site, which was recently adopted by the Archaeological Survey of India, and appreciated the remnants of the architecture but also expressed displeasure over the way the historical monument was neglected for so many years leading to its destruction.

Datta was also submitted a memorandum during the occasion by the Kachari Rajbari Preservation Committee drawing his attention for the construction of a cultural center for the youth and a guest house so that the committee could impart training to the younger generation of the community to preserve the rich traditional, cultural and religious values. The construction of the guesthouse is to accommodate the artists and others coming from other states for the purpose of cultural exchange.

The governor earlier Saturday evening during a visit to the Bharat Sevashram Sangh run first women college of the state ? Pranabananda Women?s College ? here addressing the gathering said that the quality of education is assessed by the degree, which makes one competent to get a job. The education system in the past was guided by the need for providing or churning of the job seekers out of the very educational institutes, adding in today?s world when degree is not adequate, the relevance of getting a degree and getting oneself qualified to get a job is no longer there. If it is there, the area where it is applicable or of use, is a backward area, he said. Datta said that objectives of every educational institution should be to provide an education, which gives access to quality education in order to create marketable knowledge gap. He cautioned that if anyone is not qualified to have knowledge superior, knowing there is market for it, it loses out in the race ultimately.

The former Intelligence Bureau chief said that students mind should be built in a way to acquire a kind of craving and a quest for having more and more knowledge, which is nothing but a capital and to create more capital, which is main spring of economic well-being of society. He also added that the kind of knowledge cannot be inherited because it is available to a person who is intellectually superior and well-refined to try and acquire it. The doors to that knowledge is opened not only to the wealthy people but also to people who have a kind of mental and intellectual bent of mind to opt and try for it and to ultimately acquire it.

Datta pointed out the tremendous roles and responsibilities thrust upon teachers, especially of teachers being good leaders and torchbearers of all idealism. A teacher should set examples for others to emulate and most importantly he said that teachers should have a vision to translate it into reality in order to sustain it.

The governor further stated that today?s world is one of inter-dependence, without which no society can progress. He said that in this inter-dependency, there is tremendous strength to guide, encourage and create confidence.

An admirer of Swami Vivekananda, Datta while quoting him said that the root of all evils in society wherever we are, is the sense of losing our morality and sense of spirituality, and said that Swamiji had called upon the people of India to rise above the instinct of selfishness. Spirituality can be obtained not merely by following the tenets of any religion but can be practiced by oneself. By spirituality, he means doing service to mankind, doing good to others, remaining low and practicing what is good for society.

Earlier, on arrival at the college campus situated at Lhomithi colony here Datta garlanded the statue of Acharya Srimat Swami Prananabnandji Maharaj and took a round of the pioneering institute in imparting education to the girls students in the state separately. Manik Bhattacharjee, senior citizen, social worker and the man behind the educational institute which has a strength of around 650 students in the college and around 1400 students in the co-ed Pranab Vidyapith Higher secondary school, delivered the welcome address while Yajen Aier, former director of education expressed hope that the college will one day become a women?s university in Nagaland. College principal UC Majumdar proposed vote of thanks. Datta later visited the school, Bharat Sevashram Mandir and Dimapur Kalibari where a colourful cultural function was organized in his honour.