Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 03 2008:
THE SPRAWLING Manipur University (MU) campus will soon be home to a heritage park housing replicas of the traditional houses of five different ethnic groups in the state, namely, Meitei, Tangkhul, Kabui, Maram and Paomei.
The foundation stone of the heritage park was laid by Rajya Sabha MP and former Chief Minister of Manipur, Rishang Keishing who was the chief guest of the solemn function held today.
Lok Sabha MP, Dr..TMeinya and Vice Chancellor of Manipur University, Prof..CAmuba were the guest of honour and president of the function respectively.
Addressing the gathering, the veteran politician Rishang Keishing opined that the existence of the hills and valley in the state could not have been for the reason that they exist as separate entities.
It would not be right to try to separate one from the other, he added.
"The fact that there are so many girls from the hills participating in today's function attired in their traditional costumes is a glaring example that MU doesn't hold the hill or valley differently," he said.
"In all public works, instead of working to get credit or for monetary gains, if we work to our best abilities thinking that it is our own work, the divine creator will also bless us," he added.
Lok Sabha MP Dr..TMeinya said that it would be best to build the proposed traditional houses of the five ethnic communities as closely to the original as possible.
"If we break the tradition, the park will become one despised by the people," he added.
He said, "While 12 states in the country are still without a central university in their soil, the fact that this tiny state has a central university is a matter of great fortune for us all" .
In his presidential address, Prof..CAmuba stated that the co-existence of the traditional houses in the heritage park will be an example of harmonious relationship among the different ethnic communities in the state.
"If we get more land, we would like to build the houses of all ethnic communities in the park,"
he expressed.