Indian Anthropological Society : Governor inaugurates 46th annual conference and international seminar
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 08 2016:
The Governor of Manipur Dr Najma A Heptullah inaugurated the 46th annual conference of the Indian Anthropological Society and international seminar on 'Anthropological Research in North East India: Retrospect and Prospect', at Court Hall of Manipur University, Canchipur, today.
The annual conference and international seminar was organized by the Department of Anthropology, Manipur University, in collaboration with the Indian Anthropological Society, Kolkata in association with the Anthropological Society of Manipur and Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal.
The annual conference and international seminar was attended by over 90 anthropologists and researchers from different parts of the country and outside.
Governor, Dr Najma A Heptullah graced as the chief guest while the president of the Indian Anthropological Society Prof Rajat K Das was the functional president.
Minister of Education and Transport, Govt of Manipur Dr Kh Ratankumar and Vice-Chancellor, Manipur University, Prof Adya Prasad Pandey attended as guests of honour.
Addressing the occasion, the Governor said we are fortunate to live in an era of scientific and technological advancements.
The knowledge of such advancements should not be limited to being a subject matter only for scientific journals.
It should percolate down to the society at large for improving the quality of life of the people as a whole and ignite the young minds to dream a developed India.
The Indian Anthropological Society's effort to present the advancements in the science in the field of anthropology to the people of this country is commendable, she said.
She added that North East India is often considered a mini India because of its social, cultural and linguistic diversity.
The region, with 70 percent hill area, has been home to as many as 220 different diverse ethnic communities which are more than one third of the total number of tribes in India.
The communities, mostly tribal groups, have their own socio-cultural characteristics which make them unique in their own ways.
These societies have rich cultural traditions which are more or less embedded in their habitat.
Anthropologists are keen in understanding various social problems and seek remedial strategies.
Under such socio-cultural circumstances, North East India remained, still remains and will remain a fertile field for social research, she said.
The finding of these deliberations will be of great value to planning and policy making for the region.
Based on this concept, it can be said with conviction that the future prospect of anthropological research in the region is of paramount importance and need of the hour.
"I am confident that the seminar will provide an academic platform to practitioners of allied disciplines to analyse, discuss and disseminate different anthropogenic issues," Dr Najma said.
The TC Roy Choudhury Memorial Award, 2016, was conferred to Professor AC Bhagabati and Jyotirmoy Chakraborti Memorial Award, 2016, was conferred to Henry Konjengbam of the Department of Anthropology, MU, during the inaugural function.
The awards were distributed by the chief guest.
A souvenir of the 46th Annual Conference of the Indian Anthropological Society and International Seminar on 'Anthropological Research in North East India; Retrospect and Prospect' was also released by the dignitaries.
Dr Kh Ratankumar said the seminar would shed light upon the diminishing anthropological artifacts of Manipur and would provide important suggestions on what can be done.
Delegates from different neighbouring North Eastern States including Bangladesh, Tanzania and Russia, attended the three-day long international seminar and will present papers on different topics.
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