Final Report of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh Visits of Dr. K. K. Chakravarty and IGNCA Team

Introduction
A detailed tour programme for academic search and possibilities of projects and proposal in two North East States of India – Assam and Arunachal Pradesh – by the IGNCA in association with institutions, experts and scholars was prepared under the able direction of Dr. K. K. Chakravarty, Member Secretary, IGNCA. The activities took place with effect from 21st May 2007 to 12th June 2007. The IGNCA Team comprised following members:

 

1. Dr. K. K. Chakravarty, Member Secretary, IGNCA
2. Dr. A. C. Bhagabati, Hony. Coordinator, N.E. Regional Centre of IGNCA, Guwahati, Assam
3. Shri Pratapanand Jha, Director, CIL, IGNCA
4. Dr. G.L. Badam, Senior Consultant, IGNCA
5. Dr. Madhu Khanna, Professor of Comparative Religions, Jamia Millia Islamia University and Consultant IGNCA
6. Dr. Richa Negi, Junior research Officer, IGNCA
7. Dr. Kailash Kumar Mishra, Junior research Officer, IGNCA
8. Shri Joy Kuriakose, Under Secretary, IGNCA
9. Shri Virendra Bangroo, Documentation Officer, IGNCA
10. Shri Kishore Kumar, Accounts Officer, IGNCA
11. Shri. DNVS Seetharmaiah, Photography Officer, IGNCA
12. Shri Illiyas Ahmed, Conservation Assistant, IGNCA

 

The Major Objectives of Visit

1. Meetings of Museums of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in the Governments as well as in the private sector with the aim of initiating programmes of documentation and conservation with them.
2. Meetings with interested sattradhikaris in Guwahati and Tejpur to discuss an exhibition on the history, heritage, culture, arts, including music and architecture, and oral history of sattras, including kalasattras, sattras managed by women, the namghar tradition.
3. Meetings and interaction with the craftsmen and artists from tribal and folk communities with display of their textiles, artefacts and ethnographic objects representing family and community traditions, with historical accounts, provided by elders, which can be acquired.Series of discussions with representatives of various local self governance institutions concerning customary laws, dispute resolution and reconciliation, human and natural resource management strategies, pursued by these institutions.
4. Meetings with the scholars of social Science departments of Rajiv Gandhi Central University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh; Tejpur Central University, Tejpur and Gauhati University, Gauhati, Assam including the experts, knowledgeable people, performers of the respective regions.
5. Meetings with the representatives of women in all possible dimension of their contribution and specialty so that history, and contribution of the women can be created from their perspective.
6. To understand the bio-cultural diversity and the role of cultural practices in maintaining the bio-cultural harmony.
7. Meetings with the Lamas and nuns of various monasteries in Arunachal Pradesh to know their point of view and priority areas. Also to evaluate the status of monasteries, their museums, libraries, objects, architecture, art, artistic skills etc. with the aim of initiating programmes of training, documentation and conservation with them.
8. To know the people’s perception of culture and their intervention for preservation, promotion and documentation of cultural heritage.To initiate dialogue with the institutions and individuals who have already done extensive audiovisual documentation so that IGNCA can digitize such institutional (and individual) holdings and share products with them.
9. Explore further collaborative activities with the Government of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to appreciate and develop culture as a constitutive element in development in consultation with officials and individuals.

 

Advance Team
In order to assure the smooth functioning of the already decided activities and the identification of resource persons, institutions, and administrative requirements Dr. K. K. Chakravarty instructed Dr. Richa Negi, Dr. Kailash Kumar Mishra and Shri Kishore Kumar to reach Guwahati, Tejpur, Itanagar and Tawang as advance team and interact with the organizing partners, scholars, experts, administrative officials. Accordingly, the Advance Team left Delhi for Guwahati on 21st May 2007 and arranged the activities. The Advance Team managed everything – from administrative management to academic activities – in both the states. The Advance Team members came on 12th June, 2007 when every activity was finally concluded and all details of expenditure was finalized.

 
 

Details of the Activities Held in Assam

 

SN.	Activity	Date & Date
1.	“An Interactive Meet on Indigenous Knowledge Systems: A Meet of Experts, Scholars and Bearers of Traditions” at Conference Hall of Department of Cultural Studies, Tejpur Central University, Tejpur. (Organized in association with Department of Cultural Studies, Tejpur Central University.)	4 th June 2007 from 11.30 A.M. to 4.30 P.M.
2.	Documentation of Community-wise Customary Laws (i)Dispute resolution mechanisms (ii)Management of Soil, forest and other community resources (including the management of sacred grooves) at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati(Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	4th & 5th June 2007 from 10.30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
3.	One-day Meet of Museum Experts of Assam at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	6th June 2007 from 10.30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
4.	A Daylong Meet on “Research Perspective in North East India” at Conference Room, Department of Anthropology, Gauhati University (Organized by North Eastern Regional Centre (Guwahati) of the IGNCA.	June 6, 2007 10.00 A.M. – 4.30 P.M.
5.	Initiating Preparation of Glossary of Local Vanishing Terms Available in Various Regional Languages and Dialects at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	6th & 7th June 2007 from 10.30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
6.	Folk Deities Their Morphological Features, Associated Myths and Legends of Assam at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	6th & 7th June 2007 from 10.30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
7.	Women’s Participation in Development of Modern Assamese Lifestyle at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	7th June 2007 from 10.30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
8.	One-Day Meet of the Resource Persons working on Sattras at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	7th June 2007 from 10.30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
9.	100 Years’ People’s Oral History of Assam: Capturing the Experiences of the Elders at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	8th & 9th June 2007 from 10.30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
10.	Identification and Procurement of Tribal and Folk Literature, CDs, Cassettes, Jewelry, Ornaments and Other Traditional Artifacts at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	8th & 9th June 2007 from 10.30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
11.	Detailed Photographic Documentation of Archaeological and Heritage Sites of Assam   (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	24th May – 8th June 2007
12.	Documentation of Conservation Status of Monuments, Libraries and Museums of Guwahati and its Surroundings   (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati) (From Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	24th May – 8th June 2007
13.	Collection of Indigenous Materials and Techniques, visits of Museums, Libraries and Monuments of Cultural and Geographical Pockets of Assam   (Organized in association with Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati) (From Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati)	24th May – 8th June 2007
14.	IGNCA Team visited Vivekanada Kendra Institute of Culture at MG RoaD, Riverside, Ujanbazar in Guwahati and discussed the ongoing project activities of the Kendra with the Officials and scholars	June 8, 2007

Details of Activities Held in Arunachal Pradesh

SN	Activity	Date & Date
1.	IGNCA Team members visited Tawang Monastery and its Museum. The IGNCA Team saw the details of the Library of Tawang Monastery and also interacted with the authorities, Lamas and students to know their initiatives on how the heritage of the region and monastery can be retained and popularized in association with the joint activities of the IGNCA and the Tawang Monastery.	May 29, 2007
2.	Meeting held in Circuit House where IGNCA Team members met the local Tangkha artists, elders, Women, Monks and Resources Persons in Tawang in the afternoon to discuss documentation, conservation and preservation of vanishing traditional arts along with other relevant issues (customary laws, language, scripts, medicinal and food plants, women’s specialty and creativity, etc.)	May 29, 2007
3.	IGNCA Team visited Anni Gompa (Monastery of Buddhist Nuns) at Tawang, to discuss problems of the Annis and also to preserve, conserve and document the attributes of the Gompa.	May 29, 2007
4.	IGNCA Team visited 6 th Dalialama’s birth-place and monastery, Tawang (Urgelling Gompa) and to see the foot-prints of 6th Dalai Lama.	May 30, 2007
5.	IGNCA Team visited Upper Bomdilla Monastery, Bomdilla, Arunachal Pradesh to meet the monks and discuss about formation of committee to work jointly with IGNCA.	May 30, 2007
6.	IGNCA Team visited Lower Bomdilla Monastery, Bomdilla, Arunachal Pradesh.	May 30, 2007
7.	IGNCA Team visited the District Museum at Bomdilla, Arunchal Pradesh.	May 30, 2007
8.	A Meeting with the District Commissioner, Bomdilla, monks, Museum experts and local resource Persons held at the Circuit House in Bomdilla, Arunachal Pradesh.	May 30, 2007
9.	A Daylong Meeting of Experts, Scholars & People of Indigenous Knowledge Base on “Documentation, Dissemination, Regeneration of Vanishing Knowledge System and Heritage Elements of the Tribal Peoples of Arunachal Pradesh” at Conference Hall, Rajiv Gandhi Central University, Rono Hills, Itanagar (Organized in association with Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies)	June 1, 2007
10.	A Meeting with Museum Experts and Resource Persons of Arunachal Pradesh in Vidyut Bhawan, Directorate of Research under the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Government of Arunachal Pradesh at Itanagar.	June 2, 2007