By Jon Pebi Tato

The hullabaloos of surrendering of ST certificate have been brewing fumes of hostility among the brethren. The land of dawn-lit mountain, an epithet bestowed upon the state is not a long-gone history, It was just a way back in the 1970s when the then NEFA was renamed as Arunachal Pradesh.

The above description had nothing to do with the inhabitants of indigenous settlers in the 1970s or 80s or beyond. Those with pens knew but those with machetes and bamboo baskets focussed on their way of livelihood were hardly aware of it.

Historically a group of families might have transformed into clans, and the clans to ethnic tribes, but with the advent of education the tribals witnessed a transformation that brought in a paradigm shift in their culture and traditions,__"It brought in Education".

The education system in Arunachal Pradesh witnessed the realm of the world's two big religions viz Hinduism and Christianity. Both the religious institution left no stone unturned to educate, shape, inculcate, the education in their own ways, adding a touch of its religious beliefs.

When Rama Krishna Mission and VKV inculcated "Padavali's Bhajan recitations, & exercise of Hindu prayers, the Don Boscos taught the "Songs of Praise " and message from the Holi Bible.

The indigenous inhabitants had no option but to learn either of education because it was the need of the hour for having received the best education. This journey has been quite interesting, each of the students who passed out from each of the institutions, gave back the society based on what they learned. Their way to take the world's orders and knowledge reflected their roots of education.

Later on, some might have turned radical in their beliefs whereas some remain rational.

Those who received the education through Government schools were either free of thought or one or other way touched by the aforesaid two institutions' way of thought process, but rationalism did exist hitherto.

Now the baffling question which persists is that "Is the Indigenous faith being bolstered by Transformation or Invaded by Delusion"?

In-Depth

Mr.Pai Dawe claimed that allegations of the Christian or other religion on the indigenous side for delusion in the indigenous belief are totally wrong citing "Transformation" as the phenomenon which Dawe expressed that it has been the paramount natural thing which had occurred in every aspect since ages. 

On the 1st December 2021, while celebrating the indigenous faith day, pamphlets were being distributed among the masses, which had a message in bold letters, "We Demand delisting of converted persons from scheduled tribe list"

The bellows of surrendering of ST certificate started a long way back but past few years it has accelerated in an immense manner.

The coverage of indigenous faith day was done by many electronic media across the state, among which The SPACE, Seppa 360, and Voice Now garnered huge attention in the context of words addressed by the individuals on screen.

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