Awareness of different cultures essential: Assam Governor

Assam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi on Saturday said awareness and education on different cultures are essential to inculcate tolerance towards each other and resolve conflicts through dialogue.

He said that education should be aimed at providing information on different cultures and ideologies to broaden the mental outlook from the formative years, an official release said.

Speaking at a conclave on ‘Conflict of Civilization in Post-Modern India and its Remedy’ here, Mukhi said ideological moorings which influence language, culture, tradition and most importantly religion should not be allowed to foment conflict.

Rather, a broad-based education with comprehensive information about other people, their cultures and ideology can broaden the mental outlook which will subsequently be helpful in resolving conflicts, he added.

Mukhi said, “India is a multi-cultural nation and diverse people have made this land their home and assimilated into its society. However, conflict arises when any one or more groups assert their hegemony over others on economic, linguistic, cultural or political front”.

He further said, “It is really heartening that in our country people belonging to different religious, linguistic and ethnic groups are living in complete harmony. This has been done through dialogue and inculcating the value of tolerance to remove prejudice against other communities, regarding their belief systems and cultural practices.” The governor said in the past though conflicts happened between kings and kingdoms because of their expansionist policies, gradually the nature of conflict deviated to cultural affiliations.

“This is a dangerous proposition which might weaken the very edifice of human existence,” he cautioned.

The governor said in view of increasing instances of cultural conflicts which might snowball into a major global crisis, there is an urgent need to aggressively generate ‘awareness education’ for resolving conflict.

To reduce the tensions and polarisation between societies which differ in religious and cultural values, it is necessary to teach children and young people about the diverse cultures and communities that the society is blessed with, he said.

For instance, many people from Northeast India have been victims of hate crimes and prejudice in other parts of India. This has to be negotiated and altered with large scale information, education and communication, Mukhi said.