NEZCC gets Regional Convention Centre
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 5: Governor PB Acharya on Wednesday said the people of Nagaland, and the north eastern states, “are not just dancers” who perform in front of tourists or people from outside the region.
“We are much more than that. We are doctors, we are artistes, we are poets, we can be anything. We are second to none,” he said at the ‘foundation stone laying ceremony’ of a Regional Convention Centre at North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC), Dimapur.
Even the NEZCC, according to the Governor, was not a mere platform for entertainment activities. “The NEZCC’s ultimate goal is not entertainment only. It is not only for showcase of culture but it is for emotional and national integration,” said Acharya, who is also the chairman of NEZCC.
The idea, he said, was to promote fellowship among people from different Indian cultures by helping them interact with one another. “We should not be staying at hotels (during cultural events). We should be visiting houses and interact with the people.”
For any “cultural activities to flower”, according to the Governor, “peace and prosperity” were prerequisites. “Culture cannot bloom and prosper unless there is peace. So let us address the reason for insurgency in the region.”
Also, the Governor shared that universities and colleges should be more than just centres of knowledge. “Universities should be connected with the industries. We have five universities in Nagaland but the students that we produce are unemployable.”
He said the “educated students, the university products” have failed to “go to the poor people”. To illustrate his point, the governor shared an anecdote that he uses often. In one of his visits to a “very well-known Naga village”, the governor was told by the villagers that their Health Centre was looked after by only a nurse, with no doctors.
Then the governor enquired how many medical doctors the village has produced. One of the village elders stood up and proudly declared: seventeen. “The strength of the chain lies in the weakest link,” said Acharya.
We have to change our mindset, he added. “We have condemned ourselves to poverty. We should not be begging for money from the central government.”
The Regional Convention Centre, with 2000-seat capacity in the main theatre, promises to be “one of the best in the country”. According to Lipokmar Tzudir, director of NEZCC, the start-of-the-art facility would rival any in the country once it is completed.
The three-storey structured would also feature an additional “small theatre” with 300-seat capacity and 250-seater conference hall. One of the hallways would be used as a “Hall of Fame” where, according to Tzudir, eminent personalities and achievers from the NE 8 states would be honoured with a pride of place.
According to Tzudir, the master-plan was there since inception of NEZCC. But it was only in 2014, after the change of power at the centre, that the project was made eligible for central assistance. It is expected to be completed within 30 months.
