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KMC administrator Kovi Meyase addressing the valedictory function of the WASU’s 42nd biennial general conference at Mezoma village on January 19.[/caption]
Kohima, Jan. 20: The Western Angami Students’ Union (WASU) held its 42nd biennial general conference today at Mezoma under the theme “Challenges amidst modernization.”
Speaking on the theme during the valedictory session this evening, Kovi Meyase, administrator of the Kohima Municipal Council, made his observation known that modernisation was having a powerful impact on cultural values.
Nonetheless, he underscored the need for the community to preserve and maintain their culture ‘as we face the inevitable changes that have come through modernisation.’ But he reminded that modernisation was here to stay.
However, balancing, adapting and evolving with alternate ways to pursue modernisation are perhaps some of the biggest challenges confronting the people today, Meyase remarked.
“Even if modernisation is necessary to improve human life, it will be indispensable for us to maintain our traditional cultures too. I am of the considered view that WASU deliberately chose this very important and crucial theme to probe and propagate that we seek our own unique and alternate way of modernisation,” he said.
He went on to say that “the fault is not with modernisation itself, but more in the way we take it. To this, he stated the need to balance traditional values with a modern lifestyle so as to preserve our national identity. “So, even as cultures develop, values must remain,” he added.
“We need to realise that modernisation means advancement and should not necessarily lead to degradation of our values – values of honesty, truthfulness, integrity, hard work, generosity and chivalry, etc,” the KMC administrator said adding that “increased modernisation and urbanisation has also affected not only man and his society and culture, but also his environment.”
“There has been a general tendency in all of us, to mistakenly think that anything of the western culture is good. We must relearn our values and unlearn the negatives that we picked from other culture for there is a dire need to preserve our cultural identity,” he said adding that the important aspect of it is to maintain one’s culture and adapt it to modernisation, but to not change it.
Meanwhile, a new team of WASU for the tenure 2017-2019, was elected led by Ketouleto Kuotsu as the president.
The guests for the valedictory function were officials of the Western Angami Youth Organisation and Western Angami Sports Association.
Earlier during the day, volleyball matches for both men and women were played with Group ‘D’ emerging the champions in men’s volleyball, followed by Group ‘B’ who were placed runners-up.
In the women’s volleyball event, Group ‘B’ emerged the first, while group ‘A’ were placed runners-up.
