New Delhi: A meeting between Deputy CM Arunachal Pradesh Shri Chowna Mein and top National Monumental Authority (NMa) officials led by chairman Shri Tarun Vijay took place to decide about strengthening Arunachal’s age old cultural connect with Gujarat through Rukmini and Bhagwan Krishna story.

NMA Chairperson, Shri Tarun Vijay said that it is planned that people from Gujarat visit Bhishmak Nagar and vice versa to increase cultural tourism between far eastern and far western corners of the nation. It is aimed at promoting  idea of national unity and Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat envisioned  by the Prime Minister.

NMA is aiming for  monument preservation and organising  a Rukmini Krishna Yatra between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat on a large scale and to promote it at the national level.

The NMA team visited legendary Bhishmak Nagar ruins of Rukmini palace and met several village elders who narrated beautiful saga of Rukmini’s marriage to Shri Krishna that is still sung in Idu Mishmi tribal songs. The teams also met an Idu Mishmi girl who has been named Rukmini by her parents. She sang the local Rukmini Bhishmak song for them which was duly recorded. In Porbandar,  Krishna’s marriage with Arunachal’s Rukmini is also celebrated.

Shri Tarun Vijay said that he is specially accompanied by Shri Hemraj Kamdar a renowned architect and cultural conceptualiser from Gujarat and Prof Kailash Rao from Andhra Pradesh to help visualise the Mission National Unity through Rukmini- Krishna legend.

Shri Tarun Vijay also said that in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav year it is important to strengthen threads of national unity through Civilisation connects.

Arunachal Pradesh needs a very special attention for preservation of its cultural memory as the verbal history transferred from one generation to other is fast disappearing since  village elders and Igus (traditional healers and priests) are dwindling in numbers.

NMA visited a number of indigenous archaeological sites and is preparing a detailed report to preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage of this sensitive border state.