Its been a long time since i wrote anything in my blog. Now, i have got some space to breath and i wanted to devote some time on my blog . I had been thinking a lot about the topic i want to write. Finally i decided to write about the tribes around whose surrounding i been brought up. I had grown up seeing mainly Khamtis , Singphos , Deoris and Tangsas. I never knew about other tribes in Arunachal until l i started going to Middle School. But till now I i know about all the tribes of the state.
Mainly, i will concentrate on the economic, cultural, educational conditions of Singphos and Khmatis vis-a-vis the Chakmas. I am not here to demean , ridicule or make a judgment on any community but to write about the reality.
I wrote a lot about my people. What i like about the Chakmas of Arunachal is that they are very hard working people. Their aspiration in this adversities. Their believe in fate. Their optimistic thinking, which is really to be proud of .
Singphos are our immediate neighbors. They are Buddhist by religion. They are very known for arts and crafts. They are very able blacksmiths. Which you can see in their tradition swords and knife.
I think the interaction of Chakmas with Singphos is more than between any other tribes. The Chakmas are lucky to be their neighbour. Religion is acting as a binding factor between the two communities. In the last four and half decades the has been any inter community marriages between the two communities. Beings Buddhist they are a peace loving community. There were no major conflicts between the two communities except a few unfortunate incidence , incited by some anti- social elements.
I think one of the major problem that is ailing their society is the drug abuse mainly heroine , against which the whole community should fight. Drug abuse is like a time bomb, which if not diffuse on time will inhale the society the way the the abuser inhale the smoke. In order to overcome this menace , the collective effort of the society is required . It will be the responsibility of the responsible youth to lead the campaign with the help from the leaders, elderly people .
In the field of education, they are also lagging behind. Their literacy rate is not commendable. Though the situation is changing slowly. More parents are emphasizing in education . Which is visible in the annual school reports.
Comparing with the condition of the two communities, I don't see a sea of difference in the socioeconomic condition of the majority of the populace, except in the political sphere.
Their is no much of a difference in the village conditions. In many of the Singpho villages , there
are no metallic roads. Even if there are roads but they are not being repair for a long time which is as good as having no roads. A very good example is the Diyun-Namsai road. The road is very important for the economic development of the area. The road cut across the areas of the Khamtis , Singphos and Deoris finally ending in the Chakmas areas. Being only of 32 km , it takes more than 2 hours to travel from Namsai to Diyun thus giving a average speed of only 14-16 km/hr. Just imagine!!! It is as good as riding on a cycle. How will the economic condition of the people living in this areas will increase , if the major road connecting to their areas is in such a pathetic state of condition? If there is problems in the transportation and communication , how will people sell their product to the outside markets? Agriculture being the main occupation of the people, they expect to sell their product to the outside market thus giving the much needed money.
