By Roopak Goswami
Shillong, Oct 17: Tourism brochures often highlight Kashmir as the “Paradise on Earth” due to its mesmerising landscapes and serene beauty. To further enrich India’s tourism appeal, they could also promote Meghalaya as the “Heavenly Spirit of India.”
By describing Kashmir as the paradise and Meghalaya as a place where the heavenly spirit thrives, these brochures could tap into the natural and cultural wonders of both regions, offering travellers a full spectrum of India’s beauty and spirituality.
Centuries ago, Persian poet and scholar Hazrat Ameer Khusro had remarked about Kashmir, “Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.”
This translates to: “If there is a paradise on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.”
If today one was to literally translate what Jagdeep Dhankar referred to Meghalaya as “heavenly spirit” it would be “Aasmaani Rooh”. Heaven or heavenly in Urdu is Aasmaani and spirit is Rooh.
On his experience in Meghalaya, the Vice-President said, “If there is heaven it is in India, if there is heavenly spirit, it is in Meghalaya.” He asserted that the engine of Meghalaya’s economy could be driven by tourism alone. He further added that nature has bountifully gifted Meghalaya and urged them to exploit it fully by having very talented skilled people in the shape of human resource.
The difference between Paradise on Earth and heavenly spirit is subtle, even though both convey a sense of profound beauty and serenity. Paradise on Earth focuses on external, physical beauty that feels like a perfect, idyllic place on the planet.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Meghalaya Skill and Innovation Hub at Shillong on Wednesday, the Vice-President said, “North-East is on the radar of the nation’s development.”
He emphasized that the North-East is a significant contributor to unity, economic progress and cultural essence of the nation.
Acknowledging the North-East as a very important part of our country, Dhankhar lauded the Look East and Act East Policy which have resulted in exponential growth in communication, connectivity and development of airports in the region.
Expressing concern over ignorance and ill-informed narratives, the Vice-President questioned if freefall of information that has no factual foundation be allowed on public platforms. He further asked if we could afford to be loose cannons, ignoring our basic commitment to our nation. He upheld that Bharat is on the rise and it is indivisible and stressed on the youth being informed.
Dhankhar further exhorted the youth by calling them the most vital contributors and significant stakeholders in India’s march to being a developed nation by 2047.
The Vice-President highlighted that skill is neither discovered nor innovated, it is in fact the optimal exploitation of talent of a person in that specified field which gives the human resource a qualitative cutting-edge. He underscored that skilling is no longer a quality, it is our need.
Meghalaya governor CH Vijayashankar, chief minister Conrad K Sangma, cabinet minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, and chief secretary Donald Phillips Wahlang were among others present on the occasion.
