International Workshop on Intercultural Resources and Peace Building held

A one-day International Workshop on “Intercultural Resources & Peace Building” was held today at the Government Hindi College Auditorium, Imphal. The programme was jointly organised by the Government Hindi Teachers’ Training College (GHTTC), Imphal, the Council for Educational Administration & Management (CEAM), Manipur Chapter, and Yelhomee Phurup, Manipur.
The workshop brought together eminent scholars, activists, and cultural practitioners working on indigenous rights, cultural preservation, and conflict resolution. The discussions centred on reassessing overlapping cultural affinities as a vital resource for inter-community trust and peace building.
R.K. Bijayalaxmi, Secretary of Yelhomee Phurup, highlighted how the introduction of new religions in pre-colonial and colonial Manipur created divisions, while stressing the importance of inter-community similarities and folk traditions in fostering harmony. Scholar Mutua Bahadur underscored the need to preserve common language, stone inscriptions, pictographs, and other cultural symbols through inclusion in educational curricula, while discouraging blind cultural imitation.
Human rights activist Binalakshmi Nepram called for urgent measures to address violence against indigenous peoples worldwide, stressing the role of intercultural exchanges in peace building. Pena activist Marjing Mayanglambam spoke on folk music as a source of solidarity and healing.
Delivering the concluding presentation, Dr. Arambam Noni analysed causes of conflicts, pointing to power asymmetry, subjectivity, and politicisation of ethnic identities. The sessions ended with concluding remarks by Dr. Th. Asha Sinha, Principal of Government Hindi College, Imphal.