Rajon Das of Assam’s Karimganj district has made it his mission to promote Northeast India so that it receives proper representation in NCERT textbooks.
The 22-year-old has set out on foot to raise the attention of NCERT officials to the need to include chapters on the Northeast in its textbooks, particularly for students in classes IX and X, to help them learn about the region. The walking tour is also intended to promote the cultures and traditions of North East.
Rajon Das, a resident of Patharkandi in Karimganj, began his journey on May 22 from the Tripura Sundari Temple (also known as Matabari) in Udaipur, Tripura, and will stop in Mizoram, Guwahati’s Kamakhya, and Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang.
Das, a student at the National Institute of Technology Silchar, told ‘EastMojo’ that he began his journey on May 22 from the Tripura Sundari Temple in Udaipur, about 305 kilometres from Silchar, and that he has been walking for roughly 12-13 hours every day since then. He expects to finish the journey in the next two to two-and-a-half months.
The 22-year-old added that people on the mainland do not know properly about the northeast, its rich history and culture, and that it is critical that the region, which is a part of India, be explored via education. He believes that people from all around the country should be aware of the region’s wonderful landscapes, traditions, culture, and everything else associated with it.
Das believes that including chapters on the Northeast in NCERT books, particularly for students in grades IX and X, will enable students from all across the country to learn about the region, which will benefit in its future advancement and development. He hopes that his efforts would draw the notice of NCERT officials, who will then take the necessary steps to grant his wish.
Rajon Das completed a cycling tour from Assam to Khardungla (Ladakh) in 2021 with a similar goal in mind: to promote the Northeast. He visited Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir during the journey. Throughout the 62-day tour, he engaged with people from many states and shared various aspects of the Northeast with them.
