Mizoram will become gateway to southeast Asia: Governor

Agra, Nov 2 (IANS) Mizoram Governor Lt Gen (retd) Nirbhay Sharma said on Wednesday that the northeastern state, which till now was an outpost of India, is well on its way to becoming the gateway to southeast Asia.

"Mizoram is the most peaceful state in the northeast after 1986 and has no place for caste or class," he said.

Sharma was speaking at a function organised by the Central Hindi Institute in Agra where a Hindi-Mizo dictionary was released.

The governor said Hindi's growing popularity in the northeast has helped integration of the region with the national mainstream.

"The Indian armed forces played a big role in popularising Hindi in the northeast and now the Bollywood is giving it a momentum," he said.

Sharma added that even today there is not enough information about the northeast in general.

"The area is not only strategically important but also has immense potential for economic development. Up to 45 per cent of hydro-electricity can be generated in Arunachal Pradesh," he said.

"The whole area needs development, as it is bordered by Bhutan, Bangaladesh, Nepal, Myanmar. Our improved relations with Bangladesh will help better connectivity with Mizoram," Sharma said.

Students from Mizoram studying Hindi at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan in Agra told IANS that the central government should provide better facilities and intensive training of Hindi in Aizawl.

"The state-run Hindi Training College should be taken over by the Central Hindi Institute so that better standards can be obtained. Hindi provides the emotional bonding with the rest of the nation and students in the state are keen to learn Hindi for better job prospects," a student said.

Chandra Kant Tripathi, Registrar of the Central Hindi Institute, told IANS that 40 dictionaries in different languages are being prepared.

"Ten have already been published. The CHI is not only standardising Hindi but also promoting Hindi globally. We have students from 35-odd countries, including 15 from China, learning Hindi here," Tripathi said.

Mizo students presented songs and dances at the Soor Sadan auditorium which was packed to capacity.