Vice President Venkaiah Naidu releases book Oh Mizoram’, a collection of poems by Governor of Mizoram, P S Sreedharan Pillai

उपराष्ट्रपति श्री एम वेंकैया नायडू ने आज हैदराबाद में, मिज़ोरम के राज्यपाल श्री पी एस श्रीधरन पिल्लई द्वारा रचित पुस्तक 'Oh, Mizoram का लोकार्पण किया। #OhMizoram pic.twitter.com/oN6S2qYzQ9

— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) December 18, 2020

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu today released a book of English poems by Mizoram Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, titled Oh Mizoram.

In his speech, VP Naidu said that Pillai was a multi-faceted person. “He is a successful lawyer, a former politician, an organiser par excellence, an orator, a prolific writer, a philanthropic, and a thinker.

“I am amazed that despite his busy life, he has written 125 books in Malayalam and English on a variety of topics including politics, social and legal issues and poetry. The book being released today, Oh, Mizoram is his first poetry collection in English,” he said.

Pillai’s poems highlight Mizoram’s pristine natural beauty and point out that Mizoram’s vibrant festivals, folk music, and lively dance make Mizo’s culture truly special. Sometimes named the “songbird of the East,” the Mizos are blessed with a natural talent for music, he said.

Poems also discuss social issues. Referring to a poem on diabetes, Naidu said that he caught “the emotion of a man who had planted a mango sapling. When the tree bears fruit, the poet is tempted to pluck but then… he looks back at his insulin shot and closes the window with a broken-heart.”

He noted that a significant number of Indians are in the grip of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity due to sedentary lifestyles and unsanitary eating habits. In this regard, the northeastern people, who live harmoniously with nature and eat a natural diet, can show the way to the rest of India in adopting a healthy lifestyle. He expressed happiness that the northeast is showing the way in organic farming and cited the example of Sikkim, which has become India’s first organic state in 2016.

He also quoted another poem, ‘North-East Calls’, which contrasts life in the metro cities with the more serene life in the northeast.

“Smog shrouds the Capital,

Air pollution index shoots up,

…

Come to the ravishing North-East

And realize your dream of a silver dawn!”

“I am sure these lines will inspire the people to go and visit the beautiful north-east,” Naidu added.

Naidu also called for fully tapping the immense tourism potential of the North-Eastern states and underlined the need to improve air connectivity to the region. He said that ecotourism and cultural tourism can become the mainstay of development in the north-east if its tourism potential was fully leveraged.

Noting the efforts of both the Central and state governments in providing connectivity and tourism infrastructure, Naidu said that improving air connectivity to the region can singularly bring a significant positive impact on tourist inflows.

Pointing out that India has 26 million outbound tourists every year, the Vice President said that one could assume that most of them would prefer to “travel local” in the post-COVID-19 phase. This presents a huge opportunity for the north-eastern states to promote their tourism sector for this domestic audience, he added.

Urging the state and central governments to fully tap the tourism potential of the region, he suggested they consider the possibility of incentivizing travel to the North-East.
The Vice-President said the whole of North-East region presents a mosaic of diverse Indian culture with its more than 220 ethnic groups and an equal number of dialects.

Mizoram to partly withdraw forces from Assam border, BSF to be deployed
Assam man dies in custody in Mizoram, tension escalates amid border standoff
Assam, Mizoram agree to restore peace and normalcy on interstate border

The Vice-President also commended the people of Mizoram for recording great social indicators in literacy (with over 91 per cent) and child sex ratio. Mizoram also holds the highest child sex ratio with 971 females against 1000 males according to the 2011 Census, he noted.

The event was also attended by the Minister of State, Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region, Dr. Jitendra Singh.