The drumbeats were already in the air long before the official motorcade rolled through Itanagar. On September 8, Vice President of India C. P. Radhakrishnan touched down at Donyi Polo Airport in Hollongi for a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh — a state that rarely misses a chance to remind visitors just how extraordinary it is.
Governor Lt. Gen. K. T. Parnaik (Retd.) and Chief Minister Pema Khandu were both present at the airport to receive him. The Arunachal Pradesh Police then accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour, sharp and formal, the kind of welcome that makes clear this is not an ordinary visit.
But what followed was anything but formal.
At Lok Bhavan, the real welcome was waiting. Members of various indigenous communities — dressed in the kind of traditional attire that cannot be replicated on a factory floor — gathered to greet the Vice President. There were colours, textures, and faces that told stories older than any written record. Anyone who has witnessed Arunachal’s tribal communities dressed in full traditional regalia knows it’s one of those sights that stays with you. Radhakrishnan was experiencing something similar, no doubt.
Governor Parnaik, speaking on the occasion, said the Vice President’s visit would inspire the people of Arunachal Pradesh, especially the younger generation. He expressed hope that Radhakrishnan’s interactions and encouragement would strengthen confidence in the state’s development aspirations. It was the kind of sentiment that sounded genuine — because the state does have aspirations, and it does need national attention to meet them.
The evening then moved into something genuinely beautiful. A specially curated cultural programme called The Land of Cultures and Traditions was held at the Durbar Hall of Lok Bhavan. Students from the Department of Fine Arts and Music at Rajiv Gandhi University, Rono Hills, Doimukh performed two compositions rooted in Hindustani Classical Music. That alone would have been memorable. But the programme kept going.
Bharatanatyam and Kathak followed — performed by students of Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya and Jomu Norbu Khrimey Public School, Itanagar. Young people taking the stage to represent their state before the second highest constitutional authority of the country — that means something. You could imagine the rehearsals, the nerves, the pride.
Then came Rikam Pada, one of Arunachal Pradesh’s own cherished traditional dances, raw and rooted in the soil of the state. And Mibi Nyodu Taring, a Staff Artist of the Department of Art & Culture, brought the cultural segment to a close with a patriotic song that tied it all together — classical north meets indigenous northeast, and somewhere in the middle, India.
The evening ended with a State Banquet hosted by Governor Parnaik at Siddhartha Hall, Lok Bhavan. Cabinet members, Members of Parliament and other distinguished guests were present. Over dinner, the conversation reportedly turned to the progress, development and future of Arunachal Pradesh — which, frankly, is always worth talking about.
A state that shares over a thousand kilometres of border with China, that shelters 26 major tribes and over 100 sub-tribes, and that still fights for the infrastructure its geography demands — Arunachal Pradesh doesn’t need ceremonies for its own sake. What it needs is exactly what a visit like this can deliver: visibility, voice, and the quiet but powerful message that the nation is paying attention.
Radhakrishnan’s two-day stay had only just begun. But if Day One was any indication, Arunachal Pradesh had already made its mark.
