-TOURISM-
The Right Medicine For Communal Harmony & National Integration
-jamin h vualnam

Tourism is immense importance to India in general and particularly to North Eastern States and our success story will continued undiminished. Tourism has always been appreciated and actively promoted for its economic growth and value. It helps in reducing poverty and in maintaining quality of life through employment, through economic prosperity, balance of payments, investment and substantially the tourism resources are utilized for augmenting the infrastructure and integrating tourism products with local, national and international markets, which in-turn generates tourists for the country and chain and continues. Very rarely we think of its major importance and value related to locals, regional, national integration and international understanding through tourism.

For a country like India, where there are various religious faiths and belief, linguistic communities, customs and tradition, various food habits, dress and culture, different and various ways of styles and living, there is always need to have some common link which covers every body's interest and works for every body's benefit. What better link and vehicle/medicine could one think other than Tourism? There is now a greater awareness about tourism as great force of unity and understanding each other from close quarter and appreciate each other's rich heritage. All negative things, which are happening in our country or elsewhere, are due to ego and lack of appreciation of one another's culture and community or strong religious fundamentalism. Ancient philosopher like Shankaracharya thought of bringing Indians from various parts on pilgrimage by setting up religious places. By having some of each are at Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Sringer so that people from North moves to South, South to East, East to West or vice-versa. Thus, through pilgrimage tourism there were sincere efforts to bring our people together irrespective of their differences in terms of colours, looks, ways of living, likes, community etc. With tourism infrastructure developed and people exploring other's region and experiencing other's culture, in a country like India it is great sources of experiencing "Unity in Diversity". Government of India is giving/sanctioning leave travel concessions, private/corporate houses are offering incentives tours to their executives/staff-all these have given enough motivation and encourage to have tour in and around the country at various tourist places in India and outside the country. The tours may be of domestic (within the country like; local, regional or national) or international, in-bound or out-bound. When they interact with local people, try ethnic food, participate in local festivals, there is a feeling of oneness forgetting the language barriers, or religious faiths or food habits, only objective being pleasure, leisure, experience, understanding, appreciation and friendship. Others visited or tours to a place for curiosity, political issues, religious matter,business,medical,visiting friends and relatives,exhibitions,conference,meetings,sports,adventures,closed observation and first hand information of world heritage sites and monuments, research and scholars for findings and deep studies etc. Thus tourism has all the ingredients or recipe that need to bring Unity of Oneness.India, which is the place for diverse culture, diverse natural scene, and diverse faiths and belief specially the North Eastern States-Unity is the major issue. But tourism has proved and signifies the corner stone to build unity.

India is a great example of community harmony and tourism co-existences. India is the birth place of some of the world's most influential religions- Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Budhism.Over the years with the wave of invaders, missionaries, traders and those fleeing preservation, new religion such as Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrianism were introduced and absorbed on our soil (India).Over the centuries unity or communal harmony has emerged a spirit of co-existence and better understanding among her people. This is evident from the fact that a person from one community can never think of celebrating any festival without the participation of others. Christianity flourished in India, several centuries before it was accepted in Europe. It was established in India on the arrival of St, Thomas, an apostle of Jesus Christ in 52 AD when he landed on the shore of Kerala. This religion spread and extended to further region and provinces up to the North Eastern region. With the missionaries landed and preaching in these region, Christianity flourished more than a hundred years ago in Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and so on. The first Zoroastrianism to enter India arrived on the Gujarat coast in the 10th –Century soon after the Arabian conquest of Iran and by the end of the 17th century most of them settled in India.Budhism, Jainism, Sikhism all flourished together with Hinduism and the earliest Jews came to India two thousand years ago, and India sheltered all religions, creed and beliefs. Later even Sufis, Bahais all were granted protection and accepted into the fold of main stream, given land, equal opportunity to excel in their profession of choice and remain harmony in India. This communal harmony brought many tourist to India to see themselves the broad mindedness of our culture and belief in the communal harmony.

Undoubtedly,Tourism is the key component for communal harmony and this oneness in the diversity is our unique tourism attraction.The characterestics component of tourism and different types and kinds of tourist attraction were its main pull-factors within the country and to India.Therefore,we can say that Tourism is the right vehicle and best medicine for communal harmony and integration for all types of community at large. So let us all preserve,maintain,promote and developed these spirit and the feeling of oneness all the times and bring prosperity at the local/community level,regionally and nationally as well as global peace and harmony through Tourism.