The state of Arunachal Pradesh observed the grand commemoration of the 36th Statehood Day and the Golden Jubilee celebration today on 20th of February 2022 at the Yupia Outdoor Stadium. The event was graced by the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Assam Shri Hemant Biswa Sarma, the Union Minister of Law and Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju, the Governor of AP Brig. Dr. B.D. Mishra (Retd.) along with many other dignitaries.  

The day long Arunachal Statehood day celebration began with the unfurling of national flag by Hon’ble Governor of Arunachal, Brig (Dr) BD Mishra Ji (retd) at Golden Jubilee Outdoor Stadium at Yupia this morning.

During the grand commemoration, Shri Pema Khandu conferred the highest civilian award, Arunachal Ratna, posthumously to the 1st Lt Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Late K A A Raja for his unwavering commitment to duty and serving the people of the State with utmost sincerity. As the 1st Chief Commissioner of the state, he was responsible for shifting of capital from Shillong, and establishment of the new capital city at Itanagar. The award the received by his daughter-in-law, Dr(Mrs) Lalitha Ramasubraminia Raja along with his daughters, Mrs MS Vijayalakshmi & Mrs Maragathavalli.

During the event, Late Verrier Elwin was also posthumously felicitated by the GoAP with a Citation for his towering contribution to the developmental philosophy of the state, and for his vast body of work documenting the cultures of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.

The event was commemorated with the theme, “Celebrating the past and nurturing the future”, which witnessed beautiful vibrant performances by the cultural troupes coming from different districts of the state. The performances included mesmerising display of Golden Deer dance, Peacock dance and Cock Fight dance, Monpa Yak dance and many other colourful dances. The ambience of the stadium filled with cheerfulness when the cultural troupes performed a mega dance on the legendary song “Arunachal Humara” written by the singing legend Late Bhupen Hazarika.

Congratulating the state on the occasion, a video message by the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi was played in the stadium where he praised the journey of Arunachal Pradesh since its infancy and the diligent services provided by the governing authorities. 

On the occasion, the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh along with the Chief Guest Shri Hemanta Biswa Sarma and CM Shri Pema Khandu also laid the release of the commemorative stamp. The event also saw SHGs being felicitated with the disbursement of 120 Crores under the bank loan schemes of Atma Nirbhar Krishi Yojana (ANKY), Agriculture Department and Atma Nirbhar Bagwani Yojana(ANBY), Horticulture Department.

The day long event was later carried forward with a beautiful cultural event, where various traditional folk dances were performed, along with a musical show which featured an open concert by the talented Jubin Nautiyal. The entire flow of the event had a vibrant appeal and captivated the audience to the very end.