Over 150 visitors including foreign Nationals offer prayer at Lainingthou Sanamahi Shanglen

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 6 : Over 150 delegates from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bhutan, and various Indian States visited the Lainingthou Sanamahi Shanglen today and offered their prayers to Lainingthou Sanamahi and Ima Leimarel Sidabi.
The visit was part of the two-day international conference on "Navigating the Global Crossroads 2025: Contemporary Challenges and Sustainability," which began yesterday at DM College of Commerce.
Members of the Lainingthou Sanamahi Temple Board (LSTB) warmly welcomed the delegates with traditional shawls and later shared a meal together.
Speaking to the media, Prof Tshering Wangdi, president of Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan, said that this was his second visit to Manipur and Lainingthou Sanamahi Shanglen.
Expressing his joy, he said that visiting Manipur always brings him a sense of peace.
He also noted the strong similarities between the religious practices of Manipur and Bhutan.
Being able to visit Manipur is a blessing in itself, Prof Tshering said.
Vice Chancellor of DM University, Prof W Chandbabu, who led the delegates, said that they were taken to Lainingthou Sanamahi Shanglen to let them learn about the value system and culture of Manipur.
He expressed hope that the delegates would help spread the culture of Manipur when they return to their respective countries and States.
The conference was jointly organized by DM College of Commerce, Manipur Technical University and North Eastern Management Association (NEMA) under the sponsorship of Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).  
Meanwhile, during the inaugural session, DMU and MTU Vice Chancellor Prof W Chandbabu said that  sustainability is the catchword across the world today.
It is essential to know how much progress has been made in the field of sustainability and what are its target areas, he said.
It remains questionable how much progress has been achieved in the fields of environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability, Prof Chandbabu  said.
He said that the two-day conference will study whether the sustainability measures have been implemented at the grassroots level or not.
Even though countries across the world have been focusing on the 17 sustainable goals set by the United Nations, wars are being fought in different regions. In addition, there is the pressing issue of climate change, he said.
Several action plans on sustainability have been formulated but it is doubtful whether these action plans are genuinely relevant or not, Prof Chandbabu said.
More than 100 scholars presented papers on different topics during six technical sessions.