Hornbill draws global audience

 

Festival of Festivals comes alive with cultural grandeur
 

The official venue of the Hornbill Festival– Kisama – became a riot of vibrant colours of sheer grandeur as Nagas, once again, displayed to the world their  rich cultural  heritage on the inaugural day of the culmination of the festivals of the various Naga tribes.
The performing arena at the venue was a sight to behold as Naga warriors belonging to  various tribes, performing artists from  neighbouring states and even cultural troupes from abroad, including from Myanmar and Thailand, decked in their traditional finery,  awaited their turn  to perform in the state’s biggest cultural extravaganza.
This year’s edition, the tenth, saw unprecedented participation of both foreign and domestic tourists, most notably the delegations from Myanmar or “eastern” Nagaland, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan besides a swarm of curious tourists from western countries. This year’s Hornbill edition has also a lot of added attractions including the Kids’ Carnival, special performance slots for cultural troupes belonging to Myanmar, Thailand and Korea,  among others.
Officially declaring the “Festival of Festivals” open, Nagaland Governor Nikhil Kumar remarked that despite being geographically small, Nagaland has displayed to the world its diverse culture and showcasing its rich cultural heritage. He   described it  as  a  unique  experience.
He described the festival as a celebration of the culture of the vibrant people of Nagaland and expressed confidence that the festival would assume a much greater role in bringing cultures together. He also opined that the festival, which coincides with Nagaland’s Statehood Day, was aptly named the ‘festival of festivals,’ pointing out that it has not only managed to inspire but also invited the attention of the seven sister states of the northeast and the cultures of other nations. He complimented the Nagaland government  for organising such an event of sheer cultural splendour, which has rapidly gained status and popularity in the tourism world  over the years. The governor  was  also full of praise for the government’s organising ability.
Asserting that the successful celebration of such an event was made possible only due to prevailing “peace,” the governor said to be looking forward to the state entering an era of peace and progress and emotional integration, in the near future.
Earlier, in his inaugural speech, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio,  the  chief host of the event, expressed satisfaction that the Hornbill Festival, which started in the year 2000 on a modest scale, has gradually gained in stature and vision to become a unique platform for tourists to witness the cultural diversity of not only the Nagas but also of the beautiful seven other sister states of Northeast India. He described the Hornbill Festival as an annual tourism promotional event to showcase Nagaland’s  traditional and cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity and grandeur.
Rio  announced the government’s policy to slowly and gradually privatise the festival to enable event managers and other entrepreneurs to take it up as a business venture and professionally manage it. Further, he reminded of the government’s initiatives to promote music as an industry through the Music Task Force. Emphasising that festivals can be celebrated only when there is conducive atmosphere, the CM attributed the prevailing “peace” and tranquility to the joint efforts of organisations such as the Forum for Naga Reconciliation, church bodies, civil society, NGOs, tribal organisations and the  various  underground  groups. He further made a renewed appeal to all sections of the  people to maintain  peace and harmony.
The inaugural programme was chaired by Yitachu, Parliamentary Secretary in-charge of Tourism and Law & Justice while founder president of the Tenyimi Central Union, WC Krome, who was the tribal guest of honour, invoked traditional blessings.
On the occasion, the governor also released a book entitled, ‘Fables From The Misty Mountains – Folklores of the Nagas.’  Cultural items by cultural troupes from Myanmar and Thailand were among the main attractions of the day. The programme was well-attended by a host of dignitaries including cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries, MLAs, top bureaucrats and  officials, heads of department and  top military officials.