The annual Hornbill Festival is here once again and as always there is excitement and anticipation as people of Nagaland look forward to showcase the wonderful sight, sound and taste of Naga culture and tradition to the outside world. Ever since its inception by the previous Congress regime, the Hornbill festival has grown in stature. Due credit must go to the present government under Chief Minister Neiphiu Ro for giving the Hornbill Festival vibrancy and global recognition over the years. The people behind the weeklong extravaganza have done well to put together a good mix of events to capture the essence of the festival. The success in the running of the Hornbill Festival over the years is also a testimony to the immense talents and potential of Naga youths and goes to show that if given the right opportunity and platform, our youths can do much better even in the area of event management and programme implementation. In fact, right from the infusion of innovation in programme design to the creative solutions in implementing them or resource allocation and optimum utilization thereof and most importantly harnessing human capital, the success of organizing and managing the Hornbill Festival can be replicated as a model of governance. Our government system needs to also imbibe new ideas into their work places so that it can become the hub for innovation and creativity thereby improving the running of the government and becoming relevant to the needs and challenges of today’s world. Hopefully the enthusiasm and sincerity found in the conduct of this event can be replicated by those who run the affairs of our government.
The challenge before us would be how we look beyond the seven day of festivities and fun. There is no doubt that at Hornbill Festival we can showcase our talent, our products or promote one’s business or for those looking for a job, opportunities are there. But what happens when Kisama winds up and we have to wait another year for the next Hornbill Festival? The government must explore the possibilities of promoting tourism through out the year. As rightly mentioned by the Commissioner and Secretary of Tourism, this sector has the potential to create jobs, which is the need of the hour for growth and sustenance. The concern department should work in close coordination with the State tourism association in coming out with a yearlong tourism calendar if possible. The people from outside the government sector involved in the running of the Hornbill Festival can also be roped in to design and manage the calendar of events. Here we need to tap the potential of rural based tourism given that a majority of Nagas live in villages. Going in for rural tourism also makes perfect sense as it draws on the comparative advantage of Naga villages—the natural landscape, cultural packages and not to forget Naga hospitality and its famous cuisine. Off course we need to improve infrastructure that will be able to support such tourism initiatives.
While there is a good feel factor about the Hornbill festival and the positive image about Nagaland that this festival of festival is able to showcase us to the outside world, yet we should not close our eyes to the reality of our problems and failures. We may bask in the limelight and all the admiration coming from our guests and well wishers, yet these seven days of sleek publicity, bright lights, the good life, pomp and celebration should not in any way create the illusion that Nagaland is shining.
The challenge before us would be how we look beyond the seven day of festivities and fun. There is no doubt that at Hornbill Festival we can showcase our talent, our products or promote one’s business or for those looking for a job, opportunities are there. But what happens when Kisama winds up and we have to wait another year for the next Hornbill Festival? The government must explore the possibilities of promoting tourism through out the year. As rightly mentioned by the Commissioner and Secretary of Tourism, this sector has the potential to create jobs, which is the need of the hour for growth and sustenance. The concern department should work in close coordination with the State tourism association in coming out with a yearlong tourism calendar if possible. The people from outside the government sector involved in the running of the Hornbill Festival can also be roped in to design and manage the calendar of events. Here we need to tap the potential of rural based tourism given that a majority of Nagas live in villages. Going in for rural tourism also makes perfect sense as it draws on the comparative advantage of Naga villages—the natural landscape, cultural packages and not to forget Naga hospitality and its famous cuisine. Off course we need to improve infrastructure that will be able to support such tourism initiatives.
While there is a good feel factor about the Hornbill festival and the positive image about Nagaland that this festival of festival is able to showcase us to the outside world, yet we should not close our eyes to the reality of our problems and failures. We may bask in the limelight and all the admiration coming from our guests and well wishers, yet these seven days of sleek publicity, bright lights, the good life, pomp and celebration should not in any way create the illusion that Nagaland is shining.
