In Nagaland, a vegetarian feast fosters interfaith harmony

Morung Express News 
Mokokchung | January 2

In a striking display of interfaith solidarity, a local Marwari business community provided a free New Year’s Day lunch for thousands of attendees at a major Baptist church celebration in northeast India, reinforcing generations of peaceful coexistence in Nagaland’s Mokokchung town.

Received as a gesture of communal harmony and goodwill, the Marwari Samaj of Mokokchung Town provided lunch during the New Year celebration of the Mokokchung Town Baptist Arogo (MTBA) on January 1.

The initiative, which catered to nearly 3,000 people, was seen as a continuation of a growing relationship between the Marwari community and the people of Mokokchung Town, reflecting long-standing coexistence and mutual respect in the town.

‘We do not deny anyone’
Senior Marwari Samaj member Shyam Sunder Dayama said that the community has been settled in Mokokchung for generations, with his own family engaged in business in the town since 1952. “We have been doing business here for many years and have always received support from the public. We consider ourselves well settled here, like brothers and sisters,” he said.

Dayama explained that although the Marwari community and the people of Mokokchung had maintained cordial relations for decades, the elders felt a need to renew and strengthen these bonds. This led them to approach the church in December 2024, offering to contribute to the New Year fellowship meal. At that time, the church had already planned a feast, but the Marwari Samaj was given a stall to serve vegetarian food.

“This year, even though the church had no plan for a communal feast, we decided among ourselves to continue the tradition,” he said. “We prepared food for about 3,000 people including church members, our community, workers and passers-by. We do not deny anyone.”

Dayama added that the Marwari Samaj has long been involved in various community activities in Mokokchung, offering both financial and other forms of support. “We have our own festivals and ways, but we have always been respected here. We want to give back that same support,” he said, expressing hope that the relationship would continue to grow.

Called to love one another 
MTBA Pastor Rev Ponen Longchar said that the Marwari community has lived in Mokokchung for many generations and has adapted well to the local way of life. He recalled that as early as 2012, during the church’s Jubilee year, efforts were made to build friendship between the church and the Marwari community.

He also referred to the 2025 New Year celebration, when the church prepared non-vegetarian food while the Marwari Samaj provided a vegetarian option for about 1,500 people.

“For this year, the Marwari community approached us after Christmas and said they were willing to feed the congregation, irrespective of the number,” Rev Longchar said. After consultations with the deacon board and pastors, it was agreed that food would be prepared for around 3,000 people.

He added that cooks were brought from Jorhat and ingredients were also sourced from there to ensure quality preparation.

“If I am not mistaken, this may be one of the first such initiatives in the state,” he said, noting that the church welcomed the gesture in the spirit of Christian teaching. 

“Irrespective of religion, background or people group, we are called to love one another and live in unity, and we accepted this gesture in that understanding.”