Women from nearby villages selling Ongjinaro in the local market of Mokokchung. Ongjinaro is used as a decorative plant during Christmas season by the locals here. (Photo Courtesy: Sashi Jamir)
Mokokchung | November 25 :Christmas is in the air, like they say. But there is a different group of people in Mokokchung heralding the season. These women, unlike one would expect, are small time businesswomen from the rural villages of Mokokchung selling Ongjinaro (in Ao Naga).
Owing to its similar looks with the holly plant, the locals here much prefer it for Christmas decoration and so it is aptly called the ‘local holly’. As Christmas approaches, these women from the nearby villages collect the ‘local holly’ from the woods and sell them in the market every Christmas season. A bunch of Ongjinaro is sold at the rate of Rs.20 or sometimes for Rs.50 a bunch in the market, depending on its quantity.
Ongjinaro adorns most of the houses during this season of the year in Mokokchung town. It is also not uncommon to find Ongjinaro adorning the church buildings, a pointer that the small time businesswomen must be making some extra income – a Christmas blessing, perhaps.
Ongjinaro, or Sarcandra glabra, is a shade loving plant with dark green leaves and red seeds. It generally grows well under shades in the dense and moist woods. Mopungchuket villagers have been commercializing the plant for over the years as it is found abundantly in their village jungles. Ongjinaro is also found in pockets of Longkhum and Chuchuyimpang villages.
There are claims that this plant also has medicinal values but no local scholar has undertaken any botanical research on the plant yet. Commercial propagation of the plant is not reported either. As of now, Ongjinaro grows in its natural habitat under the shades of towering trees in the forest. It is a tedious task to gather the flower in the woods, if at all Ongjinaro can be called a flower, but at the end of the day, a glance at the graceful ‘local holly’ makes it worth the effort.
Christmas in Mokokchung would surely look dull without the ornamental Ongjinaro and the women selling them in the market would have been denied a certain Season’s gift of extra income.
Owing to its similar looks with the holly plant, the locals here much prefer it for Christmas decoration and so it is aptly called the ‘local holly’. As Christmas approaches, these women from the nearby villages collect the ‘local holly’ from the woods and sell them in the market every Christmas season. A bunch of Ongjinaro is sold at the rate of Rs.20 or sometimes for Rs.50 a bunch in the market, depending on its quantity.
Ongjinaro adorns most of the houses during this season of the year in Mokokchung town. It is also not uncommon to find Ongjinaro adorning the church buildings, a pointer that the small time businesswomen must be making some extra income – a Christmas blessing, perhaps.
Ongjinaro, or Sarcandra glabra, is a shade loving plant with dark green leaves and red seeds. It generally grows well under shades in the dense and moist woods. Mopungchuket villagers have been commercializing the plant for over the years as it is found abundantly in their village jungles. Ongjinaro is also found in pockets of Longkhum and Chuchuyimpang villages.
There are claims that this plant also has medicinal values but no local scholar has undertaken any botanical research on the plant yet. Commercial propagation of the plant is not reported either. As of now, Ongjinaro grows in its natural habitat under the shades of towering trees in the forest. It is a tedious task to gather the flower in the woods, if at all Ongjinaro can be called a flower, but at the end of the day, a glance at the graceful ‘local holly’ makes it worth the effort.
Christmas in Mokokchung would surely look dull without the ornamental Ongjinaro and the women selling them in the market would have been denied a certain Season’s gift of extra income.
