By - Vishü Rita Krocha
The curtain of the famed Hornbill Festival has been drawn. And if its success is to be counted by the number of visitors, then the 25th edition also saw an overwhelming number of over 2 lakh visitors- a figure that surpassed last year's footfall and perhaps many other years.
Despite the many criticisms that the festival has generated especially among the Nagas themselves, there has also been some good that has emerged out of the festival. The most significant one being the fact that Hornbill Festival has put Nagaland on the global map. Even miles away from home, thousands of people can now, most naturally resonate with Nagaland as the state where "Hornbill" happens. And this, maybe is a good thing. Most people who visit the state only during the 10-day cultural celebration would take home with them, a very impressive memory of Nagaland and who knows, that might also be the only memory of the state that they would remember and cherish all their lives.
One of the most evident developments when Hornbill comes around is the smooth condition of the road as if it was never in a deplorable state. Whereas the state's beloved citizens have had to endure broken roads throughout the year.
However to a visitor's mind, Nagaland's roads would perhaps remain something that is always in a good condition. Members of the native American band that performed at the recently concluded Hornbill Festival as a country partner were particularly impressed by the roads. Although somebody of course had to tell them the truth by saying that it's only during Hornbill Festival that one would find nicely paved roads leading to the Naga Heritage Village.
Just a month ago, everything looked chaotic- both the venue for the festival and the roads leading to it. So much so that it was even difficult to imagine that everything would fall into place before the Festival takes off. But then again, as a citizen rightly put it, "moikhan tu overnight sop pari jabo."
Sure enough, the stage was set, and the road leading to it also well paved as if to show good roads are part and parcel of the Naga way of life. Consequently, the 25th edition of Hornbill Festival was apparently a roaring success.
And that brings to mind, if the most deplorable road condition can be repaired overnight, and we can put up a good show for thousands of people from all over the world in a very short span of time, then why can't we, for example, have good roads throughout the year?
Don't we all deserve this most basic infrastructure?
The saddest thing about the temporariness of development whether it is the roads or any other form of development, is that, it only appears like something is being developed only to impress an outsider, who will not live here long enough anyway to see or experience the harsh ground realities of the Naga life.
If there's another good thing that the Hornbill Festival can do for Nagaland, then it is better roads, which has been brilliantly exemplified in a very short period of time.
