KISAMA COMES ALIVE, WHILE PEACE REMAINS ELUSIVE

As Nagaland marks 62 years of statehood amid Hornbill’s vibrant celebrations, its long quest for peace, identity, and sovereignty remains unfinished.

- TDG NETWORK NEW DELHI

At Kisama Heritage Village outside Kohima, thousands of Nagas and visitors from across India and abroad gather each evening in early December. Drums and reed-pipes herald the 10-day Hornbill Festival - known as the “Festival of Festivals” - where tribesmen in feathered headgear circle the arena, singers belt traditional songs, and colorful war-dances animate the field.

Stalls brim with local crafts, smoked meat and rice beers; farmers proudly display different varieties of rice and spices. This year the Hornbill has extra fanfare: the Union government has even relaxed the notoriously strict Protected Area Permits for foreigners during Dec 1-10, a change aimed at boosting international tourism. A report in a national daily noted, the Centre moved to “boost international participation... recognizing tourism’s economic importance and the festival's significance”. Nagaland has signed up six partner countries as cultural guests, and expects thousands of visitors in addition to domestic tourists.

Yet even as the arena shimmers with neon lights and pipers at night, a reminder hangs in the air: Nagaland’s truce remains unfinished. Behind the Hornbill’s festive colors lies a decades long conflict still seeking a political solution. Amid the dancers and drumbeats, many young Nagas whisper about identity and “our history”. A graffiti near the venue asks, “Who owns this land?” These undercurrents surfaced again this month with the homecoming of Naga rebel leader Thuingaleng Muivah. In the words of one tribal elder at the festival: “We celebrate our culture freely now, but the question is whether we'll ever truly settle our politics.”

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