Alder Fest 2.0 commences in Kohima

Glimpse of the first day of Alder Fest 2.0 of Alder College, Kohima on April 21. This event, to continue till April 22, is being held in collaboration with Kohima Smart City Development Limited. (Morung Photo)

Our Correspondent
Kohima | April 21

A two-day Alder Fest 2.0 of Alder College, Sepfuzou, Kohima commenced at the college premises on April 21. This event, to continue till April 22, is being held in collaboration with Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL). It was formally declared open by Er Kezhazelhou Theünuo, Chief Executive Officer, KSCDL.

Day-one event was marked by inter-class Tug-of-war competition, Open Mic, Escargot Sucking Competition, Open Arm wrestling competition, Zuma with Avisa John, Amrit Utsav.

Earlier, the Zhapuvi Liegise, administrator, delivered welcome address while Khriesilhou Rio, General Secretary, ACSU shared greetings. Rev Dr Kevichalie Metha, pastor, Peraciezie Baptist Church Kohima invoked God’s blessing.

Meanwhile, the 2nd edition of Inter College Naga wrestling Competition as part of Alder Fest 2.0 will take place on April 22 from 9:30 AM onwards. Venuzo Dawhuo, champion 14th NWA Open Naga Wrestling Championship will be the guest of honour. Open crew dance competition has been scheduled at 2:30 pm.
 
Er Theünuo expound values of excellence, hard work, consistency
Gracing that inaugural function, Er Kezhazelhou Theünuo, Chief Executive Officer, KSCDL appreciated the Alder College for initiating Alder Fest and providing platform for students to participate in various activities to identify their interest & skills, enabling them to bring out their best talents and potential.

He said that Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the GoI to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of Independence of progressive India and as part of the Amrit Utsav, Kohima Smart City has been conducting and participating in a host of events in and around Kohima for the last 4 months and will continue till June 2023.

“We are privileged to be a part of Alder Fest 2.0 and the activities carry out in this program will be incorporated as part of Kohima Smart City event which will be submitted to MoHUA,” Theünuo said.

He said that skill development has become an absolute necessity in the 21st century.

“At present, our state has the 4th highest unemployment rate in the country according to Periodic Labor Force Survey, June 2021-July 2022) with 92,382 unemployed youth having registered till January 2022,” he said.

Despite the high number of graduates, many of our youths are still unemployed. This could be due to various challenges. One challenge is that once the students graduated, they have theoretical knowledge but no practical skills/experience, he said.

“They are unable to apply what they have learnt on the ground because there is a gap between what they study and what the ground reality is like,” he said.

Another challenge is due to lack of dignity of labor or sense of pride. Other challenges are lack of sufficient jobs or job avenues as Nagaland does not have Industries/factories to employ the educated youth.

For this, Theünuo encouraged the students to work on developing their skills, have dignity of labor and be willing to join any job anywhere.

Subscribing three values-excellence, hard work and consistency as utmost importance today, he said “These three go hand in hand. Our current society is extremely competitive. Whatever profession or career you choose, be it sports, art, entrepreneurship or govt. employment etc. there is no sector where there is no competition. It is not enough to do something just for the sake of doing it. You must strive for excellence or you'll find yourself getting left behind.”

You might be a very capable or bright person but it is your hard work and perseverance alone that will take you through to achieve your ambitions, he said adding “Consistency is the one factor that binds all these together. It is even more important than relying solely on motivation to realize one's goals.”