Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | December 3
When the 7-Day Bookworm Fest opened to public on November 29, 2016 at APO Conference Hall, Kohima, it wasn’t just booklovers and aspiring writers who were elated at the thought of it. A host of creative people who believe in creating products that are both unique and local were also excited for reasons more than one.
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Sweet Delights[/caption]
True to its objectives, the Fest showcases local businesses of different kinds. Mhonlumi Kithan, who initiated “Papyrus” in 2014 said, “the Fest is a very good platform for local vendors” while stating that many people have not heard of her shop in Kohima before, but are now aware of its existence. Possibly the only shop in Nagaland that deals exclusively with recycled paper, Papyrus has products that range from notebooks, gift bags, gift boxes, etc.
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Papyrus[/caption]
In another space, there is Été, an organic single origin coffee, which is state grown, processed and roasted locally in Nagaland. Lichan Humtsoe, the brainchild behind this initiative explained the été means “ours” in Lotha and was set up with the view of sharing the culture of drinking coffee. Towards this end, he also said, “drinking coffee gives you a good feeling and more so, because there is so much of art involved in it.” His nicely packaged coffee is 100% Arabica, procured from coffee growers in places like Zunheboto, Mon and Wokha.
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Gutouch handmade jewelleries[/caption]
There is also Gutouch, showcasing the beautiful creations of Jewellery Designer, Gugu Kuotsu. The Fest, according to her, “has small crowd but very decent” while adding that the good thing is that, there are no bargaining customers. She went on to say that, “I am not much of a reader but the very calm ambience makes me want to read.” With very reasonable jewelleries and accessories, the Designer’s greatest hope is for the person wearing it to be blessed. “Sometimes, it is things like these that can cheer somebody up and I have made it affordable so that it can also lighten the burden of a tired soul”, she impressed upon.
On the other hand, Ilandlo, many people’s favourite e-commerce site, which was part of the Fest for the first few days, displayed over 50 books written by local authors and several other locally made products such as wine, mugs, exotic white tea by Coldmountain, dolls from Ikali Studio, etc. Imtisunup Longchar of Ilandlo observed that “online sales are faster” but pointed out that the good thing about offline is that you get to meet people, make new connections and build relationships.
The book stalls housing a variety of local books among others are Barkweaver Publications, Zubaan Books, PenThrill Publication House, Catholic Publication Centre, CROSSWORD, Peak Agency, Western Book Depot, Academic Book House and The Volume Stationers. Other local vendors participating in the Fest include Little Niceties (Books, handmade crafts, homemade niceties), Vineyard School (Handmade cards, craft items, etc), English Department, Baptist College Kohima (Face painting and Selfie booth), Town Baptist Church Dimapur (Home décor), Sweet Tooth (Homemade cakes and cookies), 360° Sorhie Enterprise (DIY materials, gift accessories, T-shirt/Mug printing etc), Patchwork (Paintings and Accessories), 1052 Café N Store (Ceramic planters, home décor) Simple Delights & Precious Me Love (Handmade toys and dolls), Wonderland (Kids toys), D. Stall (Assortment), Tiny Gems, Fresh Flowers, Unlimited, Windfall, etc.
The ongoing Bookworm Fest, which commenced from November 29, 2016 will go on till December 5, 2016 and apart from featuring numerous local products, also has daily live performances and is seen as a platform for many budding poets, writers, artists, crafters, and musicians.
