Arju Autumn Fest promises a unique experience

Subonenba Longkumer and event partners of Arju Autumn Fest Tuli 2019 displaying promotional Fest T-shirts at Hotel Acacia, Dimapur on August 30. (Morung Photo)

Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 30

A festival that has potential to serve as a starter to the festive season and also the Hornbill Festival is all set to sparkle in the picturesque Tuli plains, Mokokchung in October. The event -- Arju Autumn Fest Tuli 2019 scheduled on October 10 and 11 -- promises visitors a unique experience “in comparison to other celebratory events.”
It is a collaborative effort with people from a broad spectrum of fields chipping in. 

The venue will be the Rajeshwari Karuna School campus, which nestles a sprawling 23 acres of land. 

“The idea is to take events of such scale to places other than the district headquarters,” said Subonenba Longkumer, Director of Community Education Centre Society (CECS) at a press conference today at Hotel Acacia, Dimapur.

CECS is a Dimapur based NGO that focuses on community development, including child rights advocacy, education of marginalised children and women empowerment.

Longkumer, who conceptualised the festival, roped in a number of professionals as event partners giving shape to the idea. The event partners for the Arju Fest include the Task Force for Music & Arts, Tuli district administration, Dreamz Unlimited, Music 24 Studio, Music Dukaan, Live Master, Inkcraft Studio, Pencilwork Graphics, Graphic India, Arrow Club Tuli and Creative Sound.

Tuli with its now defunct Paper mill was an employment hub back in the 80s “but today hardly anyone hears of Tuli,” said Longkumer, while adding that the concept is to promote the place and its culture by allowing the locals be a part of the event.

“It is envisaged to create an avenue beside entertainment, a platform to promote untapped talents, local entrepreneurs, tourism and so as a knowledge hub,” stated a concept note on the Fest drawing a parallel with the traditional Ao Naga institution of Arju (Morung), which can be roughly described as a place of learning/imbibing/cultivating the indigenous Ao way of life.

It will have a segment "where various educational institutions, corporate houses and government departments" will be able to interact with visitors, it added. 

As far as entertainment is concerned, it will feature a competitive 'Battle of the Bands' (BoB) concert segment where bands can perform and compete for top prizes. The audition for this is scheduled on September 3 and 6 in Dimapur (at Hotel Acacia) and Tuli, respectively. 

Longkumer added that ample opportunity will also be given to non-competitive local artists, who can take the stage to perform before the BoB takes centre stage.

The Fest will offer visitors ziplining, outdoor camping, ATV rides, indigenous games and traditional artifacts display besides others. Volleyball tourney is slotted into the list of events too. 

Entry to the venue will be Rs. 300 per day per person. It will be free of cost for children 10 years and below. 

Food will be available at the venue at minimal rates and for those seeking to stay overnight “accommodation should not be a problem,” said Longkumer while adding visitors can bring their own tents or can stay in the school's accommodations. 

For out of state visitors, he said that Tuli is barely an hour from Jorhat, Assam.

Queried on the prospect of homestays, he replied that it is still to take off in Tuli.
While not pointed out by the organisers, homestays has potential to grow if the Arju Fest sustains.

“If it works (evokes public interest), we have all the intention to turn it into an annual feature in the Nagaland's festive calendar,” said Longkumer. 

The press conference also marked the launch of Arju Fest's promo teaser and merchandise.