•- Knowing that the socio-cultural scenario of a nation cannot be built by musicians and dancers alone, it was about time that the Government of Nagaland gave “literary activity” its due acknowledgement, and appreciated it for its true integral worth! Thus making room for some intellectual stimulation amidst the colorful fanfare of the Hornbill festival, the Department of Art & Culture and Tourism, decided to have the first ever literature fest on 5th December at the Kisama Bamboo Heritage Hall. It was Himato Zhimomi, (Indian Foreign Service, the present Commissioner & Secretary, Art & Culture, and Tourism, Nagaland Government) who was responsible for initiating the Hornbill Literature Fest.
Confounding all initial apprehensions about the fest, I was pleasantly surprised that it was such a marvelous experience. The hall was filled to capacity, with both foreign and domestic tourists, and also a huge local body comprising of both young and old readers and writers alike. Various literary works produced by Naga writers were on sale and display.
Writer Easterine Kire, who runs a publishing house in Norway called Bark Weaver, read an excerpt from one of her books. She is the author of the challenging book called A Terrible Matriarchy and also of Mari. Her first book which was written in 2003, A Naga Village Remembered, is translated into German. Her other books comprise of Windhover Collection, the novella Life on Hold, A Slice of Stravanger and Once in Far Away Dorg, which is a children’s book. Through Bark Weaver, she has worked on a volume of folk tales and people’s stories. It was inspiration to see such a prolific Naga writer writing in English come and grace Nagaland’s first ever literature festival.
Retired professor, Dr. Temsula Ao gave a very moving and powerful presentation. She spoke about the “literature of introspection” and read out two of her poems. She has released several collections of poetry books and has also authored two very critically acclaimed short story books entitled These Hills Called Home and Laburnum for my Head. Her stories emerge from the very roots, the socio-cultural milieu of Naga society and history, and are written with great maturity and empathy. She is in fact a master story-teller, the one authority in creative non-fiction and context-based fiction, who appeals to both the academia and the common reader.
The Chief Guest for the day, Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu, Honb’le Minister for Higher Technical Education, released three books that day, one written by Easterine Kire, the other a graphic novel put together by members of Design Stash studio, Dimapur, and the other one a comprehensive book of Birds in Nagaland. Dr. Surhozelie, himself a literary giant of Nagaland, has written 41 booklets altogether. He is a proponent of tenyide literature and is responsible for developing the tenyide vocabulary in the form of the indispensible dictionary.
Like most informed readers and littérateurs who attended the fest that day, I too foresaw the huge potential that this small initiative will have for the future of literature in Nagaland. Much like Jaipur Literature Festival which started in 2006 with a handful of attendees and grew to highly respected international proportions today, Hornbill Literature Fest does stand a good chance of expanding on similar lines as long as interests are sustained and efforts are made relentlessly toward that very objective.
Confounding all initial apprehensions about the fest, I was pleasantly surprised that it was such a marvelous experience. The hall was filled to capacity, with both foreign and domestic tourists, and also a huge local body comprising of both young and old readers and writers alike. Various literary works produced by Naga writers were on sale and display.
Writer Easterine Kire, who runs a publishing house in Norway called Bark Weaver, read an excerpt from one of her books. She is the author of the challenging book called A Terrible Matriarchy and also of Mari. Her first book which was written in 2003, A Naga Village Remembered, is translated into German. Her other books comprise of Windhover Collection, the novella Life on Hold, A Slice of Stravanger and Once in Far Away Dorg, which is a children’s book. Through Bark Weaver, she has worked on a volume of folk tales and people’s stories. It was inspiration to see such a prolific Naga writer writing in English come and grace Nagaland’s first ever literature festival.
Retired professor, Dr. Temsula Ao gave a very moving and powerful presentation. She spoke about the “literature of introspection” and read out two of her poems. She has released several collections of poetry books and has also authored two very critically acclaimed short story books entitled These Hills Called Home and Laburnum for my Head. Her stories emerge from the very roots, the socio-cultural milieu of Naga society and history, and are written with great maturity and empathy. She is in fact a master story-teller, the one authority in creative non-fiction and context-based fiction, who appeals to both the academia and the common reader.
The Chief Guest for the day, Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu, Honb’le Minister for Higher Technical Education, released three books that day, one written by Easterine Kire, the other a graphic novel put together by members of Design Stash studio, Dimapur, and the other one a comprehensive book of Birds in Nagaland. Dr. Surhozelie, himself a literary giant of Nagaland, has written 41 booklets altogether. He is a proponent of tenyide literature and is responsible for developing the tenyide vocabulary in the form of the indispensible dictionary.
Like most informed readers and littérateurs who attended the fest that day, I too foresaw the huge potential that this small initiative will have for the future of literature in Nagaland. Much like Jaipur Literature Festival which started in 2006 with a handful of attendees and grew to highly respected international proportions today, Hornbill Literature Fest does stand a good chance of expanding on similar lines as long as interests are sustained and efforts are made relentlessly toward that very objective.
Susan Waten, HAWA, Dimapur.
(susanwaten@gmail.com)
