Union Minister of Communications and DoNER, Jyotiraditya Scindia in Nagaland on December 4. (Morung Photo)
Scindia in Nagaland on 3-day tour
Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 4
The Union Minister of Communications and Development of Northeastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia said that his Ministry’s recent promotional video on ‘Naga Mircha’ was erroneous.
For a Ministry established especially for the country’s north-eastern region, the video had the DoNER Ministry’s understanding of the region’s cultural heritage under question.
Made with AI-generated imagery, the video was uploaded on DoNER’s social media handles on November 23 accompanied by the caption, “Naga Mircha, among the world’s hottest chillies, delivers sharp heat and fearless flavour. A GI-tagged fire earning its name as the Mirchi Volcano.”
It depicted Nagas as wearing tunics and pants resembling traditional-looking outfits like that of the Chinese or East Asians. They are also shown using chopsticks in one part of the video, while a different chilly variety was displayed throughout the video.
It was taken down only the next day but not before sparking public outrage.
Scindia landed in Nagaland on December 4 on a three-day visit to the state. After touching down at the Dimapur airport on December 4, Scindia was asked to comment on the epic blunder. “I’m not aware. It certainly is wrong if that has happened. But it's not something I’m aware of,” was his terse response.
The faux pas aside, he said that the DoNER Ministry has played a huge role in celebrating the diversity of the region, including Nagaland’s. “And that comes from a sense of profound respect for our people across the 17 tribes in Nagaland, and across all the people across all eight states of the northeast,” he said.
He said that Nagaland represents great diversity and potential for all of India, and it was an honour for him to be a guest at the Hornbill Festival. According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Act East, Act Fast and Act First” policy are paying rich dividends in the region's progress unlocking the “Ashtalakshmi” potential of the region.
On December 5, Scindia is scheduled to attend an inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony for multiple DoNER-funded projects organised by the state government in Touphema village, Kohima. In his itinerary includes participating in a traditional stone-pulling ceremony at Touphema, followed by a stopover at the Hornbill Festival at Kisama as a special guest the same day.
His tour will culminate with a visit to the
On December 6, Scindia will visit the Heirloom Naga Centre in Sovima, Chümoukedima on December 6.
