Nagaland gears up for Hornbill Festival 2023

Morung Express News
Kohima | November 24

With just one week left until the 24th edition of the Hornbill Festival 2023, a prelude to the grand festival kicked off today. 

Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, inaugurated the Food and Music Festival at Imagiland, Kisama, the Heritage Village. The two-day event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and the State Tourism Department, featuring various attractions such as food stalls, a kid's carnival, art installations, and a book corner.

Subsequently, in a meeting held with all line departments and stake holders to review the ongoing preparation, Rio appreciated the progress of the works at the Heritage Village and urged all to look into the lacunae for the success of the festival.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also appreciated the Eastern Naga Peoples’ Organisation for coming forward to participate in the Hornbill Festival.

Briefing media personnel at Kisama, Minister for Tourism, Temjen Imna Along said “with just a few days away from the most prestigious festival in our country in a very small state far away in the eastern most part, the mega Hornbill Festival 2023, all necessary arrangements and works will be completed in a day or two.”

He claimed that the preparation was far better than before and that the engineering wing of the Tourism Department has been very “prudent and assertive” in setting up the necessary arrangements and works.

Terming the 24th edition of the Hornbill Festival as a ‘special edition’, Along said this year’s festival is a prelude to the silver jubilee edition of the Mega Hornbill Festival 2024 to happen. He also thanked the Eastern Naga people, who according to him, have assertively came forward in showing the unity of the Nagas at this time of the year with their willingness to participate with all fervor.

The Minister also extended invitation all tourists of the country and the world to come and experience the traditional, cultural and contemporary Naga way of life. “It is not just a festival but an experience to be taken back for a lifetime,” he stated.

Also inviting the people of the state, Along said this is an initiative of the State Government and sought full cooperation from all entities and the people at large to make sure that “we send the right message across the states of the nation and nations of the world about our traditions and heritage and also contemporary Nagas.”

When asked, the Minister said there are lots of different changes with more than 800 musicians from all over the globe, the country and foreign delegates. He stated it would be a record this year in the number of foreign ambassadors and partners. “Lots of other differences in the way things are curated throughout the Hornbill Festival area,” he added.

With certain issues which have shadowed the festival for the last two years, Along said people will be seeing something fresh with increase in departmental activities; more new items, programmes, expansion of  traditional sports and games etc. 
However, he said the greatest achievement for the people of the state would be a united Nagas of Nagaland coming forth.

The partnering agencies for the festival are Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. as mobility partner; Reckitt: The Birds & Bees Talk as health & hygiene; Indian Oil Corporation and  State of Bank of India as associate partners; and Pepsico as beverage and Liamtra as accommodation partners.

Commenting on the partnership, Along said the collaboration build each other (partnering parties) in many ways, and in this way the government can facilitate in building the state in a greater way.

He meanwhile said that Nagaland has benefitted a lot in bringing dignitaries into the state, adding “the alienation of our people in our own way is having a breakthrough.” “Partnerships are the way where we make them comfortable to understand our traditional thought processes and works, and that's how we build each other,” stated the Minister.