Kohima, October 29 (MExN): Zhavame Union Kohima (ZUK) today organised Cultural Day under the theme ‘Our Culture, Our Identity’, where several indigenous practices in the form of folk songs, dances, games, music etc were demonstrated.
Addressing a huge gathering of Zhavame people residing in Kohima at the NSF Solidarity Park, Speaker of Nagaland Legislative Assembly, Chotisuh Sazo emphasized on the need to strengthen the unity of the Chakhesangs. “We must be proud Chakhesangs regardless of the differences in dialects and attires,” he added. Observing that many people living especially in towns are forgetting their culture, he lauded the great initiative of ZUK towards reviving the rich traditions of "our" ancestors.
He also dwelt on the rich cultural values of "our" ancestors which include hard work, honesty and dignity of labour while referring to these as ‘treasures of our forefathers’. “We must preserve these rich culture and values and pass it on to the next generation,” he stated. In the meantime, he called for emulating the good values of the western and Indian culture while preserving our own culture.
The NLA Speaker also noted that “we are blessed with rich natural resources, good climatic conditions where we can do rain-fed agriculture” and urged upon the gathering to make the best use of these blessings. For a village to thrive, he further said, there is a need for political and economic stability and social peace, therefore, he urged the Zhavame community to always uphold unity as their weapon.
In his exhortation, Special Invitee, Theja Thereih, president, Chakhesang Hoho Kohima noted that the Cultural Day reflects the unity of Zhavame village- the community, which he said can speak almost all the dialects available in Phek district. He stated admiration at the unity and cooperation of the Zhavame community and called upon them to continue in their zest towards preserving their culture and tradition. On the other hand, he also called for proper census of all the Chakhesangs living in the state capital.
President of Zhavame Union Kohima, Deo Movi said in his keynote address that the reason they organised the Cultural Day was to reemphasize on the importance of “our” unique culture and tradition. He regretted that despite development in different fields such as Information Technology, Education, Economic Development, etc, “we” are forgetting our culture. In this regard, he stressed that one may be highly educated, talented, or powerful, but asserted that “without our culture, we are nowhere.”
Among those who attended the event included Parliamentary Secretary for Higher and Technical Education, Deo Nukhu.
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