(From Left) Simonil and Rishad volunteers from Mumbai for the “Save the Hornbill” petition initiative with HCI chairperson Dr. Yan Murry and volunteers Novisie Kajiri and Mhathung at their stall, Bamboo pavilion, Kisama. (Morung Photo)
This week many Nagas are busy trying to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland by attending or participating in the Hornbill Festival at Kisama, the heritage village situated 12 kms away from Kohima. While visiting tourists try to peep into that same window of Nagaland in hopes of finding an exotic tribal experience. Meanwhile, the Hornbill bird after which the festival is named and found in the hills of Nagaland finds “solace” in a stall at the Bamboo Pavilion at Kisama.
The Hornbill Conservation Initiative (HCI), a Green-SOnS initiative has attracted much attention among all the stalls setup. Other stalls had also garnered attention-but of the wrong sort. When people found out that original Hornbill feathers were being sold at exorbitant prices, many feathers were ruffled and there was an immediate outcry against the sale of the feathers of these precious birds.
The initiative started when HCI had setup the “Save the Hornbill Petition” at www.hornbillfestivals.com four months back and ever since then response has been trickling in from several countries and Nagas at home. But the petition has gained momentum from day one of the Hornbill festival and now at the filing of this report, approximately one thousand people have signed the petition.
Two volunteers- Simonil and Rishad from Mumbai are manning the stall along with other HCI members. Speaking with The Morung Express, the duo says that they decided to be a part of the initiative after having come across the petition in the hornbillfestival website. Novisie Kajiri, also a volunteer shared that many incidents have occurred at the stall. He narrated an incident where an old man visited the stall and had opined that the Hornbill Festival was wrongly named. “We do not have the bird, but we are celebrating it. There is nothing to justify our celebrations,” is his quote. On the flip side, a youngsters having bought a feather from one of the other stall at an exorbitant amount of one thousand bucks, when crossing the Hornbill Conservation stall apparently got so upset for having bought the feather started feeling ‘guilty’ refused to sign the petition and even said “I have done a crime”.
Also, a young boy after visiting the stall was so impacted, but with no money in his pocket, left the stall and returned with twenty bucks and gave it to the volunteers saying “Please use this for the conservation.”
Dr. Yan Murry, chairperson (in-charge of the research) also had this to say: “If we keep on celebrating Hornbill festival but we do not do anything to preserve the birds, then people will laugh at us. We should do something about it.” He also informed that some legislators have already signed the petition also.
On December 6, HCI is organizing the “Hornbill Painting and Sketching Competition” under the theme ‘Displaying the beauty of the hornbill bird’. HCI targets 5000 signatures by the end of the festival, and will be forwarding these petitions to the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Govt of India for necessary action. People unable to sign the petition at Kisama can sign it online at Hornbillfestival.com.
The Hornbill Conservation Initiative (HCI), a Green-SOnS initiative has attracted much attention among all the stalls setup. Other stalls had also garnered attention-but of the wrong sort. When people found out that original Hornbill feathers were being sold at exorbitant prices, many feathers were ruffled and there was an immediate outcry against the sale of the feathers of these precious birds.
The initiative started when HCI had setup the “Save the Hornbill Petition” at www.hornbillfestivals.com four months back and ever since then response has been trickling in from several countries and Nagas at home. But the petition has gained momentum from day one of the Hornbill festival and now at the filing of this report, approximately one thousand people have signed the petition.
Two volunteers- Simonil and Rishad from Mumbai are manning the stall along with other HCI members. Speaking with The Morung Express, the duo says that they decided to be a part of the initiative after having come across the petition in the hornbillfestival website. Novisie Kajiri, also a volunteer shared that many incidents have occurred at the stall. He narrated an incident where an old man visited the stall and had opined that the Hornbill Festival was wrongly named. “We do not have the bird, but we are celebrating it. There is nothing to justify our celebrations,” is his quote. On the flip side, a youngsters having bought a feather from one of the other stall at an exorbitant amount of one thousand bucks, when crossing the Hornbill Conservation stall apparently got so upset for having bought the feather started feeling ‘guilty’ refused to sign the petition and even said “I have done a crime”.
Also, a young boy after visiting the stall was so impacted, but with no money in his pocket, left the stall and returned with twenty bucks and gave it to the volunteers saying “Please use this for the conservation.”
Dr. Yan Murry, chairperson (in-charge of the research) also had this to say: “If we keep on celebrating Hornbill festival but we do not do anything to preserve the birds, then people will laugh at us. We should do something about it.” He also informed that some legislators have already signed the petition also.
On December 6, HCI is organizing the “Hornbill Painting and Sketching Competition” under the theme ‘Displaying the beauty of the hornbill bird’. HCI targets 5000 signatures by the end of the festival, and will be forwarding these petitions to the Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Govt of India for necessary action. People unable to sign the petition at Kisama can sign it online at Hornbillfestival.com.
Morung Express Feature
