Asangba Tzudir
Doctoral Fellow,
JNU, New Delhi
As the dust settles down from the “hype and religious fervour” generated by the weeklong Hornbill “Festival” (opened to interpretations), traces of hangover, no doubt, will still be lingering in the ignited and sensible minds. My intent is not to draw us into a seeming debate but to highlight certain aspects of the “festival” within the realm of sense and sensibility. The most sensible thing (which has so far been ignored) was printing “USE DIPPER AT NIGHT” in the hornbill car pass. Let it bless all the drivers. I won’t stress on the event narrative but stress on couple of examplers that triggered me.
When I first heard about Hornbill World War II peace rally, thoughts started pouring in and I concluded...something in connection with war and peace. After the rally, I thought it was commendable to bring in World War II under the banner of peace though we missed certain integral facet of knowledge. I saw ‘USA’ printed on the vehicles in the rally but not of the British or the Japanese. Besides, it would have been remarkable had it been the Naga war veterans sitting in the vehicle for they are the ones who knows better about war and peace and are worthy of honour. Knowledge is how we define, disseminate and promote.
Another very promising feature of the Hornbill “festival” is the Hornbill literature festival, which started last year, though it requires transcending it to the realm of ideology and praxis. I was quite unhappy with the proceedings and the way books were released during the literature day. It was done very causally without giving a proper gist about the books, authors or the publisher. In this light, the media can cover up by conducting interviews with the authors and not just giving out pre-defined “news.” Again, Government sponsored books should be sold at affordable prices within the understanding of “knowledge for all.” Whose knowledge is it anyway if it is only for those who can afford? My suggestion for the coming years is to have a very well organised one day seminar and have brainstorming sessions. This can be one way through which we can learn and promote our tradition, culture, history, literature, etc.
We have made ourselves as subaltern to the colonial and “mainstream” narratives simply because we have failed to “speak and write” resulting in ignorance about our own history and culture. We have failed to own it. It is pertinent to write about our own “history” from the perspective of “writings from below” rather than asserting outsiders views. This is where truth about the theories lies hidden. We are complacently yet comfortably nestled within the colonial and “mainstream” interpretations and knowledge construction. Charles Pawsey, the then Deputy Commissioner of Kohima, who was a British colonial administrator said that the Nagas saw glimpses of “modernity” through the battle of Kohima of the World War II. Can that be a consolation considering the degree of devastation? What kind of modernity was he talking about? Let it be food for thought especially for Naga scholars.
The bedrock of our culture and its uniqueness is defined by identity through history and oral narratives. The raconteurs are fast dying out who hold rich treasures of our primary sources. J. P. Mills has become a textual figure in the writing of our history. The paramount necessity is textual writings in our own terms especially in the domain of epistemology. The looming danger in the absence of proper narratives is that we become “imagined communities” in the thoughts of “others.” The problematic of praxis for such engagement, I feel, is that Naga society is plagued by sensitivity and has failed to engage in healthy dialogue resulting in curtailment of freedom of thought and expression. This sensitivity I presume is one compelling reason as to why so many Naga writers and readers are drawn towards fiction.
Balatantly, I said, “Hornbill festival is almost like a trade fair and should be stopped for few years so that funds can be used for lighting Nagaland and making roads etc etc.” (Negativities results in positive and constructive responses). My friend replied, “that’s a bit radical but justifiably sensible given the disproportionate tendencies towards ‘deceptive style’ and opportunistic capitalism.” Another replied, “Let there be hornbill festival, but kindly resurrect their sense of sights and sensibility and do the necessity.” Yet another replied rhetorically, “it will be like stopping a flood to save vegetation.” A tourist came by and I took the liberty of asking few questions and added...please be honest...you are not in front of the camera. The tourist replied, “The picture is hazy...Nagas seems to be everything, I am enjoying the warmth of Nagaland as well as entertained but for the changing times a bit too much of “nakedness” is shown and much can be improved with better promotion.” In this strain, one is tempted to question whether we are enforcing primitivity in the name of promoting culture and tourism. Sometimes we make a mockery of ourselves and fail to disseminate the “right” knowledge of our culture. The challenge that still remains is promoting the right knowledge about our culture and tradition in the face of catering to the taste and demands of the crusaders of the so called “westoxicated modernity” and most importantly – the commercially escapist world of Naga culture. The content of the festival should portray the uniqueness of our culture rather than getting trapped in the tension between tradition and modern. Yes, with changing times there is urgent necessity to unlearn about our tradition and culture if the objective and claim of the festival is aimed at “reviving, protecting and sustaining richness of the Naga heritage and traditions.” Above all, all concerned citizens should act as morally responsible agents towards the project of building a conscious and sensible Nagaland. To this end, a collective effort is thus paramount.
