Using traditional attire, students connect with their roots

Students of Sao Chang Government College, Tuensang in their traditional attires along with the college faculty. (Morung Photo)

Sao Chang College first to introduce traditional dress code

 

P Achumse Yingbithongrü
Tuensang | August 7

It’s Wednesday and Sao Chang Government College, Tuensang looks to be in a festive spirit as students from different Naga tribes are adorned in their traditional attires; the campus radiates with a spirit of unity in diversity, beautifully exhibiting the uniqueness of different Naga cultures and traditions. The College is filled with an air of excitement as students are seen busy taking photos with classmates and friends to share with their friends from other districts.  

“With the assimilation and diffusion of western and modern culture, our Naga culture and tradition is on the verge of becoming a thing of the past, as our traditional Morung has already lost its meaning and lustre. Therefore, it is high time to revive our fast vanishing tradition and culture, handed down to us by our forbearer’s generation after generations,” said Dr A Nshoga, Principal, Sao Chang College, Tuensang.

Speaking to The Morung Express Dr. A. Nshoga said the move behind introducing tribal cultural dress code in the college on every Wednesday was a concept formulated by the Minister for Higher & Technical Education & Tribal Affair, Temjen Imna Along, who directed all government Colleges during the consultative meeting held on July 24 to implement such a dress code. 

Sao Chang is the first college to introduce this in the state. Dr Nshoga beaming with pride said: “Let us show the people that students from Tuensang are second to none in traditional fineries not only among Nagas but also to the outside world.” “Other government colleges are yet to follow suit, so come with your colourful dresses to college on Wednesday to showcase our rich cultural heritage,” he stated while addressing students on August 7. 

Dr. Nshoga stressed on the need to preserve ones culture, adding “remember that your culture is your identity; therefore when you lose your culture and tradition your identity is lost.” 

Fazl Ali College Mokokchung also issued a notice on August 5 bringing a similar dress code on Wednesdays for its students. It will come into effect in the college from September 4. 

Support from students and parents

The Principal informed that he has been overwhelmed by the support and cooperation that the college is getting from across all sections of society after the introduction of the cultural dress code. He added that the student community is also excited and anxiously waiting for Wednesday to come, in their own traditional fineries. 

Commending the decision of the college, an alumnus said: “when we wear traditional attire it makes you look beautiful and to feel beautiful through our culture.”

Supporting the move of the college, Laji Luyanba, General Secretary of the Yimchunger Tribal Council (YTC) said “culture is the identity which needs to be preserved based on one’s own usage, every culture and tradition has its own history.”  

“Without history, there cannot be customs and tradition. Over the past few decades the usage of our cultural values are diminishing due to the influence of modern and western culture. It is never too late to inculcate the usage of one’s own tradition in every possible way to preserve our culture,” he added.

Congratulating the college, United Sangtam Likhüm Pümji (USLP) President, T Seopi Sangtam said that this move would help students connect to certain social values, beliefs and customs. “It allows people to identify with others and understand what it means to be a tribal,” he stated. 

 “Culture heritage can provide students automatic sense of unity and belonging within a group and allow us to better understand previous generation and the history of where we come from,” he said. 

Echoing the support, a young social activist from Tuensang said: “We youngsters, we read about our culture, tradition only in books, magazine or internet but to be imparting this in college will be of great  help to students because we will get to learn about our culture when we actually practice it.”

Dr. A. Nshoga meanwhile informed that under the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) guidelines, every college is expected to have a culture club in the college, so as to organize cultural activities regularly in the college and also to preserve and protect tribal culture and tradition.