The on-going Hornbill Festival at Kisama has been a spectacle of vibrant cultural displays, with jubilant dances and traditional performances taking centre stage on the 7th day. The audience was captivated by a diverse range of performances showcasing the rich cultural heritage of India’s Northeastern states.
The morning cultural session on the 7th of December 2024, was hosted by Advisor for Law & Justice and Land Revenue, T. N. Manen, while Chairman of the NSMDC, Kuputo Shohe, Co-hosted the event. Honoured guests of the morning cultural session included Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court, Justice Vijay Bishnoi; Advocate General of Nagaland, K. N. Balgopal; Managing Director of TRIFED, Ashish Chatterjee, IAS; Consul General of the Royal Bhutanese Consulate General, Guwahati, Jigme Namgyal; Special Chief Secretary of Manipur, H. Khan; and Chief General Manager, SBI North East, S. Radhakrishnan. Guwahati High Court judges, Justice Manish Chowdhury and Justice Devashis Baruah, also graced the programme with their presence.
The morning cultural session on the 7th of December 2024, was hosted by Advisor for Law & Justice and Land Revenue, T. N. Manen, while Chairman of the NSMDC, Kuputo Shohe, Co-hosted the event. @TN_Mannen@dipr_nagaland pic.twitter.com/VDbkMw73cF
— MyGov Nagaland (@MyGovNagaland) December 7, 2024
The Rongmei community kicked off the cultural presentations with their mesmerizing Rangdai Lam, also known as the Hornbill dance, a tribute to the majestic bird that symbolizes the festival.
This was followed by performances from the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC), featuring troupes from seven Northeastern states. The Lusei community of Mizoram enthralled the crowd with the Cheraw dance, a traditional Mizo dance where men tap long bamboo staves in rhythmic beats while girls in colorful costumes dance between them. From Sikkim, the Bhutia community presented the Singhi Chham dance, where dancers donned lion costumes to symbolize the snow lion. The Chakma community of Tripura showcased the Bizu dance, a captivating group performance with fluid circular movements.
The Assamese community mesmerized the crowd with the Bihu dance, one of India’s most colourful folk dances, full of energy and enthusiasm. From Manipur, the Meitei community performed the Lai-Haraoba dance, a traditional dance which mirrors the pre-Vaishnavita culture. Arunachal Pradesh’s Adi community performed the Taapu dance, a famous war dance, while the Garos of Meghalaya wowed the audience with their graceful Wangala dance, celebrating the harvest season.
Distinguished Guests of the 7th day of the ongoing Hornbill festival at Kisama on 7th December 2024. pic.twitter.com/fa96fYc9g2
— DIPR Nagaland (@dipr_nagaland) December 7, 2024
In the afternoon session the cultural show was graced by Air Marshal, Air Officer, Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, Surat Singh, AVSM, VM, VSM, hosted by Minister, Women Resources and Hoirticulture, Salhoutuonuo Kruse along with Co-host Advisor, Industries & Commerce, Hekani Jakhalu Kense.
Sikkim Cultural troupe performed – Lepcha – Dambrow Zow which is a traditional dance form that incorporates rhythmic dance steps symbolizing the process of husking paddy rice. Mizoram cultural troupe presented Sarlamkai dance which is a warrior dance performed to celebrate a victory in war. Arunachal Pradesh presented the Etor Festival (Adi Community) which is one of the most important and popular festival in the Adi Belt. This festival is celebrated in the month of May every year and this festival is only for the males.
Tripura troupe performed the jhum dance (Chakmas Community), it is another popular dance of the Chakma Community. As agriculture has had a palpable influence on their culture, Jhum cultivation has been a popular theme. In this dance various steps of Jhum cultivation is depicted by the group of dancers making sometimes round and sometimes horizontal rows. Both men and women take part in this dance.
Manipur presented the Lai – Haraoba Dance by Meitei Community. The ancient Manipuris have developed a very comprehensive form of dance which is popularly known as Lai-Haraoba which mirrors the Pre-Vaishnavita culture. It is performed generally between the spring and rainy seasons before the temple of Umanglai. The Khasi Community of Meghalaya performed the Harvest Dance in the field, the ‘Nongshoh Kba’ or the harvesters make the ‘Phawar’ (Khasi traditional couplets) calling for the wind to blow away the chaffs. While returning home, each and every house gets busy in merry making. Man and women in traditional costumes dance with enchantment, rapture and delight.
Assamese community showcased their Bihu dance. Bihu is one of the most colour folk dances of India. The dance is an integral part of the Bihu festival celebrated to mark the advent of spring and the Assamese New year. Bihu ushers in the seed sowing time and also the season of marriage. The Cultural event was also concluded by a joint group dance by cultural troupes from the north east.
