Chiiz – Volume 2 2017

games. The festival gathers festivities of all
different tribes of Nagaland at one place
under a common roof to cherish and enjoy
their different culture and tradition gifted
to them by their ancestors. The excitement
and fun gets doubled with lots of love
for music when you attend the Hornbill
International Rock Contest, wherein there
are regional, national, and international
bands who participate in it. The night of the
festival is followed by the amazing market
where one can go buy souvenirs, different
traditional clothing, and other handmade
products.

The significant idea behind organizing
this festival is to develop a sense of
belongingness among the various tribes of
Nagaland which
uniquely stands on
its own with their
rich culture and
traditions. Though
being a state with
less demographic
population per sq.
km, it has so much
to offer among
themselves from
their practices and
traditions.

For those people
who have a love for
fusion of different
colors, this would
be something
which should
be experienced
as different
colors of clothes
and makeup
of performers
will leave you

mesmerized. The land of festivals is also

abode to great art and culture which makes

it amazing for visitors to explore traditional

clothing filled with vibrant colors, art on

canvas and tribal paintings which exhibit

the feeling of tradition and culture.

Be it for a pleasure seeker, history buff,

photo enthusiast or a foodie, this is an all

in one package. Tourists and visitors are

warmly welcomed to the land of festivals,

which was once fiercely protected by

brave warriors. One can participate in

the ‘Pork Fat Eating Competition’ or the

renowned ‘Naga Chilli (Bhut Jolokia)

Eating Competition’. A must try for the

visitors is the locally brewed Rice beer

(Zutho or Thuthse) which is famous among

the Nagas. Another fact is that

each tribe has their own unique

cuisine so there are a number of

delicacies to try.

Hornbill festival boggles

the mind as it has attractive

distractions at every corner,

be it the film festival, cultural

performances, indigenous

games, craft bazaar, art, music,

literature, fashion events, the

intriguing Vintage Car Rally

and various other activities

including competitive shows.

The natives have kept their

traditions alive amidst the

changing times with great pride

of their respective ancestry.

Apart from the festival, the

lands have been blessed with

natural and scenic beauty,

making it a tourist hotspot, which also

made its way to a traveler’s itinerary.

The land of uncontested wild and primeval

beauty will leave you in awe and solace as

the festival concludes. The ride through

the mountains cutting across green fields

with ever smiling people waving at you and

the hills covered in fog and the sound of

the tribal triumphant echoing within the

landscape will be all that you’ll miss in the

end. But always remember that behind all

this was a community who made it possible

for you to experience all that is obscure

under the canopy of its vast forest cover.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 135mm F/5 1/125s ISO100

Food Cravings

Nikon D810 200mm F/2.8 1/500s ISO80

Ramakrishnan Krishnan

Bangalore, India

Shiva Rajvanshi

Lucknow, India