Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan on Thursday termed the Hornbill Festival of Nagaland as the biggest cultural extravaganza in the Northeast.
Rajasekharan remarked that the Hornbill Festival had become a unique platform to witness the cultural diversity of Nagaland for the people of other seven sister states and tourists from various parts of the country and the world.
In his speech as the chief guest on the sixth day of the festival at the Naga heritage village Kisama, Rajasekhar said the mission of the Hornbill Festival is to revive, protect, sustain and protect the richness of the Naga heritage which was clearly being seen at the festival.
The colourful display of traditional dances, indigenous sports and folk songs of various tribes are a rich medium to promote the culture of Nagaland in other parts of the country, he said.
Rajasekharan also congratulated the efforts of the people of Nagaland for making the Hornbill Festival as one of the most important and talked-about festivals all over the world.
The Mizoram governor maintained that to witness the colourful display of traditional dances, sports and songs of various Naga tribes was a lifetime experience, adding that the cultural dances, indigenous sports and folk songs were the right medium to promote Nagaland to other parts of the country.
He also said the warrior log drums, colourful and mystical headgears, soulful war cries and exquisite costumes were all remarkable. He remarked that, being from Kerala, it was a great experience to witness the cultural diversity of Nagaland.
Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton accompanied the Mizoram Governor to the event.
Thursday’s programme saw performances by cultural troupes belonging to 17 Naga tribes.
The 10-day festival, which began on December 1, has so far seen 97,551 visitors, including 1,705 foreigners, organizers disclosed.
December 2, which was a Sunday, saw the highest turnout of 43,079 visitors so far, they added.
