Another reason to visit North-East: Hornbill Festival

KOHIMA: Davesh Murty, an IT professional from Bengaluru, and his wife landed at Dimapur railway station early morning last Monday, on their way to Kohima some 75 kms away. They were visiting the Nagaland capital to experience the annual tribal festival that is growing in size and popularity with every passing year. The 10-day Hornbill Festival, started more than a decade ago, has become probably the biggest showpiece event of the Northeast.

Hotel rooms are sold out months in advance as people from India and abroad visit the Naga heritage village on the outskirts of Kohima to witness the cultural exposition of Naga tribes and take in the colours, sounds and aroma of local cuisines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this year’s festival on December 1. Bollywood producer-director Prakash Jha was here this time. “This festival, I wish, must become popular with all Indians,” he said. “It reflects unity in diversity and this is real India.”

There are other attractions as well. The Kohima War Memorial spreads over 10 acres and has over 1,420 graves. One of the fiercest battles during the Second World War was fought in Kohima, where Indian and British soldiers stopped Japanese advancement in 1944. The abundant natural beauty has always been the biggest reason for tourists to visit the region.

But for people like Murty, the Bengaluru IT professional, the Hornbill Festival is becoming a bigger pull. It is growing economically significant, too. Last year, some 1.8 lakh tourists, including 5,000 foreigners, visited and organisers are expecting more than two lakh this year. According to people close to organisers, the event creates a market of Rs 70-100 crore around it.

“We have booked a hotel for our clients in Kohima,” said Ashish Phukan, managing director of Guwahati-based tour operator Jungle Travels. “The festival has been able to carve a niche among the tourists as it has a fixed calendar date.” Major insurgent outfits of the state are in peace parleys with the government, which has allowed the organisers to make the festival bigger.

The nights are longer in Kohima these days. The city that usually closes down by 5pm is now awake until midnight, as the festival has turned it into a big party venue. Visitors can enjoy the aroma of the local brew Zutho and tuck into smoked meat while watching cultural events by Naga warriors. Some 28 rock bands including the famous English band Smokie are performing this year. Dipanjal Deka, a tea industry executive, has been a regular at the festival.

“I come here as the place offers unmatchable hospitality, there is unique community participation,” said Deka. “It is a different Nagaland altogether during the festival. For everybody there is something