Chief Secretary Nagaland J Alam exuded confidence that everyone will participate in the Hornbill Festival 2023 when asked about the participation of the Eastern tribes of Nagaland this year.
Talking to the media at his Secretariat office on October 13 at Kohima, J Alam said, “A very unfortunate incident had taken place in 2021 where innocent civilians were killed in Mon, because of that we had to curtail the Hornbill Festival that time, then last year also there was some misunderstanding out of which some participation of various tribes was less but this year there is no such thing, we are very confident and hopeful that everyone will participate in the Hornbill Festival.”
The Chief Secretary said that the Hornbill Festival was the most prestigious festival in Nagaland. “It is an international brand well known across the country and the world,” he said.
Stating that the State Government made elaborate preparations for the Hornbill Festival every year, he said that this year the exercise of arranging for the festival had already started.
He said that several meetings have been held at the level of the department, and he reviewed the progress in a meeting with all the heads of departments and administrative heads. “Over the years the scale of Hornbill Festival has been expanding, new events are being added durations etc has been expanded, this year also we hope to organise the Festival at a grand scale,” the Chief Secretary said.
Informing that the highest policy level body is headed by the Chief Minister, Nagaland where the policy level decisions are taken, he said that Chief Minister Neiphiu Guolhoulie Rio will be shortly chairing a meeting to review the arrangements for the upcoming Hornbill Festival.
“We have discussed with the departments and my expectation is that all the departments will put their best effort into organising the Festival and we will see the best participation in this Hornbill Festival,” J Alam said.
The Hornbill Festival is held annually at the Heritage Village Kisama, Nagaland, from December 1 to 10, where the authentic Naga culture and its traditions are adorned by people all around the world. The year 2024 will mark the 25th year of the Hornbill Festival, where people will witness a new level of experience and excitement.
(with inputs from ANI)
