KISAMA, NAGALAND: Union Minister for Communications and DoNER Jyotiraditya M. Scindia celebrated Nagaland’s cultural vibrancy at the globally acclaimed Hornbill Festival, calling his bond with the state’s 17 tribes “a relationship from the heart.” He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Act East vision is shaping the Northeast as “India’s first frontier to the world.”
Held at Kisama Heritage Village, the festival has surged in global visibility under the Centre’s focus on cultural diplomacy and connectivity. This year, Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined as official Partner Countries — a milestone in placing the Northeast on the world cultural map.
The Hornbill Festival showcased tribal dances, handloom crafts, indigenous games, culinary trails, village walks, evening concerts and the Hornbill International Rock Contest, reinforcing community-led storytelling.
Scindia spent the day engaging with artisans, entrepreneurs and performers. At Touphema Village’s Regional Craft and Resource Centre, he interacted with women weavers, tried traditional basket weaving, observed Naga Dao crafting and played the TaTi with Angami musicians. He also visited a local coffee farm, sampling brews and handmade delicacies with young coffee entrepreneurs. Later, he toured the Angami, Chakhesang and Konyak morungs and met women craftswomen at the handicraft market.
Earlier, Scindia joined the revered Angami stone-pulling ceremony in Tuophema, calling it a symbol of unity and cultural strength.
In a major development push, the Minister announced nearly ₹650 crore worth of projects under the Act East framework — including inaugurations of over ₹202 crore and foundation stones for more than ₹443 crore in healthcare, sports, education, power, innovation hubs and key road corridors.
“With airports, highways, telecom and cross-border connectivity expanding at unprecedented speed, the Northeast is witnessing historic momentum,” Scindia said, emphasizing close cooperation with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.
He added that the region, celebrated by the Prime Minister as India’s Ashta Lakshmi, is emerging as one of the nation’s fastest-growing zones, driven by its young and enterprising population.
