Nagaland’s Hornbill festival glimpses rise of Northeast

Descending into Kohima, I was surrounded by a scene that was written by the gods themselves: the hills were glowing in the fleeting pink of wild cherry blossoms, a rare flower of December against a pale blue sky, as if the ground itself had laid out a red carpet for the grand unveiling of the hornbill. My journey began at the Kohima War Cemetery, located on the same terraces where, in 1944, 10,000 Allied soldiers (1,420 of whom rest here forever) held off the advancing Japanese in the deadliest siege of World War II. The battle of Kohima was the battle where our Naga community stood shoulder to shoulder with the Indian soldiers. This passage struck me anew: “When you go home, tell them about us and say, ‘For your tomorrow, we gave our today’.” I too felt history as close as a circle: the same Chindits who had turned the tide here in 1944 had trained and been headquartered in my native land of Gwalior, in the Grand Hotel built by my great-grandfather Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia, their Sunderland flying boats resting on our lake on the way to war. Along with these brave Allied commandos, the Naga Scouts shed the blood of the Japanese on every hill; Together they saved Kohima, stopped an invasion that could have reached Calcutta, and tied my ancestral heritage forever to these sacred hills.

Later that evening, from the vantage point of the Garrison Hill Center and Café, sipping a steaming mug of Naga Arabica, I gazed up at the timeless sky. This coffee, cultivated on over 20,000 hectares of land in Nagaland, yields 15,000 tonnes annually and has received the coveted GI tag as Naga Coffee – it is the economic alchemy that empowers 50,000 tribal farmers, boosts exports to over 20 countries, and unleashes specialty brews that rival the global elite. As we increase production to 25,000 tonnes by 2030 under the Act East Policy, every sip salutes a transformation – from isolation to global appreciation.

The dawn broke at Tuofema village, the ancestral home of Chief Minister (CM) Neiphiu Rio, with a ritual that struck a chord with me – the stone-pulling ceremony of the Angami Naga. Dressed in the tribe’s vibrant black and red shawls, I joined about 1,000 villagers from Naga communities as they used ropes to pull the 30-ton monolith across the rough earth, their chants rising like the thunder of “Ho-e-ho-e-ho-o.” I believe that when hundreds of hands drag a stone along winding paths, something remarkable happens. Around the world, communities search for symbols that bind people together. Some people use art, some use ritual, some use monuments. What we see in the village of Tuofema represents all three together. This stone roams the village like a travel certificate of shared purpose, the village becomes one body. People turn in a heartbeat. It’s a reminder that when people choose to move in the same direction, collective power becomes a form of timeless poetry. At a time when nations are rediscovering the value of cultural identity, the ceremony is a leading example of unity shaped by tradition and in line with PM Modi’s mantra.”Development as well as heritage(Heritage-linked development).

At the Regional Craft and Resource Centre, I paced the looms with women weavers, each motif a saga of migration and myth, while designer Margherita confided in her studio with silk samples, “These are not clothes; these are our revolutions in the making”. The vibrant artisanal heritage of Nagaland also comes to life through its intricate gems and jewellery, exclusive GI-tagged bamboo fabrics, the iconic Naga Dao knives and exquisitely crafted wooden products. When I meet entrepreneurs like Margherita or coffee brewers Vitosvu and Meyvino, I realize that they are changing the economic destiny of the North-East. Yet, the vision demands an infrastructure backbone. For decades, the Northeast remained India’s “far frontier”. Not anymore. Driven by Prime Minister Modi’s Act East Beacon to invest $10 billion in ASEAN trade corridors, Nagaland has emerged as a shining leader. These are not bricks, they are lifelines, arteries bringing prosperity to a region whose GDP has quadrupled since 2014. As I left, I took with me a deep sense of gratitude. The “today” that the soldiers gave in 1944 has indeed secured a glorious “tomorrow”. The Northeast is the face of a new, confident India. Like the monolith of Tuofema, we have pulled together the burden of the past, and now, we move forward with determination toward brighter horizons with promise. After wearing the traditional attire and participating in the Angami dance and music, in a few fleeting moments when I really felt that I was connected to the same soil, I realized the depth of the celebration that was about to unfold. Nagaland doesn’t just celebrate; It is the epitome of celebration, which truly proves why it is called the land of festivals.

The Hornbill Festival in Kisama was a kaleidoscope of the human spirit and an exquisite confluence of the ancient and the contemporary, where the day featured traditional songs and dances from 17 tribes and the evenings came alive with contemporary culture. The energy was palpable, the Hornbill International Rock Contest brought together talented bands from India and abroad. My travels to the Angami, Chakhesang and Konyak Morung were particularly enlightening, offering a first-hand look at the unique architecture, history and customs that define each tribe. The culinary offerings were a feast for the senses, showcasing the incredible diversity of Naga cuisine, the organic produce of the region and a vibrant expression of the rich tribal cooking traditions. Adorned with those unreal sakura blossoms, the festival felt like a bridge spanning continents. The world is now finding a home in our North-East, with partners such as the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, France and Malta joining the celebration. It was reflected around the world in celebrations of Switzerland’s alpine yodelers, Ireland’s Celtic fiddles, and the UK’s Morris dancers. Among the crowd, I was proud of 7-year-old Nuril Chizo from the Phek district, her voice, a crystalline soprano, tearing across the field with a folk ballad on hornbills and mountain winds, earning roars from the thousands of spectators. Nearby, the Hornbill Crafts Market had buzzing stalls where hundreds of women entrepreneurs sold bamboo jewellery, baskets, chilli pickles, looms and beyond. As the saying rings true: “When women move forward, villages move forward, nations move forward.” Their stalls, which have earned lakhs in the last festival, are building self-reliance every year.

That day, I took off my shoes, draped the Angami black and red shawl over my shoulders, donned the hornbill-plumed headgear, and stepped straight into the circle of warriors. Log drums sound like heartbeats; The bamboo flute was screaming like the mountain winds. I match the dancers, whose arms are cutting the sky in eagle arches, feet stamping the red earth, with those whose grandfathers once held the inheritance, who now dream. In that circle, I felt the pulse of 17 tribes thundering in my chest, and I understood why the Prime Minister insists that our country will rise only when its North-East shines.

A few moments later, I went on stage and unveiled Projects worth Rs 645 crore, with CM Rio whose ancestors and I share the thread of weaving freedom and selflessness public service, inauguration of Rs 202 crore, including advanced health centers serving remote populations; The foundation stone of Rs 443 crore was laid including The Rs 72.59 crore Kohima Multi-disciplinary Sports Centre, a solar grid powering 10,000 off-grid homes and 200 km of blacktop roads connecting 50 villages. Heritage and progress have not remained separate; They moved forward as one, just as Prime Minister Modi has always said they should do.

Jyotiraditya Scindia is the Minister of Communications and Development of the North-Eastern Region. Views expressed are personal