Nagaland Hornbill Festival: Imnainla Jamir, a Nagaland musician, performed Jana Gana Mana on an electric guitar as the audience and dignitaries such as Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Nagaland Governor Jagdish Mukhi, and others stood in reverence.
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Jamir, a member of the Nagaland-based band The Fantastic Company, has since gone viral, with her performance at the famed event being widely shared online.
Anand Mahindra, a business tycoon, posted a video of her performance on Twitter on Friday and wrote “This clip is proof of just how Incredible India is. The Incredible diversity of co-existing cultures. The #HornbillFestival is so unique that it can only go from strength to strength…”.
This clip is proof of just how Incredible India is. The Incredible diversity of co-existing cultures. The #HornbillFestival is so unique that it can only go from strength to strength… pic.twitter.com/BQ5AD1C71g
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 4, 2022
His tweet received over a million views and thousands of likes. A Twitter user commented on it, saying, “Most incredible piece of guitar I have heard.. didn’t think our national anthem could have been played like this.” “This is the coolest Jana Gana Mana I’ve ever heard!” said another.
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India kickstarts G20 presidency from Hornbill Festival in Nagaland
The ten-day Hornbill Festival began on December 1 with cultural exhibitions, music, and other activities at the Naga Heritage Village in Kisama, nestled among the beautiful hills of Kohima.
The festival became the first venue for the launch of India’s historic leadership role, coinciding with its assumption of the G20 presidency.
On Thursday, Nagaland’s 60th statehood day, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated the festival. Foreign dignitaries in attendance included the French Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain; Alan Gemmel, Trade Commissioner for South Asia and British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India; and Barry O’Farrell, Australian High Commissioner to India.
The festival, organised by the State Tourism and Art and Culture Departments, is named after the Indian hornbill, which is mentioned in the folklore of most Naga tribes and is frequently sighted in the state forests.
While the festival honours Nagaland’s tribal culture and traditions, seven Eastern Nagaland tribes boycotted it.
Even though Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to meet with the seven tribes in New Delhi on Saturday, the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO), the apex body spearheading the movement for a separate state, has asked them to boycott the festival.
The morungs (huts) of each tribe have already been set up at the venue and are one of the main attractions of the festival. These events offer a glimpse of tribal culture, especially through exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, and wood carvings.
During the celebrations, India’s G20 logo for its 2023 presidency was unveiled, as was the G20’s official video.