Sangai and Hornbill fests : Striking similarities amid contrasting differences
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 05 2013: Two neighbouring States and two State sponsored tourism festivals in November and December during the festive seasons of Ningol Chakkouba and Christmas.

Manipur celebrated the Manipur Sangai Tourism Festival from November 21 till November 30 this year and Nagaland is celebrating the Hornbill Festival from December 1 and it would go on till December 10 .

The two grand festivals are not without any purpose.

The respective State Governments have been investing substantial amounts of money organising the two festivals annually and they have their own visions which may not be exactly alike.

But what is obvious is, both the neighbouring States are determined to hardsell their tourism potentials to the outside world.

Ten days of cultural sublimation, musical extravaganza, zealous sporting competitions and savoury delicacies of all types and tastes put together at one place marked the two festivals and these similarities run endlessly parallel to each other.

A permanent structure at the Heritage Site, the venue of the Hornbill festival and foreign tourists attending the festival

People's mood is reflected very clearly on the huge crowds that throng the festival venues every day.

Against all the similarities seen outwardly, a closer look by a team of The Sangai Express revealed many contrasting differences.

The main venue of Manipur Sangai Festival is Hapta Kangjeibung which is well within the city boundary whereas Hornbill Festival is held at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama about 10 Kms away from Kohima city.

As far as choosing the venues are concerned, the Nagaland organisers seemed more thoughtful.

With the grand festival celebrated outside the city perimeters, the festival caused little traffic problems in Kohima city.

With the entry gates kept wide open, there was no mad rush for entry.

Unlike at Hapta Kangjeibung, no visitors were subjected to security checkings although the organisers (Manipur Government) might have solid reasons for the tight security arrangements.

In place of AK rifle wielding commandos checking and frisking every visitor, visitors are welcomed to the Naga Heritage Village by young volunteers with a warm smile.

The Naga Heritage Village it itself a tourist site.

It is a vast complex where replicas of traditional houses of different Naga tribes are put on display.

These replicas representing different Naga tribes are not empty.

Inside them are the traditional clothes and the fire-place where the methods of seasoning (smoking) and preserving raw pork/beef are shown.

Incidentally, there are 17 officially recognised tribes in Nagaland.

They are Angami, Ao, Chakhesang, Chang, Garo, Khiamnuingan, Konyak, Kuki, Kachari, Lotha, Phom, Pochury, Rengma, Sumi, Sangtam, Yimchungru and Zeliang.

Unlike the Manipur Sangai Festival where the stalls are constructed on temporary basis only to be dismantled after the 10 day festival, Hornbill Festival stalls are either permanent structures or opened inside permanent structures.

Again these permanent structures are not built as such.

They are built in the traditional housing styles of different Naga tribes.

With lush green mountains forming the backdrops in three directions, the landscape is a sight to behold for any visitor, particularly for visitors coming from other parts of India and abroad.

The Naga Heritage Village is a testimony of the Nagaland Government's vision to develop the area as a major tourist site for decades to come.

Regarding attendance, Manipur Sangai Festival had more visitors as compared to Hornbill Festival till December 4 .

But Hornbill Festival outweighs Sangai Festival in terms of foreign and non-local visitors.

Perhaps, presence of Christian missionaries and a railway head at Dimapur could have contributed to the larger number of foreign tourists and non-local visitors.

This is a clear reflection of the key importance of connectivity in tourism industry.

Cosmetic beautification of Imphal cannot be counted as infrastructure development by any yardstick.

It is too myopic at the best against the State's vision for a thriving tourism industry, said a retired teacher on condition of anonymity.

As for the festivals per se, Sangai Festival did not score any less.

This year's edition of Sangai Festival was a landmark achievement.

It was the Sangai festival which put Tulihal Airport on the international aviation map although the first international flight which landed at Imphal was a chartered flight from Mandalay.

Another positive result of the Sangai Festival or the international polo tournament held as a part of the festival is the renewed interest and efforts to protect Manipuri breed of pony, he added.

Even though the two festivals are held back to back, there is a disconnect between organisers of the two gala events.

Some keen observers asked why the Governments of Manipur and Nagaland cannot come to some sort of an understanding and present the Sangai Festival and Hornbill Festival as a single or at least as a combined tourism package.

Imphal and Kohima are separated by just 142 Kms which can be covered in around five or six hours provided the Imphal-Dimapur highway is developed and maintained at a standard level, they pointed out.

The festival in Manipur is named after Sangai, one of the rarest and also endangered animal.

In the same vein, the festival in the neighbouring State is named after Hornbill, a majestic bird which is also facing an existential crisis in Nagaland, if not elsewhere.

Incidentally, Sangai is the State animal of Manipur whereas Hornbill is the State animal of Nagaland.

Taking serious note of the grandeur of the two festivals and emphasis given to them by the respective Governments, some environmentalists/conservationists have been questioning what significant steps have the two Governments taken up to protect Sangai and Hornbill.

They even went on to suggest that a certain amount of money earned from the festivals are invested for the protection of Sangai and Hornbill.