Festival of festivals ‘Hornbill’

The annual Hornbill festival in Nagaland got off to a colourful start on Wednesday at Kisama Naga Heritage Complex near Kohima. The festival holds significance as it is also seen as a tourism promotion event.Dubbed as the festival of festivals, the week-long extravaganza will showcases all aspects of Naga life and culture under a single roof which in turn will attract tourists to this hill state. Nagaland Governor Nikhil Kumar formally inaugurated the 11th edition of this annual festival coinciding with the 47th statehood day of Nagaland. The inaugural function was attended by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and his cabinet colleagues and diplomats from different countries. Colours of Nagaland a themed program showcasing the diverse music and dance forms of Naga tribes was the hallmark of the inaugural function. Over the years many new features have been added to the festival, attracting foreign tourists every year. A sizeable number of visitors from abroad have arrived this year too to witness the festival termed as Window to Nagaland. Nikhil Kumar said successful celebration of Hornbill festival reflected the state’s sincere desire to usher permanent peace and added that Nagaland has great potential to become a major tourist destination with improvement of communication and connectivity across the State.