Art & Culture dept in poor form in culture-rich Nagaland

Kohima, Dec. 6: Although the department of Art and Culture is an interface and a platform through which the state promotes culture and community, it remains neglected by the government of Nagaland.

Parliamentary Secretary for Art & Culture, Essak Konyak, stated the concern during an event on Tuesday in Kohima town. He distributed furniture and computers sets at the Directorate of Art and Culture at Bayavü Hill on the 6th.

The state’s museum is as old as 50-odd years and the office’s building remains shabby, Konyak said. Nonetheless, he expressed hope that as assured by the chief minister, the museum would be upgraded to ‘world class standard,’ and that a new office building would be constructed from next year.
The legislator also lamented that a multipurpose cultural hall in Dimapur remains unused, vacant. It could have had been utilised for many other purposes, he lamented.

Also noting the ‘lackadaisical attitude’ of employees when it comes to work, Konyak urged the officers and staffers to ‘sincerely maintain working hours.’

‘We are here to serve the people,’ he said.

Further, the parliamentary secretary acknowledged complaints about lack of proper infrastructure and maintenance in the departmental offices across the state. Being a small department, there is constraint of funds, Essak Konyak explained. He has requested officers and staffs to ‘continue to perform their duties without getting discouraged with whatever they have at the moment.’

While assuring help and support to the uplift of the department, the legislator requested the department’s personnel to share ideas and suggestions ‘in order to improve and uplift the department in the best possible ways.’

Director Vevo Sapuh and nodal office and curator Shingnto Rengma also addressed the gathering.

The parliamentary secretary handed over seven computer sets and furniture to cultural centres located in the district headquarters of Kohima, Mokokchung, Mon, Tuensang, Zunheboto, Phek, and Wokha, each headed by a district cultural officer.

The department of Art and Culture is said to have submitted a proposal to the government to create district cultural offices at Longleng, Kiphire and Peren district.