The Government of Nagaland through the office of the chief minister had stated on Oct. 30 that the Hornbill International Rock Contest will be shifted to Dimapur due to ‘flagrant traffic problems and security related matters’ in Kohima. The rock contest is one of the most awaited musical event in the country with a rising number of followers from abroad making it one of the biggest attractions of the Hornbill Festival. The statement from the CMO made headlines in many newspapers in the country. It was shocking not because of the change in locations but the reason cited for the change. Security!
The Northeast, is slowly coming back to normalcy after years of militancy. Various events are conducted in all the states to invite tourists. It is therefore anathema to utter such a word. It is the ultimate smear campaign that can be played on the government by the those opposed to such events. Unfortunately for Nagaland it was uttered by the highest elected office in the state and the unofficial CEO of the festival. Many were dumbstruck at the sudden threat perception of Kohima after 17 years of conducting the Hornbill Festival.
Subsequently, after about a week came the announcement that the 80s disco group Boney M will perform at Kohima as part of the music festival . This time, ‘Daddy Cool’ found space in the headlines of newspapers across the country. The two big announcements related to the same event unfolded the ambiguity of the statement made by the government. It was only after this second announcement that the public became aware that only the rock contest will be shifted but the other shows of the music fest would continue in Kohima. It was apparent that security was not the concern although the statement had made enough damage. As for the traffic, across the world when fans of rock or any popular music are not deterred by intense weather conditions, traffic issues are the least of their worries. All in all sentiments of all involved in the event since its inception including the volunteers from the neighbouring villagers all were hurt.
So after 21 days, the office of the chief minister of the state finally retracted the statement and blamed it on a typographical error. It stated that the shift in location was actually on account of the wishes of other districts to be part of the festival to give an opportunity for tourists to visit the other districts too. However, all these instances only created room for suspicion that all was not well among the stakeholders of the event. There might have been other complications and conflicts within the bowels of the government machinery. It cannot be ruled out with the current political game play at work in the state.
Nevertheless, the Hornbill Festival belongs to everyone, to Nagaland; if only that can be comprehended by all then such embarrassing faux pas can be avoided.
