Our Correspondent
KIGWEMA, JANUARY 12
The Southern Angami Students’ Union (SASU) on Tuesday, January 12, conducted its 66th ‘biennial literary and cultural event’ at the Panchayat Hall of Kigwema village, under Kohima district. The event was conducted with the theme ‘Identity’.
The commissioner & secretary for Youth Resources & Sports, Menukhol John, who was the main speaker for the occasion, exhorted the students about the various aspects of identity. He said that the identity of people is often associated with ‘cultural facets’ and along with them, traditional attire, music and dances. However, he observed that identity was not confined to external features but included and consisted of ‘more of the good values and practices’ that have been passed down through generations. The ‘good values’ are for instance honesty, giving without expecting anything in return, and hard work and so on, he said.
Also, the bureaucrat said that the testimonies of forefathers ‘which the younger generation feel proud of’ also constitute the nature of identity. “Our identity is that we belong to a race that was hard working and honest,” he asserted. John called upon the youths to set their roots on their identity by ‘emulating’ said values and practices and apply them practically in their lives. He pointed out to the gathering that to be good students does not mean merely excelling academically but also learning to respect elders, teachers, fellow students, their institutions and their uniforms.
Meanwhile, individually, he said while everyone has a unique identity, the basic identity of a person also starts from his/her own home and it is important to communicate with elders and parents to build their identity.
Delivering the presidential address, SASU president Teisovi Thorie said the event is put together to make the members understand one another better and also to provide a platform for them to exchange ideas and express opinions in the literary and artistic fields so as to ensure that the literature and cultural art are encouraged in developing oneself to meet and face challenges.
“Our struggle as a student comes in different fronts, one being through western education and on the other hand, keeping our cultural values,” John said. He pointed out that ‘bookish knowledge’ alone would not suffice in bringing out the best in an individual. One must acquire ‘cultural knowledge,’ something which is indispensable, and identity ‘which the Nagas are proud and known for,’ he asserted.
Literary competitions including extempore speech, essay, poetry and songwriting marked the first session of the day while the afternoon session had solo, duet, choir and folk song competitions and a fashion show to it.
