Conversation on folklore held at Ozone Café in Kohima

DIMAPUR — A conversation on “Folklore in present-tense” was held at Ozone Café in Kohima on November 1. The discussion reflected on what contemporary folklore looks like and how folklore connects people to communities of the past while shaping cultural expressions.

According to an update, it was organised as part of the “Spelling T-A-M-A-R-A” Exhibition curated by art practitioner and Fellow of the Himalayan Fellowship for Creative Practitioners 2025, Arieno Kera, with the support of the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) and Royal Enfield.

The speakers for the conversation included poet, writer, journalist and publisher Vishü Rita Krocha; storyteller, teacher and village elder Adani Salew; and art practitioner Arieno Kera. The session was moderated by art manager, cultural curator and social researcher Mary Therese Kurkalang.

The panel discussed collective ways of remembering, belonging, and storytelling, focusing on perspectives from art, word and storytelling. The speakers shared insights, practices, and reflections on folklore and cultural expressions.

Drawing from personal experiences, they spoke about how stories are lived, shared, and intersect intergenerationally, across mediums, platforms, and geography, and co-exist with other institutions, both traditional and contemporary.

The "Spelling T-A-M-A-R-A" Exhibition focusses on folktales from Makhel, a Naga ancestral place of origin and departure. "Tamara," which means "departure" in the Mao language of Makhel village. Several objects with stories of departure were displayed.