Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 28 (EMN): Hectic preparations for the much-anticipated 23rd edition of the Hornbill Festival are underway at the picturesque Naga Heritage Village at Kisama in Kohima.
The annual 10-day Hornbill Festival, which is also called "Festival of Festivals", will kick off at 4 pm on December 1 at Kisama.
Advisor to Chief Minister, Abu Metha, informed media persons on Monday, on the sidelines of the ongoing preparation at Kisama, that they are on schedule for a successful 23rd Hornbill Festival 2022, adding that various departments, event management groups, social organizations, among others that will be part of the festival, were well aware of the dynamics.
"We are on track, we are on schedule and we are looking forward to celebrating the biggest festival," he said.
He informed that the chief minister of Nagaland had invited the vice president of India Jagdeep Dhankhar to be the chief guest of the inaugural event, and he has accepted the invitation.
Metha said that scores of events will be taking place during the festival, showcasing the rich culture and heritage of the various Naga tribes. He mentioned the Hornbill Music Festival, Naga Chef, beauty pageants, music shows, traditional Naga wrestling, food festival, angling, handicraft bazaar, food festival, etc., will be some of the highlights.
Like the previous years, it was informed that a variety of events will be organised in different parts of Nagaland.
While recalling how they had to cancel the Hornbill Festival due to the tragic Oting incident last year, Metha affirmed that it did have a "negative impact" on the long-term tourism vision of the state.
However, he shared that they "have moved on" and looking at the positive footfall from the tourism industry.
Citing information received from hotels and travel agencies, he claimed that they were unable to find more rooms for tourists who are coming to the state to attend the festival.
He further informed that a host of dignitaries such as the ambassador of France, ambassador of Bulgaria, the charge de affairs Columbia, vice chairman of Toyota, among others, will be attending the event.