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Angau I. Thou with the winners, judges and other officials at the Hornbill International Photo Fest 2016[/caption]
Dimapur, Dec. 10 : The Hornbill International Photo Festival came to a close on December 10 with Samrat Sengupta of Assam wining the first prize worth Rs. 35,000. Diti Mero won the second prize of Rs. 20,000, while Heutinggumbe Ndang bagged the third prize of Rs. 10,000.
Shanthungo Ezung and Vichusiezo Livi were awarded consolation prizes of Rs. 5000 each. Bitu Chetia of Assam and Diti Mero were also awarded in the Best Effort category with a gift hamper from Digital to Home and Pro Colour Lab.
This year’s photography was on the topic ‘Colours of Nagaland’. The judges for the contest consisted of some of the best photographers from Thailand, Tom Potisit and Natwalee Aengsubwong (Linje). A parameter by which the judges assessed the works was concept and ‘story’ conveyed by the photographs.
Secretary for Tourism, Angau I. Thou, gave away the prizes. The main coordinator of the event, Ababe Ezung, informed that about 40 participants from all over India took part in the event. There was an increase in the number of participants this year, it was implied.
The Hipfest also saw photography by local photographers Rokovor Vihienuo and M Shanthung Ezung, and from Dimapur Photography Club. The event was presented by the Eastern Art Council and sponsored by the Tourism department of Nagaland.
Apon chews his way to take Chilli eating contest
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Locals and tourists chew at hot ‘Naga’ pepper during the chilli-eating contest at the festival.[/caption]
The ‘King Naga Chilli’ eating competition, reckoned one of the most celebrated and anticipated events of the Hornbill Festival, packed up with Apon Nath taking home the top prize while Nesakho Tetso and Alung Kamei clinched the second and third position, in that order.
The first, teh second and the third prize winners were given a cash prize of Rs. 15,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5000, in that order along with a citation each. 46 participants comprising both domestic and international tourists participated in the event.
In women’s, Ngahboi Kiki and Meghana Sharma won the first and second prizes, in that order.
In the tourist category, Captain Ram and Isham won the first and second position, in that order.
The event was sponsored by the department of Horticulture in collaboration with the Tourism department.
A baker by profession and currently working with Exotic School of Cooking in Dimapur, Renphamo Ezung has been declared the winner of the 4th season of Naga Chef after a fierce competition against three other finalists.
The competition was conducted over 10 days as a part of the Hornbill Festival. The contestants went through various rigorous rounds namely culinary round, pressure task, knowledge round, and an ‘innovation round’ before reaching the last two final rounds.
In the last two final rounds the contestants had to cook a full Naga ‘thali’ for guests. The competition also had a number of rounds that enabled identification of certain skills required to become a successful chef and entrepreneur.
The objective of the competition was to increase appreciation for Nagaland’s unique indigenous cuisine. Naga Chef aspires to keep the ‘age-old Naga food recipes alive and to let the world discover the soul-filling and mouth-watering wonders of our local cuisine.’
The winner of Naga Chef season-4 walked away with a cash prize of Rs. 3 lakh. Rs 25,000 thousand was awarded to all the three finalists.
Naga Chef was organised by Synergy Group Enterprise and supported by the department of Tourism.
The ten-day fun and adventure-filled Hornbill Kids Carnival at the Naga Heritage village Kisama concluded after a successful run with around 10,000 visitors having visited the segment of the festival. Approximately 1, 000 people on weekdays and around 2, 800 people on weekends was estimated to have visited stated event, a DIPR report stated.
Besides games and activities, the carnival also featured competitions on essay-writing, singing, drawing, and a fancy dress competition, among others.
On the last day of the carnival, a special praise-and-worship service was conducted by the Chakhesang Baptist Church, Choto Bosti. The carnival ended with a bonfire for the revellers.
Hornbill Kids Carnival was organised by the Mutukuve Events in collaboration with Synergy Group Enterprise ‘not only for fun and entertainment, but also to impart knowledge and learning to the children through its various activities,’ the DIPR stated.
