Dimapur, Jan. 13: The post-harvest festival of the Mech Kacharis, the Aai Sagi festival, was celebrated by the community members here on Friday at Mandeville Garden, inside Purana Bazaar in Dimapur.
Aai Sagi signifies offering of thanks to the deities for a plentiful harvest, and merry making.
celebration was organised by the Mech Kachari Public Organisation and had in attendance the governor of Nagaland PB Acharya as chief guest, and as guest of honour, the deputy commissioner of Dimapur Kesonyu Yhome.
In his message, the governor encouraged the community members to preserve their mother-tongue. “It will be suicidal to replace your mother tongue with others,” he said.
Learning other languages, according to the governor, should not be at the ‘cost of your mother tongue’. Acharya said: “Your language is your cultural identity”. Also, he said that Nagaland encapsulates the ‘unity in diversity’ theme applied to India. “I am from Mumbai, it’s a magical city. It is also the capital city of performing art. But it was only after coming here, to the northeast (region), that I discovered the real culture.”
Compared to the cultural depth and richness of the northeast region, he said, ‘Mumbai is just a shadow’.
The deputy commissioner, in his brief address, stated that the Kachari community has ‘contributed in one of the biggest ways in promoting’ communal peace in the society, especially in the context of Dimapur.
While calling ‘communal peace’ as the community’s legacy to the Naga people, he said that the ‘Nagas and the world has lot to learn from the Kachari people’. Cultural performances were performed by troupes from Kushiabill village and Burkhang cultural society.
The second session, held later in the afternoon, also witnessed cultural dances, traditional games and a tug-of-war competition.
