Naga Scholars Association screens Dolly Kikon's documentary film A Sacred Place in New Delhi.
DIMAPUR — The Naga Scholars Association (NSA) organised a screening of Dolly Kikon’s documentary ‘A Sacred Place (2026)’ at the Conference Hall, Nagaland House, RK Puram, New Delhi, on September 15, bringing together academics, scholars, students, activists, student leaders and representatives of Naga organisations.
According to an update, the documentary centres on the sacred landscape of Makhel village in northern Manipur and explores its historical and cultural significance through villagers’ narratives on sacred stones, landscapes, mythology, belief systems and the ancient saltwater spring.
Kikon was invited for the screening and the discussion of her film. The program was attended by her husband, Sanjay Barbora, alongside several prominent academics and public intellectuals.
Following the screening, an interactive discussion with Kikon was moderated by Nzanmongi (Jasmine) Patton, Associate Professor at Gargi College, University of Delhi.
The discussion covered indigenous knowledge, cultural memory, documentary methodology, ethical documentation and the politics of representation.
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Kikon said indigenous knowledge should not be viewed as static but as living, relational and continuously evolving. She also spoke about consent, narrative framing and the importance of allowing communities to articulate their own experiences.
Kikon acknowledged that documentary-making necessarily involves choices regarding what is included, excluded, emphasised, or placed within a particular narrative framework. Such choices, she observed, are never entirely neutral but always political in one form or another. The acknowledgement of this dimension, therefore, calls for a reflexive engagement with the position of the filmmaker and the processes through which knowledge is constructed and represented.
In seeking to maintain the documentary's authenticity, Kikon explained that she consciously avoided imposing an external voiceover upon the narrative. Instead, the villagers themselves were allowed to articulate and narrate their experiences.
It may be mentioned that the event was subsequently followed by a controversy over the alleged treatment of Kikon, her husband Barbora, and participants after the programme. The NSA reportedly lodged a formal complaint with the resident commissioner over the incident.