By Shobha Rao Smilemaker
Apr 27: After decades of wondering what the state of Nagaland was really like, I finally reached its capital called Kohima, named such after a fragrant flower!
I used to think that this was the land of Nagas or snakes, but I was corrected by a local temple priest who told me that it represents Na-ka in their local dialect which meant people with pierced noses!
I had set out in the evening for a lone adventure, walking in the dark in search of a ‘Nepali Mandir’. Because of the sloping and winding roads of Kohima I took 90 minutes instead of 20 minutes to reach the temple through up and down series of steps. In a 90% Christian majority State, this was the biggest temple with 'Swayambu’ idols of Shiva, Devi and other Gods. I had a good interaction with the local priests there till thankfully my bus driver and tour guide came searching for me!
We enjoyed a bird's eye view of the city from our hotel room. The sight of the rising or setting sun beyond the surrounding hills of Kohima was an unforgettable experience. Even the night view of the twinkling lights of this hill city under the bright full moon was mesmerizing.
We were lucky to watch the Good Friday service in the biggest church of Kohima that could accommodate upto 3600 members at a time. It had a very unusual looking external facade, which is similar to the homes of the local people. The Birds Eye view of the city next to the giant cross was another attraction.
Nagaland is the land of 17 major tribes who have their own unique identity like multicoloured spears, hunting weapons, unique headgears and jewellry made of bamboo or plant stems and a lot of adornments like dyed animal hair, boar's teeth, hornbill's feathers, animal bone pieces and more.
All this was depicted beautifully at the Kisama Heritage village. In the ancient days, when there was no formal system of learning. So the elder Naga tribesmen would meet at community centres called Morungs to impart knowledge to the youngsters about their tribal dialects and customs and also teach them skills like bamboo weaving, blacksmithing' wood carving and more.
Each Morung was different from the others, with unique artefacts and nature symbolism including skeletons of animal heads, weaponry and more. A unique feature was the long cannon like wooden structure which was actually a huge drum. The drumsticks were not placed in a horizontal position but in a vertical position when beating on the drum.
I read all the sign boards with the unpronouncable names of the tribes, trying to understand their unique aspect. Eg. The Konya tribes were aggressive head hunters who beheaded their enemies and displayed their heads as trophies! They knew how to use guns even before the Britishers attacked their region with guns.
Felt really thankful for this heritage village that gave us a true idea of how the 17 tribes lived in the ancient days. Imagine they had to fight almost all the time, either with other tribesmen or with the Indians or with the Britishers. Imagine how difficult it must have been for their families who did not wherher their menfolk who set out in the morning would return or not in the evening! And still they kept themselves happy with their music and dance and community bonding!
Since the state of Nagaland was formed on 1st Dec. 1963, every year in the first week of December, this heritage village is the venue of the famous hornbill festival where representatives of all the 17 tribes assemble to give a fantastic display of the rich tribal culture of Nagaland. The hornbill with its colourful feathers is revered by locals and associated with their qualities of bravery and strength.
Music and dance and unique adornments has always been an important part of the tribal culture, so I hope to attend this prestigious event some time in the future.
Our last stop was at Kohima War Cemetry dedicated in memory of the Allied force soldiers who lost their lives against the Japanese in 1944 during the Second world war. The defeat of the Japanese at the great Battle of Kohima is considered as the turning point to ensure the win of the Allied forces!
This site on the Garrison Hill was originally the tennis court of the Deputy Commissioner's residence where the soldiers actually fought the battle and lost their lives. There are 1,420 actual Commonwealth burials here in terraces at different levels, along with graves of the unknown soldiers.
We climbed up to the topmost level to see the memorial to an additional 917 Hindu and Sikh soldiers who were cremated elsewhere in accordance with their faith.
We interacted with three Army Jawans who were preparing fresh wreaths to put on the grave of a martyred soldier called Krishna Nair. We searched for his name etched forever under the Travancore State name list! And we were fortunate to meet his daughter and grand daughter who had come for the first time after decades to lay the wreaths in his honour!
For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today, -this plaque on the bark of a cherry tree is what made me bow my head in respect to all the soldiers or tribesmen who died in Nagaland for causes that they believed in!
As we bid goodbye with a smile to the state of Nagaland at the jungle border, I hoped to return to Nagaland for some future Hornbill festival.
Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.