Nagaland: KT Sukhalu calls for strong united Naga community
Dimapur: Nagaland adviser to food and civil supply and legal metrology KT Sukhalu on Thursday appealed to the Nagas not to allow false division in the community and to strive for a bigger and stronger united Naga Community.
He said the Nagas as a community have been coexisting together through the ages and must continue with the same spirit as brothers and sisters.
Addressing the second day of the three-day Tsungkamnyo-cum-mini hornbill festival as the special guest at Yimkhiung Heritage Pungro in Kiphire district, Sukhalu said: “We as a community must be the architect of our destiny. We must look to the future and think about prosperity and progress.”
The Tsungkamneo festival is a harvest festival celebrated by the Yimkhiung Naga tribe of Nagaland.
Noting that Tsüngkamnyo festival is a time to celebrate community and the cultural heritage of our people, he said it is thus an apt time to reflect on the meaning of community.
Asserting that “we cannot forget our history and tradition”, Sukhalu said: “it is not just about our festivals, traditional attire and customs. Our culture is rooted in the village ethos, which is marked by community, shared experience and generosity.”
“No matter what tribe, all our festivals are marked by community festivals where everyone participates in the songs, dances and feast,” he said.
Sukhalu stressed that education assumed more importance than ever.
Touching on education, he said it is increasingly important to not only be educated and get a degree, but one must now have technical skills to be successful or even to gain employment.
Stressing on misinformation and fake news, Sukhalu said one of the bigger dangers that we are facing lately is misinformation.
“With artificial intelligence and malicious groups generating false information and facts, we must be cautious about what we choose to believe and spread,” he said.
Sukhalu added that if the Nagas are to decide their own future, they must be spiritually and intellectually strong.
Cultural items presented by various cultural troupes were the main highlights of the programme.