The Naga Council met on October 17 to deliberate over the matter. The SDIO’s ban clashed with the council’s cultural festival, a note from the council stated today. The council deliberated the matter and resolved to stand by its scheduled cultural festival on said the dates and venue was communicated to the chairman of DDSC both in writing and verbally several times since March this year. The council has decided to go ahead with the scheduled programme, date and venue without any changes as all tribes are now “under intensive meeting and practice.”
The council members, tribal leaders, GBs, DNSU, women hohos and senior citizens have expressed great displeasure and consider the ban very unfortunate, the Naga Council said. “Any purported motive to disturb the festival through ‘pressure’ on various pretexts are carefully being analyzed by tribal leaders and will amount to a direct affront to the organization working voluntarily for public welfare,” the council said.
The council said the scheduled cultural festival will be the first-ever “combined festival” where all affiliated 19 Naga tribes and non-Naga communities will take part to commemorate 60 years of the Naga Council (1949-2009). It was first resolved in 2006 and constantly discussed in subsequent years for necessary arrangements. Due information was communicated to all concerned through tribal members and the media.
The chief minister of Nagaland and the advisor of Sericulture/Cooperation have agreed to be the chief guest and guest of honour respectively on inaugural day. The preliminary programme was faxed to the chief minister’s Office on October 13, the council said. The occasion will showcase tribal dances, folk songs, ethnic food/cuisine and tribal fashion/attire competitions.