I woke around 0430 and lay in bed till 0630. Perils of going to bed too early. I had thought of getting going early but Mr Gugu said the programme at the Hornbill Festival today starts at 1000.
Since the Israelis had been yesterday, I tagged along with them and walked downhill at 0830 and shared a cab there. We got there an hour later after setting off. The traffic was surprisingly OK.
The entry fee was absolute peanuts at INR20 plus a camera fee of INR50 (but no one would check anyway). I wandered around inside and soon after 1000, the big-wigs arrived and a surprisingly short speech was given.
A string of performances were given till 1200. Disappointingly, there were no performances from Nagaland. We dances from Manipur, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Kashmir, Odisha and the south. The Manipurese sword fight was rather Chinese and the stick “dance” rather Burmese. Assamese are quite Indian with a hint of the East Asian appearance. But the Madhya Pradesh group talented and most colourful.
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- Kohima in the morning light.
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- It was an awesome sight seeing the number of people in their tribal costumes.
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- Colourful and talented performers from Madhya Pradesh.
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- South Indian performers.
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- Manipuri stick “dance”. Tossing and turning a big stick with two little ones.
At 1200, the performances took a break and I took my lunch. It was a very bad vege biryani; the rice wasn’t well-cooked and the flavour was lacking.
This was also the time when the Naga troupes would go to their respective morungs so that guests can mingle with them for pictures. While I didn’t pose with them (not like me to want to be in pictures), I enjoyed seeing them close up.
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- The Kisama Heritage Village was the venue for the Hornbill Festival.
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- The Kisama Heritage Village was the venue for the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
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- The 17 or so Naga tribes at the Hornbill Festival.
Soon after 1300, performances resumed and it was apparent that the same performers as the morning had been scheduled. No Nagaland troupes were expected. With the weather cooling down around 1400, I decided to make my way back.
Shared taxis were bookable at a desk near the entrance. It was only INR50 to the south end of town where I caught a private taxi at INR150 back to the homestay (most drivers asked for INR200).
I spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing, deleting and editing photos before a yummy dinner at the homestay. I had told them I was vegetarian as I try to avoid meat in India; but they must have forgotten and gave me very nice chunks of deepfried boneless chicken plus a paneer curry as well. With a salad, chickpea sprouts and papad, it was an awesome home-cooked meal.