Nagaland's Hornbill Festival: How PM Modi's Swadeshi Vision Comes Alive

Speaking exclusively to ANI, Nagaland's Minister for Tourism and Higher Education, Temjen Imna Along, said that the Autumn Festival serves as a prelude to the Hornbill Festival, celebrated annually from December 1 to 10.

"The Autumn Festival is a prelude to the Hornbill Festival, which is held from December 1-10 every year. It is called the 'Festival of Festivals'," he said.

Expressing how sustainability is an integral part of the celebrations, Minister Temjen Imna Along said, "The USP of the Autumn Festival is sustainability. Nagaland, being an organic state and a very conscious environmental state, we believe in sustainable tourism. We want that aspect to be our strength in the tourism sector, and the Autumn Festival showcases that".

Temjen Imna Along further said that the Hornbill Festival reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Swadeshi and India's diverse traditions.

"PM Narendra Modi's vision is an amalgamation of things that is Bharat. His vision of using Swadeshi, being organic and appreciating cultures and traditions- this is what is shown in the Hornbill Festival," he noted.

The Minister added that the 2025 edition of the Autumn Festival marked its fourth year in Delhi. "Every year, we bring a small vision of the Hornbill festival to the people in and around Delhi. It showcases our culture, tradition, with the contemporary music, arts and our sustainable livelihood products, whether it is food, clothes or the way of life."

Encouraging the youth to adopt sustainable practices, the Minister remarked, "Things that we do must be done in such a way that it leaves a mark beyond your lifetime."

Present at the festival, Ireland's Ambassador to India, Kevin Kelly, told ANI how he is greatly looking forward to his first trip to Nagaland. He fondly said, "It very much reminds me of Ireland, because we are also a very green country and I am really looking forward to experiencing that and to developing links between Ireland and Nagaland."

The Autumn Festival 2025, held from October 24-25, featured handicrafts, handloom, horticulture exhibits, and a live performance by the renowned Nagaland Police Mahila Band.

The two-day event encapsulated the theme of sustainability, combining culture, art, and ecology.

Conceptualised in the year 2000, the Hornbill Festival is a ten-day annual tourism event organised by the Nagaland Government to showcase the state's rich and traditional cultural heritage in all its ethnicity, diversity and grandeur, Nagaland Tourism's website noted.

The ten-day annual celebration not only sees cultural performances by different Naga tribes but also indigenous games and sports, village walks and treks, along with the exhibition cum sale of tourism products.

Nestled in the lap of nature's breathtaking wonders, Nagaland is a living tapestry of heritage and arts.

In 2024 alone, Nagaland welcomed over 1,00,000 domestic tourists and over 5,000 international visitors, a telling sign of growing global curiosity. The state is home to 17 major tribes and several sub-tribes, each with distinct customs, as noted in an official release by the Department of Tourism.

Fondly known as the 'Land of Festivals', the state features splendid festivals like Skrenyi of the Angami tribe, Moatsu by the Ao tribe, and Yemshen by the Pochury tribe, amongst several other festivals which take place year-round and depict community rituals, seasonal celebrations and splendid craftsmanship.

The 26th edition of the illustrious Hornbill Festival will be held at the Kisama Heritage Village in Nagaland from December 1 to 10.

- ANI