How Nagaland band-turned-club Vision Trinity is promoting reading culture

Kohima: Vision Trinity, a musical band-turned-club based in Nagaland, is now reaching out to students in Kohima district by donating books to “encourage and enhance student’s cognitive and academic abilities”, with the ultimate aim of promoting reading culture.

In a conversation with EastMojo, Sentilong, one of the vice-presidents of the club, said that the group donated 200 books to students in five villages of Kohima district — Pfuchama, Khuzama, Kigwema, Phesama and Sakhabama — on Tuesday under the banner “Reach out”. Up to 500 masks were also donated along with the books.

The former band, which transitioned into a club in December 2018, has been creating awareness on violence against women and bullying, conducting cleanliness drives, plantations, and so on. Sentilong said that one of the reasons for its formation is to “help students and to promote the rich culture of the Nagas through different activities”.

Revealing the idea behind donating the books, he said: “The club found out about the recent public library which was built in Kigwema village by two brothers. So, the club took the initiative to help the villages in a small way by contributing books and face masks.”

The club, led by its president Nunese Sale, who is also the Speaker of the Southern Angami Students’ Union (SASU), conducted the recent “Reach Out” initiative to simplify inconveniences faced by students in the villages, in “acquiring resources for studies and readings at this time of rife, and facilitating an easier access to books”.

Sentilong said that the main focus was on the student community as the books were distributed to the respective student body of the villages. The books ranged from fiction, general knowledge and academic reference books.

He added that the books were sourced through different people as many donated books and some were also sourced through the department of arts and culture. While the first drive was conducted in the Southern Angami areas, the club hopes to expand its initiative to more places.

The club, which has around 30 members at present, are avid readers themselves. He added that the members usually read different kinds of books and have the habit of sharing books among themselves.

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The club has so far helped 250 street vendors and 95 orphans in Kohima, renovated the NSF Martyrs Park, visited over 16 schools in Kohima to create awareness on violence against women and anti-bullying, hosted ‘Night of the Underdogs’ in collaboration with TAFMA to give an opportunity to artists who do not get the platform to perform.

It has also hosted the VTC Women’s Basketball Tournament in 2018-2019, conducted cleanliness drives, planted 100 Oak trees, collaborated with FPA India on Gender based Equality, collaborated with KRIPA Foundation on “Nasha Mukt Bharat Campaign” on Drug Abuse, and sponsored Miss Popular Diva for Miss Diva Nagaland, 2021.