Hornbill Festival to hold art event for persons with disabilities

Kohima: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, persons with disability (PWDs) from the state will be get to compete at an open art competition scheduled to be held on the seventh day of the mega Hornbill Festival in Nagaland.

The competition is going to be organised by Tribal Vision in collaboration with the Nagaland tourism department and in partnership with Imprint.

Addressing media persons in Kohima, Tribal Vision chairman Surhuveyi Tetseo said that the competition will be held under the theme of ‘green environment’.

Stressing on the need to protect the environment in particular, highlighting the wildfire tragedy at Amazon forests, Tetseo said that through this initiative they want to send a message to the rest of the world about environment protection through specially-abled persons.

As the competition is open for all age groups, the organisers are expecting participation of at least 50-100 people. The competition, which is also open for any type of art — from pencil sketches to paintings — will be held at the Heritage, Old DC Bungalow in Kohima at 11 am on December 7.

Tetseo also informed that registration forms priced at Rs 100 are available at D’café in Kohima and interested candidates residing outside the city can also mail their details to tribalvisionnagaland@gmail.com or WhatsApp at +91 9436245330 for registrations. The registration process will close on December 3.

Winners of the art competition will be rewarded with a cash amount of Rs 15,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 for the first, second and third respectively. Three consolation prizes will also be awarded an amount of Rs 2,000 each.

Speaking to the media, Tribal Vision general secretary Abel Assumi said that although Hornbill festival every year provides a platform to every field of art, there are no competitions for specially-abled persons so far. He added that hopefully, this initiative, besides providing a platform for them to showcase their talent, will also remind them that they are being loved.

“They are special and equal to everyone. So, we want to make them feel special,” he added.

Tribal Vision is a Nagaland-based non-profit organisation formed by three Naga entrepreneurs in 2014. Assumi said that the founding members (including both Assumi and Tetseo) quit their government jobs to become entrepreneurs and the organisation since its formation has been working towards creating opportunities for the youth and imbibing in them the need to create a “work culture”.

Irrespective of the tribes and locations, Tribal Vision also provides temporary employment opportunities for the youth and promoting local products. The organisation will also be establishing a food production house to aid local farmers to commercialise their produce.

Hornbill Festival, the festival of festivals, is vibrantly celebrated in the state from December 1-10 attracting a huge number of tourists — both domestic and international — every year.