Kohima: A 4-member delegation from Nagaland led by Abu Metha, advisor to the Nagaland chief minister, is on a three-day visit to the neighbouring state of Mizoram at the invitation of Mizoram Youth Commission (MYC), to strengthen the ties between the two states.
The official delegation included Theja Meru, Advisor to the Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA), Neingulie Nakhro, President of the Rattle & Hum Foundation (RHF) and Imcha Imchen, Musician and Creative Producer of TaFMA.
“We’re happy to be here in this beautiful state called Mizoram with wonderful people. Mizoram has always been great friends of the Naga people. Mizoram has always been close to us in our hearts. And we have some of the most wonderful personalities, who have greatly contributed to the journey of Nagaland,” said Metha as he addressed the MYC Perhkhuang Grand Finale.
“The feeling has always been mutual!” Chief Minister of Mizoram, Zoramthanga tweeted. The delegation also met with Mizoram CM where Metha highlighted some of the programmes and initiatives of the Nagaland Government, especially concerning youth affairs.
Meru informed that during the meeting, Metha has extended an invitation to Mizoram participants for the forthcoming international events in Nagaland like the Asia Music Summit, the South Asian Cross Country Championships and the Grand Finale of the Indian National Rally Championships.
During the meeting, Metha appreciated the role and contributions of Zoramthanga in the Naga Peace Process. The Chief Minister conveyed that all sections of the people are hoping for a peaceful and successful resolution of the peace talks.
As per the delegation, Zoramthanga highlighted the need for the North East states to work together, especially Mizoram and Nagaland, with a special focus on the Agriculture and allied sector.
Metha attended Mizoram’s biggest music event as a special guest and addressed the Grand Finale, which began with more than 2000 participants. He assured the strengthening of partnerships and collaborations between Mizoram and Nagaland.
As he announced that the top five winners of the MYC competition will get the opportunity to perform at India’s most well-known music event—Hornbill International Music Festival, Metha assured that all efforts would be made to train the young talents through joint initiatives of both states.
The Nagaland delegation also participated in a Round Table Meet with the Mizoram Government’s MYC and deliberated on having collaborations and knowledge sharing between the two states.
“The collaborations would be firmed up along with a visit to Nagaland by the Mizoram Youth Commission. Artists and musicians of Mizoram will undertake capacity building exercises and undergo professional training through the Task Force for Music & Arts, through TaFMA’s knowledge partners and the team of national and international resource persons affiliated to TaFMA,” the delegation informed.
Theja Meru, Advisor TaFMA, assured support and solidarity to the MYC through partnerships and collaborations between the two Governments as he shared TaFMA’s vision and impact on musicians and the economy.
Neingulie Nakhro, president RHF, shared about the Handshake Concert, the intellectual property of Nagaland, which has several editions—International, National and Raj Bhavan.
As he pointed that the concert has taken hundreds of musicians and artists to several international platforms and a dozen countries in the past decade, he assured the Mizoram government that artists and musicians from the state will also be given opportunities to perform at RHF’s upcoming events, which are all organised in partnership with the Indian Embassies in different countries.
The visit of the Nagaland delegation to Mizoram began on October 23 at the Laldenga Memorial where they paid homage and laid floral tributes at the memorial of Mizoram’s first Chief Minister and the leader of the Mizo movement.
During the visit, Metha, the Associate Vice President of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), met with with the Mizoram Athletic Association and representatives of the Mizoram Olympic Association. He reiterated that AFI is keen to promote athletics in the North East and that the AFI will also conduct special training and capacity building for Technical Officials and coaches for Mizoram and the other North Eastern States.
The delegation informed that Metha, who is also the Chairman of the Federation of Adventure & Motor Sports Associations of North East, met with the Mizoram Motorsports Association (MIMSA). They discussed strategies to promote motor and adventure sports in the northeast alongside tourism and the service industry.
He suggested formulating a game plan to begin a North East motorsports circuit because there are enormous potentials across the region. He also invited MIMSA to the Grand Finale of the Indian National Rally Championships, which would be in Nagaland in 2022.
The visit concluded following an interactive session with musicians, event managers, music industry representatives and representatives of the Indian Centre for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and young entrepreneurs of Mizoram.
The Nagaland delegation thanked the Government of Mizoram for the visit’s success and hoped that the discussions and deliberations made during the meeting would bear positive results soon. The delegation departed on Monday.
