“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.” — Mahatma Gandhi

The Hornbill Festival is one of the most popular festivals of Nagaland, celebrated every year from 1st to 10th December. It is one of the largest celebrations of the indigenous warrior tribes of Nagaland and the most renowned celebration of the Nagas. Thousands of people gather to partake in the festivities which include drinking, eating, singing and dancing. The Naga people have a rich tradition of maintaining their unique heritage and customs.

Nagaland is inhabited by 17 major tribes as well as sub-tribes. Each tribe is unique and is distinguished by its customs, language and attires. Each of the tribes and sub-tribes have their own ways of promoting their culture. In addition to their traditional ceremonial attire, which is different for each tribe, there are multi-coloured spears, Daos with dyed goat’s hair, exotic headgear and ivory armlets, among other famous, traditional ornaments that the Nagas don and steal the show with. In the past, Naga fighters had to prove their bravery to wear these.

The Land of Festivals

In spite of tremendous modernity entering into their lives, the Naga people have preserved their customs and legacy. Nagaland is called the ‘Land of Festivals’ and people living here have a fondness for commemorating and celebrating the deeds of their ancient warriors and folk heroes. Moreover, the medleys that immortalize love stories, folk tunes and gospel songs are also cherished.

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Nestled in-between the eastern ridges of the Himalayas in the central-south, Bhutan is a beautiful country and is also ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world, attracting tourists from far and wide to experience its tranquil and serene beauty. This beautiful Buddhist kingdom is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and plains, magnificent mountains and steep valleys.

Bhutan is a small kingdom neighbouring India with a 786,500 population. It is also known as Druk-yul or Druk Tsendhen, meaning “land of the thunder dragon”, because of the frequent thunderbolts experienced here. However, it is a place of mountains and lakes, pilgrimages, artistic skills, adventure and tourism.

Bhutan does not believe in GDP as an indicator of economic growth and development, using instead a measurement known as Gross National Happiness. It has made this blessed kingdom a country of happy people on the global map. Bhutanese people have four pillars for the measure of GNH —sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, good governance and a healthy environment — that makes it one of the happiest countries in the world.

People

There are three major ethnic groups in Bhutan: the Bhutia (also called Ngalop), the Nepalese and the Sharchop. The Bhutia is the largest ethnic group and they constitute about half of the population. The Bhutia are dominant in northern, central and western Bhutan. They speak a variety of Tibeto-Burman languages, and the most common of these, Dzongkha, is Bhutan’s official language; the written language is identical with Tibetan. The Bhutias dominate Bhutan’s political life. The Nepalese (including members of the Gurung ethnic group) predominate in the region and constitute roughly one-third of the country’s total population. These are the most recent arrivals in Bhutan. Most speak Nepali.

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The splendid Kashmir region is a heaven on earth for its beautiful landscapes, lush green valleys, stunning multi-coloured tulip gardens, dazzling lakes, and for its uncanny resemblance with the Garden of Eden described in religious books. Therefore it acquired the name ‘Paradise on Earth’. It is resplendent with white beauty in winter and the glorious colours of nature in autumn, fall, spring and summer.

People

Although Kashmiri people live in different parts of India they are mainly settled in the Valley of Kashmir, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban thasils of Jammu Division. Their language is highly influenced by the Sanskrit language and mostly spoken by Kashmiri Muslims and Kashmiri Hindus.

Culture

The culture of Kashmir is a blend of multiple customs and came from Northern India, Northern Pakistan and the Chinese territory of Aksai Chin. The state enjoys a mix of religions and that’s why Kashmir is famous for its cultural heritage. It merges Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist religions which make Kashmir more beautiful by adopting their culture.

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“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” 
~ Calvin Coolidge

Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing Christmas with rich traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church services, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive!

Many of the symbols associated with Christmas have a special meaning. C. JOSEPH looks at some of the symbols that evoke the magic of the Christmas Season.

Christmas tree

A Christmas tree is usually an evergreen conifer, such as a fir, spruce, pine, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of the Christmas tree originated in Germany in the 16th century.

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Nepal, lying along the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountain ranges, is a landlocked country located between India to the east, south and west, and Tibet in the north. Its territory extends roughly 500 miles from east to west and 90 to 150 miles from north to south. Nepal’s capital is Kathmandu.

Nepal has some of the most rugged and difficult mountain terrain in the world. Roughly 75 per cent of the country is covered by mountains. From the south to the north, Nepal can be divided into four main physical belts, each of which extends east to west across the country. These are, first, the Tarai, a low, flat, fertile land adjacent to the border of India; second, the forested Churia foothills and the Inner Tarai zone, rising from the Tarai plain to the rugged Mahābhārat Range; third, the mid-mountain region between the Mahābhārat Range and the Great Himalayas; and, fourth, the Great Himalaya Range, rising to more than 29,000 feet.

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Sikkim borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to India’s Siliguri Corridor near Bangladesh. The Tibetan name for Sikkim is Drenjong (Wylie-translation: bras ljongs), meaning “Valley of Rice”, while the Bhutias call it Beyul Demazong, meaning “the Hidden Valley of Rice”. According to folklore, after establishing Rabdentse as his new capital, Bhutia king Tensung Namgyal built a palace and asked his Limbu Queen to name it. The Lepcha people, the original inhabitants of Sikkim, called it Nye-mae-el, meaning “paradise”.

History

The Lepchas are considered to be the earliest inhabitants of Sikkim. However, the Limbus and the Magars also lived in the inaccessible parts of West and South districts as early as the Lepchas lived in the East and North districts. The Buddhist saint Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, is said to have passed through the land in the 8th century. The Guru is reported to have blessed the land, introduced Buddhism, and foretold the era of monarchy that would arrive in Sikkim centuries later.

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Poverty is never an excuse for achieving one’s dreams!

Mirabai Chanu, who began lifting firewood as a child, is now one of India’s best-known weightlifting stars. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu from Manipur scripted history as she won the silver medal in the Women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Tokyo Olympics.

Mirabai Chanu, a native of Manipur’s capital city Imphal, was born on 8 August 1994. She won her first gold medal in a local weightlifting competition when she was 11 years old. Later, she began her international weightlifting career by competing in the World and Asian Junior Championships, where she won medals in both. She idolises Indian weightlifter Kunjarani Devi.

Determined to win

Her father Saikhom Kriti says, “She is the youngest baby out of six siblings. From the age of 12 she indicated that she would want to become an athlete. But we are a poor family. All we could do was to give her Rs 5 daily. With this, she used to go from home at Nongpok Kakching to the Khuman Lampak. As the bus service was unreliable she used to hitch a ride in trucks transporting sand, stones, etc.

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Mizoram, located in the northeastern part of India, is bounded by Myanmar (Burma) to the east and south and Bangladesh to the west and by the Indian States of Tripura to the northwest, Assam to the north, and Manipur to the northeast. The capital of Mizoram is Aizawl, situated in the north-central part of the State. Mizoram “the Land of the Mizos” was known as the Lushai Hills District of Assam before it was renamed Mizo Hills District in 1954.

In 1972, it became a centrally-administered union territory under the name of Mizoram. On 20 February 1987, Mizoram became the 23rd State of India, sharing its borders with all the seven sister States.

Land

Geologically, the Mizo Hills form part of the Rakhine (Arakan) Mountains, a series of compact parallel ridges with a north-south axis formed of sandstone, limestone, and shale — all Cenozoic rocks. The ridges, separated by narrow river valleys, rise to about 7,000 feet. In the south, the Kaladan River and its tributaries flow southward into Myanmar, while the Dhaleswari (Tlawng) and Sonai (Tuirail) rivers flow north into Assam.

More than three-fourths of the land area of Mizoram is forested. Thick evergreen forests contain valuable timber trees such as champak (Micheliachampaca), ironwood and gurjun (genus Dipterocarpus). The woodlands also provide habitat for many animals, including elephants, tigers, bears, deer, monkeys, gibbons, and serows.

People

Mizoram is one of the most sparsely populated States of India. The population density decreases from north to south, owing to a southward increase in humidity and temperature that renders the area less desirable for habitation. Aizawl is the State’s only major city; large towns include Lunglei, in the eastern part of the state, and Champhai, in the south-central region.

The people of Mizoram consist almost entirely of Scheduled Tribes (an official category embracing indigenous groups that fall outside the predominant Indian social hierarchy). Most of the Mizos are Tibeto-Burman, speaking Mizo or a closely related Tibeto-Burman language. However, the Chakmas speak an Indo-Aryan language. Mizo and English are the official languages. Having no script of its own, they use the Roman alphabet.

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Known as “the Land of the Rising Sun”, Arunachal Pradesh constitutes the mountainous area in the extreme northeastern part of the country and is bordered by Bhutan to the west, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north, Myanmar and Nagaland to the south and southeast, and Assam to the south and southwest. The capital of the State is Itanagar.

It has long been recognized as part of the Indian subcontinent, receiving mention in such ancient Hindu literature as the Kalika-purana and the epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana. Formerly known as the North East Frontier Agency (from the British colonial era), the area was part of Assam until it was made a Union Territory on 20 January, 1972. In 1987, it became an Indian State. Surprising as it may sound, Hindi is the lingua franca (common language) of Arunachal. The state bird of Arunachal is the Hornbill. Some of the major tribes like Nyishi wear hornbill hats at traditional rites and rituals and weddings.

Land

Most of Arunachal Pradesh’s terrain consists of deep valleys flanked by highland plateaus and ridges that rise to the peaks of the Himalayas. The State encompasses three broad physiographic regions. Farthest south is a series of foothills, similar in type to the Siwalik Range (a narrow sub-Himalayan belt stretching across much of the northern part of India that ascends from the Assam plains to elevations of 1,000 to 3,300 feet). These hills rise rapidly northward to the Lesser Himalayas, where some ridges and spurs reach 10,000 feet. Farther north, along the Tibetan border, lie the main ranges of the Great Himalayas, where Kangto, the highest peak in the State, dominates the landscape, reaching about 23,260 feet.

People of Arunachal

Arunachal Pradesh is home to dozens of distinct ethnic groups, most of which are in some way related to the peoples of Tibet and the hill region of western Myanmar. More than two-thirds of the people are designated officially as Scheduled Tribes. In western Arunachal the Nissi (Nyishi or Dafla), Sherdukpen, Aka, Monpa, ApaTani, and Hill Miri are the main tribes.

The Adi, constituting the largest tribal group in the State, live in the central region. The Mishmi inhabit the northeastern hills, and the Wancho, Nocte, and Tangsa are concentrated in the southeastern district of Tirap. The Wanchos inhabit the Patkai hills of Longding District. They have a population of 35,000. Culturally Naga, they are ethnically related to the Nocte and Konyak Naga of the Mon and Tirap districts.

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Meghalaya, meaning the “abode of clouds” is a paradise for nature lovers. A hill station that is home to a beautiful, mesmerizing sky in a true sense has captivated the minds of tourists from all across the globe. It is perfectly nestled in the north-east of India in the Himalayas, bordering Assam to the north and east and meets Bangladesh to its south and east side. Filled with huge hills, valleys, numerous lakes, captivating waterfalls, pitch dark caves, and sacred forests, Meghalaya has no dearth of tourist spots.

History

Apart from accounts of the more important Khasi kingdoms in the chronicles of the neighbouring Ahoms and Kacharis, little is known of Meghalaya prior to the British period. In the early 19th century, however, the British desired to build a road through the region to link Bengal and Assam led to a treaty (1827) with the ruler (syiem) of the Khasi principality of Nonkhlaw.

Opponents of the treaty persuaded the syiem to repudiate it in 1829, and a subsequent attack on the British led to British military operations against the Khasis. By the mid-1830s, most of the local rulers had submitted to the British. The British, then, exercised political control over the area, known as the Garrows and Cossiya (Khasi) States, but the tribes, left to themselves, were able to preserve their traditional way of life.

In 1947, the rulers of the region acceded to the newly-independent country of India. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru evolved a policy to preserve and protect the way of life of the tribal peoples. Along with other tribal areas, the region was given special protection in the Indian Constitution, and though included within the state of Assam, it retained a great deal of autonomy.

When Assamese became the state’s official language in 1960, agitation for autonomy gathered strength. Unlike in many other hill regions in Northeast, this movement was largely peaceful and constitutional. Meghalaya was created as an autonomous State within Assam in 1970 and achieved full statehood on 21 January 1972.

People, language and religion

Most of the inhabitants of Meghalaya are Tibeto-Burman (Garos) or Mon-Khmer (Khasis) in origin, and their languages and dialects belong to these groups. The Khasis are the only people in India who speak a Mon-Khmer language. Khasi and Garo along with Jaintia and English are the state’s official languages; other languages spoken include Pnar-Synteng, Nepali, and Haijong, as well as the plains languages of Bengali, Assamese, and Hindi.

Christianity, Hinduism, and Animism are the major religions of the States. There is also a small minority of Muslims and even smaller groups of Buddhists and Sikhs. The population is predominantly rural, with a few towns only. Shillong is the largest town; other urban centers, listed in descending order of population, include Tura, Mawlai, Nongthymmai, and Jowai. Meghalaya tribes mainly follow Christianity. Their main occupation is cultivation as the State receives a large amount of rainfall.

Tribes of Meghalaya

Tribes of Meghalaya can mainly be classified into three groups: Garos, Khasis and Pnars or Jaintias. Garos are believed to be the descendants of Tibeto-Burmar race who came down all the way from Tibet to the north eastern states while the Khasis and Pnars or Jaintias are the descendants of Proto Austroloid Monkhmer race.

While Garos live in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, the Khasis are scattered all across the State and are known by different names. Mainly the pure Khasis can be sited at the Khasi Hills, the Pnars or Jaintias can be located on Jaintia Hills. There are also a few other smaller tribes like Bhois in the North, Khynriams in the central and Wars in the southern region, Lalung, Vaiphe, Viate and Hmass in the Jaintia Hills. They are Khasi sub-tribes and live a lifestyle similar to the Khasis.

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