Mumbai college students meet Nagaland’s in a cultural handshake

Dimapur, Dec. 7: A team of 25 students and four faculty members from four colleges affiliated to the Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women’s University in Mumbai are in Nagaland visiting students of various colleges in Dimapur and Kohima as part of cultural interactions.

They were led by Renuka Prajapati, separate press releases from the organisers in Dimapur and Kohima informed on Wednesday.

The students of the SNDT Women University are on an educational tour as part of their 100 years celebration, with the aim to visit and interact with colleges in Nagaland, the organisers informed.

The visitors had a vibrant and enriching cultural experience with students of Mount Mary College in Chumukedima on the 5th. The students “presented the rich tradition and culture of Maharashtra,” in the words of the organisers, and in turn the students of Mount Mary College introduced the culture of the Naga people as depicted by traditional attire of all the tribes of Nagaland.

“Besides, there was also an educational interaction session between the students thus bridging the two states,” the organisers stated.

The visit was organised by the National Service Scheme (NSS), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, under the National Integration Camp, it was informed.

The local coordination for the visiting team was managed by the chairman of Mount Mary College in Chumukedima. Through the initiative of the director of the directorate of Higher Education of Nagaland, five colleges from Dimapur and Kohima were selected for cultural exchange programmes. The institutions are Mount Mary College, C-Edge College and Tetso College from Dimapur district; Kohima Arts College and Japfu Christian College from Kohima district.

The visiting team will culminate their journey to Nagaland by attending the Hornbill Festival where they are likely to give a guest cultural presentation representing Maharashtra.

C-Edge College, Dimapur
On December 5, C-Edge College of Dimapur hosted around 30 members including students and faculty from SNDT Women University with an enthralling evening program.

President of the college, Moa Aier, and Dr. Chubatola Aier, the institution’s principal welcomed and felicitated the guests. The visitors were given an introduction to the ‘history of Nagaland,’ the college stated in a press release that was issued to the media on Wednesday.

The formal programme began with a Bharatnatyam dance by one of the student of SNDT Women University. During the event, there were various performances ranging from Marathi to Bollywood dances, Yimchunger folk song and the college choir.

Also, during the event, Renuka Prajata, the team leader of the group from SNDT Women University, highlighted the development and history of the university.

The second session was an informal interaction between the students of the college and the university’s. The students were divided into teams each comprising around 10 students each.

“Each team shared and exchanged ideas on culture, social, political, religion, education etc. Through this programme, everyone involved from both sides has a meaningful interaction and got introduced to ideas and cultures not normally exposed to,” the press release stated.

Kohima College
Kohima College, in Kohima town, also organised a similar cultural exchange programme with the visiting delegates and students from SNDT Women’s University. The programme was conducted on the 7th of December in the college’s auditorium.

A note from the organisers on Wednesday stated that the visit was part of the Mumbai university’s 100 year centenary celebrations.

The students of Kohima College entertained the visitors with a fashion show ‘A Glimpse of Traditional & Modern Naga Attires,’ under the supervision of assistant professor Cheryl Kevichusa. The college’s choir also regaled the audience with a musical, ‘I have a Dream’.

During the event, the students of SNDT Women University sang their university’s song. The gathering was also treated with a presentation
about the culture, tradition, literature, food habits, and the nature of the film industry and attire of Maharashtra. They was presented through

speech and dances such as ‘Lazim’, ‘Jojwa’ etc.

Renuka Prajata, the team’s leader and NSS coordinator, spoke about the history of SNDT University and how it was founded on the 5th of July 1916, with the objective to liberating and empowering women through education.

A time of interaction between the students of the two institutions followed.