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KOHIMA — With less than a month remaining before the 25th edition of the Hornbill Festival takes flight, intensive preparations are underway at Kisama Heritage Village, the central venue for Nagaland's premier festival. The festival is set to begin on December 1.
A visit to Kisama by Eastern Mirror on Monday revealed new developments and construction of permanent structures at various locations. Extensive work is being carried out on the main arena and the Bamboo Pavilion, both undergoing major revamping to accommodate a larger number of visitors.
Workers are facing mounting pressure as they race against time to complete the ongoing construction and have everything ready by November end.
At the main arena, installation work and ground levelling are in progress, with heavy machinery like cranes, excavators, and dumper trucks deployed alongside a large workforce. Once completed, the arena is expected to accommodate 7,000 visitors.
The Bamboo Pavilion, known for housing handicraft stalls, will reportedly be renamed the “Handloom Pavilion.” The prefabricated structure is a G+2 (ground floor plus two stories) building, according to reliable sources.
The new pavilion, under the department of Industries and Commerce, will house 150 stalls, an office room, a conference room, a mini handloom museum, bathroom facilities, a storeroom, and other amenities. The source added that the structure is designed to be disabled-friendly, with ramps for persons with disabilities.
Upon completion, the pavilion will feature bamboo accents to complement its modern design with a traditional Naga touch. Work on the pavilion began in August, and progress has been satisfactory. Currently, over 100 workers are employed, with interior work commencing on Tuesday.
While acknowledging the good progress, the source emphasised the need for a further push to meet the deadline and expressed confidence in achieving it.
Renovation works on most of the tribal morungs are yet to begin, except for the newly constructed attached bathrooms. One of the few morungs where work has commenced is the Angami Morung.
Roko from Phesama village, who was installing thatch roofing with his friends at the Angami Morung, shared that they have been working for two months. Once the renovation is complete, Rusoma village, representing the Angami tribe at the 25th Hornbill Festival, will take over the remaining preparations.
Neipezo Rino from Zubza, overseeing the construction of the 25th-anniversary monolith, expressed concern over the limited time available to complete the monumental task. Work began on October 15, with over 20 workers employed daily from 7 am until nightfall. Despite their efforts, a significant amount of work remains, including the construction of the monolith placement area, stone gates at two locations, and other stonework throughout Kisama.
Rino highlighted that such projects typically require two to three months, but they are now under pressure to complete everything within less than two months, with a handover deadline of November 26.
The department of Geology and Mining, at the invitation of the Tourism department, was also conducting a pumping test for a newly dug bore well at Kisama on Monday, following five days of work.
Numerous other activities are underway, including road and pavement repairs, streetlight wiring, earth cutting and soil dumping, and general cleaning and maintenance.
Hornbill Festival, dubbed the ‘Festival of Festivals,’ is held annually from December 1 to the 10th. In recognition of this year’s special silver jubilee edition, preparations are being overseen by a ministerial-level committee chaired by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.