Rengma’s premier festival Ngada kicks off in Tseminyu

TSEMINYU — The Rengma community kicked off its premier festival, Ngada, on Monday, with the first day marking the Ngada indigenous games competition, which was held at the Rengma Sports Association (RSA) ground in Tseminyu.

The Deputy Commissioner of Tseminyu, Rohit Singh, who was the special guest during the programme, called for the promotion of culture, heritage, and traditions on the occasion.

Extending festival greetings, he expressed his delight at participating in the festival. He also toured various morungs and cottages, showcasing diverse attire, foods, and agro-products.

The programme was led by Kehoyi Kez, cultural secretary of Rengma Hoho, while Kegwanye Kent spoke on ‘Ngada Phensen Gü/Kemeni Jishawa’, explaining the importance and celebration customs of Ngada.

A tug-of-war competition was organised for the Rengma civil society organisations on the first day, along with competitions like bamboo-pole climbing, bamboo-stilt walking race, high-kick, and howling and yodelling, involving participants from the seven ranges of the Rengma tribe.

The festival is being held in accordance with the Tseminyu District Green Initiatives (TDGI). Its vision is to cultivate an environment that provides an equitable quality of life in harmony with nature for all of its citizens.

It intends to make Tseminyu the first model district for green initiatives, with the goal of being a multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary catalyst for communities, government, grassroots, NGOs, private, and policy actors on green growth and sustainable development initiatives that necessitate mass participation, community ownership, and long-term behavioural change to witness true community transformation.

In this regard, single-use plastic and mineral water are being discouraged during the festival.

The main celebration of the festival is scheduled for Tuesday at RSA ground in Tseminyu.

The event will feature the Minister for Power and Parliamentary Affairs, KG Kenye, as the special guest, with MLA and chairman of the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB), Jwenga Seb, as the Ngada host.

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