News Letter-7

In Focus

NAGALAND'S HORNBILL FESTIVAL: CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT OF UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Home to several tribes the state of Nagaland, has its own distinct festivals which revolve mainly around agriculture.

Hornbill festival was for the first time held in 2000. It showcases a mélange of cultural festivities under one roof. It is held at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is about 12 km from Kohima. All the tribes in Nagaland participate in this festival. The aim of the festival is to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its culture and traditions. And if you are a visitor you will get a close understanding of the people, customs, folklores, songs and music of Nagaland.

Some of the activities of Hornbill festival include music concerts, art & craft exhibitions, a Naga wrestling competition, the skin-scorching Naga chilli-eating contest, a cooking competition that crowns the Hornbill chef of the year, and a greased bamboo pole climbing event, where participants try to climb a 10ft bamboo pole greased with pork fat. Added to that, Naga troupes sing folk songs, perform traditional dances and play indigenous games and sports. Named after the state's most admired bird, the Hornbill National Rock Concert attracts bands from all over India. Recent additions include a night bazaar, motor and cycle rallies, literature and film fests, and even a Miss Nagaland contest. That's not all, the festival is also one big food carnival offering some lip-smacking Naga cuisine.

In Story

THE THREE BROTHERS - A NAGA FOLKTALE

Long ago, there lived three brothers. They had a small farm and a little cottage, in which they lived. The eldest brother, Tanyen, worked hard in the farm, while his lazy and selfish brothers, Zhoshu and Penhun, ate and slept all day. It was difficult to meet the needs of the family with the meager income that Tanyen earned. One day he said to his brothers, 'It's not possible to carry on like this, brothers! I will go out, seek my fortune, and become rich so that I can provide for both of you." Zhoshu and Penhun didn't like the idea. They thought, "Why should Tanyen become rich? We should go out and seek our fortune too!"

So, Zhoshu, the selfish brothers went to Tanyen and said, "Brother! I have realized my responsibilities, I will go out, seek my fortune and become rich so that I can share your burden."

Tanyen agreed. That day after breakfast, Zhoshu took leave of his brothers and started on his journey. He kept walking throughout the day. By late evening, hungry and tired, he reached another village. He went up to a hut and knocked at the door. An old woman answered, "Who's there?" "I'm a traveler," Zhoshu replied. "Can I stay here for the night?" "Only if you remove all the stars from that pool!" said the old woman, pointing to a pool of water. Zhoshu thought, "How can I remove those stars? They are nothing but a reflection of the sky!" Puzzled and exhausted, he returned home.

Next, day Penhun decided to try his luck and left home. Wandering, he too reached the old woman's hut and was asked to fish out the stars from the pool. "How is that possible?" he thought and returned home pyuzzled and exhausted.

Now it was Tenyan's turn. When he reached the old woman's hut, he too was asked to perform the same task. He humbly asked for a bucket, which the old woman gave him. Tanyen waded into the pool and began to throw out bucketfuls of water. He worked hard all night, until the pool was completely dry.

In the morning when the old woman came out of her hut, Tanyen showed her the dry pit and said, "I have removed all the stars, O good mother!" The old woman was pleased. She led him to a huge farm and said, "This is your reward. From today, you are the owner of this farm!" Tanyen thanked the old woman and returned home a rich man.

"I have found my fortune!" he announced." But where?" asked his brother's. "I found it in my own hands!" replied Tanyen. He then told them all that had happened. His lazy brothers resolved to work hard from that day. And they lived happily for the rest of their lives.

(Source: http://www.kidsgen.com/stories/folk_tales)

UNSUNG HEROES

SANGTI KONYAK: THE YOUNG MAN WITH A MISSION TO UPLIFT HIS PEOPLE

Sangti Konyak is a young man from Tobu Town, Mon District Nagaland,who is on a mission to help his community- the youth and well-being of the town in general. Heworks as a Project Coordinator for a small health programme under FHI 360 (Family Health International).

Sangti Konyak has faced many hardships in his life as a child. The place where was born had no proper electricity or road connectivity and it was a big challenge for him to commute especially when it came to extracting additional information while writing academic assignments. That is why from his early days it became his mission and vision to ensure that the youth and his community get all the help they needed be it in terms of monetary or otherwise. He wanted to become the change that he wanted to see in the world.

Sangti Konyak from his own pocket money and scholarships ensured that the requirements of others were catered to. He is a social activist and is known for the road he constructed for the people of Tobu and the library he opened for the people. He also started an RTI group in their village.

He opened a library with an intention of meeting the needs of those who were interested to read and to encourage young students from his town who have very little knowledge or ideas about different kinds of books available.

His plan is to initiate all of his activities in the name of ‘The Genesis Project’, of Tobu because that is the only platform where he has witnessed the participation of a great majority of the youths together. And that is why he wants everyone involved in the project earlier to remember about their dedication and remind them about their responsibilities.

INTER ACTIVITY

WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

SANTA, REINDEER, PRESENTS, CHRISTMAS TREE, TOYS, STOCKING, SNOWMAN, CANDY CANE, ELF, WREATH, BOW, BELL, CANDLE, ANGEL

FIND THE DIFFERENCES

Spot 6 Differences in This Picture

BRAIN TEASERS

In Formation

HIDDEN GEMS OF INDIA

Triple Falls

The Triple Falls is located in the city of Dimapur, Nagaland; particularly in Seithekima village and as name suggests, these three beautiful and glistening streams falls from a height of 280 ft into a natural pool making the entire view stunning. The heart warming waterfalls are not only for sightseeing spot, but they also offer trekking opportunity as well. The falls and the adjacent areas are well maintained by the tourism department of Nagaland with natural blooms. The triple falls give a wonderful view to the tourists and it is indeed one of the best places to visit in Dimapur, Nagaland.

The best time to visit Triple Falls is between October to June. Since it is a hilly area and the temperature is moderate around this time, you can enjoy the pleasant weather and the serenity of this place.

RECIPE

ORANGE PLUM CAKE

Preparation Time: 45 Minutes

INGRIDIENTS:

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Cashew nuts - 10-12 numbers
Raisins - 10-12 numbers
Almonds - 10-12 numbers
Red and green tutti fruit - 1 tablespoons
Cherries - 1 tablespoons
Baking powder - 3/4 teaspoons
Powdered sugar or brown sugar - 1 cup
Orange zest - 1/4 teaspoons
Orange juice - 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoons
Oil - 1/2 cup
3 Eggs or 1 Hung curd

PREPARATION:

Step 1:- In all purpose flour bowl, add chopped cashew nuts, raisins, chopped almonds, red and green tutti frutti, cherries and slightly mix.

Step 2:- To it add baking powder mix it and keep aside.

Step 3:- Take a bowl, add egg/curd and whisk it nicely, add powdered sugar and whisk it.

Step 4:- Add oil and mix it in one direction.

Step 5:- Add above mixed all purpose flour mixture and fold it with a spatula.

Step 6:- Add orange zest, orange juice, Vanilla essence and fold it gently.

Step 7:- Pre heat a greased baking tray, dusted with some flour.

Step 8:- Pour the above mixture in it.

Step 9:- Put it in the oven and bake at 180 C for 30-35 minutes till done. Test it with a pin till it comes out clear. Rest it, de-mould and cut into a piece.

FRUIT

ORANGE

Delicious, juicy and citrusy, oranges are a perfect pick to brighten up a dull morning. And who doesn’t like munching on this mouth-watering fruit? Apart from being delicious, oranges have numerous health benefits as well. They are a healthy source of fiber, vitamin C, thiamin, folate and antioxidants and they are also the world’s third favorite flavor after chocolate and vanilla.

Oranges are among the world’s most popular fruits and belong to a large group of fruits known as citrus fruits. Today, they are grown in most of the warmer regions of the world, and are consumed either as fresh fruits or juice. In India, they are mostly grown in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Karnataka.

HEALTH BENIFITS:

Oranges are helpful in lowering cholesterol as they are full of soluble fibre.
They help in preventing Diabetes by balancing the sugar level in our body.
Hesperidin and magnesium in oranges help to control blood pressure effectively.
Oranges boosts immunity as they contain vitamin C which increases the production of white Blood Cells.
They also help in weight loss.
They are highly rich in antioxidants which prevent the formation of free radicals.

IN ENGLISH

ENGLISH WORDS OF SANSKRIT ORIGIN

The English language has absorbed words from different cultures all over the world. The following is a list of some English words whose origins lie in the Sanskrit language used in India. These words have entered English through a variety of routes, but the presence of many dates back to the Vedic times.

Candy
In English, Candy is also called sweets or lollies, which consists of small pieces of confectionary sugar. The word Candy first appeared in Middle English candi, (crystallized cane sugar, short for sugre-candi), which is a partial translation of Old French sucre candi, From Arabic it became sukkar qandī: sukkar, sugar + qandī, which is ultimately derived from Sanskrit word khaṇḍakaḥ which means piece, fragment.
Orange
Orange refers primarily to the orange fruit and the colour orange in English language. If we trace down its origin then the word comes from the Old French orenge, from the old term for the fruit, pomme d'orange. The French word, in turn, comes from the Italian word arancia, based on Arabic word nāranj, which is derived from the Sanskrit word naranga meaning 'an orange tree'.
Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Sugar comes from the Latin word succarum, which is further derived from Old Italian word succhero. This Italian word, in turn, came from the Arabic word sukkar, which is further derived from Old Persian sakar, and which ultimately is derived from the Sanskrit word sharkara-शर्करा which means "ground or candied sugar"
Juggernaut
In English, a juggernaut is an unstoppable force or movement that sweeps aside or destroys anything in its path. In the UK it is also used to refer to very large Lorries (trucks). The word arrived in English in the 19th century and is derived from Odia word Jagannatha, which is ultimately derived from Sanskrit word जगन्नाथ jagat-natha-s, which means 'lord of the world'.
Crimson
Crimson is a strong, red color. The word is derived from Old Spanish cremesin, which in turn, came from Medieval Latin word cremesinus, which further came from Persian qirmiz which means "a kermes", which is ultimately derived from Sanskrit word कृमिज krmi-ja which means "red dye produced by a worm".

ANSWERS

CROSSWORD

FIND THE DIFFERENCES

BRAIN TEASERS

Savvy: It's Christmas, Eve!

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