Syllabus: GS-I & V: Art forms, festivals, heritage

Why in the news?

The Hornbill Festival 2025, Nagaland’s flagship cultural festival held annually from December 1 to 10, has sparked a renewed debate on cultural authenticity versus commercialisation. As the State government expands international partnerships and monetisation strategies, concerns are growing that the festival is drifting away from its original purpose of showcasing indigenous Naga culture.

Understanding the Hornbill Festival

• The Hornbill Festival was conceived as a people-centric cultural platform to preserve and present the tangible and intangible heritage of Naga tribes.
• It brings together traditional dances, folk music, morungs, crafts, oral histories, rituals and food traditions at Kisama Heritage Village.
• The festival also plays a role in tourism promotion, livelihood generation and cultural diplomacy.

What has changed over time?

• In recent years, the festival has increasingly focused on international collaborations, branding exercises and entertainment-led spectacles.
• Western music concerts, foreign speeches and multinational sponsorships have become more visible.
• This shift reflects a broader trend of festival-led economic development, where culture is often packaged as a consumable product.

Concerns raised by observers

• Some foreign visitors and cultural observers have pointed out that:
  • Indigenous voices are underrepresented on major stages.
  • Traditional sounds are overshadowed by imported popular culture.
  • Religious symbolism and modern architecture sometimes appear out of sync with ancestral Naga traditions.
• The fear is not of cultural exchange, but of cultural dilution, where global aesthetics dominate local narratives.

Why does authenticity matter?

• Culture is not static, but it loses meaning when reduced to performance without context.
• Naga society is rooted in oral traditions, community memory and lived practices, not just visual displays.
• Excessive commercialisation risks turning a living culture into a tourist commodity, weakening inter-generational transmission.

Governance and policy dimension

• The State plays a dual role:
  • As a facilitator of cultural preservation, under constitutional values of diversity.
  • As a promoter of tourism and investment, seeking economic benefits.
• A lack of strong opposition and limited institutional checks can lead to top-down cultural decisions, prioritising visibility over substance.

Way forward

• Community-led curation must be central, with elders, artists and cultural practitioners shaping content.
• International participation should be supportive, not dominant.
• Clear boundaries between religion, culture and commerce are needed to protect cultural integrity.
• The focus should return to Naga voices, languages, rituals and stories, which are the festival’s core strength.

Why this matters for India

• The Hornbill debate reflects a larger national question:
  How can India globalise its culture without homogenising it?
• As festivals become tools of soft power, cultural governance becomes as important as economic planning.

Exam Hook

Key Takeaways

• Cultural festivals can drive development but risk dilution if authenticity is compromised.
• Indigenous cultures require participatory governance, not mere branding.
• Cultural preservation and economic ambition must move together, not at the cost of identity.

Mains Question:

“Cultural festivals are increasingly being used as instruments of tourism and soft power.” Discuss the challenges this poses to cultural authenticity, with reference to the Hornbill Festival.

One-line wrap:
The Hornbill Festival stands at a crossroads, where the choice between global applause and cultural authenticity will define not just its future, but Nagaland’s cultural narrative itself.

SOURCE