In solidarity

The death of innocent civilians, and the protests in the incident’s wake, have rattled Nagaland’s Mon district for the past few days. The tragedy struck at a time when the state was celebrating The Hornbill Festival, an annual event that showcases Nagaland’s culture, which has now been rescheduled for a later date. The mood at the fest in fact turned sombre, with various different tribes issuing diktats to their members to withdraw from it. Not just them, premier blues band Soulmate have also announced that they will not play at the fest as was planned, in order to show solidarity with the people of the state and the families of the victims. “It wouldn’t have been comfortable for us to go up on stage, sing and look happy. It would have been very difficult, and so we said that we’d better not do it,” Soulmate front man Rudy Wallang told this diarist, adding, “But we’ll always have another time in Nagaland, that’s for sure.”