A Song Called Life Beauty & Splendour of
NAGALAND
Map of Nagaland
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First Edition - 2011 Copyright: Author©All rights reserved. Neither this book nor any part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming and recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author & publisher. Published by Shubhi Publications 240, 2nd floor, City Centre, Gurgaon - 122 002, Haryana, India Designed by SN Graphix Photography by Dinesh Gaur Printed in India by Aegean Offset Printers 220-B, Udyog Kendra 1, Greater Noida Uttar Pradesh - 201 306 (India)
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Preface...................................................................................... 00 Acknowledgement................................................................... 00 Introduction.............................................................................. 00 Lightly Blows the Wind of Change ������������������������������������� 00 Witness to History.................................................................. 00 An English touch in the Air.................................................. 00 Green Valley & Rugged Hills................................................ 00 Flora and Fauna....................................................................... 00 Tradtional Bonds..................................................................... 00 Lfestyle: A Touch of Colou.................................................... 00 Naga Wedding.......................................................................... 00 Festivals and Festivities........................................................ 00 Romantic Legends and Folklore ����������������������������������������� 00 Influence of the Church.......................................................... 00
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Preface The North-Eastern region had always fascinated me from my days as a student in Calcutta (now Kolkata). It was only in 1990 that a dream-come-true proposal for a visit to Nagaland materialised as part of a casual suggestion for writing a book. I visited Nagaland after I had resigned from the Indian Express in Bombay (now Mumbai) and prior to taking up another journalistic assignment with The Observer group in New Delhi. My visit to Nagaland was an experience in itself, adding a new dimension to my understanding of a people who literally ‘‘carry colours’’ on their shoulders. That there should be so much gaiety and liveliness in a region almost out of bounds for us due to geopolitical reasons heightened my sense of adventure.
A ‘Jewel’ in India’s Republican crown:
Behind each work lies a story, Of a dream, a passion, That an artist works into his creation To fill the gap that lies between Imigination and existence
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Nagaland is God’s own creation. Sun-kissed, lush green landscape presents a fascinating spectacle. Hilly terrain plays hide and seek with floating mist. Rain and breeze strike musical notes in the valley. And life there has its own momentum. It has rhythm and pace. See it from any angle. There is richness and beauty in every facet of life – from folklore to landscape. Despite stray acts of insurgency, Nagaland radiates a peaceful atmosphere. The people are hospitable and friendly. Opening up to visitors and tourists would help Nagaland develop its infrastructural facilities and modern communication systems. This volume is an effort to open up this modern Indian state with its fascinating colourful traditions to enable us to have a glimpse of its people and its pollution-free environment that could inspire a thousand poets. I am not selling ‘‘dreams’’ through this book. All I wish to present is an integrated and comprehensive picture of Nagaland, both traditional and modern, for all those who have an inquisitive mind and are young at heart. Illustrations speak volumes where words falter. I have tried to make up for the inadequacy of the text with photographs selected from private professional and government sources. I hope that this book serves to widen our understanding of NagaIand, its land and people in the remote North-Eastern region. Hari Jaisingh
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Acknowledgement I am grateful to the Government of Nagaland, especially the Departments of Tourism, Public Relations and Publicity, for its generous support for this work. It was Dr. Gopal Singh who, as Governor of Nagaland, encouraged me to write this book on, as he put it, ‘‘the vibrantly colourful people of my state’’. Mr. R.K. Mishra, then Secretary of Tourism, picked up the threads and formalised the arrangements which enabled me to complete this assignment. Mr. Surojit Banerjee, a close friend in the publishing world, has been a great help in putting me on the right track of my Naga work. Several known and unknown photographers have enhanced the beauty of this volume. Many friends and well-wishers in Nagaland gave me a helping hand to enable me to see the life and people from closer quarters. It was a journey of discovery for me in the far-off North-Eastern region. I enjoyed writing this volume because it brought me nearer to the people of Nagaland. Professionally, too, it was a refreshingly different challenge for me, far from the maddening politics of India that has been the subjects of my works.
Dr. Gopal Singh, Sikh Scholar, during whose Governorship the author visited Nagaland for the first time
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Nagaland’s spell on me was total. I am thankful to several Naga leaders and known and unknown friends who welcomed me with open arms. I am also indebted to Mrs. Inderjit Kaur, wife of the late Governor, for her affectionate care and hospitality during my visit to the state. There are others to whom I am deeply indebted. They include the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary of Nagaland. I acknowledge my debt to Verrier Elwin, an authority of Nagaland, from whose work I have excerpted a few quotes in the book. Finally, for me the loveable and colourful people of Nagaland, like William Wordsworth’s Daffodils, have always flashed upon my inward eye which is the bliss of solitude!
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Introduction
times of festivals and festivities. The modern face of Naga men and women is distinctively forwardlooking. Young Naga boys and girls are educated and forward looking. They are loveable people and we have to understand and respect their sensitivities.
Life in Nagaland meanders like a brook on a zigzag course, through the lush green slush slopes of majestic hills and valleys. Innumerable stones and pebbles on both side of the stream produce musical melodies that blend harmoniously with the gaiety and laughter of Naga men and women. Myriad colours in Naga attire reflect their moods and approach to life. Everything is bedecked in rainbow hues – their joys and sorrow. Life is hard but sweet, pace is slow but musical, mood may be belligerent but tolerant. Both landscape and women are captivating. Their pristine purity remains untouched by vulgarity of modern civilization. The entire landscape is clothed with the greenery of meadows, trees and a wide variety of shrubs and bushes, sometimes sun-drenched or hidden in the embrace of floating clouds and misty winds.
Angami
Chang
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The 20011 census reveals that Nagaland population shrunk by 0.47 per cent between 2001 and 2011. If earlier demographic figures are correctly recorded, then this is unprecedented in the history of independent India. Konyak
Ao
The Nagas are an endearing people. Their sensitivity revolves around Nature. When I visited Jotsoma village, eight kilometres from Kohima, I saw men and women gathered at the community hall, attired in their traditional robes. The tempo was slow and voices subdued. This natural softness is reflected in folklore, which are an integral part of life in Nagaland. The face of Nagaland and its people is chang changing fast. What has been captured in the book is mainly its colour its colourful traditions and dance forms which get unfolded during the
Zeliang
Though the Nagas are divided into 16 tribes and sub-tribes, all of them radiate a rare sense of pride and confidence. Even an 85-year-old Naga mother I met at Jotsoma village exemplified these qualities. Her somewhat wrinkled face seemed to carry the imprint of few adventurous and romantic pages of history but her facial glow displayed a remarkable confidence for tomorrow. “I shower my blessings for your health, prosperity and wellbeing. And also for your family�, she said affectionately while posing for a photo session in a firm and upright posture. The grand old lady belongs to the dominant Angami tribe in Kohima.
Rengma
Elders in Nagaland, by and large, are a respected lot. They dominate society, though the male folk call the shots. Not that the women are inferior in status. Far from it. They are silken strands in the fabric of Naga society, the mainstay of every Naga household, carrying out domestic chores with singular dedication and devotion. Pochury
Lotha
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Today modernisation is at the threshold of Naga society. In several segments of life, it co-exists with tribal values. The influence of the Church has helped open up the society to winds of change. Indeed, what we see today is a slow but silent evolution of an integrated society – both tribal and modern. Naga society is vibrant and forwardlooking. Tribal loyalties are deeply rooted. Equally significant are religious ethos, especially from the Church. Receptivity to modernisation by Naga society is near total, particularly among the younger generation. They have taken to modern ways of life in certain areas too readily causing concern among the authorities. The growing menance of drug abuse among the youth is one such grey area.
Sangtam
Phom
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By and large, the young are creative and eager to keep up with their counterparts in the rest of the country. Although they have taken to modern education, they still cling zealously to traditional norms and respond to family and tribal ties. The problems, however, arise when they look out for fresh job openings and aspire for better standards of living and a more effective say for their voice in managing their affairs and promoting their interests. There are doubtless new opportunities for faster growth and development. But the development fund flows are often interrupted and diverted as elsewhere in the country. The challenge here is to monitor to what extent funds percolate to the grassroots for the benefit of the common man. This is a sensitive issue and requires closer monitoring and accountability.
“Naga society is virtually split between 5 per cent over-rich and 95 per cent ordinary persons”, a Nagaland official told me. There are visible and invisible tribal and community bonds that ensure the overall togetherness of Naga society. Growth and progress may not be uniform but everyone has a share, unequal at times, in the fruits of development. Restlessness among the people is not always negative. It has positive facets as well. It spurs action and puts the powers that be on their toes. This augurs well for Nagaland’s march forward in the midst of demands and counter-demands and the boom of the occasional gunfire.
Chakhesang
Khiamniungam
Yimchungru
Sumi
Nagaland has learnt to live with insurgency, which, in a sense, has a political connotation as well, as it underlines its growing stakes in continuity, stability and progress. The demand for opening up of Nagaland to domestic and foreign tourists is an expression of the new confidence in the state. There are exciting challenges ahead. Tourism can be lucrative since Nagaland has so much to offer in natural beauty and the charm of its people. But it can be sustained only if the communication network , both on the ground and in the air, is strengthened. What is heartening to see is the growing awareness at the administrative and political levels that Nagaland should go forward on the road to progress, peace and prosperity and opened Eastward as to the rest of the country. This indeed is the key to a better tomorrow for Nagaland as well as for the rest of North-Eastern States.
Kuki
The author proudly poses with colourful Naga shawl during his first visit to Nagaland
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Chapter 1
Lightly Blows
the Wind of
Change
Lovely faces, proud moments during festivities. Festivals are very much part of vibrant Naga society
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Nagaland. A jewel of the Indian Republic, a jewel that glitters and radiates life. And life itself is a song in Nagaland, set to a rather slow rhythm of folk dances amid daily drudgery. Dances that radiate youthful vigour of a people, who are warm, handsome, highly individualistic and yet well-knit in the community. The Nagas are the children of Nature who love life and live life king-size, if not like kings. No longer headhunters like their forefathers, they nonetheless love hunting for their palate. The practice of headhunting ended with the British rule over the Naga Hills. No longer do the Nagas demonstrate their valour in brutal killings and collection of heads as trophies. No longer do bachelors without head trophies have any problem in winning brides. The Nagas have indeed come a long way from the days of inter-village fracas. But even today there are undercurrents of tribal rivalries that surface occasionally in the socio-political milieu. When it comes to tribal ties, all distinctions linked with money, position and power vanish. It would be interesting to know the basic characteristics of Naga society and I quote Verrier Elwin who is an acknowledged authority on Nagaland:
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‘‘Naga society presents a varied pattern of neardictatorship and extreme democracy. There is a system of hereditary chieftainship among the Semas and Changs. 17
Time to look ahead for new hopes and new life in the changing face of Nagaland.
The Konyaks have very powerful chiefs or Angs who are regarded as sacred and whose word is law; before the greatest of them no commoner may stand upright. The Aos, however, have bodies of elders who represent the main family groups in the village and the Angamis, Lhotas, Rengmas and others are democratic ...’’ Naga society is traditional yet modern and forward-looking. Nagas in urban centres are quickly adapting to the western way of life. To such an extent that fashion-conscious youngsters are rarely seen in traditional clothes. All the same, the Naga shawl provides them with a touch of colour. as well as a distinctive identity.
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An Angami with traditional spear
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A rich heritage of colourful shawls, ornaments and wordcrafts
The shawl is not just a riot of colours. Each pattern represents a tribal group. I remember how an Angami village chieftain politely removed the Ao tribal shawl I was carrying and offered me an Angami shawl before allowing the photographer to click pictures. I soon realized my mistake and began examining the patterns in a different perspective – that is, the pride each tribal group has in its lifestyle, customs and traditions. The traditional finery is seen only in the interior villages now. Men no longer wear their majestic headgears, armlets or bead necklaces, except on ceremonial occasions. I was disappointed to notice the absence of colourful attire on landing in Kohima in the third week of January. I had to wait for the Republic Day tq be rewarded with brief glimpses of colourful dresses and Naga dances. The Nagas’ penchant for music and dance is well known. But these days Naga music and dance are seen and heard only on festive occasions or during VVIP visits.
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A new-look youthful Nagaland is emerging. The youngsters look for a new place of pride and honour in Indian society.
From time immemorial the Nagas have been living in villages, pursuing a self-sustaining agricultural life. Over the years, other avenues for livelihood have opened up thereby reducing the percentage of people directly dependent on agriculture from 95 per cent in 1950 to 65 to 70 per cent today. And today Naga society is in a state of ferment. Socio-economic changes have thrown up new attitudes. There are both visible and invisible gaps everywhere.
Saying it with flowers
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Drug abuse is on the rise and unemployment is a noticeable problem. The old values are under the considerable pressure of modernisation. Even the attitude towards sex has changed. Though it is not a permissive society, the young Nagas have fewer taboos. The old order is changing fast, but the basic traditional bonds are still strong. The old-new combination not only ensures continuity but also provides a degree of emotional stability in the family. As far back as 1961, Dr Verrier Elwin, in his book Nagaland, wrote:
Terraced fields
Dance, music and rhythematic beats are very much in the blood of the Nagas
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Agriculture with Alder trees In nature’s lap
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Lovely Naga necklaces can add to the beauty of any woman
‘‘I have little doubt that with the growth of material prosperity there will be a cultural and spiritual renaissance. Naga dancing is famous and as the people dance more will revive in their hearts old memories and joys. The Nagas have excellent taste, a perfect sense of colour, and there are welcome signs that they will not permit so-called modernism to banish colour from their lives and depress them into the drab uniformity of the dress and ornamentation of today. Naga music and singing can be beautiful and need not be destroyed, as traditional music has been destroyed in many parts of the world by a slavish imitation of the cinema hit or-rock’n roll.’’ Mercifully, the traditional Naga love for music and dance has not been submerged by the changes taking place at all levels of the tribal groups. The Nagas look forward to the future with confidence while the traditional roots remain as firm as before.
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Catch them young. Even amidst the process of modernisation, the Naga tribals keep their tradition alive
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Chapter 2
Witness to
History 26
Grand Old Ao Woman
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Who are the Nagas? More often than not, the answer would be something on these lines: Tribals from somewhere in the North-East notorious for their headhunting practice of yesteryears and insurgency problems of today. And this is probably the only thing most people would know about them. What remains to be told about the Nagas would require us to go back to the basics.
The Nagas are tribals of the Indo-Mongoloid stock living in the northeastern state of Nagai and divided into over a dozen major tribes and speaking as many dialects. There are 16 major Naga tribes which include Angami, Ao, Lotha, Sema, Konyak, Chakhesang, Chang, Sangtam, Phom, Khiamniungan, Yimchunger, Zeliang, Rengma, Tikhir, Kuki and Pochury. Besides, there are numerous sub-tribes.
Angami wooden plate and spoon
These tribes are further divided into clans. The Naga are loveable people, of whom the country should be proud. They are strong and selfreliant, with free and independent characteristic and outlook of highlanders everywhere. They are good to look at, with an unerring instinct for colour and design. They are friendly and cheerful with a keen sense of humour, gifted with splendid heritage of
dances and love of song. This is how Verrier Elwin describes them in his book Nagaland. The great authority of Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterji, supported by other scholars, considers that the classical word ‘Kirata’ is the equivalent of what today we call ‘Indo-Mongloid’, a word that defines both the Indian connection of the people and their place
A traditional ceremonial march
Yimchunger
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Vote Power for change
With glorious traditional look
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in the cultural milieu in which they have established themselves, as well as their original racial affinities. He includes among them ‘all those Sino-Tibetan speaking tribes, Mongoloids of various types in race, who entered into and touched the fringe of cultural entity that is India, the Himalayan tribes (the Nepal tribes and the North-Assam, tribes), the Bodos and the Nagas, the Kuki-Chins, the Ahoms, the Indian Tibetans, the Khasis and the earlier tribes (of unknown affiliation within the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Indian family) who have now become absorbed in the plains of northern and north-eastern India’. In physique and appearance, different Naga groups vary considerably. The Angamis, for example, are tall with regular features while the Semas are shorter with more strongly pronounced Mongolian Eyes and colourful attire show tremendous confidence among young Ao Naga girls
We twosome stand united : Chang tribe couple in their traditional attire
features. In colour, too, there are differences. Most of them have a beautiful light brown shade, the typical Kirata ‘gold’, but differing in shade from tribe to tribe. A light colour is generally admired, though it has been recorded that some Nagas, years ago, expressed their dislike of the English colour regarding it as ‘unripe’ or ‘undercooked’. There is wavy hair and straight hair and even the Negrito frizzy hair.
Looking back with an eye on tomorrow : An elegant Ao lady Phom
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English is the official language of Nagai and, though Nagamese is by far the most effective lingua franca of the state. Nagamese is nothing but pidgin Assamese as spoken by the Nagas. Over a period of time, many words from Gurkhali, Hindi and English have become part of Nagamese. Scholars differ on how the name ‘Naga’ gained currency. There are inconsistent interpretations
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A view of Naga huts
On his guard: a Samtang warrior in his traditional dress
The Naga tribes are strong, well-built and full of confidence having independent characteristics of highlanders
of its origin and this confusion could be attributed to the fact that the Nagas have no recorded history prior to the British rulers’ arrival there.
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Whether the word ‘Naga’ is derived from Sanskrit, Bengali or Assamese is irrelevant. In Sanskrit ‘Naga’ means snake, in Bengali ‘Nangta’ means lack of cloth, in Assame ‘Noga Manuh’, also means a naked man. There is yet another Sanskrit word ‘Nok’ or ‘Nog’ which means people or folk. In Burmese “Na Ka” refers to people with pierced ear lobes. The origin of
the anglicised word Naga is thus difficult to trace with authenticity. Legends abound in the absence of recorded chronicles. There are, however, missing gaps in existingoral or written documentation. “The most likely derivation”, says Verrier Elwin, “is that which traces ‘Naga’ from the word nok or people, which is its meaning in a few TibetoBurman languages, as is Garo, Nocte and
A piece of handicraft
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Ao. It is common throughout India for tribesmen to call themselves by words meaning ‘man’, an attractive habit which suggests that they look on themselves simply as people, free of communal or caste association. “ According to Capt. John Butler (Rough Notes on the Angami Mq “ and the language; Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Part 1. No.IV 1875), hill tribes living in the areas, now known as Nagaland, had no generic term applicable to the whole race, because they used only specific names for a particular group of villages. Thus people of Mezoma, Khonoma, Kohima, Jotsema and other neighbouring villagers called themselves Tenguimas. As late as 1954 Verrier Elwin found the people of Tuensang calling themselves Konyaks, not Nagas. The appellation ‘Naga’ was actually given to the hill tribes by the plains people. During the British administration the Nagas acquired distinctive identity. They sought British protection from their “more aggressive brethren”. The British authorities responded and gradually reversed the policy of nonintervention and extended their administrative apparatus to cover the then Naga Hills. Between 1876-1947, Naga tribes grouped themselves into a coherent community. The British Administration helped the process
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and dismantled “the barriers confronted by the topographical hazards and tribeto- tribe isolation”. To encourage a self-regulatory system in conformity with traditional law,the British rulers established the institution of gaonburha (GB) under which a semi-official functionary was appointed in every village to act as their agent, tax collector and liaison officer between them and the village councils.
Konyak tribe dance has its own sweet musical beats
These functionaries began to wield considerable influence and power over the people and virtually became khels (village) headmen. Another office which emerged under the British rule and is of significance even today is dobashi (DB) i.e. or the interpreter. Descended from royal or high ranking clans, they are not only interpreters proficient in the dialects but also of customary law.
A Yimchunger belle caught in a reflective mood Dance, music and songs are an integral part of the life of Naga tribes: A lovely spectacle of Angami dance
The Christian missionaries, the American Baptist Mission in particular, helped to consolidate socio-cultural characteristics of the tribal groups. The process of new thinking and awakening was accelerated by spread of education. The role of the American Baptist Mission was significant in this sphere. It continues to be the single most important factor in promoting social integration and moral authority in Nagaland. A Phom warrior dressed up for a ceremonial occasion enjoying his drink
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Lotha tribe group pounding rice
The Constitution of India promulgated in 1950 had special provisions in the Sixth Schedule for the administration of tribal areas in Assam. The Naga Hills district was given an autonomous status and was represented in the Assam State Assembly. Tuensang (which was originally defined as “Naga Tribal Area” in the Constitution) was constituted as a separate district within the North-Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1951. This administrative format continued till December I, 1957, when the Tuensang Frontier Division was merged with the Naga Hills district to form the Naga Hills-Tuensang Area (NHTA). The Nagaland (Transitional Provisions) Regulations, 1961, substituted the name of the Naga Hills- Tuensang Area by Nagaland and provided for establishment of an interim body and an executive council.
This young couple belonging to the Lotha tribe in colourful attire poses for a photo session
A Seura tribe beauty
A Konyak head-hunter takes one down to memory lane of old Nagaland
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Yimchunger tribe dancers: all set for a festive occasion
Konyak engrossed in the intricate workmanship of ‘head-gear’ making
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Dr. S Radhakrishnan
The Nagland Act of 1962 repealed the Transitional Provisions and established the new state of Nagaland. On 1 December 1962, Nagaland was formally inaugurated as the 161h state of the Indian Union amidst unprecedented jubilation and rejoicing. P. Shilu Ao was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the State. In his inaugural address the President, Dr. S Radhakrishnan, said: “Understanding and friendship’ help to build a society where hatred and violence tend to disrupt it. Let us avoid the latter and adopt the former. On this auspicious day I make an appeal to all the Naga people that all past rancour and misunderstanding be forgotten and let a new chapter of progress, prosperity and goodwill be written on the page which opens today.�
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Striking a different note on a ceremonial occasion
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