A Naga leader symbolically sows seeds during the Lui-Ngai-Ni festival in Ukhrul on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Ukhrul, Feb. 15: The Nagas today celebrated the seed sowing festival by sowing the grains of change towards achieving the aspiration of living together as one under one roof.

Lui-Ngai-Ni, the biggest festival of the Nagas in Manipur, is celebrated on this day every year since 1987, to mark the start of sowing seeds with a prayer for blessings for a golden harvest in the coming season.

The festival, celebrated at the Tangkhul Naga Long ground at Ukhrul town and organised by the United Naga Council (UNC), is a cocktail of unity, culture and politics. The theme of this year’s festival, that drew the largest ever crowd ever, is Seeds of Change.

This year’s festival also brought the leaders of the Nagas and the Kukis, two communities that had a feud in the early nineties, together for the first time.

Leaders of the Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki community, led by its president Thangkhosei Haokip, attended the festival, marking coming together of the two major ethnic communities.

Sixteen Naga tribes, both from Manipur and Nagaland, took part in the cultural extravaganza. One Kuki group and one Chakhesang group from Nagaland also performed colourful dance items.

Naga singer Yaingkongthei Luithui sang the theme song, Let’s make seeds of change grow, which was an amazing experience for those present at the festival.

“Let’s sow seeds of understanding and let the festival mark the sowing seeds of unity among the Nagas. The Nagas have been suffering for long and should live together peacefully with prosperity and happiness,” Kevileto Kiewhou, president of the Naga Hoho, said.

Reacting to the demand by the Naga community in Manipur for an alternative administrative arrangement for them and the demand for a separate state in Nagaland by Eastern Naga Peoples Organisation, the Hoho president said these demands should not disturb the ongoing peace process and any demand should not close the door for Naga integration.

“Let the seeds of love, peace and harmony that we have blessed and sown in this festival bring forth a better world. As we all go back home, let us sow the seeds of change to the people for a better tomorrow,” United Naga Council president Samson Remei said.