Author: Ovung Jungio

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This 23-Year-Old Student is using Rap Music to Talk About Society Issues, and to Promote His Culture | Meet Moko Koza from Nagaland

Published by Ovung Jungio

There’s no denying about the power of Music – it can heal, it can connect people around the world, and it has the potential to bring about change. Today we have a young rapper from Nagaland who has been in the music scene for over a decade but only recently caught our attention through his very catchy and powerful Nagamese* rap (*local dialect in Nagaland) called “Puisa” – meaning Money. He apostatizes the money-mad posse in his verses – which are shrewdly propped up by a sampled vocal hook from Aloe Blacc’s “I Need A Dollar”, a fitting motif for this game-changing Nagamese tune. Meet 23-year old Moko Koza from Nagaland, an anthropology student and a talented rapper, who is using music as a medium to highlight issues in the society, and to promote his culture by using local dialects in his music, and through international collabs – with his most recent being “Internationally Known” – a single released in collaboration with rappers from Detroit and Sarkar Musik. We chat with Moko Koza – a student of Kohima Science …

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Meet Gilbert Lotha Owner Of “Café Serrano” Nagaland ,Who Dares To Do More Than Just Dream Away

Published by Ovung Jungio

On one of his trips to Wokha, Nagaland , our R&L member Jungio made a visit to one of the earliest café around the vicinity -Café Serrano . He describes the cafe as an excellent backdrop for a Hollywood-esque dining setting with the orange tint of the dusk dancing off the porcelain plates and the stainless cutleries. R & L contributor sat down with Gilbert Lotha, chef and proprietor of the cafe talking about his journey , challenges , kitchen misadventures and more. What led you to become a chef and how was the journey? While doing my Advance Course in Continental Cuisine from Indus Institute of Culinary Arts & Hotel Management, Bangalore I was surprised to witness the level of insane dedication and undiluted passion for the culinary arts shown by the visiting foreign staffs which both challenged and nudged me into emulating the same level of professionalism and love for the culinary art. The journey from a student of the art to a business owner has been a long winding road for me personally- from …

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Turning The Mundane Into Something Insane and Outrageous | Meet Self-Taught Digital Artist Onen

Published by Ovung Jungio

Today’s artist is a digital artist-cum-engineer who goes by the name of “Mr.Brightside” whose weird, twisted yet profound sketches is a reflective exploration of the human state – physical and mental. His art stands out from the multitude of other artists due to its accented uniqueness and inventiveness which enthralls and unnerves all at the same time. Onen’s works are multi-faceted and open ended to the point of debate. It embodies a sense of existential vagueness that instinctively entices the feral remnants of our collective primate heritage. Our contributor Jungio chats with the self- taught digital artist about his transition from drawing cartoon characters as a kid – to diving into the dark and surreal inspired by Japanese art and culture, current art scene in Nagaland and more. Tell me a little about yourself? My name is Bendangonen Atsongchanger but I go by the name of Mr. Brightside :D.  I am 25 years of age from Mokokchung, Nagaland and currently pursuing my Bachelor’s in Computer engineering from Pune. How would you describe your art? What or …

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“My Top 7 Tunes From The Hills Of Nagaland” by Jungio

Published by Ovung Jungio

Our contributor and music aficionado Jungio has shared another list of his top seven songs from Naga artists. He also adds a personal commentary about each of the tunes, and why he thinks we should give them a listen. Over to Jungio! “Despite the paltry infrastructures and less-than-ideal circumstances, musical talents from the region have been able to put Nagaland on the map for something worth writing about and beyond. So without much further ado, let’s shine a spotlight on these stars and their tunes that deserves your attention and your listening ears.” ~ Jungio Here’s the Top 7 tunes curated from the hills of Nagaland. “See” by Tuden Jamir  There are songs with piercing lyrics, there are songs with evocative melodies and then there is this song from the songwriter extraordinaire, Tuden, who effortlessly brings together both these elements in this outstanding track – with the finesse and showmanship of a musical alchemist. “This song is the de-facto anthem of any twenty-something-someone swimming against the tempestuous tides of conventionalism and conformity, a love letter to the …

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Top 5 Indie Artists From Nagaland – by Owen Jungio

Published by Ovung Jungio

We stumbled upon an interesting Quora post by Ovung Jungio, a young student hailing from Nagaland, in which he shared his personal list of the “Top 5 Indie Artists from Nagaland.” We loved his list which featured some of our own favorites as well. So we reached out to him and he graciously re-edited his original write-up to be shared with our R&L readers.  So here it is—an exclusive account by Ovung Jungio, revealing his favorite indie artists from his homestate of #Nagaland. *Note by contributor: “This is a personal list and in no way meant to disregard the sheer musical talents of all the other artists not included in the list. The list is in no particular order.” ~ Ovung Jungio ARTIST #1 – Jonathan Yhome With glorious introspective acoustic songs like ‘Send Me Away’, ‘Before We Knew’ and ‘Something New’, this young man from the capital is a songwriting force to be reckoned with. Personally, his sonic timber draws a strong parallel with that of Gregory Alan Isakov. He also has a sister Pelenuo Yhome who is …