All posts filed under: ARTISTS

Explore Local Artists and Know Their Stories

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World Music Day in Nagaland | An experience shared by Arenjungla

Published by Roots & Leisure

Reader’s Post: Our reader Arenjungla shares her experience at the World Music Day celebration at Mokokchung, Nagaland. If you were given a choice between watching your favorite football player play and attending a concert of your favorite music band, what would you choose? Our reader Arenjungla had to make that choice and she shared her exhilarating experience with us when she finally chose to attend the World Music Day celebration held at Mokokchung, Nagaland. I thought I was already late when I reached the venue at 5:00 PM as the pamphlet said the event began an hour earlier. Turns out my friends and I had actually reached the venue a little too early and things were just beginning to warm up. Taking advantage of our early arrival, we thought we’d go ahead and grab a good spot for us near the stage. All this while, my excitement was getting out of control as I couldn’t wait to catch my favorite band Tune up Channel  (declared as “Best artist from Nagaland” during the Hornbill Rock Contest 2015). As luck would …

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Cute Naga Dolls Handcrafted by Artist Ikali Sukhalu

Published by David Sangma

Say hello to Ikali Sukhalu! She is a 29-year-old fashion designer from Nagaland, who has reached fame as the creator of ‘Lil’ Naga’ – a range of amazingly cute dolls that can lighten up anyone’s mood! She’s a graduate from Wigan & Leigh Mumbai in fashion technology and fashion business, and holds a degree from London College of Fashion. Her journey started in 2015 when she won NIAPA (North East India Academy of Performing Arts) contest. She also showcased her work “Tribal Trible” in the New York Couture Week in 2014. We caught up with Ikali and learned about her inspiration behind ‘Lil Naga’ – the range of cute dolls that depict Nagaland’s traditional tribal attire. Hi Ikali, what was the inspiration behind these Naga dolls? I saw them first in Hong Kong. There were these Chinese dolls and I thought it would be fun to try and make something similar but with a local twist. I started experimenting with them in my studio and voila! ‘Lil Naga’ was born. Each doll is wearing a Naga traditional …

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WINTERMADE TEES BY ARTIST SHINOBI | MOA LEMTUR

Published by Roots & Leisure

Remember Shinobi from a while ago? We wrote about him and his art in an earlier post. Well, we have an announcement to make! He has launched his ‘WinterMade’ collection of tees, with his original illustrations. They are limited edition tees and are available in three (3) variations : Black, White and Dip Dye [Black ones are sold out]. “Why WinterMade? Well, am glad you asked. I am a December child, and I love Winter. The art I do doesn’t always look jolly or colourful. I’ve always been drawn towards art that takes a person through a journey – a journey that speaks about situations & stories, that are not-so-pleasant[dark] but teaches you valuable life’s lessons. I value such experiences as it enlightens you in a way that is deep and long lasting.” Hence the name WinterMade – Art served Cold.   Love them? Then good news! You can buy them online  HERE. Priced at INR 850/- to INR 950/-

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A Baker’s Story | Pito Kiba

Published by Senti Naro

  “If I could have my way, I would wish for a world that never runs out of cakes” the unassuming Pito Kiba tells us, on a fine Sunday afternoon. Between sips of tea, I couldn’t stop asking questions to know the brain behind such works of art (just look at these pictures!).  Meet a friend and a baker, Pito Kiba. At 26, he is his own boss and has a successful career as a professional baker. How about we begin with you telling us who’s Pito Kiba and what made him choose a slightly unconventional career like baking? I am 26 years old, happy doing what I love and enjoying every moment of my life right now. Getting to this point in my career was not straightforward – it was only until I had I tried out a series of options. I did my Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, English, and Journalism from Kristu Jayanti College at Bangalore.  Then I did my Master’s degree in English from St. Joseph’s College but I still couldn’t decide on a job …

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Product Design & Photography | Meet Menuolhoulie Kire

Published by Roots & Leisure

Today’s incredible social media growth and its level of invasion in our private lives have driven most of the youth to feel the much-feared word – ‘FOMO’ aka Fear Of Missing Out. And although it can have a very negative effect on us, it can also play out positively depending on how we turn things around. FOMO is not about just peer pressure anymore. It is also about stacking up your career against everyone you know on the digital platforms. And it’s not surprising, that only pursuing our daily lives without pursuing other hobbies and interests is considered, if nothing else, boring. This time at R&L, we caught up with one such talent who is pursuing two careers and is scaling heights. We met up with Menuolhoulie Kire (M.Kire) from Nagaland who’s delving into two very creative fields – furniture design and photography. R&L : Hi. Tell us a bit about yourself! M.Kire : I am a dreamer and love to push myself to materialise new ideas. I did my Masters in Design from IIT Guwahati. …

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I am a Designer and a Textile Artist – Shenali Sema

Published by Roots & Leisure

Today at R & L, it is our absolute pleasure to introduce you to a new class of leading women. Say hello to Shenali Sema – a creative genius, an artist and now an entrepreneur. Born in Nagaland, graduate in Textile Design from National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad, and having studied fashion from the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (CSM) in London – she is every bit an artist. She now lives in Noida. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Elle, Grazia, Harpers in India and has been featured globally in Surface Asia Magazine and Business of Fashion – as one of the rising talents in Asia. She was also written about by Susanna Lau of Style Bubble – one of the most influential fashion blogs in the world. She was also the creative director of the fashion house – Morphe India, before starting her new venture UNTITLED Co.   REPOST | #repost #regram @tracyjoyphillips wearing #morphe at #singapore #audi #fashionweek #design #designer #india #art #springsummer14 | MORPHE A photo posted by …

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Self taught Baker who Bakes the Most Beautiful Cakes | Adila

Published by Roots & Leisure

Say hi to Adila – who is a self taught / family taught /food enthusiast / home baker – turned professional (but she says she’d rather be known as a Home Baker). She learnt her art pretty much between college and baking with her mother. But for a home baker with no professional training , we have just one word – Impressive! You will have to taste and SEE her stuff to agree. She is definitely one of the best in town. Let’s get to know her a little bit more . . . Tell us something about yourself . When and why did you start baking? Well, obviously I’m foodie. I love everything to do with food- starting from fantasizing and experimenting with new recipes to buying the choicest ingredients, the preparation, the presentation and of course eating it! “I started baking during my first year of college – all thanks to my mom who is an amazing cook. Everything she cooks turns into edible gold!  She started out baking for friends and family and word spread …

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Introducing the Phenomenal Singer Songwriter from Nagaland – Virie!

Published by Roots & Leisure

The very first time we heard Virie sing, it sent shivers down our spines. We couldn’t resist exploring more of her songs, and once we did, we couldn’t stop talking about her! Virie, the incredibly talented and sensational singer-songwriter from Nagaland, has truly captured our hearts. Hailing from Kohima Village, Virie currently devotes her time to teaching music at a local music school. Her journey began by showcasing her talent through cover songs on YouTube, and the immensely positive feedback from viewers motivated her to release an original track titled “Down That Road.” Collaborating with her friends Zaza and Temjen, Virie poured her heart into this song. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with her and learn more about her musical journey and her latest single.   R&L: So Virie, tell us more about your single ‘Down that Road’. For those who haven’t heard it yet, how would you describe this song? Is it an original composition? Virie: Well, the song is about one of life’s many phases that one goes through. It’s …

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Artist | Meet Beatboxer Zonimong

Published by Roots & Leisure

Some people are just born with an innate talent for making music and this artistic flair usually start at a young age. Talk about Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber  or Ed Sheeran and we all know their stories. Today, the music industry in Nagaland have also taken a U-turn from folklore to more contemporary production.A total new genre of talents are on the rise making us believe that ‘we are no less than them in the west.’ Yes! DIYers are the next big thing in almost every market now. And today we have one such talent to talk about here at R&L. Meet – Zonimong Imchen who is one of youngest talents we have here in Nagaland. Just 15. Come again? Yes! 15. R&L: Tell us something about yourself? How did it all start? Zoni: I’m a student of 10 grade studying in Kohima. I started beat boxing at the age of 12. One afternoon, I came across a link ‘best beatboxer in the world’ while I was browsing the internet. I didn’t even know what beatboxing was before …

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Awono Ezung from Nagaland is a Photographer Whose Every Photo Appears to Tell a Beautiful Story

Published by Roots & Leisure

Meet Awono from Chumukedima in Dimapur Nagaland –  a self confessed “old homebody” who is blissfully using up her time as a photographer cum storyteller, and a pet caretaker. We met up with her over tea and after slowly and wonderfully we saw a lot of her personal work unfold over the conversation – which until then, were sitting precariously on her laptop and an old photo case. Just a tad bit too shy but finally she agreed for an interview with Roots & Leisure.  “I’m kind of in-between being a professional and a hobbyist.” What is your style of photography? I am more into portraiture and prefer working in natural light.I like taking pictures of friends and my sister. They understand how I work so it’s a little less headache for me. I still shoot with films (analog). I would love work with films as much as possible but these days it’s not easy finding film rolls in Nagaland. And there is probably only a handful of shops that develop them. Of course, there are digital works too. …