All posts filed under: NAGALAND

Explore Nagaland

Artist Arieno Kera from Nagaland Makes Dreamy Renditions of People Around Her – Through Her Signature Acrylic Portraits

Published by Deno Dolie

Arieno Kera is a Fine Art student from Nagaland. A childhood friend, I remember her as this calm individual who had the most natural flair for painting and art – for as long as I can remember. Growing up together, I am so excited to see where her talent is going to take her. Currently, she is pursuing fine arts as a student and she has already captured the hearts of many – with her signature dreamy portraits in acrylic. Worthy to note that she always had a keen interest in stories and people, and that comes out beautifully through each stroke in all her paintings. In her own words, her work is inspired by “the Realist and Impressionistic art periods. They made me see the beauty in truth, in the ordinary, and in life.” I chat with her to give you guys a glimpse into her portfolio of work. Fine Art student Arieno Kera | Photo by Ghanajit Wahengbam Deno: Hi Arieno, such a fan of your portraits! Please introduce yourself. Arieno: My name …

Rootsandleisure_Soccer Cafe_Dikhri Wezah

Die Hard Soccer Fan and Coffee Lover Dikhri Wezah Opens Soccer Cafe in Kohima to Bring His Two Passions Together

Published by Menule Chirhah

Introducing a dear friend of mine, who has inspired me all these years with his ‘can-do’ attitude, and a zealous attitude towards life. Say hi to Dikhri Wezah from Kohima – a passionate and hardworking comrade of mine. At just 25 years of age, he has accomplished a major goal he has set for himself. Knowing the kind of person that he is, I know that this is just the beginning. A year ago, over a casual conversation, he shared about his dream to open a cafe, where he can merge his love for football and food – specifically to promote a healthy lifestyle. So when I received an invitation to the opening of his restaurant last November, I was overjoyed and told myself with a smile ‘The deed has been done indeed.’ And true to his vision, Dikhri’s ‘Soccer cafe’ is a hip hang out spot for football lovers in Kohima, where one can enjoy live screenings, healthy food, and great coffee. So let’s have a chat with Dikhri to get more details. Dikhri …

Two Sisters from Nagaland Bring Eco Friendly Soy Candles for the Conscious Consumer | Chat with ‘Millennials & Gen Z’ Candles

Published by Menule Chirhah

I sat down with sisters Nuzosalu and Akholu Nyekha – founders of ‘Millennials & Gen Z’ candles over the weekend to take you through their venture in detail. They specialize in making scented candles, or ‘therapy candles’ as they call it, using soy wax, which are biodegradable and hence much more environment-friendly. They started this venture as a hobby during the pandemic lockdowns, and I have been mesmerized ever since. What is even more admirable is their conscious contribution to their environment through their eco-friendly initiatives like using biodegradable soy-wax for their candles; they also have a recycling initiative where a customer can return four empty glass jars and get a new therapy candle in return. So let us try and understand more about their work / life philosophy, and explore the goodness of their therapy candles through a quick chat. Sisters Nuzosalu and Akholu Nyekha – founders of ‘Millennials & Gen Z’ Candles Menu: Hello Nuzo and Akho, thanks for taking out time to have this chat. Please introduce yourselves Millennials & Gen Z: We are …

Keny Metha from Kohima Talks About Her Obsession with Food and Cooking – and Teaches us How to Make Her Signature ‘Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl’

Published by Deno Dolie

I am here today with Keny Metha from Kohima – a self-confessed lover of all things food and cooking. Her creative hobbies serve as a treasure trove for her friends and followers – to discover new cuisines, cooking styles, and plenty of other creative arts. To me, she comes across as this mysterious being, who is always up to something – usually ‘cooking up’ a new concept/idea. Add to that, her calm energy, one cannot help, but be inspired, whenever we are around her. Over a chat, I try to dig deeper into her love for food and cooking, her sources of inspiration, what kind of music gets her creative juices going – and also get her to share a simple recipe that we can all try out. Read on for the full conversation. Deno: Hey Keny, happy to be having this conversation with you on R&L 🙂 Please introduce yourself, and tell us more about what keeps you occupied these days. Keny: Heyy… Keny here everyone : ) I’m 24, and I stay …

“Every Time I Finish a Book, I want to Take it Apart and Discuss with Fellow Book Lovers” ~ Sulika Swu, on Why She Started Her Bookstagram Account

Published by Deno Dolie

I have a passion for traveling and meeting new people. I find it immensely gratifying to venture out in the open and explore. Similarly, I have a bunch of friends, who have their own ways of finding adventure in their stack of books. Just like I would come back with stories from my travels, they would passionately share tales from their latest read. Always makes for a lovely conversation! So today, I am here with a booklover friend of mine – Sulika Swu from Kohima. She has an insatiable appetite for books – all kinds, and personally, I find her reading list very interesting. However, her well-written reviews are the real deal. For a casual reader like me, her curated reading list – each with a personal review is super insightful. Infact, I enjoy the experience of going through her reviews just as much as I would enjoy a book. On that note, Sulika recently launched an Instagram account to share her personal reviews on all the books she’s read. Stay on with me and …

Young Photographer Albert Rutsa from Nagaland Inspires Us to Take a Cue from Storytellers of Yore to Tell New Stories

Published by Deno Dolie

Albert is from Kohima Village and his pictures depict so much about our Naga way of life. Going through his pictures is a beautiful reminder about our Naga identity and about our simple lifestyle and practices. I chat with Albert, an old friend, about his love for Naga culture, how he started his visual storytelling hobby, and some more. Deno: Hi Albert, nice catching up again 🙂 Please introduce yourself to R&L readers. Albert: Hi, I’m Albert Seluokuolie Rutsa. I was born and brought up in Kohima Village, where I have spent the better part of my life. I am a photography and videography enthusiast, and I’m currently engaged with Stillfilms Production Kohima. Growing up I have always been fascinated by the stories and folktales my parents and elders would share, my imagination would run wild and I would constantly picture the stories in my mind. It instilled in me, a love for our culture and a desire to preserve it. Deno: How would your friends describe you? I can’t read their minds but I’d …

Rootsandleisure_foodnotic_eyinbeni Ireland

Eyingbeni from Nagaland Shares a Simple Chocolate Cake Recipe Over a Chat about Her Work and Life in Ireland

Published by Roots & Leisure

2020, for all that it was, provided a much needed pause for a lot of us. It gave us ample time to reconnect with ourselves, our hobbies, our passion – and our friends too! That said, one fine evening, we caught up with an old friend – Eyingbeni from school (in Nagaland), who now works in Ireland. Someone having travelled the world via her work, we used to be fascinated with her low-key yet bountiful life. So we had a chat with her to delve deeper into her life in a foreign land, her travel adventures, and her food account @foodnotic, where she occasionally shares her home-cooked creations. Hello Eying, so nice to be finally having this chat. Please introduce yourself to our readers 🙂 Hi everybody, it’s a pleasure to e-meet you and I hope you have all been keeping well. What an incredible year 2020 was. What a year it has been! But I hope we are all ready for 2021 – with the hope of a renewed year ahead. So how do I …

Rootsandleisure_standup comic from Northeast India

These Hilarious Folks from North East India are Bringing Comedy to Social Media

Published by Aloli Achumi

People who crack you up are the best kind of people, it turns any gloomy day bright and adds a dose of happiness to our otherwise dull day. Humour is something that needs appreciation and acknowledgment today more than ever. A lot of hard work and dedication goes into making these videos and all for laughs. Be it dropping truth bombs in the 5-second reel or taking relatable situations to a whole new level of fun, local comic artists across the country are making the best of the social media platforms to find their own audience – and vice versa. Today, we chat up with some super talented and hilarious folks from North East India whose unique humor isn’t just funny, but also gives a very refreshing glimpse into their local ways of life. Meet the very talented Millo Sunka from Arunachal Pradesh – a genius comic who can bring out the hilarity of regular people from her hometown folks to Bangaloreans.Millo Sunka, Actor from Arunachal Pradesh For all those who have watched the …

rootsandleisure_Chumbeno_Interior Designer

This Interior Designer from Nagaland Transforms Her Old Childhood Home into an Inspiring ‘Tea and Plant’ Corner | Chat with Chumbeno Ezung

Published by Roots & Leisure

How many of you here are thinking of doing up your space? Lockdowns and work-from-home situations have given many of us ample time and opportunity to indulge in such creative pursuits. And for our friend Chumbeno Ezung from Nagaland, these COVID times have given a much-needed chance to revisit her childhood home and transform their old run-down house into a ‘piece of haven’ – that now serves as an inspiration corner for her work – and a lovely tea and plant leisure space to entertain her friends. Chumbeno Ezung is a professionally trained and practicing interior designer, who is also a well-known wedding planner and decorator. She is a source of inspiration for many as she continues to reinvent her passions and creative skills by always learning and trying out new things. Today we chat at length about the super interesting renovation project that has left us super inspired! Hi Chumbeno, welcome to the R&L chat. Please introduce yourself. Hello, my name is Chumbeno Ezung. I am an Interior Designer. I am also a …

“Nature Gives Me Creative Direction for My Recipes and Photoshoots” – Meet Chef and Food Stylist Akhrieno from Nagaland

Published by Roots & Leisure

Our love for food and photography can take us places. This time it has taken us to art. We recently cam across this beautiful Instagram post by Akhrieno from Nagaland. It was a photo of a cake decorated with small whole mandarins, big green leaves, and lovely icing. It looked like a photo of a snow-covered town taken of some fictional world from a novel. Soft fragrant orange-scented cake coated with mandarin milk syrup, decorated with whole peeled satsuma mandarins | Baked and Styled by Akhrieno ‘Mustard.Seed’ We couldn’t help but check out more of her work, and by doing so, we were taken to this fascinating world of stories, as told by Akhrieno’s artwork, which had plenty of character and rustic charm. After filling our hearts with glee, we decided to finally reach out to their creator and find out her/his story! That’s when we found out that the artist behind was Akhrieno K Jamir from Nagaland, a full-time mom and food photographer, who used to be a professional chef in India and …