All posts filed under: PEOPLE

RootsandLeisure_Cosfest_Andrea kevichusa

These Indian Cosplayers Will Blow Your Mind!

A Brilliant Cosfest organized in Nagaland by the Nagaland Anime Junkies Are you a Cosplay fan or know anyone who is? Did you know that a pretty awesome Cosfest happened this month in our very own Nagaland? Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it there, but from what we’ve heard from our contributors, we missed out on a lot of rare fun! Here are a few photos and also a video from the event to give you a taste of what we are talking about. Behold the 4th edition of Nagaland Anime Junkies (NAJ) Cosfest 2016!!Because as a wise man once said, “When given the opportunity, wear a costume.” Meet the Team behind NAJ “NAJ was first started as an effort to create a community for anime fans in Nagaland. We wanted to coin a platform where they could share and interact with other fellow anime enthusiasts. We now have a fan following from all over india and our cosplay events are no longer limited to anime alone. We are open to all genres and we try …

The Man Behind NAJ Cosfest’s Brilliant Video Coverage – Sanen Jamir aka The Skid Reviewer

Published by Roots & Leisure

Meet Sanen Jamir – the guy who shot a fun video covering Nagaland’s vibrant Cosfest that was held this month at Kohima. While looking up for people who could tell us a bit more about the event, we hit gold when we discovered Sanen’s brilliant YouTube channel where he uploads great stuff under the pseudonym The Skid Reviewer. Turns out Sanen is an avid follower of comics, movies, games and all things geek! We just had to know more! “I have tremendous respect for the Nagaland Anime Junkies (NAJ). In a society that is as divided and fragmented as ours, an event like this – where we can come together despite our differences and have conversations on art, literature, and creativity – is always positive and needs our support.” So tell us a bit more about yourself? I hail from Dimapur and presently work as a part of the editorial team in the Morung Express. For years, I wanted to create a YouTube channel about the things that I enjoyed, you know, things that made me a little less …

Meet Hopong – The Photographer Behind the Exclusive Cosfest Photos

Published by Roots & Leisure

Meet Hopong Chang – the guy whose coverage of the wonderful Cosfest that was held last week in Nagaland has brought the event tons of publicity. We caught up with Chang to find out more about his work. “I am actually not a full time photographer. I work for the forest department here in Nagaland but I try to find time for my hobby. Ever since I was a kid, I walked around with a camera and shooting subjects that were intriguing to me. But I started taking it more seriously only in 2013 – that was when I bought my first DSLR camera. People inspire me. So shooting portraits, weddings and a little bit of fashion photography comes natural to me.” Nagaland Anime Junkies (NAJ)4th Annual Cosfest July 2016, Kohima | Cosplay-Ciel &Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler) Cosplayers-Meyidem Yaden& Tiajungla Here are a few more pics from Hopong’s fashion and wedding photography portfolio:

Giant Hydrangeas in Shillong – Scotland of the East

Published by Roots & Leisure

“We wanted a break from work and go on a trip, but we just had 2 days so Shillong was the best bet – since it’s just around 350 Kms from Dimapur, Nagaland. We are having a ball out here! On our way to Cherrapunji, we came across rows of really tall pine trees and massive bushes of hydrangeas (Just look at them!!). It is super refreshing to take a walk after the rains . .the mystical clouds – almost touching the pavements (we could barely see beyond 5 meters), were breathtaking!! Feels like we had enough fun for the next 6 months in these 2 days! 🙂 We even made time for the new Bollywood movie ‘Sultan’ :D”

Meet The Man from Nagaland Travelling the World on a Bamboo Bike

Published by David Sangma

If an analogy of taking your roots around the world would have to be written, we can simply write about Yakuza’s story and be done with it. Kudos to this trailblazer for setting the stage – hopefully, we will have many more such stories to share. Say hi to Yakuza Solo (Sievituo Chevy) from Nagaland, who’s going around the world on a bicycle made out of bamboo! His mission is to tell the world about the Nagas and Nagaland. In Nagaland, bamboo plays a huge part in the lives of the people – from being consumed as a food item to a spice, and a material used for building furniture and lovely houses. It is, therefore, very fitting that Yakuza chose to ride a bamboo bicycle to embark on his adventure, and to tell the world about the rich cultural land of the Nagas. Yakuza will be travelling to Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and the United States of America. Here …

Naga Food in Belgium | Lulu’s Tribal Kitchen

Published by David Sangma

Say hello to Lulu Pheiga who has taken her roots across continents – to Genk, Belgium. When we came across her story and her lovely food truck that says “Back to the roots“, we had to write about her. After all, Roots and Leisure is all about staying connected to your roots – no matter where you are and how far you are from home. Thanks to Lulu, people can now literally taste the diversity of India! And yes, Indian food is more than just Samosas and butter chicken 🙂 You can get in touch with Lulu on her Facebook Page on through her website. All Images Courtesy : Lulu’s Tribal Kitchen

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 …

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 …

Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Nagaland

Published by John Angami

What does the future hold for entrepreneurship? Every year experts predict categories which will lead the way in the year ahead. Fitness made its way to the top ten categories for the year 2016. The world of fitness has yet again shown its muscle in the enterprise world. And, under it – falls Mixed Martial arts which is now the fastest growing sport in the world. Needless to say, everyone now wants a piece of that cake. But, do you have what it takes to be successful in the business? Let’s take notes from the very best and in this case the very first and also the only one. With a goal to give the people of Nagaland a platform to learn – and a taste of what mixed martial arts is all about, Khremelie Metha established The Combat Academy. Remember a decade ago when the Ultimate Fighting Championship, also known as UFC (the premier MMA organization), was completely unknown and critics wrote them off with two words ‘human cockfighting’? Valued over $1.65 billion, it was featured on …

I’m 80 and I love bamboo weaving

Published by Roots & Leisure

“When I was younger, our family used to go out in the wee morning hours to work in the paddy field. After a long day there, I would come back and do bamboo weaving. I’ve been weaving since I was a child and I looked after my family with whatever I earned from it. With age (I’m 80), I’m not able to do hard work in the fields like those days but I’m so happy I can still do weaving – something I really enjoy doing. My advice to the younger generation is to never stay idle; find something you love doing – it will make your days much more fulfilling – especially when you are older . . .”