From the Desk of the Editor-in-Chief

Cultural diversity has been the fundamental feature of the Northeastern India. Though there exist eight states now, the North Eastern states were conceived as the seven sisters in the popular imagination of the people.

The northeast is not a homogenous entity, but a conglomeration of multiple languages and cultures. It has more than 2020 communities and more than 220 languages. The Nagas of Nagaland are sub-divided into seventeen tribes. In such a diverse culture, people live a life of unity and harmony.

Their oral traditions give testimony of their rich history and heritage. Their contribution to the freedom struggle is immense and enduring. Their heritage and culture penetrated their literary texts too. This feature makes their literature distinct from other literature. We hope the ethnic conflict in this region must end and a peaceful co-existence must be restored.

This volume of Lokaratna captures some of the culture and traditions of the North East. We have selected them as they speak volumes about our diverse and rich cultural heritage.

We hope that these articles will provide different perspectives on diversity. At present we witness the multi-cultural expressions in diverse art forms.

Recently the the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi organised UNMESH 2, grand festival of letters, in which about six hundred writers from multilingual and multicultural background participated in Bhopal on 3- 6 August 2023. About seventy multilingual writers across the country participated in this festival where diverse unwritten Indigenous languages were represented. Similarly, the Sangeet Natak
Akademi, New Delhi organised the multifaceted dances and performances of India involving nine hundred performers, musician, dancers, and singers. The blend of literature and music displayed the cultural diversities of India on a one platform that is quite incredible. The unity of culture and language breaking the barriers of great and little, Desi and Margi have been the voice of 21st Century India.Northeast as a cultural mosaic has contributed to Indian culture. We appreciate the efforts of Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi for their unprecedented viii events and hope that the country will maintain its national and social integration with the art, language, and literature. In case for recognising the unwritten and marginalised languages, the NCERT, New Delhi has taken a bold step by preparing Kuwi and Desia primer for the tribal children of Koraput. Mr Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education and Mrs Nirmala Sitaraman, Minister of Finance, Government of India released the two tribal primers on 17 August 2023, which is a breakthrough for education of tribal children. This also symbolises the spirit of respecting the language of children in schools to which the Minister of Education has initiated and wish to disseminate the movement in all parts of the country.

We congratulate the government of India for their favourable signal for rest of the nonscheduled languages of India, to get recognition in schools, to provide a quality education in tribal areas. Thus, both tradition and modernity will co exists in culture, literature, and language education India despite its diverse language, ethnicity and faiths. The Lokaratna has reached twenty-five volumes over sixteen years I congratulate the
writers, editorial board, advisory board and the Folklore Foundation team for their selfless contribution to the cause of Indian culture, language and literature. Special Thanks to Prof Mark Turin, Professor of Anthropology, who has been always supportive to Folklore Foundation, India.

I hope this volume edited by Prof Anand Mahanand and Dr Subhasis Nanda, will be well appreciated by the wider readership across the globe.

Mahendra Kumar Mishra