Ukhrul, August 22: The spirit of storytelling came alive on Friday at the Prologue Library, Viewland Ukhrul, where World Folklore Day 2025 was observed under the theme “Atam Akhali” meaning “Once upon a time”. The event was organized by Tuithā, a community-rooted initiative, in collaboration with India Foundation for the Arts.
Tuithā, which translates literally as “seed of words” or “word-seeds”, works to preserve indigenous language, culture, and knowledge systems through creative and accessible tools for children and families. The initiative believes that ancestral words are more than remnants of the past; they are sources of identity, resilience, belonging, and indigenous worldviews.
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The Folklore Day program was designed in the spirit of meisum, an intimate, close-knit setting that fostered warmth and participation. Through storytelling sessions, folk narratives of the Tangkhul community were shared, highlighting cultural heritage, traditions, and indigenous wisdom. The format encouraged interaction where everyone present became both storyteller and listener, making the celebration deeply participatory.
Villagers and participants narrated folk tales passed down through generations. Stories ranged from cultural myths to narratives symbolizing human struggles, such as tales of people transforming into insects or birds due to hunger which is powerful reflections of hardship and resilience in earlier times.
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Expressing gratitude, a participant remarked, “Folklore stories like human turning to insects or birds due to hunger show the lives and struggles of the poor in the olden times.”
Many participants thanked the organizers for creating a meaningful platform to share, reflect, and keep alive the oral traditions of the community.
The event not only showcased the richness of folklore but also reinforced the belief that such traditional narratives remain timeless seeds of knowledge, identity, and collective memory.