India, Dec. 5 -- The Hornbill Festival, Nagaland's iconic cultural and tourism fair that is annually held from December 1 to 10, has evolved into a celebration showcasing the diverse and vibrant cultural and traditional heritage of the tribes of Nagaland.

In its 25th year, the festival was conceived at a time when the state was slowly returning to normalcy, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the Naga armed group Isak-Muivah-led National Socialist Council of Nagalim and the Centre, after having been through insurgency for over five decades.

The long-drawn insurgency had not only hit normal life with daily hours of curfew across the state, it had also badly impacted tourism.

"A few of us traveled with the then chief m...