Manipur, June 29 -- It is only recently that the written literature came into existence in the Tangkhul Naga community. Before the onset of the written literature, the Tangkhul Naga community thrived on the art of oral storytelling. Oral tradition, since time immemorial, has been a part of the Tangkhul Naga. Be it knowledge, folktales, folk songs, folk dances or history, the ancestors ardently passed down these to their children through oral tradition.

As a child, I remember sitting around the fireplace with my siblings listening to our grandparents narrating to us stories, folktales and legends. Since folktales were passed down to us orally, there was nothing or less about written stories where I could call my own . Therefore, I grew up...