Nagaland contingent pose for a group photo during the North East NSS Festival 2026 held in Gangtok, Sikkim on July 20.
Dimapur, July 25 (MExN): A 34-member contingent from Nagaland, comprising 32 National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers and two programme officers from St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Jakhama, represented the state at the North-East NSS Festival 2026 held in Gangtok, Sikkim, from July 16 to 20.
The contingent was led by programme officers Vikato Swu and Tokani L. The festival, organised by the Sikkim State NSS Cell under the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, brought together around 300 NSS volunteers and programme officers from across the northeastern states.
The five-day event featured motivational and technical sessions on youth development, experiential learning, career counselling, disaster management, substance abuse, mental health, biodiversity, waste management and cybercrime.
Resource persons included B K Sister Sonam, who spoke on positive thinking and self-belief; officials from the NSS Regional Office, Guwahati, on My Bharat and Experiential Learning Programme; career counsellor Deewaker Basnett; experts from the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority; K C Nima on substance abuse and mental health; Prof Bhoj Acharya of Sikkim University on biodiversity and waste management; and DIG Tenzing Loden Lepcha of the Sikkim Crime Branch on cybercrime.
The festival began each day with Zumba sessions and concluded with cultural programmes showcasing the diversity of the northeastern states.
As part of the cultural exchange competition, the Nagaland contingent performed a folk dance of Meghalaya.
In the quiz competition, Bemolongmang M Chang and Visulu Rume, representing Nagaland, emerged winners, while Vuruthong secured the second runners-up position in the PowerPoint presentation competition on the topography, demography, flora, fauna and cultural heritage of the participating states.
The organisers said the festival combined expert-led sessions, competitions and cultural activities, providing participants with opportunities for learning, interaction and community engagement while promoting the core NSS values of unity, service and social responsibility.
The NSS Unit of St. Joseph's College expressed gratitude to the NSS Cell, Nagaland, the Department of Youth Resources and Sports, Government of Nagaland, the NSS Regional Directorate, Guwahati, and the NSS Cell, Sikkim, for providing the opportunity to participate in the festival.
