Students sharing their experiences on documenting Naga Oral History on April 7.
Naga Oral History: Stories of Empathy, honouring stories, celebrating voices
Morung Express News
Kohima | April 8
“Naga Oral History: Stories of Empathy” in collaboration with Project Empathy and Assam Rifles celebrated the joys of stories, reflections, and heartfelt recognition while honouring the voices that preserve and share Nagaland’s oral histories on April 7 at Kenguruse Auditorium, Hq. IGAR-N Kohima with Major General Manish Kumar, Sena Medal (Bar), Inspector General Assam Rifles (North) as the chief guest and founder of PenThrill, Vishü Rita Krocha as the keynote speaker.
Addressing the gathering, Major General Manish Kumar, Sena Medal (Bar) stated that “Oral history and empathy complement each other” while pointing out that “without empathy, history would be lost.”
He commended the Project for bringing this essence for our collective conscience and further highlighted why Assam Rifles associated with it. “It’s for the simple reason that soldering is about emotion and empathy”, he stated while adding that, “just like soldering, friendship is also all about empathy.”
As friends of the North East, he impressed upon that “the Assam Rifles live this empathetic way of life every day of their existence amongst you, with you, for you.”
“From a soldier’s perspective, team building and team effort are all a form of empathy,” he added.
He also gave highlights on the Assam Rifles outreach to people of the North East in the form of empathy that are manifested in the form of employment, education, empowerment, and entertainment.
In her keynote address, Founder of PenThrill, Vishü Rita Krocha underscored that, “in a world facing increasing division, complexity and hardship, we need empathy more than ever” while complimenting Vibha Lakhera, Founder & CEO of Project Empathy for starting this important movement to create empathy through stories to further foster understanding and create a compassionate world.
“The spoken lived experience is a crucial part of education as we gain deeper understanding when we engage ourselves with first-person narratives,” she said.
Even in today’s modern world, invaded by technology, she underlined that, “oral storytelling still remains a strong tool for preserving culture, promoting empathy, and strengthening family bonds.” Pointing out that oral history gives voices to those who might not have written their own accounts, she said that, “these oral histories fill in the missing details by spotlighting personal stories from regular, ordinary people.”
She further advocated that these oral accounts create continuity in a community like ours, as it also ensures that “we have diverse languages across all the tribes of Nagaland.” Oral storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool for gaining new perspectives and creating shared understanding,” she asserted.
During the event, the student participants from 3 different colleges including Don Bosco College, Oriental College Kohima and Modern College Piphema were felicitated with certificates while their teachers and mentors who guided the students were also acknowledged. Vibha Lakhera, Founder of Project Empathy gave a background of the project while Kevi shared her reflections and an abridged version of the film was screened. The event also highlighted sharing of the experiences of the students.
