Amazing Hornbill Festival - Sudeepta Barua photography - OK! North East | Adventure, Travel, Explore North-East India

Named after the bird, Hornbill Festival is one of the largest celebrations of the indigenous warrior tribes of Nagaland and therefore re-enactment of battles is a core part of the performances. Every season, this festival is kicked off with the traditional war cry from the hundreds of performers in their traditional attire. The dance performances have different stories to tell - from harvesting to legends, as spectators sit in open-air ampi-theaters and relish their eyes on the kaleidoscopic view of art and culture. This annual fete with an orgy of music, dance, traditional games and skills, food, films, beauty pageants and peace rallies forms a meeting ground for the age old traditions and the progressive artists of the state.

Sudeepta Barua, an Assamese photographer, entrepreneur and an alumni of B Barooah College, Guwahati, shares some of the variegated moments of the Hornbill Festival that he captured though his lens in December, 2012.