Advisor to Chief Minister and Chairman of Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) Abu Metha and Chairman of TAFMA Theja Meru attended the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2025, in Australia on 14th March 2025 as official delegates, on the invitation of the Fringe Festival and Honey Pot networking and spotlight events.
Metha extended appreciation to the Organisers of the event and the Government of South Australia for the invitation and the sponsorship of the visit, which included airfare, stay, logistics and events ticketing.
The Adelaide Fringe Festival is the world’s second largest arts festival that takes place for 30 days in the capital city of South Australia and is commemorating its 65th edition. The festival has more than 1000 events with performances from all over the world. The festival and its related activities contribute more than 100 million dollars as new money to the economy and creates in excess of 13,000 job opportunities while also boosting tourism with arrivals of over three lakh tourists
As part of the official delegation from India, Metha met with the leadership of the festival and held discussions on possible collaborations, partnerships and mutual agreements. Metha also met festival directors and stakeholders and leaders of the industry from within Australia and different parts of the world. The delegation was also hosted by the Minister for Arts, Andrea Micheals.
Metha took the opportunities of the several meetings and deliberations with multiple leaders and delegations to highlight Nagaland as a tourist destination and the emergence of the Hornbill Festival as a renowned cultural and arts festival that has been built to its present status over the past 25 years. Metha emphasised that the vision and policy of Nagaland’s “Land of Festivals” and its yearly culmination in the “Festival of Festivals” plays a pivotal role in bolstering the economy while enriching the rich cultural landscape of Nagaland and India to the global community.
Metha also underscored the emerging potentials of Nagaland as an investment destination which is aligned with India’s Act East Policy, highlighting the fact that India’s 5 trillion economy is the 5th largest in the world. Metha dwelled on Nagaland’s geographical advantage as a gateway between the Indian Sub-continent and the ASEAN, with the added assets of rich human capital and a vibrant young population. He emphasized on the fact that Nagaland has several other unique factors like rich biodiversity, scenic beauty and warm hospitality of the people.
Abu Metha shared the close bonds of India and Nagaland with Australia as a fellow Commonwealth country and highlighted Nagaland’s special position in history in the context of the iconic Battle of Kohima during the 2nd World War.
TaFMA Chairman Theja Meru highlighted the vast potentials of the music, arts and entertainment sector of Nagaland. He showcased the Hornbill Music Festival, one of the largest such events not only in India but internationally. Meru interacted with festival directors and held follow-up deliberations of the Asia Music Summit which was hosted by India in Kohima. TAFMA’s multiple verticals in the music industry, its corporate and institutional collaborations along with its constant efforts in promoting music and arts as industry were not only highlighted but well appreciated by industry representatives.
At multiple meetings, the Nagaland government’s decision of instituting a separate ministry for music and the arts was seen as a progressive policy initiative that enhances creativity, innovation and strengthens the creative economy.
Both Metha and Meru also attended the WOMADELAIDE, an expo on Music, Arts and Dance. Here they met with Mr. Ian Scobie, Director of WOMADELAIDE and discussed future collaborations, partnerships and exchanges. They also met industry leaders, festival directors and attended several showcase performances and festival spotlights.
Both Abu Metha and Theja Meru further participated as delegates at HONEYPOT, a networking, showcasing and spotlights event that brings leaders of the arts, festivals and entertainment industry from around the world to network and explore collaborations.
Metha extended appreciation to the Nagaland Government led by the vision of the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, for supporting the initiatives of collaborations and making constant efforts towards promoting the youth. Metha expressed confidence that the venture of attending these international events would enhance the possibilities of creating opportunities for the talents of the state in the coming years.
The delegation’s itinerary included visits to facilities and infrastructures for sports and games, centres for performing arts, musicals and exhibitions, libraries and public infrastructures. These visits and interactions gave an opportunity to get first-hand experience of multiple verticals and get a better understanding of not just the designs and concepts but operations, collaborations and sustainable long-term visions.
(DIPR)