1st Green Village of India: Khonoma, Nagaland

Khonoma village is located at a distance of 20 kms from Kohima and is the first green village of India. The winding roads towards Khonoma will take you away from the hustle and bustle of Kohima. The village welcomes you with a gush of fresh air and surrounds you with the forest voices of chirping birds and water streams.

Angami Naga tribe are the main residents of the village. They are famous for their fighting skills. The village is known to have resisted the British rule from 1830 to 1880. The population of the village is 3000 people residing in 600 houses. The small community welcomes you with friendly faces and warm smiles.

What’s really surprising and inspiring about the village is how content the people are even with the minimal means of living they have. Almost all the houses display bison horns at the rooftop that symbolise unity. Most of the houses even have guns and other fighting equipment hanging at the front door that belongs to their family ancestors. In earlier days, there was no concept of the museum and so the trend of displaying weapons on the house wall started which is continued till date.

One of the houses displays bear skin that was used by their forefathers as a shield. The house had a fireplace at the front yard which used to be a meeting point for students of varied interests. It used to be more like a learning session where everyone uses to impart their knowledge to others. Majority of people belong to the Baptist and Roman Catholic denomination of Christianity. Over a period of time, they have learned to live in harmony.

The village people don’t have much work opportunities and the majority of them work in paddy fields. Interestingly, not many of them fantasize about leaving the place and work outside. The closely knitted society is a place where everyone knows everyone and talks to each other. This binds them to the village. Like other Naga people, they too love pork but prefer to consume the local bred animal as they are very skeptical about the things imported from other parts of the country or even the state.

The village is surrounded by thick forest that has many varieties of wild fruits and vegetables. Due to lack of meat, the vegetarian food is a part of their daily meal. The people of the village are so basic in their needs and believe in sharing that. Whenever someone butchers a pig, each house gets an equal share of the pork meat.

Khonoma

Khonoma village is not only a green village but also one of the cleanest villages in the country. You will spot every other corner of the street with a dustbin and people adhere to the code of cleanliness. It is also one of the most beautiful village where the front yard of every house is decorated with beautiful flowers.

Another interesting fact about Khonoma village is that when someone dies, he is buried right next to his house. The village does not follow the concept of a graveyard and a person is buried wherever he had expressed his wish to be buried.

Khonoma village stands as one of the best examples of being content and happy, where people have their basic needs covered and are content with it.

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