- Project Empathy guides Nagaland students to record elders' oral histories on peace and coexistence
- The project emphasizes patient and nonjudgmental listening to democratize historical narratives
- A documentary titled Weaves of Empathy will be screened at Delhi's India International Centre
A project themed on empathy is bringing a positive change, without any fanfare, in Nagaland after it guided college students to return to their communities and engage in intimate conversations with elders - listening to oral histories rooted in tradition, memory, and lived experience.
Through these intergenerational dialogues, 'Project Empathy' helped students find narratives of peace and coexistence embedded within Naga customs, songs, and everyday practices - stories that challenge common perceptions and reaffirm empathy as a lived cultural value.
Project Empathy, a non-profit founded by educationist Vibha Lakhera, in a statement said its processes gave equal importance on how the students gathered the stories - listening patiently, without judgment, and with care.
"The collection of oral history interviews is not only empathy in action; it also democratises history by giving every person the microphone to tell their story," Lakhera told NDTV on Friday.
The highlight of the project is the scheduled screening of a high-quality documentary film by cinematographer Parasher Baruah called 'Weaves of Empathy'. It's part of a one-day cultural festival under the 'Naga Oral History Project' steered by Lakhera's non-profit, to be held in Delhi's India International Centre on February 20.
The documentary reveals empathy not as an abstract ideal, but as a lived cultural practice that continues to shape ancient societies like the Nagas, Lakhera's non-profit said in a statement.
In addition to this, designer Abeni TCK will release the book 'Oying Motsu: The Story of Our Threads', which reflects on cultural memory, craft, and lived histories, Project Empathy said in a statement.
Abeni TCK's revival of the 'Shawl of Unity' - a powerful legacy passed down from her father and re-imagined by her as a single woven form that brings together motifs of all Naga tribes - stands as a profound symbol of collective identity, resilience, and cultural continuity, Project Empathy said.
The Question Of Identity
Former Nagaland MLA Zovehu Lohe, in tackling a question on his understanding of tribal identity and its significance in his life, said it [identity] is not pertinent to only one aspect, it has got to do with several aspects.
"Language alone, dialect alone, is not identity. It has got to do with the character. What is more important with identity is my character. Do I walk the talk that I made? That is identity," Lohe said.
Social worker and textile expert Abeni TCK
Abeni TCK, whose works are preserved at the Pitt Rivers Museum in the UK and displayed in Brussels, in an introductory statement on the 'Shawl of Unity' said the Nagas have always practised a vibrant oral tradition.
"This is the way they have passed on their knowledge, history, songs, cultural practices and their traditions. The transmission is generally done through speech, song, folklore, poetry, ballad, art, chanting or other similar activity which is still being practised to this day, but with rarer frequency now," she said.
"... It is wonderful how this form of communication has continued intact from one generation to another, each faithfully fulfilling their part."
Project Empathy in a statement to the press said the Delhi edition of 'Weaves of Empathy' includes a curated segment called 'Living Memory: Unfading Voices of the Nagas'; performances by music groups Roots and Rhapsody; a music video on the empathy anthem 'Walk With Me', followed by a live performance by singer Diaper Chiezou, and presentations by other young artists from the northeast region.
The students who spoke to their communities under Project Empathy were from Don Bosco College, Oriental College, and Modern College, Kohima.
Lakhera has over 15 years of teaching experience. She is known for several other innovative social projects including 'The India Project: Say No To Discrimination'; 'Trace My Family History Tree', and 'Project Meri Pehchaan' to tackle child labour and help children return to school.
Project Empathy plans to expand to include stories from new locations.
