Tetseo Sisters ~ Cultural Ambassadors Extraordinaire

They have scaled heights as the new Cultural Ambassadors as they are popularly known as and have gone places taking their “Li”, which, they call “the people’s music”.

The Tetseo Sisters comprising of four gifted sisters including Mercy, Azi , Kuvelü  and Alüne have carved a niche for themselves in the Music industry even as they strive to promote the unique “Chokri Li” literally meaning “Folksong in the Chokri dialect of the Chakhesang Naga tribe”, often accompanied by the indigenous Naga one stringed instrument called the “Tati/Heka Libuh”.

In their words, “none of us Nagas really know how the tradition of folk-singing began except that it has always been an integral part of Naga life.  Li have colourful history. They tell us about how life was, what were the important stuff for our people for example, the virtues of women, discipline, family, courage, or oral records of great battles, acts of bravery and simple descriptions of daily life. People found a way to be happy about living in spite of the daily hassles and in song, they made light of their problems. People could speak of their heart’s desires in Li, woo their beloved, impress the fair damsels, ask for pardon or apologize in the clever wordings of Li, make peace and reveal secrets through Li.”

Hence, they insist “Li is integral to Naga Life and we are all rediscovering its specialness. It is essentially the biography of our people and our history.”

And even as they started off with this exotic venture, it has always been their goal to keep the tribal Naga tradition of folk singing alive and in their songs, they tell the stories of our people and express their joys and sorrows, hopes and aspirations.

Essentially evoking the sound of the old tradition in their bit to preserve the rich cultural heritage, they express that  “some of the songs we sing can transport you to battlefields of yore where you rub shoulders with deadly head hunters, feel their raw courage and brutal angst or mourn with star crossed lovers in their darkest desolation. That’s the kind of feelings the power of Li can evoke.”

It is obvious that they are deeply engrossed in what they do, even as they go on to explain that the “Chokri Li is beautiful in melody and harmony, with mind-boggling variety”. Getting further into the soul of music, which has truly enchanted them to carry “folksongs” forward, the Sisters feel that the very popular ones have endured and been handed down to us by oral tradition.

“It is participatory—you don't have to be a great musician to be a folk singer. They sang for love of it and as a way of life and not as a performance of sort because our folk music is the traditional and typically anonymous music that is an expression of the life of the people in a community.”

“People play and sing together rather than watch others perform. And so, it essentially encourages a sense of community. But now, the practice is almost forgotten. So it has become exotic”, is what they have to say.

They also believe that most Naga tribes have beautiful music and dances, but ruefully state that unfortunately, there are no written records or documentation of the lyrics while adding that “No musical records officially exist.” Expressing that even the songs they sing are all passed on from word of mouth, they however believe that Li is one of a kind.

“It is unique and a tad challenging for those who are not born into it, but always pleasing to the ears and we are trying to make it more visual and visible. It is lively and can always hold people's attention and leaves a lasting impression. The lyrics are so original and beautiful but unfortunately the essence gets lost in translation. No other language can quite capture the beauty of Li but the melody can somehow convey the meaning of the song and hence people can relate to it.” That’s the Chokri Li for the Tetseo Sisters.

Yet, further beyond, their music has been well received across the country and abroad. Even as they insist that “Li is something from the past but it is the past, which defines what we are in the present so in so much as Li is a part of us today, it will be a pattern in the bigger picture that will be tomorrow”, it is no wonder then that they have staged performances in countless events some of which include Hornbill Festival 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010; special performance at Hornbill Festival during Actress Manisha Koirala’s Visit in 2003, Queen Baton’s Rally for the Commonwealth Games, 2010 at Touphema, Nagaland 2010, Platinum Jubilee Celebrations at Chinjaroi, Manipur 2010, The Chief Minister’s Dinner for the Vice President of India, during his maiden visit to Kohima, Nagaland, at World Bamboo Day celebrations, 2010, Angami Sekrenyi Festival, Heritage Village, Touphema 2010, Northeast Youth Festival, Kohima, Nagaland 2010, Handshake Concert 2009, Mumbai and 2010, New Delhi, Naga Idol Finalists Concert, Wokha 2009, State Road shows of Phek District, 2010 and Wokha, 2009 , Hornbill Motor Rally Finale, 2009, Union Minister Agatha Sangma’s visit at The Heritage, Old DC’s Bungalow 2009, Governor of Nagaland, Shri Nikhil Kumar’s Welcome Banquet 2009, Kohima, Amnesty Festival, Indian Islamic Centre, New Delhi 2009, Northeast Trade Opportunities Meet, 2007 Bangkok, Thailand, Nagaland Music Festival, India International Trade Fair, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, 2008, Korean Spring Festival, SAI Center, New Delhi, 2007, Nagaland Festival, Dilli Haat, New Delhi, 2007 & 2008, ITFT graduation day, 2007, Chandigarh, Naga Students Union Delhi Annual meets, 2001, 03, 06,08 and 2010, Northern Angami Students Union Jubilee Concert, 2009 sharing the stage with Nise Meruno, Zowe Madrigal and Luke Kenny, Photo Exhibition on Naga lives by Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights at the Indian Habitat Center, New Delhi 2007, Young Leaders Connect, October 2011, Sachin Pilot’s Visit, The Heritage, 2011, CAG of India’s Visit, The Heritage, 2011, Artists of India workshop cum Exhibition, The Heritage, 2011, Young Indians & CII meet, November 2011, Eclectic Model Hunt, Guwahati  November 2011, Hornbill 2011, @Chakhesang Courtyard for NDTV’s Highway on my plate and Travel Trendz Channel, and several others besides being the Instructor and Choreographer of Naga Folk song and dance routine to IAS trainees at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie in 2008 and having recorded programmes for DDK Kohima, DDK Guwahati and DDK Delhi, Recording sessions and broadcasts on AIR Kohima, Guwahati and Ahmedabad respectively.

Mention must be made here that they learnt Li from their parents at a very young age. It would be unfair not to mention their brother, Mhaseve, who has been their support of sorts. One must also add that it has well been learnt for they have been creating waves with this unique form of folk fusion. Their latest venture includes the launch of their debut album “Li Chapter One” as we all know it.

Their near future plans include a documentary film on Folk music of the NE by Chennai based filmmakers, Anushka Meenakshi and Iswar Srikumar of ‘somethingwehavealwayswantedtodo.com’ and a promo tour which will hopefully commence sometime in January 2012 where they also hope to interact with more folk musicians, music enthusiasts and share more Li.

Their motto being “Share Li…pass it across, not only down”, the Tetseo Sisters profess that “we are devoted to sharing our rich cultural heritage on a global platform and have been doing our best so far we would like to think.”

The Tetseo Sisters Profile:

Mercy Tetseo is a fashion and photography enthusiast, avid foodie and is trying to find the writer in her. She has been involved in modeling, emceeing and is an accomplished singer. She has a Masters in Psychology from Delhi University’s IP College and has explored the corporate world but is currently taking a break from work to concentrate on music or Li project. She enjoys travelling, writing, watching movies, shopping and cooking.  She loves eating momos with fiery Naga King chilly chutney, tulips and shoes but dislikes firecrackers and being disturbed while taking her nap.

Azi Tetseo is a former beauty queen, model, singer and fashion choreographer when not singing with her sisters. After her Masters in Political Science from Delhi University, she enjoyed a stint with the corporate world and is now a business entrepreneur with her husband Abe Nienu in Nagaland’s Kohima. She loves dancing in the rain, listening to music and going for long drives. She dislikes getting sick, long bus-rides, exams and bad hair days.

Kuvelü Tetseo recently graduated from DU’s Lady Shri Ram College and is pursuing her Masters in Nagaland. Having had an active and successful association with the LSR Western Music Society, she is working to carve out a permanent slot for the folk act “Tetseo Sisters” in the global Music scene as their frontman. She shares an interest in photography and writing with her sister Mercy and together, they have been maintaining their blog and fan page on Facebook. She loves sketching and making scrapbooks, besides the music. Her new year’s resolution includes learning the guitar and violin. She loves the color white, fish dishes and kittens but can do without secondhand smoke and parties.

Alüne Tetseo is the youngest of the Sisters. She has just completed her 10+2 and working on becoming a doctor. She enjoys photography, painting and walking the ramp from time to time. Growing up with three older singing sisters gave her the singing bug and she loves singing and fiddling with the violin and the piano but she can curl up on a comfy sofa with a book or watch TV the whole day. She is a smooth debater and has won many state and national level competitions. Alüne doesn’t care for vegetables but is crazy about anything purple, chocolates and chips. She is also a big fan of Japanese Manga and animation movies.

Vizo Putsure- The Food Enthusiast

Vizo Putsure

He has always been a foodie for as long as he can remember. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why his gender has never overshadowed the importance of food preparation, even as Vizo Putsure strongly advocates that ‘cooking is something we all need to know.’

He started experimenting with this art ever since he was a small kid, drawing inspiration from his mother. He also watched a lot of television to enhance his own passion for cooking. Actually, the love for food, ‘Good Food’ to be precise, seemingly runs in the family as he grew up in an environment that recognizes ‘quality’ as an essential ingredient of food.

Yet, for the fact that mothers naturally come to mind at the mention of our kitchens, he still feels that men are the greater cooks in all our bigger events like weddings for instance. But, of course, agreeing to how the society tends to automatically relate women to kitchen, he reflectively says that “our mothers have taken care of the kids too well”, towards which end, he also recalls moving out to the cities for further studies, and learning that it’s not been an easy job to manage a kitchen all by oneself. ‘It’s only through hard work we can understand’, he expresses.

Interestingly, his mom is from Sikkim, which has naturally given him the opportunity to explore another unique culture other than the Naga Tradition that he is already so familiar with.

By all standards he is an Entrepreneur, and a Graduate of Christ College, Bangalore, after which, he has been into Business in Network Marketing for the last 3 years. But food, clearly is his favourite subject as he shares his future plans and dreams which include deep interest in the mixed culture that is found in the North Eastern States.

Before looking farther beyond, he emphasizes on “sharing culture” within the North East. For him, the emphasis is on food, which, he feels can be shared within the sister states as part of an exchange of culture blending Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim etc.

It is with this vision in mind that he had developed the concept of running a restaurant during the weeklong Hornbill Festival at Kisama, which he had already tried last year and found it compelling. This year, he is back with a team of eight Private Cooks from Kalimpong, who, he came in contact with when his maternal Great Grandmother expired at the age of 105 a few years back as was the family tradition for chefs to come and cook during such a time.

These Veteran Cooks have been in the profession for decades and have interestingly, cooked for Dalai Lama on several occasions. The same team has seemingly enjoyed the rich heritage of Nagaland during their brief visits to the state consistently for the last 10-15 years and also noticed that Naga People are becoming more conscious about food and taste, towards which end, they also wish to proactively work with the youth in this regard.

While talking about the team of cooks for his restaurant tenderly named “Vileme Mhachaki” meaning “Hot and Warm Kitchen”~ A Family Restaurant, and placed near Bamboo Hall, that stands left from or below SBI ATM at Kisama at the ongoing Hornbill Festival, he further enlightens on the menu that caters to a range of food including Special Noodles, Thukpa, Chinese Sausages, Mandarin Fish, Chinese Pork Soup, Black Pork Curry, Cashew Chicken, Momos, Shafali, Crispy Chew, Matar Paneer, Pillay, Chicken Roast, Shapta, Fish Bowl Soup, Phing Mushroom Soup, and of course, local Naga delights of Pork with bambooshoot, fish cooked in bamboo etc. The special ingredients have been procured from outside such as noodles made and brought from Kalinpong, Sauce, Tomato, & Chilly from Calcutta, including some flavours from the USA.

Also serving as a part time employment avenue for local youths, besides the Cook Team of eight from Sikkim, the rest are local people, finding good opportunity to learn the skills as well as earn something out of it.

Over the years, Vizo Putsure has been part of the Trade Fairs held in Calcutta, Delhi, and Agri Expo in Dimapur. His ongoing venture blending Naga with Sikkim Cuisine, Tibetan and Chinese as an exchange of good things also caters to some of the significant events at Kisama such as the Hornbill Ball, World War II Vintage Rally, etc.

His personal favourites are Chinese Pork Sausages, Fish Bowl Soup, and Shafala. When it comes to Naga, nothing seems to beat dried pork with axone. A little note on the Chinese Food, and he simply stated that “Chinese Food is popular all over the world, and I think it’s because it’s got all the ingredients…you can get everything in one plate, and it’s reasonable.”

While on the other side of it, he likes music, traveling, reading and is a bit conscious about dressing up well, which definitely explains why, next to his passion for cooking comes clothes.

It is his plan and dream to bring in more variety of dishes to the Naga taste while not deviating from the quality of food, on how it should be made, the elements of minute ingredients, and small things for better quality food. “Taste is changing and people are becoming more demanding” is what the Network Social Entrepreneur has to say.

Chiset Dailiam

He has brought home good memories of Jamaica as he recollects the lively place filled with nice people and beautiful islands. Chiset Dailiam returned to the state last April after experiencing the rich work culture in the West Indies, not because his service wasn’t needed there anymore but because, he wanted to start his own business on home grounds, and also eventually contribute to the society in the long run.

The young man graduated in Economics from Pune University and also earned a Master’s degree in the same subject, during which period of study, he worked night shift since graduation to support himself in the city. When asked how he could balance study and work, he simply seems to indicate that wherever there is a will, there is a way.

And hard work, indeed paid off for him as it shows in the position he held as Manager for two Companies in Jamaica namely Wahek Import, which is a Distribution Company in Kingston, Jamaica and Solid Gold Jewellers respectively. He has all good things to say about the place as he professes his love for their work culture specifically because they are so committed in their work. “Unlike us, they maintain their timings, if it’s 9:30, it is 9:30 sharp”, he extols even as he wishes that the Naga society would discipline themselves in the same manner. Observing how work timings in government offices or even otherwise are so laid back, he feels that this is one of the reasons why, we are way behind others.

His experience with Jamaica seems to inspire him as he recalls that “it is a little busy when it comes to work, but clearly, he has had fun learning from their culture. One thing he likes about the people there is how they are not ashamed to work, even if one is a sweeper, a cobbler or a labourer.

He says that something that discourages him about government service is the things that are being done under the table, and in most cases that seem to need a background to get into a particular service. Towards this end, his concern includes young educated people to wake up to doing things the right way.

Also an entrepreneur at heart, it is desire to see our own people taking up all kinds of businesses in the state. He feels that “our ego and pride is killing us” while referring to the many jobs, we take as petty professions…”I just wish that young people will do away with this mindset”, he expresses.

In the mean time, he strongly feels that “we really need to humble ourselves because no matter how much we try to imitate ourselves, the reality remains”, and further emphasizes that “we need to see the true us and check out where we are going wrong…”

For him, it holds great importance that the state starts producing something, and not only that, but also export them. “If we want to become somebody, we need to create something from our land and send it out” is what he has to say even as he continues to stress that “we need to let money come in and not go out”.

With defined goals in mind, Chiset currently runs a Coffee Shop called “Gusto-Q” in Officers’ Hill. The enthusiasm is obvious from the name itself, while “Q” stands for Barbeque. Taking this forward, he has just recently been part of the Golden Jubilee Celebration in Science College by serving Barbeque the last two days.

It is an art he learnt while in Jamaica as he remembers his years there, wherein people always took work seriously but at the end of the day hand out to unwind on barbeque. With this in mind, the shop has been opened, and the BBQ feature will also be introduced shortly.

The eager young man will also be part of the Hornbill Festival by running a stall, serving fast food during the day and barbeque in the evenings. He shows excitement in the new ventures he has picked up since he came home to stay, and this, definitely is a sign of greater things to come for the jovial entrepreneur from Jalukie who loves to watch or play football in his leisure. 

Dr. Tokugha Yepthomi ~ His life, his story

He was recently invited to speak at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 20, 2011, which was organized by the WHO and UNAIDS, in collaboration with Member States, on HIV and NCD. But one could see that this commendable feat is a reward of many struggles although Dr. Tokugha Yepthomi chooses to rely on the brighter aspects of life.

He has been a forerunner of HIV cause in the country even as he recalls how his first travel abroad to Canada to attend World AIDS Conference in Vancover in 1996 helped him to form the Indian Network for people living with HIV/AIDS (INP+) as its First President.

This, he describes as a turning point in his life and one could also see the gratefulness in him when he says that another major turning point is being accepted by Dr. Suniti Solomon and being offered a position as a doctor despite his HIV status to care for her patients and continue being a doctor.

When asked how he became closely associated with the cause, he confesses that “My own diagnosis helped me to become involved with HIV. I wanted my story to motivate people living with HIV to be responsible and to understand that life is not over yet. If you take your medications you can lead a normal life. You can contribute to society. Yes, the struggles of those early minutes, hours and finally years were hard but my family especially my sister and brother in law and brother have been a strong source of support and encouragement to go ahead and despite many challenges both personally and socially, they have helped me and always encouraged me.”

He goes on to add that he has had several turning points, “….and each one has left an increased learning in my life…” which, he says, includes “choosing medicine as a course of study when I always thought of becoming an IAS officer or a legal advocate, or having graduated as a medical doctor and finally being able to contribute something to society (despite many hardships of having to read hundreds or thousands of medical pages, and willing for a natural disaster rather than give up….a usual lament of students), and of course, getting married and having our first son…. now we have more”.

Having experienced so much in life, he went on to become the Senior Medical Officer, YRG CARE, Voluntary Health Service in Chennai. He has been working here since 1995 providing clinical care, counseling and psychosocial support to more than 17000 registered patients from different states including patients from the North East. Talking about his job, he heartily says that “in fact we don’t call them patients any more as they are doing really well health wise since we have antiretroviral medications to help them cope better.”

For him, it is most fulfilling “to see a family walk out of our hospital looking hopeful and with a smile on their face. Many of them walk in with their heads down, dejected and untrusting. Our team here really helps them accept themselves and believe in their own ability to be able to continue living”, but as he also expresses that “unfortunately we also have bad days…we have patients who reach us at the last minute….they do not know where to go for treatment and are often afraid to ask others because of fear of disclosure.”

Yet, regardless of the walk he has taken this far, he feels that the greatest challenge of being a Doctor is “to be a simple human being and have a humane touch as the world seems so fast paced today in so many ways.”

And when talks of HIV on home ground that still suffers stigma and discrimination surfaces, he expresses that stigma and discrimination is not easy to cope with nor discuss openly, but however emphasized that ‘acceptance and support from social and religious groups and from the family networks is critical for persons living with HIV. Those who have been diagnosed require care and support and should be encouraged to reach out to their peers for not only support but right information for their own health. This in itself provides a ripple effect… also being comfortable with your own status does not necessarily mean that you need to pronounce to the world about your HIV status. Not everyone is required to be an activist neither is it required that all HIV activists should be living with HIV.”

“The more acceptance of HIV as a chronic manageable disease will help reduce the stigma associated with HIV. Improved health care and prevention services also contribute to destigmatising an issue. The HIV epidemic is complicated by the attitude of society towards persons living with HIV. Often they are perceived as dangerous, unworthy of treatment. The task of the media is to tell people the truth about the disease and help the common people to change their attitude towards people living with HIV”, he divulges.

He also observes that the Church in many places in India and in the West have taken on proactive roles in providing support to HIV programs wherein people of different ages come to the church. Towards this end, he opines that ‘the church has a captive audience to discuss these issues – helping people understand that yes, there is a problem, but it is preventable and manageable and that families affected by HIV require their compassion and prayers, love of Christ and acceptance of religious groups.’

‘I believe HIV is the most important issue we face because of how we treat the poor and voiceless is a reflection of who we are’, is what he has to say, even as he goes on to explain that ‘the problem with HIV infection is that it affects society as a whole, without exception. And for this very reason, everyone and certainly our children must have more information about the HIV and how to be safe.’

The Champion for the cause of HIV also has a heart for “Education” while stating his belief that “if everybody has education they can survive”. “I believe that the young generation can bring about oneness. Say no to tribalism!” he expresses further.

While the other side of him loves ‘cooking and eating rice and axone’, the driving force behind his life has always been his family, his wife and Dr Suniti Solomon (his director) and peers many of whom, he says, have become his friends.

A perfect example of one who never gave up, who got the privilege to walk in the same building as our World Leaders at the UN, which he simply states was “exciting”, Dr. Tokugha Yepthomi’s mantra in life seems to be this- "if you are reaching for the stars and don’t encounter a few clouds, you are not reaching high enough" to quote him.

With one more last question in line, when asked where does he go from here, he heartily expresses, “My fervent hope is to serve my own people. I hope to return to my homeland in the near future.”