‘Window to Nagaland,’ announced the entrance to the venue and the Naga Bazaar did full justice to this proclamation. Those menacing daos which came in different shapes, so deftly handled by the performers at the opening ceremony were on sale here. Plumed headgears, ornamental spears, wooden masks...you could convert your experience to solid memories here. The heavy spiral bangles made of brass were a particular hit with the female foreigners who discussed with their male companions if it went well with trousers or flared skirts. And then the best pairable shade. School children picked up bamboo pen stands while housewives compared the merits of a square coaster over the round ones. I picked up pickled meat for later that night. “The Night Bazaar is only about food,” complained a foreigner. I brought this up to the attention of a young office bearer with the Kohima Chamber of Commerce and Industry and he asked me, “What more do you want?” The possibility of having all-night pubs was next to nil going by the prevalent social and political atmosphere. “Even this Night Bazaar is nothing short of a victory for us,” the official explained. “We had to show the world that we are a peace loving people and all the tourists coming here are our guests and they are safe in our State.” Yes, when it is about changing kind of well ingrained (mis)conceptions, a Night Bazaar, even if it was all about food, was a good start. One of the main streets was cordoned off for this food fete with both the sides taken up by youngsters from church organisations, formal groups or just a bunch of friends, selling the omnipresent momos to specialist dishes like smoked pork axione (pronounced ‘aah-hi-onay’) to bamboo vinegar and bottled rare herbs. While the main venue was at Kisama, 12 km from Kohima town, the Night Bazaar was right in the town itself. “It was part of our plan to shift some of the action to the commerce centre,” offered the KCCI official.