The Department of English, St Joseph University, Nagaland, in collaboration with the Literary Club and Drama Club, organised the first edition of LIT Fest 2026 on September 1 and 2 at the university auditorium under the theme “Words that Echo through Eternity”.
The two-day literary festival brought together students and faculty members for a celebration of literature, language, creativity, culture and artistic expression.
The festival began on September 1 with an inaugural ceremony and ribbon-cutting led by Head of the Department of English, Dr Thokchom Sunanda Devi. The Drama Club presented a play, “Chaos Behind a Successful Programme”, highlighting the importance of unity, cooperation and collective effort.
Addressing the participants, Dr Thokchom Sunanda Devi encouraged students to take part in the competitions with confidence and said competitions should not be viewed solely in terms of winning. She emphasised that failure provides an opportunity to identify weaknesses and improve, and described the participants of the inaugural edition as “history makers”.
The first day featured competitions in singing, monologue, BGMI, MLBB, Ludo, poetry painting, dance, extempore speech and bread eating. Students participated enthusiastically in both on-stage and off-stage events.
The second day began with a debate on the topic, “The right to protest and reservation: Are they instruments of justice and equality?” Participants engaged in an exchange of views on contemporary social issues, demonstrating critical thinking and articulation.
The festival concluded with the distribution of trophies and certificates to the winners of various competitions. H. Hanthu Yimchunger was crowned Mr LIT 2026, with Nguruh V. Wilfred as first runner-up. Jacinda Odyuo was crowned Miss LIT 2026, while Neingunuo Kire secured the first runner-up position.
