4th Haofa festival held at Phungcham village

Mungchan Zimik
Ukhrul, Dec 5 : Ukhrul Deputy Commissioner Ashish Das has underscored the importance of preserving Haofa, the indigenous canine breed which not only represents cultural identity but is a vital component of the Tangkhul community.
He made the remark during the inaugural programme of the 4th Haofa Festival held under the banner of "Preserve & Promote Haofa" at Phungcham village ground, Phungcham, Ukhrul.
Haofa pups were put up for sale at Rs 7000 per pup at the festival.
It is worth noting that Phungcham Haofa Lovers Association (PHLA) had started the process to obtain a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Haofa. However, the eruption of violence in 2023 put the process on hold and the initiative has not gone forward due to different reasons.
Headman of Phungcham village Tuireising Horam kicked off the festival with "Hokharai", Tangkhul traditional chanting, symbolising a warm reception to all attending the festival.
Speaking as the chief guest, DC Asish Das stressed on the importance of obtaining GI tag for the Haofa.
GI tags protect rights of regional products, preserve their identity and prevent misuse, which further enhances their market value.
"If we are not careful, some other communities may take advantage and start to falsely claim Haofa as their indigenous breed. We must put more effort in promoting Haofa in order to get recognition for the canine breed", said the Ukhrul DC.
He suggested the villagers prepare an action plan and pursue the Secretary of Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Services, get connected with the department concerned and find out where the files got stuck.
The DC also assured to extend all possible help in obtaining GI tag for Haofa.
Delivering the keynote address, Tennosan Pheiray, president, Phungcham Haofa Lovers Association (PHLA) said the main objective of organising Haofa festival is to preserve and promote the indigenous dog breed.
As the villagers recognized the possibility of losing the local canine breed, a group of dog lovers (PHLA) initiated the Haofa festival in 2021 and the same has been celebrated every year in the month of December, he said.
The PHLA president also extended gratitude to MLA Khashim Vashum for his financial support since the beginning of the festival in 2021 and taking a personal interest in promoting and preserving the Haofa.
Further, he touched upon the challenges faced by the villagers in hosting the festival.
At the event, the Ukhrul DC handed over the Best Haofa Award 2025 to Lengchonphi Horam. He also inspected the Haofa stalls at the celebration venue.
The festival saw exhibits of Tangkhul tradition of pounding rice, folk songs and musical performances from local artists Reitim Khapai and SP Shonshon.
Later, the DC Ukhrul inaugurated the Inter Village Road (IVR) of Phungcham constructed under the programme "Unlocking the Ukhrul Model" through MGNREGA work as a Christmas gift for the villagers.
The programme was organised by PHLA in collaboration with Phungcham Village Authority, Phungcham Village Development Committee, Phungcham Shanao Long and Phungcham Katamnao Mayar Ngala Long.